We continue our series of publications about games seeking investments or a publisher. Up next, we have a piece on IamGraf, a rogue-like strategy game about managing a county.
The project was discussed by Mikhail Pestov, the lead developer of the project.
Mikhail Pestov
About the Team
The team was formed to create a pet project in 2015, when the first prototype was made. This prototype was redesigned multiple times in search of the best game mechanics. The active development phase began in June 2022.
At various times, the team had up to six members. Funding came from the lead developer's resources. The main inspiration for the team's project was the Majesty game series.
About the Project
IamGraf is a two-dimensional, hand-drawn, session-based rogue-like strategy game in a one-on-one format for PCs (with plans for a mobile port).
The game is being developed on Unity. All the core mechanics are currently complete. What remains is QA, updating outdated art, and game balance for the MVP.
Next, the project will focus on establishing pipelines for adding new content to the game (characters, units, events, etc.).
About the Gameplay/Mechanics
A session lasts 15-30 minutes. The player selects a team: a ruler, a hero, and a guild. The opponent does the same.
During the game, the player can only issue decrees—whether to the hero, for construction, trade, army formation, etc.
The player's goal is to capture the enemy's castle while defending their own.
Upon victory/defeat, the player's profile earns experience points, which can be spent on unlocking perks and new options.
This is not just a rogue-like element, but also a tool for gradually immersing players into the game mechanics, ensuring high replayability for the project.
Economy
Unlike most strategy games where building a structure once is enough, in IamGraf, players frequently have to rebuild their cities. There are two reasons for this.
First, having multiple identical buildings in one city creates a new object—an "industry." This boosts production and generates research points but also causes negative effects. The longer these effects are ignored, the more severe the consequences. For example, massive deforestation around a city can lead to a shortage of wood, impacting even a single sawmill's operation.
Second, the province's inhabitants have their own goals (food, protection, etc.). If the player fails to meet these needs, the inhabitants start constructing new buildings themselves, possibly interfering with the player's plans.
Politics
In the early stages of the game, the main "opponent" is the residents of your own kingdom.
For example, there are never enough residents. If you manage to feed them well, news spreads to neighboring counties, attracting refugees. They consume much more food than is produced. On the other hand, if food is lacking, the residents begin filling open spaces with pigsties and gardens. Consequently, when you need to build a smithy, space is unavailable. Demolishing the farms built by peasants isn't an option as it leads to dissatisfaction, potentially resulting in an uprising.
War
The player has several armies, each tasked with its own mission (attack/defense).
Armies autonomously form squads, engaging each other automatically. For instance, a border attack army forms squads to assault another player's borders, facing off against a border defense army that protects these boundaries. Meanwhile, an invasion army that captures new cities encounters the city's defense army.
One of the player's main tasks is troop management.
Players can set formations and squad compositions for each army. The units that make up the squads are balanced based on a rock-paper-scissors principle. This provides ample room for strategy. In the game, it's possible to anticipate the opponent's plans and deploy squads containing counter-units against their forces.
The Player's Team
The player's team consists of three characters: the ruler, the hero, and the guild representative. Currently, there are plans for 12 options for each type.
The heroes have their own active skills that players can activate via commands. However, their main function is passive buffs and debuffs, which set the tone for the upcoming game session.
In single-player mode, users can experiment with various combinations to find the most fitting one. In PvP mode, where players select characters in turns, it will be more challenging: players will need to understand the meta and consider "picks/counter-picks."
About the Project's Target Audience
The primary audience consists of fans of midcore and hardcore strategy games, both in the 4X niche (Stellaris) and management projects (Oxygen Not Included). The main connection with the latter is indirect control and the enjoyment derived from players giving commands and the game assigning them to available units.
Battles occur in auto-battle mode, making them appealing to fans of auto-battlers and idle titles.
About the Project's Business Model
After the initial funding, a presentable game demo is created.
According to SteamDB, games similar to IamGraf can sell between 30-50 thousand copies. Such sales can easily recoup initial investments.
At this stage, the main goal is to form a stable community. Once the demo shows good online attendance, the project can be scaled for a long time by adding paid DLCs and cosmetic skins.
About the Metrics
Closed testing was conducted. It showed audience interest in the game, but unfortunately, the product is still too raw. Further testing requires a more polished build, which hinges on funding.
Whom We Are Looking For
The main thing is for the partner to like the idea and business model. At this stage, all forms of partnership are considered: from direct investments to equity participation.
How to Contact?
- Email: mikhail-pestov@mail.ru
- Telegram: @Mike_Peston