Greetings from the front lines!

Old Glory Dispatches is where we give you updates on our studio and where we write about stuff we think you’d like.

The United States elections are over. Now, Kamala and Trump don’t email or text me anymore. :(

In this dispatch:

• SOPs

  • Have Another Round

• Status Report

  • Game Dev is Strange

• Old Glory Recommends

  • Our Brilliant Ruin

You’re reading the newsletter of Old Glory Studios, an indie game studio where combat veterans make combat games. If this was forwarded to you, hit the link and

^_SOPs

Have Another Round

In this new footage, Matt Patak, our Creative Director, takes us through one round of gameplay in Project Cadiz, showing off the first iteration of some of our unique features.

Watch as he leads the attackers in assaulting (and destroying) the town.

^{_{Status Report}}

Game Dev is Strange

Christian Divine is the BAFTA Award-winning writer of LIFE IS STRANGE, the hit game from Don’t Nod about a superpowered teenage girl named Max. The game launched a franchise, and the direct sequel to Max’s story, LIFE IS STRANGE: DOUBLE EXPOSURE came out last month.

Christian has also worked on DEUS EX, and I met him when we were both working on DYING LIGHT 2. Old Glory Studios is pleased to share that Christian is attached to Old Glory’s second game, codenamed PROJECT LANDFALL, and as we explore the possibilities for Old Glory’s own IP, Christian answered a few questions for us about his past work and story franchises in general.

OGS: As writer on the original LIFE IS STRANGE, you helped launch the franchise and now you've seen it grow. What was the Don’t Nod's original vision for the game, and how did that vision evolve?

 CD: The original vision was very much like the released version minus more expansive (and expensive) scenes such as more chaos and spectacle at the end of the final chapter and some other plot points that would have been expanded. Things also changed just based on the game's development and player responses during the release schedule. For instance, we added a scene with Kate in the hospital because players loved her character so much and it also made sense plot-wise. I'm most pleased by how organic it felt to evolve and of course the global response to the game's empathetic storytelling spirit.

OGS: Max and Chloe's romance option in the original game has become iconic with many gamers listing it as their favorite video game romance. Did you expect players to so overwhelmingly prefer this choice?

CD: I predicted there would be a 50/50 split at the game's final difficult choice between Bae and Bay (no spoilers!) and that's about how it broke down but I wasn't prepared for how beloved the relationship between Max and Chloe would be regarded. As a game writer, I'm always touched that players respond to these disparate characters, and I'm proud that we were able to touch hearts and souls thanks also to the great voice acting from Hannah Telle and Ashley Burch. Max and Chloe are true partners in time.

OGS: Growing up in the 80s we witnessed the creation of the franchise as the business model for IP (STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, etc.) Having helped create LIFE IS STRANGE, and having worked on other franchises DEUS EX and DYING LIGHT, why do you think franchises appeal to fans?

CD: Like David Lynch once told me about TWIN PEAKS (an obvious influence on LIFE IS STRANGE), people like a recurring story. If the players respond emotionally to the story and characters, they usually want more. The trick of course is to add more to what came before and not repeat the same game. The open worlds of DEUS EX and DYING LIGHT are even more expansive than LIS, so they can hold more story and character. The world-building has a lot to do with the attraction and players love to explore these environments along with the gameplay and overall experience. Each game has its own unique style and genre which players fortunately savor as they want to repeatedly revisit the worlds and characters. There are many games with memorable elements like this and humility aside, it's hard to say why one becomes more iconic than the other. It must be the writing...

You can look forward to hearing more from Christian in the future!

^{_{Old Glory Recommends}}

(This section contains no sponsors, just stuff we like.)

Our Brilliant Ruin

If you’re into tabletop roleplaying games, we recommend OUR BRILLIANT RUIN from Studio Hermitage. We’re fans of the studio, and I’m a fan of Justin Achilli, one of the minds behind VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE and its World of Darkness setting.

Set in a dark fantasy, Edwardian world, OUR BRILLIANT RUIN feels a bit like DOWNTON ABBEY meets H.P. Lovecraft, where class conflict and the supernatural horror drive your stories.

The below intro is from their (now successful and complete) Kickstarter campaign:

As Old Glory builds its own IP, we’re definitely studying what Studio Hermitage is doing. Though primarily a video game studio, Studio Hermitage has a plan for a transmedia IP that has already hit the ground running. In addition to the TTRPG, there is a podcast audio drama, CLAWMOOR HEIGHTS, and an upcoming comic book.

Find the TTRPG on Amazon US, or download the pdf for FREE at DriveThruRPG.

Thanks for reading! We’re a new studio trying to reach more people. Please share this newsletter with your friends - and why not your enemies, too!

Keep an eye on your in-box for more dispatches from the front lines!

—Lewis Manalo, Executive Producer

Stay dangerous!

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