Greetings, Fellow Citizens of Iskendrun,
It has been a little over a week since City of the Shroud launched on Steam, and players are already having a dramatic impact on the state of the game world. As we work our way through each chapter, we will be posting semi-regular updates on developments within the game world to keep you up to date. Welcome to the State of Iskendrun: Volume 1!
A brief explanation for those who are new to the workings of the city: as players work their way through the branching story of Chapter 1, every decision they make impacts the the Balance of Power between the five factions vying for control. This Balance of Power is shared by everyone - every player’s every decision permanently alters the future course of the story as written by us, the developers.
On top of this, you as players will make decisions at critical junctures in the story that impact how the faction leaders view and relate to each other. At the start of the tale, each leader has two allies and two enemies, but based on your choices, allegiances are already beginning to shift...
As of the morning of August 20 when I took this screenshot, the current Balance of Power is:
The Merchant Queen, Azura nin Fateh, is the current leader of the pack, followed by the Syndicate Leader, Zem. Trailing them are the Rebel Commander, Omar; the Head Priest, Navid; and Sohrab, Captain of the City Guard. But their lead isn't set in stone yet - since the end of last week, Navid & Sohrab have risen from only 2% to 12% -- at the expense of Zem and Omar.
What will Azura's allies and enemies think of her jump to prominence, if indeed it remains by the close of this chapter?
The faction leader's alliances will be playing a major role in how the story unfolds in future chapters, so your choices will have massive repercussions for the city of Iskendrun and its citizens - and the choices you’re making are very, very exciting. We can't say more or we'll leak spoilers, but we're excited to see where you're taking the city!
This is one of the most fun aspects about working on a game like this - it’s thrilling to see how you all are impacting the world and the decisions you make take form. It’s truly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see where this all leads.
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P.S.: In general, we intend to provide details on future updates to the game, patch notes, and other information in separate posts. For now, the State of Iskendrun will focus keeping players up-to-date on developments within the game world. Suggestions are still welcome, of course!