Hello, dear community! How was your week? Today we will share with you new Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism community screenshots created by one of the players — the Fire Eagle.
To share great moments from your own playthrough with the community - add them to our community hubs or send them to our Twitter or Discord server. We will post regular news reports with the best ones.
We asked the Strategic Mind community for help and got tonnes of useful feedback and advice from you guys. Here you can find the summary of the community discussion results:
Last day of the discount - Starni Games New Academic Year sale
September comes and it is time to enroll in the military academy for Higher Command and Staff Course and brush up on your strategy and tactics. For seasoned commanders only there is a special "government support program" offering solid discounts. All theaters of war are available:
Last week we asked for your thoughts about the best fitting Store page screenshots types for the upcoming game Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of feedback we got. You have provided a detailed analysis of existing screenshots for previous Strategic Mind titles' and useful ideas for future screenshots. As developers, sometimes it is hard for us to see the game through the players' eyes, so your feedback is invaluable for us. Now we want to believe that we understand you a little bit better. So we appreciate all of your efforts, guys! We will try to heed your advice when working on the Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty screenshots revamp soon, as we now have more materials for them.
We want to share with you some quotes from the community on Steam and on Reddit about the Strategic Mind screenshots. Maybe it would be interesting for you to read and compare your ideas with the other players' perceptions, or even find your own commentary here:
1. Zoomed-out strategic view type of screenshot:
Likes: 5 Quotes: -I like #1 - it shows a strategic view or something like that? I like to know what kind of tools a strategic game offers. - The first one should be a little less zoomed out - Looks like a different game. - Don’t highlight interesting parts of the game. - #1 is lovely. it shows you can have different combat arms of the army (air, navy, land/marine), and shows you can have more than just tiny snippet of forces.
2. HQ room type of screenshot:
Likes: 9 Quotes: - #2 is something I would not appreciate on a strategy game page. That's a neat visual for a menu but that's not what I'm going to actually play, so it's kind of just noise. - I'd avoid anything like 2. that sort of stuff could just be done with photo likeness written dialogue like other games have handled it.
I know it seems like some sort of special feature of these games but for me personally it is a put off a bit as I'm more interested in the challenge of the scenarios or the campaign than wading through some sort of' 'marionette' cut scene where a simple military style 'old school' dossier of the assignment or objective would be more immersive if done authentically maybe with a voice over like some game leaders in this field have done in the past because it's efficient for the player and adds enough immersion to get to the 'real' game - Some people are looking for fast-casual playing similar to multiplayer game but many other people when play a single player campaign don't want just a chain of battles with a poor and forgetable introduction between them. They look for a full story and want to "make the difference" with their choices and actions. On the other hand, most games just show an "intro video" and a final "victory video". I love the work you made to create a screenplay and a background to connect every battle and the consecuences of the previous clashes like the image of Picture Number 2 and the mini-videos between battles. Screenshots should reflect that your game is more than a chain of battles with an "excuse-plot". - Looks interesting, Using that would be good. - I love this shot. Shows that there is more to the game than just standard RTS fare and clicking/moving units. - Great, but maybe highlight the campaign map though instead of a general. - I think this kind of image should always be included to the screenshots. Player spends a lot of time in this room, so it should at-least be represented (also it would remind the player that it's mostly story-driven).
3. Battlefield view with No UI and No hexes type of screenshot:
Likes: 7 Quotes: - I always appreciate when a strategy can boast atmospheric screenshots like #3 and #7. As much as strategic games are about maps and figures, many people still prefer games that let you feel "in the moment" rather than being purely schematic. - Beautiful. - Looks like an animated sequence? This one is confusing. Because there is no grid. - This shot looks very Indie. Some people like that, some people don't. - Not a fan sadly. It looks without UI like it's just a image where we arrive into, when departing from a cut-scene.
4. Equipment UI type of screenshot:
Likes: 9 Quotes: - This is really good and helpful picture! It shows you have plenty of options to customize your units (and their secondary roles due to it). - I think #4 is a great UI screenshot - it's not too simplistic like basic overlay, and it looks like it's well-readable. - I like your efforts to customize units with skill upgrades, special equipment addition, etc. as it can be seen in Picture Number 4. - I can't read or undestand that info so I wouldn't use that one. - Obligatory "under the hood" shot, but a good one, I think. Gotta let people know that there is depth to be found here and this pic does it.
5. Battlefield view with UI and without hexes type of screenshot:
Likes: 15 Quotes: - From my point of view 7 and 5, this gives me more information about features of the game, such as the grid system, the types of buildings in the game, as well as these are the most atmospheric pictures for my taste - I liked 5 the most. Not too less, and bot too much information clustered at one spot. - Seems to be another good shot of the game. - Show me exactly what kind of game this is. - This pic covers what you'll be seeing most of the time, I believe, and that's important. A great "first-impression" shot. I would lead with this one. - Might suggest injecting the mouse cursor, showing some highlighted units or something, show me a little more of how the game works.
6. Close up units view type of screenshot: Likes: 8 Quotes: - I'd probably go for looking up close and detailed like in 6. - I wouldn't use that, doesn't seem like the game you will be playing. - Pretty but not something I care about. Some others would though! - In your provided examples the 2 and 6 ones really call out to me. - Graphic quality is not the most important for hardcore and veteran players (if we have played with prehistoric 3D graphics of "Alone in the dark" or "Colonization" pixels we can play everything) but for casual players and young people it could be a decisive factor so you should include some screenshots like Picture Number 6 showing units closely with zoom to satisfy these people expectations about graphics.
7. Battlefield view with No UI and with hexes type of screenshot:
Likes: 19 Quotes: - Me personally I like screenshot 7 the most: 1) it shows (at least that's what I assume) where your game camera is mostly focused; 2) It looks pretty polished and clean (not to much the viewer can focus on); 3) Would be a good image to place a logo on top or something. - Image 7 makes the game look best imo. - I think this is my favorite. Another grand-scale pic showing the expanse of the map, along with the grids on the ground showing me a little bit of how the game works and a tiny piece of what to expect. This one makes me want to try the game. - This should be your lead off shot IMO. - 7. - 7 looks the most attractive for me. - I like the 5th one and the 7th. - Is really nice screen shot, even for one without an UI. It's atmospheric. It shows more nations than one (telling that there's a chance to fight more than just Germans/Soviets!) And in general looks good, but it probably better to let fans take these ones than to have at a store front?
8. Battlefield view with UI and without hexes type of screenshot
Likes: 10 Quotes: - Looks like how you'll be playing most of the game? - This one shows exactly what type of game it is with a little extra complexity. - This image is way too early taken. Everything is in their static starting positions and it looks more like a chess game than how the game plays. Please let at-least one turn be done before screen-shots as it looks more like a staring match than an active battlefield.
Please, let us know what you think about this whole discussion. Do you agree with the fellow players? Is there any screenshot type that is really needed but is missing from our selection? Looking forward to further discussion.
Starni Games team
New Academic Year sale! Save 85% on Panzer Strategy Now
Starni Games New Academic Year sale begins!
September comes and it is time to enroll in the military academy for Higher Command and Staff Course and brush up on your strategy and tactics. For seasoned commanders only there is a special "government support program" offering solid discounts. All theaters of war are available.
Don't miss the chance and grab Panzer Strategy with a great deal! Save 85% off the full price. Get the game before September 25:
Community Discussion, World War II End Day, and Other News
General!
Here is the top news for this week.
We need your help!
We asked the Strategic Mind community for help. And help you did! We have got tonnes of useful feedback and advice from you guys and are now digesting all of that knowledge. If you have missed our discussion of storefront screenshots - it is not too late to join in and share your bit of knowledge with us. You can find more details here:
New Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom video on YouTube - this time TheEdmon takes on Burma!
TheEdmon continues his heroic struggle Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom campaign on Insurmountable difficulty with the operation Compass:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-myHgmONofw Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0beejKk80Do Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDoJ5CNzchQ Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYglZpOKBXw Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovOVIAovhlk Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eSn0qRyxK4 Do not forget to wishlist our Free Prologue app for the Spirit of Liberty:
We need your help and counsel. We are working on updating the Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty and Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty Prologue 1939 store pages. We want to add new screenshots to give you a better idea of the games and to attract new players to the franchise.
So we really need your help, because as developers, we are not always able to see the game from your point of view. Also, sometimes we are not sure what is the best way to show TBS games visually. Please, let us know in the comments: - What type of screenshots attract more attention, when you search for a new strategy game to play? - Do you prefer to see the UI on screenshots? Or do you pay more attention to the visuals and vibes of the game? - You watch trailers more or screenshots more when you check out the new game? - Is there is something specific that you would like to see on the screenshots for the Spirit of Liberty? - Here are some of the screenshots that we usually add to our store pages. Please check them out and let us know which ones give you a better idea of the game and inspire you to play it: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Looking forward to reading all of your feedback! Have a good day!
Starni Games team
📸 Saturday screenshots from the community #14
Hello Generals! We hope that everyone is doing well and staying safe. Today we want to share with you new community-made screenshots from the Strategic Mind series. We think that some of them are good enough to be added to the game's store pages. So, if you think that some are indeed worthy to represent the game on the Store page - please let us know in the comments. We will consider adding it there. Have a nice weekend!
To share great moments from your own playthrough with the community - add them to our community hubs or send them to our Twitter or Discord server. We will post regular news reports with the best ones.
September 2 marks the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which officially put an end to World War II. Starting on 1 September 1939, the war lasted for 6 years and 1 day, and took the lives of 75-80 million people, more than half of them - civilians. It left a mark on the world that persists even today, after the cities have all been rebuilt, some from ground up.
For most, World War II is staunchly associated with the fighting in Europe: the endless marching columns of the Wehrmacht soldiers, the bombed out moonscapes of the European cities, and the massive Soviet tank charges sweeping across the Russian steppes. It is all too easy to forget that this terrible war did not, in fact, end on May 8 - there were 4 months of bitter fighting left to be done after the Victory in Europe.
For Germany, the war was over, but for many Germans it was not. Minefields had to be cleared, repairs made, and crimes - punished. The long and arduous process of Denazification and reintegration had begun.
The Soviet Union had its hands full as well, with rebuilding its own territories and policing the occupied ones. In August, when it became clear the Japanese wouldn’t surrender without a fight, the USSR gave it to them, invading Manchuria and crushing the Kwantung Army.
For many American servicemen, the Victory in Europe was distant and ephemeral. Tens of thousands would die on the atolls of the Pacific until the US would deploy the final drastic measure - the nearly mythical Atomic Bomb.
As the last member of the Axis standing, the Empire of Japan held out until August, but now, its resolve was completely broken.
All the while, the small but brave nation of Finland, still formally at war with both the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, was starting to rebuild. Its war against the Soviet Union, and the brief struggle against the Nazi Germany left swaths of the countryside destroyed by “scorched earth” tactics. There would be plenty of trials - show trials, most of them. But in the end, Finland had the distinction of being the only Soviet neighbour that fought most of the war as a German ally, but survived as a free democracy. It was a hard-won peace that still reigns today.
You will have a chance to see how it all started for Finland in our upcoming free Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty Prologue 1939 app featuring the first month of the Winter War. Make sure you do not miss it by Wishlisting and Following the project:
Weekly Intelligence Report #40 | Gamescom, Devcom, Stove, and other news
General! Here is the top news for this week.
Stove release on 31 August 2021
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom has just been released in the Korean Stove digital store run by Smilegate Inc. Our team hopes that it will allow more people to learn about the Strategic Mind series.
Both Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom and Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty have participated in this year’s Gamescom event. The dedicated Steam page was full of cool games’ livestreams. Additionally, the organizers of Devcom conference have invited us to join their livestream during the event. You can find more details here:
NightPhoenix keeps his Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg campaign with the start of the German Invasion of the USSR - operation 11 Barbarossa:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FatWsIexsco Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lUC29jF8s0 Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujam5oTkads Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUaQydc9SIc Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTKBZzHQRkM
32 Finnish tanks vs 6500 Russian tanks
Check out our first entry on Finnish units in the upcoming Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty
