The DLC is currently in its playtesting phase, and I’m working hard to ensure it’s challenging for all factions involved.
So far, the battles during the Central Plains War have been incredibly dynamic, and I’m pleased with how things are shaping up.
Have fun!
Maestro Cinetik
PS: you may have noticed many updates these days. These are all the small bugs I am correcting along the way while working on the DLC.
DLC Preview
Hello,
I just wanted to share with you the progress on the upcoming DLC, along with some screenshots.
Given the immense amount of work, I’ve decided to split the DLC into two smaller parts, as I don’t want you to wait too long to play it.
The first part will be 1929-1930, titled "Taming the Tigers," and it’s progressing well.
The Central Plain War and the Sino-Soviet 1929 conflicts are almost finished. I’m currently working on the situation in Shanghai and all the underground struggles, as well as adding new actions for the Communist Party.
After that, I’ll mainly need to add the dialogues and events for the different Communist groups.
The content will be dense, and I’ve counted 74 new characters so far (the list keeps growing every day).
My goal is to have it done before summer, if possible, or by September. I’ll try to limit myself, but I keep falling down rabbit holes, leading to compulsive book readings and tons of new content.
Stay tuned!
Workshop at least!
Hello!
I just released a patch with some gameplay fixes and two great features.
Gameplay Fixes
-Bandit leaders can now personally lead an army. This changes a lot of things, so let me know if it feels unbalanced.
-Recruiting for an army with a sufficiently large stock of guns will no longer deplete the faction’s gun stock.
I also killed tons of minor bugs you don’t even need to hear about.
The Workshop is Open!
You can find the documentation for it here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3456566337
At the moment, only two editor tools are available:
A translation tool to provide better text in your language.
A character editor to create and maintain mods like "Moe of the White Sun."
This feature was a lot of hard work, and consider it a test for more editor tools. My ambition is that one day, you’ll be able to edit entire scenarios with their own dialogues. So, your feedback is crucial.
Please: if you break the game while tinkering with its files, read the Steam guide I made before reaching out to me. The solution may already be available.
My Latest Game is Out!
The game is available in English, French, and Chinese (even though the store might not say so). It’s an easy-to-pick-up but highly replayable Cold War 2 strategy game. It’s available at the bargain price of $4.99, so if you want to support an indie dev while enjoying hours of fun with a great game, just get it now! You can find it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3204120/Maestros_Cold_War_2/
Do you know what’s so great about this news?
I can now focus again on the Rise of the White Sun DLC! (By the way, the editor tools will let players get a sneak peek at the future characters and event texts.)
I hope you’ll be able to unleash your creativity with the new tools!
Maestro Cinetik
Quality of Life & UI 2025 Update and Korean Localization
Hello!
This new update focuses on players quality of life with some screen interractions reworked. Also: Korean language has also been added to the game, thanks to the community.
Wh'os Who windows The who's who window is now more practical, and will display more informations. You can now manage more things from the who's who, like recruiting characters or delegating them to the AI. A faction tooltip has been added, and you can jump directly on that faction's diplomatic screen by clicking on the faction icon. Once a character has been selected in teh who's who, it is now easy to inspect all other characters from that faction, thanks to the side arrows I added.
Diplomacy and government panel The navigation has been simplified, and factions tooltips added everywhere.
Districts management screen Hovering the faction flag will now display a tooltip, so you don't have to click teh flag to get more informations.
Army screen I added the same faction tooltip as everywhere, and you can now jump right into a unit faction's window by clicking on the unit icon.
Province screen (that's the screen you access from the left button on the map view) I added more informations on characters, like the origine province and if they are southerners or northerners.
End turn reports The end turn reports panel will now automatically pop up at each new turn. That festures has been requested several times, and now you have it! If like me, it annoys you, you can simply descativate that feature from the options menu.
I hope this update will make things more simple for new players not familar with the warlord era.
Have fun!
PS: If you want to see what I am working on these days, there is a demo available containing 6 scenarios. It is a strategy game about the cold war, much more easy to play than Rise of the White Sun. The demo can be found here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3361850/Maestros_Cold_War_2_Demo/
Bandit nerf patch
Hello,
As you now, I am working on next DLC, and I am doing some invisible heavy work (like making the game's resources lighter to support all the new content).
But I am also adding some new small but awaitd features:
You can now set the level of banditry to "low"
That feature is in playtest, so it is only on Windows builds for the moment. If everybody likes it, I will keep it and extend it to Linux and Mac.
To set the Banditry level to low, just push the button in the scenario selection screen.
Beware the impact may be well beyond just the bandit activity: for exemple, the AI loves recruiting new armies directly from bandits. So less bandits may sometimes make the game easier (or more difficult, depending upon your playstyle)
Tell me if you like it and have fun!
Maestro Cinetik
Post scriptum 1: Have you tested the demo for my next game? They already are 3 playable scenarios in it! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3361850/Maestros_Cold_War_2_Demo/ (this game is about the Cold War, and is much more simple than Rise of the White Sun, and it plays faster)
Post scriptum 2: I made the first scenario of the next DLC appear in the scenario list so you can have an idea about what it will be.
Thunder on the plain - insights about the incoming dlc
As I progress in the development of the 1929-1933 DLC, I can share with you some screenshots and informations.
The First scenario of the DLC will cover 1929-1930, and will be called "Taming the tigers"
January 1929, The victory of the Guomindang (GMD) in the Northern Expedition was supposed to bring an end to warlordism in China. But has it really? As discussions on general disarmament continue, many regional factions within the victorious coalition grow increasingly wary of Jiang Jieshi's expanding power. The Guomindang strongman is now relying more heavily on a close-knit circle of supporters from Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Meanwhile, the Communist Party is swiftly reorganizing. Though its strongholds remain scattered, they are steadily growing in influence...
It will play on the whole map (save Mongolia), and feature more than 50 new characters.
Some major Characters will have evolved and gained new traits and a new portrait.
Feel free to ask me any questions you have about that dlc, I will answer with pleasure.
Have fun!
Maestro Cinetik
PS: What else? Last Windows patch
That patch fix some minor issues, including triggering conditions for the new achievements. Linux and Mac build will follow later
October content Patch
Hello there!
Here is the October content patch.
In it: -A new 1923 sandbox scenario -Zhili AI improved in the 1920 scenario -UI reworkd for 1280-800 px and 1280-700px Resolutions -A famous spy gained the new badass portrait he deserved -Last week save bug is fixed
I also reorganized the scenarios to make room for new ones in the future. On this occasion, a small Guangxi scenario made its return in the tutorial section.
I also added 7 new achievements.
Some scenarios may seem daunting (like having all of China under your control or that of your allies), but remember, a skilled diplomat is all it takes to secure allies across the country.
Diplomats are the most underutilized yet powerful role in the game.
1929-1933 DLC ETA
No release date yet, but here’s my progress so far:
The characters and factions have been defined for the first large scenario of the DLC. Expect over 50 new characters in this scenario alone. It will be titled 'Taming the Tigers,' covering events from January 1929 to the end of the Central Plains War.
The Communist faction will use the same group system as in the 1927 scenario, with groups in Hubei, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Jiangxi, and more. Expect significantly more officer characters for this faction.
I am currently working on the map and army data for the scenario's start. After that, I will write the introductory texts, victory conditions, and AI. Then I’ll focus on the dialogues and events.
Once all of this is complete, I will begin playtesting and shift my attention to the second giant DLC scenario, which will focus on the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
From now on, expect fewer updates until the DLC release, though I’ll share regular news on development progress.
Have Fun!
Save Bug
Hello everyone,
I was planning to share some exciting news about new content, but instead, I regret to inform you of the less exciting news below.
Some of you have encountered a very annoying bug that affects the save files.
Here’s the good news:
-The bug was easy to fix. -Your old save files will work again, and you will be able to finish your current game.
However, here’s the bad news:
-I’m unable to update the game at the moment (so your saves will stay broken) -It has been three days now. -The issue is on Steam’s end, and I can't say when it will be resolved.
Unfortunately, I have not received any response from their support team, and I don’t know if anyone at Steam is actively working on the support ticket I submitted.
I will keep you updated as soon as I have more information.
Thank you for your understanding.
Maestro Cinetik
The 6th Congress
As you may know, I am working on an exciting 1929-1933 DLC. While it is quite a heavy workload, I won’t keep you waiting too long for new content—I will ship smaller updates like this one from time to time!
The 6th Congress Content Update
This update brings new content to the 1927 Red Bases scenario:
2 new events related to the 6th Congress of the Communist Party
2 new Communist Characters (they enter the game after the 6th congress)
5 new actions to developp your Red Bases!
A reworked AI for the Guomindang in this particular scenario
New historical portraits for Liu Xing(刘铏) and Zang Zhiping
2 new cheat codes
4 new achievements
In July 1928, the Communist Party gathered in Moscow to discuss the aftermath of the breakdown of the First United Front between the CCP and the Kuomintang. A new direction was set, and this is reflected in the new actions available for the Communist factions to develop their districts.
The new actions are:
Red Base The Party begins the process of establishing executive committees in every district, town, and village. These committees are tasked with assisting in the creation of soviets by local assemblies. This endeavor is far from straightforward. Not only does the population harbor fears of a resurgence of the Guomindang or warlord troops, but it is also challenging to find competent locals who fully grasp the new organizational structure. To overcome these obstacles, the Party must rely on the support of local associations to continuously communicate and clarify its actions. There are no shortcuts: achieving transformation into a genuine Red base, backed by the people, demands persistent and audacious political effort. ==>Upon the successful implementation of this policy, your influence across all social classes will rise by 10, while the influence of other factions will diminish by 20. ==>Additionally, Peasant Self-Defense Corps summoned in this district will be reinforced with more members, and recruitment actions will be more efficient.
Young vanguard Young men from this district are organized into young vanguard units. In the event of a crisis, the regular army will be supported by these groups, who are intimately familiar with the terrain. Tasks such as scouting enemy movements, supplying the army, and securing the rear can confidently be entrusted to these enthusiastic vanguard groups. ==>Upon the completion of this policy, the Peasant Defense Corps summoned in this district will have higher morale, and enemy troops will face a higher chance of being ambushed. ==>Enemies in this district are automatically spied upon
Land Refrom Land Reform is a critically necessary policy, yet lessons have been learned from past local, clumsy attempts: it is now understood that rallying all peasants into a broad front is essential. While leadership of the peasant associations must be entrusted to the poor peasants, it is crucial not to alienate the medium peasants. Consequently, land redistribution must be carried out judiciously, with a keen consideration of local conditions, especially in areas where medium peasants predominate. ==>Your influence over the gentry and the merchants will immediately decrease by 50. ==>Vitality and Tradition will decrease by 20, as disrupting traditional structures inevitably leads to some short-term troubles. ==>Upon the completion of this policy, your influence over peasants will increase by 20, and the influence of other factions will decrease by 20. ==>Agriculture income will be increased by 10% ==>Every Peasant leaders in this province will gain 25 Face and 25 supporters.
Model Villages Establishing Model villages to conduct political and agricultural experiments will enhance the prospects of long-term success for the Land Reform. This is an occasion to test bottom-up methods of policy development through consultation with locals, to adopt their practical suggestions while reserving broader policy questions to the Party's evaluation. Insights gained from these model villages can be extensively disseminated, benefiting the entire province. Upon completion, this policy will: ==>Increase vitality and agriculture income by 5. ==>Decrease Tradition by 1 in all districts of this province with a soviet.
Anti-Opium Campaign Opium fields are destroyed and alternative crops promoted. Strict penalties awaits those involved in the opium trade. Educational rallies are organized in the villages and rehabilitation programs to treat addicts are set up, emphasizing both medical care and ideological education. These efforts aimed to eliminate opium's harmful effects and promote a drug-free society gained a large approval among the population. ==>You gain 50 Face ==>Opium income is reduced to zero. ==>Upon completion, the vitality and the base agricultural income will increase by 5, and the population will lose its addiction to opium.
The new cheat codes are:
The 6th congress is late in the regular 1927 Red Bases scenario, and you may not have that much time to test all the new actions. The solution is either to play the Sandbox mode, either to use these cheat codes:
"6thcongress": will unlock the advanced actions, you can use it in any scenario.
"NanchangRedBase": will have the same effect but will also create a soviet, a red base and complete a land reform in Nanchang.
New achievements
I’ve added one achievement for each of the Communist groups in the 1927 Red Bases scenario.
I hope you will like this new update.
Have fun!
Maestro Cinetik
Summer update 3
In this update:
I fixed a lot of bugs. I won't bore you with all the details, but, for example, the 1927 scenario for the Guangxi CCP group has been significantly cleaned up.
I reworked the mini-map. It's not a huge change, but it now looks much nicer.
I added the ability to load games while in-game You no longer need to return to the main menu. (Many of you requested this quality of life feature.)
What's next?
I'm working on a massive content DLC covering the years 1929 to 1933:
*Sino-Soviet War in Manchuria *Central Plains War *Japanese invasion of Manchuria
These are just a few of the major events included, as these were turbulent years.
No ETA yet, as this is a huge update, and I'm also heavily committed to the Cold War 2 project.
