Hi and welcome to Groundswell's Steam page!
I finally got my game on Steam, so I wanted to start creating dev logs to catalogue my work. Since this is the first one, I thought I'd give a little background.
This started as a pure curiosity project because I wanted to get back into development work. I changed careers a while back and do less now but still miss it.
Gaming has always been a big part of my life. I'd say some of the key periods in my life I only remember because I remember exactly what game I was playing, so this is sort of a culmination of a life journey I suppose.
I built this primarily as a way to get back a sense of fulfillment in gaming that I lost a little bit a few months ago. I was playing some pretty big AAA titles and while I enjoyed them, it felt more like a job with occasional moments of fun rather than a memorable experience that excited me every day. So on a whim, I decided to try building a game!
My inspiration came from a genre I generally struggled with because once I fell behind early, I spent the rest of the game just watching someone else win. I wanted to take the things I loved about that genre and add in a few elements from other games to make something new, like hidden card combat where you can bluff your opponents, four classes that each play differently, and a campaign where you earn relics that bend the rules. The result is Groundswell! I also took an aesthetic that I really enjoy seeing in media where you combine historical armor with modern millitary gear and brought it into this world.
So what is Groundswell exactly? It's a single-player strategy game where you settle a hex map, gather resources, build up your territory and trade, all while raiding rival factions and fending off their raids on you. The big thing I wanted was for nobody to ever run away with the game, so it's built around comebacks. Even if you have a rough start, there's always a way to fight your way back, and that comeback feeling is really the heart of the game! The map also shifts every game, so no two games play out the same.
Right now I'm working on the conquest campaign, where you fight your way across a continent one region at a time, starting with defending your own home. I'm hoping to post one of these every couple of weeks so you can follow along!
If there is one thing I'd like anyone to take from this game and this journey, it's that I care deeply about you having fun while you play. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'd really appreciate you adding Groundswell to your wishlist. It helps a ton!
Thanks for reading!