- RECOVERED DOCUMENT: THE ABBEY'S LEDGER - 12 August 2026
Entry 734: Subject accepted the Rite. The binding held for three hours before the Unbound claimed her. The Iron Ward was insufficient. The Great Bell was not rung. Entry 735: The Lodge has sent another delegation. They demand we cease the Rites. They do not understand that the Rites are the only thing keeping the Pale from swallowing Andar whole. They do not understand that the Bell is a weapon and a door, and the Abbey must hold both. Entry 736: We have found another. Young. Willing. The Abbey requires more subjects. The Unbound requires more subjects. \ Join the Lore Discord now: https://discord.gg/YbSQz57j
- 🔥 Dynamic Fire System – Dev Showcase | The Old War 🔥 - 6 August 2025
Dev Update: Fire System in The Old War Hey everyone! Just wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at one of the new features we’ve been working on - a fully dynamic fire simulation system that brings more chaos, strategy, and atmosphere to The Old War.So what does it do? Our fire system isn't just for show. Here's what makes it unique:Fires grow, spread, and consume fuel realistically over time. A small spark can turn into a devastating inferno, or fizzle out if it runs out of fuel.Fire size, heat, and spread radius dynamically increase and shrink based on available fuel and surrounding conditions.Visual effects scale with the fire's intensity, so you’ll see small flickers turn into raging blazes.Weather, wind, and snow can influence the spread rate and visual behavior.Thousands of fire instances can exist on-screen simultaneously, thanks to an efficient ECS-based architecture (DOTS) +…
- MASSIVE BATTLES UNLOCKED! - 17 July 2025
MASSIVE BATTLES UNLOCKED!This is a really exciting post for me. The Old War can now support thousands of units at one time! As much as I love other games with massive swarms, there are many reasons I am excited for a high unit limit. We aren't looking to be a tower defense, or a swarm-centric game, but we don't want to limit you to a unit cap that has been outdated for 20 years. For The Old War, a high unit count is more about the additional gameplay mechanics and new strategies that this unlocks.Some of this new, emergent gameplay is as follows and will be explained further:Neutral Towns and CitiesSwarm-type TroopsShared Unit Control at ScaleA Living, Breathing WorldNEUTRAL CITIES AND TOWNSAdds territorial strategy - towns can be occupied, allied with, razed, or fortified.Forces players to consider diplomacy or resource denial, not just combat. People can be a resource for a number of…
- First Gameplay Trailer is Here! - 23 June 2025
First Gameplay Trailer is Here!We're excited (and a little terrified) to share the very first gameplay trailer for The Old War - our dark fantasy RTS where every unit matters, armies persist between battles, and faction control can be shared with your friends.🛡️ Persistent armies ⚔️ Brutal tactical battles 🏰 Co-op faction control 🧠A campaign where your choices and losses carry forwardWatch the gameplay trailer here: YouTubeWishlist The Old War on Steam:It helps a ton and ensures you’ll be the first to know when we launch playtests.We’d love to hear your thoughts:What stood out to you in the trailer?Were there moments that felt too fast/slow or unclear?What kind of features or modes would you love to see in a dark fantasy RTS like this?Drop a comment and let us know what you think! We're actively building The Old War with the community in mind, and this is just the start.See you on t…
- The Clan System - 17 June 2025
Introducing Clans in The Old War - Build Together, Fight TogetherThe battlefield is brutal, but you don’t have to face it alone.With the new Clan System, you and your friends can forge a shared legacy. Whether you're building a warband of elite fighters or managing a growing municipal workforce, clans let you combine your efforts and push back the darkness together.Shared Armies & ResourcesWhen you form a clan, all members contribute to a shared pool of units, resources, and structures. This isn’t just a stat screen, these are real assets that persist between battles. What you build or lose affects the entire clan, so strategy and coordination matter.Assign Player RolesEvery clan can assign Council Seats, each with their own unique roles and benefits. These roles include:WarlordGrand MageQuestorAldermanQuartermasterWhether you're leading attacks or handling supply chains, everyone has a…
- Let There Be Magic! - 31 March 2025
Magic in The Old War In The Old War, magic is hated and feared. It was said that magic is what destroyed the world. Anyone who uses it plays with forces far beyond their comprehension and control. Only tyrants and madmen would dabble in these forces. How it Affects the Game This plays a major factor on the battlefields of the Old War. Magic is wildly powerful and unpredictable. The world is unstable. Every spell cast rocks the stability of the world, and can cause unprecedented devastation. If you cast a spell, instability increases, the day/night cycle speeds up, and random cataclysmic events will start to happen. Tornados, firestorms, lightning, portals to other dimensions, and more. Here is just a taste of what is to come. What's Coming Next? Clearly, two spells is no problem for even a junior wizard to master. More spells and disciplines can be mastered, greatly enhancing the specif…
- The Old War – Persistent Armies - 22 March 2025
Core Gameplay Mechanics at Launch Commanders, the time has come to prepare for The Old War. As the release draws near, we want to highlight the mechanics that will shape your experience in this dark and unforgiving world. In The Old War, you’ll lead a persistent army—an embattled force that survives the ravages of war, grows stronger through experience, and faces the consequences of every battle fought. The Value of Preserving Your Army Every unit counts in The Old War, and that includes your workers. Your workforce is divided into three tiers: Apprentice, Artisan, and Architect. Losing one of these highly skilled workers can have devastating consequences on your war effort, so preserving your army’s strength is critical to long-term success. Unit Heroization Over time, individual units can become heroes. Through valor and experience, a unit can rise above the ranks and gain unique abil…
- Kingdom of Andar Construction System - 6 March 2025
Hello Everyone! Today, we’re diving into the construction system for the main human faction in The Old War, The Kingdom of Andar. This post will cover everything from placement mechanics to dynamic destruction, giving you a clear understanding of how to plan, build, and maintain your settlements. Historically in strategy games, humans are the quintessential base builder with a familiar set of rules. This is why I've decided to start with a familiar faction. The Kingdom are not the only human faction, but they are the most familiar. They expand their territory using fortifications and roads to connect cities and trade routes, giving them places of refuge when the sun sets. Placement Mechanics Building placement for Andarian architects in The Old War is influenced by several key factors: Spheres of Influence – Buildings must be placed within the controlled area of your faction (more on th…
- New Game Art - 25 February 2025
Hello everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to give my appreciation to Adrian and Marina for all the incredible artwork they've been creating for The Old War! They were responsible for both the improved artwork on the steam page, as well as the new and improved logo. Adrian brought incredible flare, and really pushed the direction of the artwork, while taking my feedback into consideration. He was very easy to work with, and gave excellent suggestions throughout the process. Their details in case you would like to see other projects they have worked on: Artist: Adrian Regalado Nuñez, His Website Designer: Marina Lezcano, Her Instagram Massive thanks to Adrian and Marina—it looks better than I had thought of for sure!
- Unit Ability Improvements - 21 February 2025
Battles are about to become more dynamic. Units now have a stamina system that adds another layer of strategy to movement and combat. With this update, positioning, timing, and stamina management will play an even greater role in securing victory. Whether it is repositioning your troops rapidly, or escaping a deadly ambush, being able to hustle troops out of there will save lives. When combined with knowing you can save your units to fight another day, this will make sure you keep their stamina in mind in a risky engagement. New Unit Abilities Stamina Bars – Most actions, such as sprinting and power attacks, will consume stamina. Managing stamina wisely will be crucial in prolonged engagements. Running – Units will no longer be forced to march at a slow pace. Sprinting will allow for faster movement across the battlefield but will drain stamina. This will allow you to move across terrai…
- Upgraded to the High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) - 8 November 2022
Hello everyone! It's been a while, but I have a number of very solid excuses so I hope you will forgive me. I lost my job, got a new job, went to Scotland and got married. It's been a hell of a year. All that being said, I still do have some pretty solid updates for The Old War, and I can't wait to share them with you. First and foremost, I switched from using Unity's Universal Render Pipeline (URP) to the High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP). This was a tough choice for me, because I have always been that guy with a potato for a PC. I want people to be able to freely play this game with their friends regardless of their bank accounts. All that being said, the limitations on the number of lights were an unacceptable trade-off. Secondly, I switched from using Mirror to Netcode for GameObjects. I'm still unsure if this was the right call, but I really wanted to try out Netcode as it is…
- Coming Soon Page Released! - 30 April 2022
Hello everyone! My name is Dan Marshall, and I am the indie developer behind The Old War. I am pleased to announce the release of my Coming Soon page and the Community Hub! This is an exciting milestone for me, as I have been working on the development of The Old War for the past three years. It has evolved from a personal project into a full-blown RTS with multiplayer support. This game stemmed out of a love for RTS and multiplayer games, and also from frustration that there weren't that many great co-op RTS games out there. I am the VP of Engineering at an AI-based startup, and I have numerous friends and colleagues helping with the project. My vision is for The Old War to become a deep and compelling game that you can play with your friends in many ways and have an equally deep and compelling endgame. The current slate of RTS games are rinse and repeat games with a single player camp…
