Demo Update 0.6.36f

The Imperial Command demo has received a major update focused on significantly reducing match length. During testing, we found that games could previously stretch to over three hours. They are finishing in about one hour now. That is still too long, but it's a good step in the right direction. This update introduces achievements, a smaller map, rebalances to the economy and cards, improvements to dice combat, and improved AI behavior.

Why These Changes Were Made

Gameplay testing has shown that Imperial Command naturally moves through three main stages: Early Game, Mid Game, and Late Game.

Early Game – Players focus on claiming tiles and positioning themselves for long-term advantage. Multiple strategies have emerged here. Some players spread out aggressively to secure as much territory as possible, while others cluster their starting positions and consolidate units for an early concentrated attack.

Mid Game – Players begin actively attacking to gain ground. During testing, a "pendulum effect" frequently appeared: one player would gain significant territory during their turn, only for the next player to undo much of that progress. This back-and-forth loop could feel unending, making it difficult to identify a clear leader and, if prolonged, could slow the game’s momentum and make the game boring. Many of the balance changes in this update are specifically designed to reduce this effect and create more decisive shifts in power.

Late Game – A clear leader typically emerges, and the endgame often becomes about consolidation and cleanup. However, certain card pulls could occasionally push the game back into a prolonged mid-game state. Several adjustments have been made to reduce the likelihood of that happening, while still preserving meaningful comeback potential.

Some back-and-forth is healthy and keeps the game exciting. It prevents early runaway victories and allows players to recover from setbacks. The goal of this update is not to remove that effect, but to ensure it resolves more cleanly and keeps matches moving toward a conclusion.

There is still more work to be done, but this update represents a major step toward faster, more engaging, and more fun gameplay.

Achievements Added

Achievements are now live in the demo. The current set focuses primarily on progression milestones, with more achievements planned for future updates.

Major Game Rebalance

This update significantly adjusts the pacing and economy of matches:

Starting cash increased from 100 → 200 Map radius reduced from 6 → 5 Attack cost increased from 50 → 100 Water route cost reduced from 80 → 50

Tile Upgrade Cost Changes

Tier 1: 60 → 50 Tier 2: 120 → 100 Tier 3: 300 → 200

Card Updates

New Card

Rapid Redeployment – Move units from one tile you own to any other tile you own during your turn.

Balance Changes

Reduced cash gained from cash cards Reduced units gained from unit cards Rebalanced overall card distribution within the deck Players now draw two cards at the beginning of their turn instead of one

AI Improvements

The AI has been significantly improved:

Reworked attack decision-making logic Improved how AI evaluates buying units for offense and defense AI can now discard cards

Dice Battle Overhaul

Dice combat has been reworked for a better, faster flow:

Attackers may now cancel the attack before the first dice battle Both attackers and defenders now roll up to 5 dice Defender always rolls a minimum of 3 dice Ties no longer favor either side

UI Improvements

Unit purchase costs are now being displayed when purchasing units Dice interface moved to the bottom center of the screen Various usability tweaks and visual improvements