Fellow Hogardians! Cataclismo’s release is closer by the day. While we push ourselves to release the best possible game in a few months, we thought it might be cool to share the [b]inspirations[/b] upon which Cataclismo is being built. Whether it’s an entire childhood toying with legos, those [b]endless teenage nights playing Age of Empires II[/b], or these last years grinding hours in They Are Billions, we had plenty of inspirations to look up to. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44126591/0ef887d4aae9583d372b90019e259f6eb87255e9.jpg[/img] [list] [*] [b]LEGO[/b]. This won’t catch you off guard by now, but LEGO has been a huge reference for us. Everyone on the team has a story building stuff with the Danish bricks, and [b]Cataclismo tries to mimic that same experience[/b] through its core mechanic: the brick-by-brick construction. [*] [b]Castle Story[/b]. The game by Sauropod Studio [b]pioneered the brick-by-brick building[/b], even if we believe there’s a lot more to do with that mechanic, especially in terms of complexity and strategic depth. That’s what we’re trying to achieve with our game! [*] [b]Age of Empires II[/b]. According to Vicent, our creative director, Age of Empires II is [b]“The best RTS ever made."[/b] It kind of started it all, and it’s still a best-seller to this day. We would be pleased with half of the same long-term success and overall praise. [*] [b]Warcraft III[/b]. Blizzard’s Warcraft III is probably [b]one of the best RTS in terms of narrative[/b]. Well, it’s one of the best RTS, period. However, developing a real-time strategy game that actually cares about the story is what we value the most of it. Plus, many on the team spent a zillion hours playing it back when it was released, and that undoubtedly influences our work with Cataclismo. [*] [b]Warhammer[/b]. In Cataclismo, tactical positioning is a huge deal, and that’s something we learned from Warhammer. Making sure that [b]every unit is in the most optimal position[/b] that best suits its role is crucial, and we try to emphasize the feeling of being a military commander in f*cked-up world, too. [*] [b]Other inspirations[/b]. In terms of aesthetics, Borja Gonzalez’s [i]Grito Nocturno[/i], Mike Mignola’s [i]Hellboy[/i], and Caspar D. Friedrich’s [i]Wanderer above the sea of fog[/i] set the tone for Cataclismo. In addition, Ghibli’s [i]Princess Mononoke[/i] shares the same concern for nature and the future of our planet as Iris and the rest of the Hogardians. [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44126591/5b51db0f8fe7a1eb55c95a986ca692ede8af4ec8.png[/img] That’s it! Future updates will focus more on the game itself (new features, presenting the characters…), but we wanted to give prominence to the games, and media that have brought us here. What about you? [b]Which games come to your mind when you think of Cataclismo?[/b] Let us know in the comments! Israel Hogardian Herald