Hearts of Durasteel, Progress Report #0: The Mod So Far

Hello everyone. If you don't know already, I'm LuxLoser, lead developer for Hearts of Durasteel, a Star Wars mod for Hearts of Iron IV, a real time strategy game. You can find us at r/HeartsOfDurasteel, where there's a Discord link in the sidebar if you want to come join us there too. With permission from the moderators here, I figured I'd share this first progress report in this sub as well. It is meant to convey the general state of the mod and basic information. I will also be adding posts for the available leaks/declassified documents from the Discord, and the next progress report will come once the map is fully created, at least visually.

THE MAP

The map of Durasteel is a major component, as this isn't just an alternate history mod. Instead, it takes the map of Earth as we know it chucks it out, instead giving you a full map of the Star Wars Galaxy. "But how?" you might ask.

Well, the first thing we have done is create planets. They will be flat, 2-D items, representative of the planet as a whole. Think of it as a top-down view of a flattened globe, and the march of troops around the planet represents control of a certain region, of the southern hemisphere, of the large sea, of the mines, etc. The small provinces within the planets mean that planets aren't just one time battles but at times lengthy campaigns. Events during battles will also help make up for the limitations we have in depicting interstellar ground warfare. Planets that have no importance or are inhospitable and not valuable won't be depicted. Instead it is 'major' world displayed, not a star system. Various moons and satellites, however, are displayed near the planet, and important systems within the same system are placed close to one another.

Here is a look at the map layout, though it is, of course, constantly being updated. And here is an example of a planet and moon.

When we first started testing this idea in practice, the map looked like this. From there we did more refinement and ended up with this. You'll notice it very much looks like a bunch of islands in a very open sea. Technically, that's what it will always be, but we want to simulate the idea of a simplified map of space. We are still refining it, but the biggest things we tackled were: 1. the reflection of clouds, 2. waves and sea texture, 3. a space background. The reflection issue was easy enough, and we were able to figure out how to put in a background (admittedly still darkened and desaturated) not long after. But the issue of waves persisted. However, not long ago, we hit a break through and were able to remove the waves.

Here is the physical map as it exists presently. Here is a look at Coruscant and its moons and 'orbit tile'. And finally, here is a close up of Alderaan and a look at the stand-in "planetary ocean", which is blue mountains. We're still looking into improving the look.

We still have on the map agenda: 1. The sun. There is a light glare on the 'ocean' we are looking into disabling. 2. Improving the color of the background 3. Creating a proper, detailed space background with fairly accurate stars and easy to see hyperlanes 4. Improving planetary ocean look 5. Improving the height map to remove the rough look of the 'islands'

NATIONS

A lot less to cover here as I just want to clarify a few things. Firstly, we are not going for a plan of “every planet a tag.” Instead, while we do have plans for a number of tags, the approach is to have at game start, a large nation in the form of the Galactic Republic. The Republic will not be entirely united, with regions moving away from the Republic shown as separate puppets. This is a sort of narrative tool, as it shows that while some regions within the Republic have their own agendas, they believe in the Republic and respect its government. Near the Republic will be the CIS, focused on Serenno led by Dooku, at this point a growing movement that rejects the Republic government. The corporate states that he is enticing will be shown as moving away until the Battle of Geonosis comes and lines are drawn in the sand. The CIS will swell and the war will begin. The Neutral Systems will spawn not long after, refusing to accept either side of the conflict as their sovereign. Alongside all of this will be the Hutts and the Chiss. The former will be a large but fractured group, each of the leader of the Cartel having their own demesne. And the Chiss will be sitting in isolation, content on tackling their own issues. So, at the start there will be only a few nations available.

Why? Well the reason this mod is being made with Hearts of Iron IV is the unique way in which the event chains and the focus trees can be used to tell a story for a nation. Our objective is in taking Star Wars and allowing the player to craft their story. Fewer tags, more paths, more branches to the stories. Some of those stories will include switching to a different tag of a new nation, others will not. That the story is logical, sensible, and that the ways it affects the galaxy are cohesive is what will be important. Because Star Wars isn’t just some science fiction setting. It’s a Space Opera, a dramatic saga of heroes and villains, of the rise and fall of nations, of legends and myths, of prophecy and legacy. While we want to give the player choice, we have to be careful not to give total freedom. The massive conspiracies, intertwining stories, the presence of the Force, and the overarching themes of Star Wars mean that you can’t just be a rogue agent. There will be consequences, events that transpire because of things beyond your control. I want each playthrough to feel like it has a narrative, a story told in an unconventional medium. When you click “Senator Amidala dies!” I want it to be a little more than just an event that changes your focus tree and gives you some political power loss. I want the events that unfold, the war that ensues, the future that is written to feel like it was destined, not just random occurrences bumping into each other. That was a bit of an avant-garde rant there, but hopefully you’ll know what I mean as things progress.

But the question you might still have on tags is, “Well what about later on?” And that is more than fair. Ultimately there will be a number of tags, but mostly regional, with a few planets collected together around regional leaders. Forming each will take specific circumstances. So why not every world a tag? Well it also helps to demonstrate my personal view on how an interstellar nation functions on a greater scale. Namely, some systems are effectively “swept under the rug”. Due to the distance from major trade routes, economic capacity, population disparity, and military size, the neighbors of larger worlds are going to rally behind regional leaders, due in part to being just unable to stand alone. Worlds like Alderaan and Corellia, while having separate representatives than their neighboring systems, would have such sway and hegemony that the only reason their neighbors wouldn’t vote with them as a block is personal politics, and even that is more like one region being more liberal than another within one state and so electing a different party to the shared delegation than the others. But if the Republic were to just be dissolved, Alderaan’s neighbors, despite political differences, would be forced to work together, and work with Alderaan, to survive. This is partly due to the needs of a population accustomed to an economy where resources are practically infinite due to the shared resources of so many worlds in the galaxy. Unless a planet wanted to become an austere hermit kingdom, they have to work with more powerful neighbors. The materials used for infrastructure, the energy sources, the technological grids, the economic sectors, everything on a planet would be accustomed to what was available on the galactic market as a whole. Doonitum is common is some areas, but may be utterly unavailable on a planet. However, their security fleet is still made with doontium hulls, despite the metal not existing on their worlds. So unless they want their planet invaded and crushed, they need a doontium trade to survive.

The other component leading to regional leadership is how space travel works in Star Wars. Hyperspace Routes, planned paths of transit, and the perils of ‘rough space’ via nebulas and asteroid belts and so on, means it’s almost like Earth before air travel. If you’re far from a main route, ships will need to go through perilous, uncharted regions. Even before making that journey, if you’re an isolated world far from any routes, ships are first going to jump to the nearest planet close to a safe Hyperspace route. Imagine you’re a town near Florence in 13th Century Italy. Traders go to Florence on the main road before trying to reach you, and if it’s too much risk, you’re better off sending your own traders into Florence before they return. Say you’re on a minor road, one that branches off of the southern road to Florence. You want goods from north of Florence? Then you’re reliant on Florentine traders bringing it. And when war comes? You’ll need the Florentine army to hold off invaders. And so, despite disliking Florence, having your own culture, traditions, and political views, your town is under the jurisdiction of the Florentine city-state. Replace Florence with Corellia and Corellian and you see that due to the nature of hyper-space transit and the constrictions of moving through space itself, history has almost become cyclical for these minor worlds. Not to mention that as this situation persists, Corellian culture, ideals, and people would seep in, until what you have most in common with other minor world near Corellia is just Corellian you all are!

On a less philosophical or artistic note, let’s be honest. You really want to try to manage a game where you’re the faction leader of 50 minor nations, all with their own AIs? It would be a nightmare, especially when the war starts and each AI tries to command its own troops. And a major city on a planet falls? Rather than just lose some war score you can regain as your troops on the moons or nearby work to reclaim it, you instead get “THE WELSH UNION HAS CAPITULATED,” giving your enemies free reign in the territory, a huge hit to score, and the cession of control of worlds despite losing little on them.

IDEOLOGIES

This will be getting a separate post soon as well.

Durasteel presently has 11 set ideologies, with a 12th being in discussion in the form of “Grayism”, or “Neutralist”, meaning a state under the control of Gray Jedi. However, this is not yet set. Some of these ideologies, like New Order, the sides of the Force, and to some degree Akaan’adocrat, come from Star Wars canon or from Legends. But Star Wars has always been vague on its politics, leaving to us flexibility and creativity in developing coherent ideologies for gameplay.

Each ideology in the image has a definition but I want to elaborate on that definition here.

• New Order: This is the Empire. Now some people think that the Empire is just under the control of the Dark Side. This is incorrect. The Sith had no official role, and in fact the Emperor’s status as a Force-user was kept secret. Instead, the New Order was maintained by ideology, pushing for more than just loyalty and authoritarianism, but a veneration of the state and of order. Palpatine wanted state worship to even supplant religion. It doesn’t require a Sith at the top, and puts all focus on the centralization of authority and the creation of a powerful government.

• The Dark Side of the Force: Pretty much what’s on the tin. This is a flexible ideology, as the Sith may be more ‘egalitarian’, like Darth Kaan’s Brotherhood of Darkness, or it may be a New Order-like state akin to Darth Revan’s Sith Empire, or a proper magocracy like Darth Vitiate’s Sith Empire. Whatever the case, the Sith are present and in charge. And while some Sith might have a smarter outlook than murdering their only source of knowledge and power as quick as they can, succession will always remain determined by competition, on struggle and Darwinian politics, even if not lethal.

• Unitist: From here we have the first original ideology. Unitism is a bit like New Order Lite. It wants strong leadership and centralization, but rather seeing the state as a higher end in itself, the state is supposed to be a protector of the weak and an arbiter in conflicts. Think Paternal Autocrats as opposed to National Populists. Furthermore, Unitists value personal liberty. Speaking out against the state isn’t heresy like followers of the New Order believe. In fact, the strong state should protect people’s rights. This ideology is a lot of dreaming and a lot harder to put into practice without slipping into Corism or New Order, but in some ways you can see it as the ‘good twin’ of the Empire.

• Akaan’adocrat: So first, the name. I combine Stratocrat with the Mando’a word ‘akaan’ade’ which means army. It’s basically a stratocratic military dictatorship, distinct from the New Order or Unitism in that political power is not vested in a wise leader or impartial political arbiter, but the strongest and smartest warrior, the highest ranking official. In an Akaan’adocratic society, there are no civilians or civilian institutions. The military and the state are on and the same. So while that is most typically like when the Mandalorians are united under a Mand’alor, the ideology is also used for when an Admiral or General seizes control of state and declares martial law, conscripting the population. Perhaps it’s temporary, perhaps not, but during this period of organization, political commentators of the Star Wars Galaxy will label the state’s ruler an akaan’adocrat, even if as a pejorative.

• Corist: Corism is an ideology that is totally original, but looks to provide an explanation for the many aristocratic democracies in Star Wars. Naboo elects a Queen who has total royal prerogative, and comes typically from politically and economically prominent families like the Naberries, and Alderaan is an elective monarchy ruled by noble houses like House Organa or House Thule. And yet they are proponents of liberal democracy. Maybe it’s pragmatic, but I think it’s a matter of ideology. Now the characters we see from these worlds, Padme and Bail Organa, aren’t proposing their local system on a galactic scale… but surely some people are! Not to mention local politics. Corist think a noble elite need not to rule but to keep an eye on things, be a guiding hand in democracy. Like having a powerful House of Lords, or a truly democratic Authoritarian Democracy.

• Distributionist: Leftist politics are basically… nonexistent in Star Wars. And, in some ways, it makes some sense. They have a large state that has an effective super-abundance of supplies but transport and uneven industrialization makes distribution of resources a means of creating a market. Marxist thought might be more prevalent away from the Core, but these disconnected regions are also less politically inclined. So it’s probably a smaller movement and more on a local level. Still, where it has shown up, at least in rhetoric, is in Droid Rebellions from Legends. So, I took these ideas, that distribution was the problem, that droids have used leftist ideals in their quest for equality, and that extreme poverty is still a major, if dismissed, problem in Star Wars. Enter distributionism, which seeks to seize the means of production and ensure fair, free distribution of goods, utilizing automated and/or optimized systems to ensure this, and droid liberation is a… semi-divisive issue. Better treatment? Sure! Personhood? 50-50 on that one.

• Corporate Consortium: So this is just a corporate state. Or a state driven by profit at least, making gangs and Hutt cartels a corporate consortium too. Admittedly a bit influenced by the idea that many gangs and criminal operations operate like companies in illegal markets… or that corporations are criminal operations in legal markets.

• Trade Democrats: Forgive the uncreative name, but it was developed to explain and create a more liberalist faction of the Separatists. They believe in a free market, in a free people. In fact, freer the market? Freer the people! So long as, of course, you get rid of corruption and back room deals that actually constrain the market. Now some Trade Democrats think you need to constrain monopolies to keep the market free, as corporate tyranny is just another type of state intervention in the economy. Others disagree, and think a monopoly is just a successful business, and if it isn’t make corrupt dealings it deserves to stay, with the market dictating when people get sick of them. As you can guess, this makes their general alliance with Mega-Corps like the (Insider) Trade Federation, TechnoUnion, and Banking Clans a bit contentious at times.

• Ruusanist: This one is original and steeped in Legends lore, but effectively is just conservatives. Not nationalist ones, but actual defenders of “status quo,” a status quo made a thousand years ago during the Ruusan Reformation, which happened under Chancellor Tarsus Valorum at the end of the New Sith Wars. Valorum led the Republic fighting another Jedi-Sith War, having taken emergency powers to do so. It was a war where a decentralized Republic allowed the Sith to grow strong, and saw Jedi establish themselves as benevolent warlords, so called “Jedi Lords” that formed the Army of Light, who brought the war to more corners of the galaxy. So in reaction, that meant no militarism, but a far more centralized state, and a big fat hell no to Jedi political power and autonomy. Valorum also weakened the Chancellery to prevent a tyrant from abusing the powers he had been so easily given during the crisis. Now that status quo has long been dead, but Ruusanists think and/or want it to be the case. So they hate the separatists for going against centralization, hate the Chancellor and his supporters for giving him power, hate the Jedi leading armies, hate the army for existing, hate the Inclusivists for weakening the Republic, hate the Corists for infringing on Democracy, and well, you get the picture.

• Inclusivists: A new term to describe the most prominent moderate liberal group that seems to control the Republic just before the Clone Wars. Inclusivists believe in cultural pluralism and relativism, that every group has a valid opinion that must be heard and accommodated. This also means welfare to afflicted groups, expanding representation, more government regulations and intervention, and a general mentality of “everyone is right” democracy. While pretty good intentioned, it’s pretty easy to see where this optimistic, regulatory, social justice minded movement can hit some obstacles, and how their system can see plenty of inefficiency and abuse that allows corruption and bureaucratic failures to arise. They include folks like Padme Amidala of Naboo, Bail Organa of Alderaan, Mon Mothma of Chandrilla, and much of the Delegation of 2000. They want unity but want peace with the separatists to try and address the separatists’ concerns. Of course, the irony is that many of the CIS grievances are because of Inclusivist policies.

• Light Side of the Force: I intentionally had this one written to mirror the Sith. And before you go “Horseshoe Theory sucks!”, it’s more because the two philosophies are designed to be mirrors of each other in many ways. Also, Jedi philosophy is nice and dandy for secluded ascetic monks, but to average people? Very hard to rigidly apply, and susceptible to seeing rebellion against it’s strict tenants. A Light Side state is thus going to be pretty fragile at times. People will resist, chaff against the system at times, and the Jedi have to be very careful if even if they aren’t applying Jedi philosophy strictly to the general public. Because in a Light Side state the Jedi have political power, and, well, power corrupts. The leadership has to be very very careful they don’t let ambition and selfish desires come into play in their government or they could have a sect of Dark Siders with control of the nation forming right under their noses. A little cynical? Maybe, but half the theme of Sith and Jedi is that it’s hard to stay on the path of good, and easy to fall to corruption if you aren’t careful.

RESOURCES

Lastly, we have also begun implementing new resources into the mod. None of these are made up, though some lean more into Legends, as that continuity provides more detail in terms of military supplies. These are as follows, and in order on the screen:

• Durasteel: A durable synthetic material, it is vital in construction and is needed for construction of weapons and armor, as well ground vehicles and repairing infrastructure.

• Blaster Gas: The volatile gases used as ammunition in blasters, which heat the gas to produce amazingly condense plasma bolts. This is needed for making weapons to arm troops and for weapons on your ships and fights.

• Raw fuel: A generic category for the various kinds of unrefined substances that are needed to power ships and vehicles, with more than one compound being capable of refinement for use in engines.

• Doonium: A decently rare but valuable metal that is needed for creation of ship hulls and heavy armor for vehicles. Doonium is to your navy what Durasteel is to your army.

• Circuitry: Another generic term referring to various advanced, but standardized circuitry needed for advanced weaponry/vehicles and, of course, for droids. Much of it can be salvaged or created from various scrap worlds, as well as produced from newer facilities.

• Cortosis: A very rare material that is capable of blocking lightsabers, and a thin, processed cortosis weave can even be used to disrupt lightsabers, though this is not commonly known. Instead, what it is primarily needed is for the creation of heavier units and advanced ships, as a cortosis coating on hulls renders them able of absorbing some blaster fire.

• Credits: The currency of the Republic, as well as representing the currency of other nations in the value of Republic Credits. Credits will be needed for just about everything, but particularly for commissioning troops, be that Clones, Droids, or Mercenaries. Credits are interesting is that best we can tell, they have physical form, but are vastly more commonly digital, making the physical copies a low-tech way of transferring a primarily virtual currency, like physical bitcoins. Not to saw Credits are data-mined crypto-currency, but it is instead a galaxy wide, well, measure of credit, since a physical currency would be too hard to control in terms of inflation, deflation, devaluation, and circulation over to vast a place as a galaxy. The ubiquity of credits in being required for most things demonstrates the way an interstellar currency functions: “I need credits for everything.” Why? “Because credits are valuable.” Why are they valuable? “Because I need them for everything.”

---

Alright well that’s most of what I wanted to address in this report, giving everyone an awareness of where the mod is at in terms of development. Hopefully we can have more regular Progress Reports, but with University, work, and other projects that devs are involved with, we’re trying our best to move as quick as we can. Thank you all for your support.

Vode An!