Hello

It is Oleksandr from Starni Games, and our entire team is extremely excited to share with you the joyous moment in the middle of the third year of brutal war raging in our country. It is the third Independence Day of Ukraine celebrated after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that in itself is an achievement. We sincerely hope that in one year this occasion will be more peaceful and the war will be over on good terms for Ukraine.


When the war started back in February 2022, we spent the first few months adapting to the new reality:

• Looking for bomb shelters, making reserves of food and water supplies
  
• Living in the city with the enemy at its doorstep. (One advanced Russian group's APC was eliminated next to my colleagues' house in the middle of the city during the chaotic first few days.)
  
• One of our team was trapped in Bucha occupied by Russian forces and was hiding with his family in a garage basement for a week before evacuating to safety via road where some civilian cars were shot to bits later on the same day.
  
• Taking PC from office to home to be able to work. This seemingly simple action looked like a special ops operation - as public transport was unavailable and the whole city in curfew with barricades and checkpoints all across the city.
  
• Being forced to go to a bomb shelter 10 or more times a day - turning your whole day and night into the walk to and from a shelter (or sleeping on some mats inside).
  
• Catching some scum that wanted to exploit the situation or just was drunk and not in their right mind (in my house neighbors caught a guy trying to steal a bicycle). There were some photos of wanna-be looters tied to a tree with tape by the locals - to await the arrival of the police who had more urgent matters to attend to with the Russian troops just a few kilometers from the city. The guy we caught was saved from this fate by his mom coming over from nearby houses and “crying murder”. However, the next day we saw a photo of the very same guy tied to a tree, so his adventures did not stop at our place.
  
• Trying to make sense of the literal flood of information, misinformation, wild rumors, and made-up stories from all around. (That was one of the things that inspired us to be very cautious when working on Ukraine War Stories not to provide any unconfirmed information - and it paid off, as some of the claims we discarded as dubious and unconfirmed (even though they were made by some officials) were later debunked as false claims and there was a scandal. We avoided being mixed up in that and provided accurate accounts.)
  
• Going to the outskirts of the city 3 km from the Rissian positions to where my colleague lived to pick him up and invite him to live at my apartment for a while - as he lived in literally the outermost house in Kyiv - the closest to the frontline positions.
  
• Eagerly awaiting good news and sharing every new video or crucial report.

In April 2022 Russian troops were forced to retreat from the Kyiv region, and most people on the team who left the city have returned (around 50% of the team moved from Kyiv, while 50% remained in the city during the first month). Also, we more or less adapted to the situation and returned to remote work.

In June 2022 we returned to office work and moved to a bigger office in July 2022 as the price or rental dropped due to obvious reasons - half of the city left, and we planned to hire a few more people, with our old office already being overcrowded.

In July 2022 the buildings on the way to our office and the subway station we use were hit by Russian missiles, fortunately, none on the team was affected. The subway suffered only mild damage, so was quickly reopened. Overall, from July 2022 to October 2022 we worked more or less normally (the only issue was that public transport would not always work due to air alerts) We produced Ukraine War Stories from May to October 2022.

Later in October 2022, Russia started targeting the power grind much more. It resulted in regular power outages and scheduled power supply. We had to switch to remote work - as there was little sense in sitting in an office without power for 4-5 hours. It was hard due to different parts of the city having different “shifts” of when they had power, so different people would work at different times and to share/update the work we had to have power at the same time as the office (or partially overlap).

In December 2022 we finally managed to install a power generator in the office and returned to office work, switching between the central power and generator.

In May 2022 the power outages stopped and we could work normally without using our generator, until spring 2024, when Russians again started prioritizing power supply infrastructure and destroyed many of Ukraine’s power plants and other facilities.

From spring 2024 to now there have been scheduled power outages, but now we are better prepared - we improved our power infrastructure in the office - so it now switches to batteries seamlessly when the power is out and when batteries are at 50% - the generator starts automatically to recharge them (they are also recharged by normal power supply when it is back up). Also, if anyone works from home there was time to buy some large batteries for households to store some energy for when the power is out. Not enough to cook, but enough to recharge a laptop and some other stuff.

So, now we stopped caring about air alerts (maybe 3-6 months into the war), we heard enough explosions to treat them as “weather” if they are not really close. We adapted our work to be able to do our job efficiently despite power outages internet issues and other problems that might arise. We keep going, and Ukraine keeps going.

Today, the Independence Day of Ukraine feels so much more important than before the war - as now our country truly paid a horrible price for its independence and has truly become independent. (Despite what some say about the foreign help, it does not make Ukraine someone’s puppet - we just want to survive and come out stronger than ever - so that we can live peacefully after the war.)

As many of you have noticed - making games about World War II in the middle of an ongoing war is quite ironic. We also find a lot of similarities between the war in Ukraine and the Winter War or Continuation War we showed in Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty. I am even thinking of making a full Spirit of Liberty playthrough with my commentary - something I usually do only for the first few battles to leave the rest to various content creators, but since the game was released a year ago I might give it a go. Please, let me know if you would like to see a Lead Game Designer behind the game to play through it without save/loads and with commentary. Right now you can watch a fresh recording of me playing the very first battle - I played it last weekend:



We are also planning to communicate more actively on the Strategic Mind series games, as it's now back under our control as a publisher. Right now, we are celebrating Independence Day and participating in the Ukrainian Games Festival on Steam, so there are discounts for all games in the series

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/


You could also check out Headquarters: World War II - our latest release (April 2024) mostly developed during and despite the war:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1840800/Headquarters_World_War_II/

And, of course, visit the Ukrainian Games Festival on Steam to browse over 450 games created by Ukrainian devs and celebrate this wonderful day with us all:

VISIT FESTIVAL ON STEAM

Also, to celebrate this year's Independence Day we released the first Demo of our upcoming project - Robot’s Fate: Alice. You can play it for free, and share your thoughts on it with us:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3091030/Robots_Fate_Alice/

Please, let me know if you want me to do a full playthrough of Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty. Or anything else really, that you want to share with the dev team - I am always happy to hear from you!

Support Ukraine!

With Best Regards from Kyiv
Oleksandr the the Starni Games team

We are extremely excited to be part of the Ukraine Games Festival on Steam and we want to know your thoughts, as fellow Steam users - what you like/dislike about the festival, so we can share your thoughts with the organizers and make the event even better next year (and hopefully properly celebrate Ukraine’s victory and war end).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1985510/Ukraine_War_Stories/


Visit the Festival and let us know your thoughts - what is cool, and what could have been done better. We will share your suggestions and ideas with the organizers so that the next event will hopefully be even greater.

This year there are over 450 games created by Ukrainian teams from Indie to AAA (like STALKER 2). Check out lots of great games out there and get some of them with great discounts.

Our team is also an active participant with a solid number of games presented.

You can also play our newest game’s Demo for free and share your feedback with us via in-game form:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3091030/Robots_Fate_Alice/

Only 2 days left to the Independence Day of Ukraine and we are working on a very special post for that date. So, join us on August 24th, and make sure to check the Announcements section of the Steam Community hub and your email inbox to see if you are subscribed to our newsletter.
Starni Games team

Hello


We are extremely excited to invite you to play Robot's Fate: Alice Demo right now for free. The Demo includes Chapter 1 of the story. To play the demo look for the green button on the Store page.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3091030/Robots_Fate_Alice/

Robot's Fate: Alice dives deep into thought-provoking themes about AI and humanity. Your decisions will explore the role of self-learning AI in society, the ethical treatment of robots, and the differences between AI and humans.

What's inside:

• Around 18,000 words of Chapter 1
  
• 17 meaningful choices
  
• Numerous images illustrating the story
  
• The very basics of the gameplay system (more unlock in Chapter 2)
  
• 10 music tracks produced exclusively for the Robot’s Fate: Alice

Ready to embark on this adventure? Play the Demo and fill in our feedback form to help us improve the game!



On top of this exciting announcement, we are also happy to invite you to the Ukrainian Games Festival on Steam which features games made by developers from Ukraine. It features all our games, and lots of other titles, ranging from AAA to Indie games filled with Ukrainian devs' creativity and limitless freedom of creation.

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/UkrainianGames2024

Our Headquarters: World War II game will be discounted as well as the Strategic Mind series - so it's a great opportunity to complete your collection if you have not finished it yet. Ukraine War Stories will also be featured in the event.

Here are our titles participating in the festival:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1840800/Headquarters_World_War_II/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/991810/Strategic_Mind_The_Pacific/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341170/Strategic_Mind_Spectre_of_Communism/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474770/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1985510/Ukraine_War_Stories/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3091030/Robots_Fate_Alice/


Starni Games team

It has been a rough couple of years for our team, since Russia invaded Ukraine back in February 2022. Still, our team managed to continue our work in our Kyiv office, and despite all odds delivered Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty, Headquarters: World War II, and Ukraine War Stories.

We also tried to expand the Strategic Mind series audience by making a publishing agreement with the Hyperstrange team, who later delegated their obligations to the Untold Tales team. Later, we decided to revert to self-publishing for the Strategic Mind series on PC. Just a few days ago we finally got back under our direct control all of the Strategic Mind games.

Up until now, we were limited in our communication, as we did not want to interfere with the publisher’s efforts. Now, we are free to communicate about the Strategic Mind series and we want to renew active communication with you. We are really excited to finally be back!

So, you can expect more events and announcements about teh Strategic Mind series in the future.

On top of this, we have another big announcement today. Since Ukraine War Stories development, we wanted to continue the line of interactive text-based games, and today we are ready to announce our new project - Robot’s Fate: Alice, a text-based RPG set in the future where robots with neural network AI are integral to human life.



It is very different from our other titles in many ways, but it shares the immersive storytelling and narrative elements that we see as vital for our games. If you are not scared by a lot of text, give it a try, as we will be releasing a free demo very soon - on August 19th. Make sure to add Robot’s Fate: Alice to your wishlist to not miss the Demo release.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3091030

Have a great weekend!

With Best Regards from Kyiv,
Oleksandr Sienin and the Starni Games team

Step into the pixelated wonderland of gaming! From sun-soaked lands to virtual battlefields, Untold Tales has curated an epic lineup of games to ignite your passion for play.

It’s time to heat up your gaming library with a bunch of memorable titles available at wallet-friendly prices!
Check them out now at the Untold Tales Steam Summer Sale




Psst! Don't forget about these upcoming titles from Untold Tales:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2473640/EcoGnomix/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2310160/Operation_Polygon_Storm/

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/42192/

Dive deep into the vast array of worlds and tell the stories of the Untold Tales games!

Quick, the Complete the Treasures bundle is open for all of you only until Saturday, 19:00 CEST!

Before we all go full summer mode chilling out on the beach this is the time when we can enjoy the summertime-gaming-fiesta filled with releases, sales and new surprises straight from the Untold Tales world!



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374230/Flame_Keeper

The moment you've all been waiting for is finally here! Flame Keeper is blazing out of early access and into full release with version 1.0! Get ready to ignite your gaming spirit as we introduce the Prophet, a wise villager who's seen more than a few winters and will guide you through the new Cloud biome, where you'll find icy islands that make winter wonderlands look like beach vacations.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2225610/Ready_Steady_Ship/

Experience conveyor belt mayhem like never before, tackle the challenges of the factory floor, from operating and fixing malfunctioning machinery to navigating treacherous obstacles and prepare for the upcoming Let’s Party Update, which brings seven new minigames to the factory on June 28th.



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1227650/BangOn_Balls_Chronicles/

The Wild West Map has just hit town, and it's a real humdinger! We're talking 5 diverse regions to explore, each with its unique flavor. From the dusty saloons to the treacherous oil fields, there's somethin' for everyone!



https://store.steampowered.com/app/2473640/EcoGnomix/

Build a covert business empire, by looting the underground world with a team of gnomes, combine upgrades strategically to help your gnomes survive an unlimited supply of mystical caves with unique flora and fauna. The future of our gnomes is in your hands!



Explore diverse worlds, engage in captivating stories, and experience unforgettable gameplay.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/42192/Untold_Tales_Treasures__30_for_30/



Thanks to our collaboration with GimmeSwag we created the Ultimate Bang-On Balls: Chronicles plushie coming at you straight from the Roman Army.
Secure your Roman Army plushie today at GimmeSwag Store!



Greetings all you Tesla City Martians out there!

Put on your headphones just like you would a radio helmet, and get ready to immerse yourself in the world of The Cub with all episodes of Radio Nostalgia Broadcast.

Dive into survivor stories blended with a harmonious tapestry of apocalypse-wave melodies.



We're almost halfway through the year and we've traveled a lot, not only virtually.
Be sure to follow our socials where we are going to share some cool spots we've already seen and give you some hints about the next stop for our Teddy on Tour.

See you on our socials
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube

Your continued support means the world to us!
Previously on Untold Tales Presents

UNTOLD TALES PUBLISHER SALE

Explore diverse worlds, engage in captivating stories, and experience unforgettable gameplay like:

• Become Ignis and restore the Eternal Flame in Flame Keeper with its newest update, which brought it out of Early Access.
  
• Jump into the Wild West with Bang-On Balls: Chronicles, bringing something for everyone, from the dusty saloons to the treacherous oil fields.
  
• Prepare for extra fun during your shift in Read, Steady, Ship! with the upcoming Let’s Party Update, which brings seven new minigames to the factory on June 28th

And rest assured, many more titles await you at unbeatable prices.




On top of that, we’re also launching a special gaming bundle - Untold Tales Treasures - filled with 30 of our titles, each designed with one ultimate goal: to deliver a unique gaming experience that will leave a lasting impression.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/42192/

This is your best chance to grow your gaming library and dive into the fun!
Quick, the Untold Tales Publisher Sale won’t stay here for long!

Since our last episode of Untold Tales Presents, we’ve released the following titles:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1941410/The_Cub/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551920/Tools_Up_Ultimate_Edition/



https://store.steampowered.com/app/2225610/Ready_Steady_Ship/

{LINK REMOVED} CHECK OUR BLOOMING GAMING DEALS NOW

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1227650/BangOn_Balls_Chronicles/


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403650/Everdream_Valley/


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2777290/Boti_Byteland_Overclocked__Bitosaurus_DLC/









Previously on Untold Tales Presents

As the world awakens from its winter slumber, there's no better time to immerse yourself in the vibrant worlds brought to you by Untold Tales.

Picture this: the sun streaming through your window, a gentle breeze whispering promises of adventure, and a vast array of games just waiting to be explored. Whether you're in the mood for heart-pounding action, immersive storytelling, or mind-bending puzzles, we've got you covered.

Join us on a journey through enchanted forests, dystopian cities, and far-off galaxies. With captivating stories, mesmerizing visuals, and unforgettable soundtracks, you'll find yourself lost in worlds beyond imagination.

So why wait? Jump into our world and explore the wonders that await. But remember, the sale ends on Thursday, March 21st, 2024, so grab your favorites before they're gone!

Warm regards,
The Untold Tales Team

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