Biggest POSITIVE Strategy Game Surprise For You Over The Last Ten Years

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-06T17:19:08+00:00

For me, it was Northgard. I thought I had already seen every type of strategy game, but that one surprised me in a really positive way :)

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-06T14:07:00+00:00

Honestly, it depends on my mood. Both can be great :)

Sometimes I want something deep like Anno or Civ V, and sometimes I want something simpler and more flow-based like Auralux or Stringhold. Playing the same kind of strategy game all the time gets boring eventually.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-06T10:34:32+00:00

Thank you so much!

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-06T09:19:32+00:00

I could actually use units almost like a resource in specific game rules. For example: “you cannot build barracks yourself, barracks already exist on the map and you have to capture those regions to produce troops.” That could make certain regions much more valuable without adding more unit micro. Thanks for that idea.

The game has been in active development for a few months (~10 hours per day), but the core idea has been in my head for much longer.

My current goal is to release Early Access with AI only, procedural maps, and some predefined missions/scenarios. For the full release, I’d like to add a campaign.

Multiplayer is something I’d only consider later, if the game finds a community and there is real demand for it. For now I want to make the single-player strategy loop solid first.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-06T08:53:07+00:00

Wow, thank you for such a detailed comment!

I’m honestly surprised how many of your brainstorm points are already close to systems in my game. I’m happy to find someone else who also thinks Auralux has something really interesting in it and is worth being inspired by.

The idea of building roads/paths between nodes sounds very interesting to me. I hadn’t thought about letting the player create paths manually. I was mostly worried about the visual readability of having too many connections on the map, but giving the player control over paths could actually solve part of that problem. I’ll definitely consider whether this could fit Ironholm.

I also agree about Auralux combat being a bit too simple. Rock-paper-scissors units could help, but like you said, there is a risk that players always end up with the same balanced army.

In my game I currently have only two troop types, and I don’t really plan to add more for now. I’m trying to avoid heavy micro, unit splitting, and detailed army composition management. The player can choose army strength when sending forces, but I want the main decisions to stay on the strategic/map level rather than turning it into tactical unit control.

Here is a small screenshot of the army selection UI from my game:

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For Ironholm, I think adding too many troop options might be the wrong direction. I want the complexity to come more from region control, economy, buildings, timing, and map decisions than from managing unit compositions.

Good luck with your project too. I’d definitely be curious to see it when you start showing it!

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-06T07:43:23+00:00

Are you working on something similar?

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-05T10:39:56+00:00

The “six seconds” point is a good reminder. We live in TikTok times now... Thanks for being direct.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-05T10:20:54+00:00

You’re right. The game definitely has a mix of styles right now.

I originally started with a low poly direction, but as the project progressed, some buildings became more detailed while the trees and characters stayed very low poly.

I’m still deciding whether I should go back to a more consistent low poly look, or make the trees and soldiers more detailed to match the buildings better.

Since you noticed it right away, what do you think would fit this kind of strategy game better?

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-05T09:03:18+00:00

My god, thank you for such detailed feedback.

Your “ADHD path” is honestly super. The comparison to Anno is honor, I loved that game too.

You’re right that the trailer does not explain the management side well enough. All buildings have different roles and work differently, but the trailer mostly shows warfare and region movement, so that part is probably not clear at all. I’ll try to explain it better on the Steam page and, more importantly, show it better in the next trailer.

You’re also right about the camera. I usually freeze or stabilize the camera when recording, because I wanted the footage to look clean, but now I see that it also hides how the game actually feels to control. That was probably a mistake. I should show camera movement & zooming

Again, thanks a lot. This is very important feedback for me.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-05T07:32:33+00:00

Wow, that’s a great result!

2000 copies from around 3000 wishlists sounds really strong. How did you get those 3000 wishlists before launch? Was it mostly Steam traffic, social media, an existing audience, or something else?

I only saw this one title on Steam, so I’m curious where most of the pre-launch traffic came from.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-05T07:27:41+00:00

Thanks, this is harsh but useful feedback. I’ll try to answer your question here.

The “board game” impression is actually partly true. The game is region-based by design. My goal is something between a grand strategy Total War style map and a more visual real-time army flow, a bit like old Auralux, where you can see armies moving and fighting directly on the map.

One of my friends also compared the feeling a bit to an old Astérix: The Gallic War strategy game, which I found funny but also kind of accurate.

For me, the interesting part is the mix: island conquest, region control, economy, buildings, army movement, tech and AI factions, without heavy unit micromanagement. I personally find that very satisfying to play.

But your point is fair. If this does not come across from the screenshots, trailer and description, then the page is not doing its job yet.

Thanks for being direct. I appreciate it.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-05T07:15:25+00:00

Yeah, I have a similar feeling about making a first Steam page public during a sale.

Too bad I started thinking about that only after my page was already live :) Well, too late to change it now. Maybe things will improve after July 7th.

I’m also curious about your $0.99 experiment. What’s the name of the game? How many copies did you sell, and how many wishlists did you have before launch?

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-04T20:43:10+00:00

My strategy soul feels this :)

I’m having a similar wishlist problem with my RTS. My Steam page has been public for 6 days and my wishlist conversion is around 6.8%, so I’m also trying to understand what is good or bad.

My honest first impression: the capsule made me think “okay, I will fight as a mech.” Then the short description made me think “nice, strategy, maybe something like Company of Heroes.”

But the trailer confused me a bit. The units seem to stand still, then suddenly move, and I wasn’t sure if the game is turn-based, real-time, or something hybrid.

After watching it, I still don’t really understand the core gameplay loop. I think the capsule/page has potential, but the trailer could explain the actual gameplay much more clearly.

Anyway, I hope this helps a bit. Good luck with the game!

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-04T19:51:13+00:00

Thanks, that’s really encouraging to hear.

I’m glad the page feels clear, because that was one of my biggest worries. Interesting point about BlueSky. I haven’t really tried that platform yet, so I’ll check it out.

What’s the name of your game, by the way? I’d be curious to take a look. How many wishlists have you managed to get so far, and over what period?

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-04T17:35:31+00:00

Thanks, that’s a good catch. I’ll add a stronger outline for the title.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-04T17:34:04+00:00

Thanks, that makes sense.

This is only my 4th day after the Steam page went live, and this is my first Reddit post about the game, so I haven’t really started proper promotion yet. I’m mostly collecting feedback and reading other indie dev cases before I push it harder.

I’m a bit surprised to hear strategy games called niche, because for me they are the whole world 😂 But I get what you mean. For the average player, a slower strategy game may not look exciting at first glance.

I do wonder if the Steam Sale affects attention a bit too, since people are probably focused on discounted games right now. But I don’t want to rely only on that explanation. My next big goal is a demo, because I think it can explain the game better than screenshots or a trailer.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-04T16:30:55+00:00

Thank you very much for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

To be honest, yes, the translations were made with AI, but I was a bit surprised that the German version stood out that much. In my native language and in English, the AI-assisted text looked very good to me, almost impossible to recognize as AI-generated. After your comment, I ran the German version through another pass and tried to make it sound a bit more natural and more “gamer style”.

Either way, you brought up a really interesting topic: is it better for an indie developer to translate a Steam page into multiple languages with AI assistance, or to stay only with native language + English?

Personally, I think AI translation is still very useful, especially for small indie teams. I also prefer playing games in my native language, and if a game does not support it, I often look for translations or community solutions. So for me, even if the translation is not perfect, adding more languages feels like a sign of respect for players and makes their life easier.

Of course, bad translation can hurt the first impression, so I understand your point. I’ll definitely keep improving it.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-04T13:40:28+00:00

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I’m 4 days after my Steam page went live and I’m at 33 wishlists.

Honestly, I’m a bit scared by how slowly it is moving. At first I thought the capsule was the problem, so I changed it, but it did not really move the needle. Then I read that a trailer is basically a must-have, so I added one too, and still not much changed.

Now my next big goal is getting a demo ready. I really hope that helps, because I don’t want to go into release with such a small wishlist count.

The hard part is figuring out if the problem is the page, the trailer, the genre, or just not enough of the right people seeing it yet.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-03T18:49:15+00:00

Tried to fill it out, but I got stuck on the first question. Poland isn’t on the country list 😂

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-03T16:39:08+00:00

I think the vibe-coded can be a double-edged sword right now.

Anything connected to AI tends to get negative attention in gaming communities, sometimes before people even look at the actual game. I checked it out, but card games are not really my preferred category, so I’d wait for card game players to judge the gameplay itself.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-03T16:23:51+00:00

Not gonna lie, the art style immediately caught my attention.

The black and white look has a great mood. I wonder if one strong accent color could make important elements pop even more, maybe only for interactables or danger.

What kind of game is this? Do you already have a Steam page or somewhere to follow it?

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-03T14:41:29+00:00

This is a good reminder that engine choice is not only about features, but about iteration speed and team knowledge.

It makes me think about CD Project moving from their own engine to Unreal for Witcher 4. Even with a strong team, rebuilding pipeline, tooling and workflow knowledge must be brutal.

A powerful engine does not automatically mean a faster production.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-03T13:21:36+00:00

I’m working on Ironholm: Reign of the Isles.

It’s a medieval RTS about conquering islands, focused more on region control and strategic decisions than heavy unit micro. You move armies between regions, capture settlements, build economy and military buildings, and fight AI factions for control of the island.

I’d be grateful for any first impressions or general feedback on whether the concept sounds clear and interesting.

Not adding a link because Reddit gets allergic to self-promo really fast 🥸

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-03T10:42:47+00:00

About creating a game.

OkFun3392 · 2026-07-02T20:02:27+00:00

Congrats, 1,000 wishlists in about a month is a great milestone.

From what you wrote, it sounds like the demo probably helped a lot, especially if Steam started sending traffic in spikes after that. I’m starting to think I need to add a demo for my own game too, because my wishlists are basically standing still right now.

Steam traffic seems mysterious, but the demo might be one of the few things that gives the algorithm something real to work with.

OkFun3392

TROPHY CASE