Today (September 29), *Feng Sha*, a historical strategy and building game developed by Chengdu-based game studio Digital Sky, was unveiled for the first time.
Teahouse was invited to try out an early demo of *Feng Sha*. Based on the overall gameplay experience, *Feng Sha* is a simulation and strategy building game set during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The game’s core gameplay consists of two parts: simulation and construction, and leading troops into battle.
The simulation-based gameplay is quite similar to *Lords of the Manor*, a game that previously gained massive popularity overseas. For one thing, most processing facilities operate automatically, with civilian units transporting the necessary resources on their own; players need only focus on planning construction and assigning personnel. By attracting civilians to settle in through factors such as food, housing, and stability, players can accelerate resource collection, speed up technological advancement, and expand their territories, ultimately building their own royal capital.
On the other hand, resource processing in the game is quite specialized; for example, wood alone can be processed into multiple finished products such as logs, planks, and charcoal, each with distinct effects. Furthermore, most processing structures have a specific operational range, and if no resources are supplied within that range, they will immediately cease operation. This places a significant demand on players’ early-game construction planning skills.
In addition, the game features many interesting design elements. For example, players can recruit courtiers from the Spring and Autumn Period and “possess” them to trigger various effects: some can possess farmland to increase crop yields, others can possess siege engines to enlarge them and boost combat power, and some can even possess buildings to unlock new crafting recipes.
For example, the game features a single, seamless open world. Its realistic art style creates a strong sense of historical immersion, and players can zoom in and out to get a bird’s-eye view of the entire map. The open world is rendered in an ink-wash painting style, with all major units clearly visible on the map. Even actions such as road construction or building construction are updated in real time on the map.
Players can also build their own logistics system within the game to facilitate the transport and distribution of supplies across different regions—much like the automated assembly lines found in simulation games. Although the current demo version offers limited content, this system is highly engaging. Features such as seasonal changes that alter the environment, capturing refugee villages to secure supplies, and random events that lead to unexpected outcomes are all present in the game.
The combat mechanics in *Feng Sha* differ from those of conventional RTS games. Instead of simply building a barracks and clicking to spawn an archer, all soldiers are converted from civilian resources, and the type of unit they become depends on the weapons the player equips them with. The current demo version features three unit types: halberdiers, archers, and shieldmen.
Of course, players can also build ladders and siege engines for siege battles. Siege battles evoke the feel of ancient warfare, requiring players to use ladders to scale the city walls and then send spearmen to storm the city. The demo level features a variety of combat scenarios, challenging players to capture enemy strongholds and ultimately overrun the enemy’s main city.
The development team told Teahouse that the endgame mechanics in *Feng Sha* differ from the unlimited expansion typically found in simulation games. Instead, each map unlocks distinct geographical environments and features unique objectives—such as overrunning an enemy’s main city, holding out against an enemy siege for a set number of days, or even recruiting a specific number of retainers. The team aims to incorporate more diverse designs and explore new gameplay experiences without compromising the core simulation and construction mechanics.
Regarding the rumors that have been circulating, Teahouse has learned from Digital Sky that, over the past nine years since 2016, the company has invested hundreds of millions of yuan in the development of single-player and high-quality games. Both the multiplayer action-competitive game *Trembling Abyss*, which has already obtained its publishing license, and *Feng Sha*, which was unveiled today, are progressing steadily.
However, as a newcomer to the single-player game industry, we lacked experience in estimating the difficulty and timelines involved in product development and optimization. Over the past few days, we have indeed made some adjustments and reductions to our staff. The company currently has a workforce of about 100 people, but the goal is to improve R&D efficiency and ensure the product is launched smoothly.
The Teahouse also had an in-depth conversation with Shu Tian about further development details for *Feng Sha*. Below is a summary of the interview:
01
Standing on the shoulders of giants
Teahouse: How many people are currently on the development team, and how long have they been working on this?
Shu Tian: As a smaller team, we operate differently from Shu Tian’s other projects. We follow a model centered on independent teams, prioritizing gameplay design and small-scale incubation. We’ve iterated through several rounds of gameplay design—from broad strategic concepts to the current war simulation that incorporates business management elements—and have conducted small-scale research and testing with players along the way. The current gameplay is the version we ultimately believe strikes the right balance between being easy to pick up while retaining strategic depth. Once finalized, we moved quickly into production, and the development timeline for this direction is relatively short.
Teahouse: What is the current status of development?
Shu Tian: There seems to be a lot of content to play right now, but in my opinion, it’s not quite polished enough yet. Our decision to join the Steam New Releases event immediately after the trailer was released was partly to establish a channel for communicating with players, rather than just developing the game behind closed doors. We used to worry that the game wasn’t perfect enough and were hesitant to share it with players, but it turns out that getting honest feedback from players quickly actually helps us refine and optimize the product.
Teahouse: Why did you decide to create a strategy game set in the Spring and Autumn period instead of choosing the more mainstream Three Kingdoms era?
Shu Tian: Mainly because there are already so many Three Kingdoms-themed games out there; we wouldn’t really have any competitive advantage if we entered that market. So why did we choose the Spring and Autumn period?First, our team believes this period possesses a unique charm. Simply put, the Spring and Autumn period may be the first and last era in Chinese history where a vast array of philosophical ideas collided. This era straddled the line between civilization and barbarism: the earlier Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties leaned toward early human societal structures, while the subsequent period entered a classical feudal era of centralized unification. Only during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods could one witness the countless ideas of the Hundred Schools of Thought clashing with one another.Each school of thought offered its own judgment and guidance regarding the future direction of Chinese civilization. We find this phenomenon inherently fascinating and highly adaptable for a game.
The social structure of that era shares many similarities with the core gameplay of *Feng Sha*. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, alliances were unstable and territories had no permanent rulers; essentially, Chinese society was fragmented into small states and even smaller cities, all engaged in constant warfare and conquest against one another.We felt this state of affairs aligned perfectly with our game’s mechanics. Therefore, rather than simply being a “war game,” *Feng Sha* is more of a survival experience centered on “building a city and defending a route.” That’s why we’re so fascinated by the Spring and Autumn period.
Teahouse: Did you conduct research on Chinese-style strategy games before? What conclusions did you reach?
Over the past few days: We’ve been researching not just Chinese-style strategy games, but virtually every single-player strategy genre, and we’ve uncovered some interesting trends. First, the historical-themed simulation-building genre we’re currently developing has virtually no domestic counterparts; most domestic titles fall under the simulation-management genre.
The biggest difference between the two is that in simulation management games, most players focus on the management system. To put it simply, players aim to earn more money, hire more employees, and attract more customers, while construction plays more of a supporting role in the game—it’s essentially a cycle like that.
Simulation and construction games generally have a more engineering-oriented feel to them, or perhaps a more scientific approach; they place greater emphasis on your ability to plan the game’s spatial layout and production processes. For example, many processing buildings in our game have a radius that indicates their effective range. If there are no usable raw materials within that range, the building will immediately stop operating. This means that from the very beginning, players need to have a general plan for the subsequent development of their city.
Secondly, our team members are all big fans of *Estate Lord*, a game that went viral overseas. It provided us with an incredibly immersive simulation experience during the first two hours of gameplay, but due to issues with updates, subsequent content was relatively sparse.
That’s why we see this as an opportunity to build upon established game templates, infuse them with our own unique touches and innovations, and bring to life the gameplay elements that haven’t yet been realized—which might better cater to the tastes of the market and players. It’s a bit like when your favorite online novel stops being updated, so you decide to write your own.
Teahouse: These days, domestic games often use cultural promotion as a marketing strategy. When developing this game, did you take this into consideration and focus on it in any way?
A few days: I believe that cultural outreach is actually a natural outcome. It can never be achieved through mere packaging or forced promotion; rather, it depends largely on creators sincerely integrating it into the game’s culture, so that overseas players can truly feel that you’re committed to this endeavor.
Let me give a very simple example. In the game, we designed a system called “Retainers,” where players can recruit retainers to gain various benefits. While developing this system, we noticed that Warring States culture emphasized a tradition of keeping one’s word. Essentially, this is very similar to the concept of honoring one’s promises as advocated by the chivalric spirit prevalent in medieval Europe. These noble virtues share a common spiritual core, making them more likely to resonate with overseas players.
Therefore, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call it “cultural presentation”? It’s akin to a cultural correspondence or symmetry—stirring interest in and resonance with Chinese culture through forms they can understand, which then prompts them to actively seek out more information. This approach is clearly more effective and direct, and there’s no need to go out of one’s way to package it.
02
The gameplay feels familiar, yet it’s still fresh enough
Teahouse: There are already quite a few successful historical simulation and building games on the market. How does *Feng Sha* differ in terms of gameplay?
A Few Days: First of all, in terms of its basic gameplay mechanics, Feng Sha can be broken down into two parts: simulation and construction, and leading troops into battle. There’s not much to say about the simulation and construction aspect—first, make sure you survive; then, develop your technology; and finally, expand and conquer.
To lead troops into battle, you’ll need to recruit soldiers, manufacture weapons, and assemble an army—then take to the battlefield yourself to face off against the enemy. However, we didn’t want to create an RTS-style game where you simply build a barracks and click to spawn an archer. In Fengsha, all soldiers are civilians; their class depends entirely on the weapons you equip them with. Therefore, the balance between the number of civilians you train and the number of soldiers you send into battle is entirely up to the player.
In addition, while many modern simulation and building games tend to focus more heavily on one of these gameplay elements, in *Feng Sha* we aim to recreate the authentic atmosphere of ancient battlefields. This means that both gameplay elements operate almost simultaneously—you must manage the development of your main city while also keeping a close eye on the situation at the front lines, and you can continuously send reinforcements to the front. The entire process is highly dynamic.Furthermore, as you develop your base, you’ll need to fend off enemy harassment from time to time or launch surprise attacks to capitalize on seasonal advantages—all of which significantly enhance the game’s freedom and replayability.
Finally, Fengsha will design a variety of maps and assign different objectives to players. Not all maps start with the basic tasks of chopping down trees and gathering resources; in some cases, the main city may already be well-established by the time players join, allowing them to immediately engage in battles and campaigns. This randomness also enhances the game’s replayability.
Teahouse: In your opinion, what is the biggest strength or highlight of *Feng Sha*?
In a few days: On the one hand, we feel that there are relatively few simulation games with realistic art styles available right now; most opt for cartoon or pixel art styles. Therefore, in terms of immersion, *Feng Sha* has a slight edge when it comes to visual effects.
On the other hand, we’ve incorporated some fun little design elements into the gameplay, such as the retainer system mentioned earlier. We’ve also added a comprehensive logistics system to the game, allowing players to set up automated structures later on. Features like siege gameplay, reclaiming lost territories from refugees, and randomly generated events are all new mechanics built upon this foundation.
Teahouse: Let’s start by talking about the retainer system. You mentioned retainers earlier—why do you place such importance on this system?
Shu Tian: We feel that the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period is a perfect match for the concept of the Hundred Schools of Thought and their disciples. Why do we say that? Setting historical factors aside, these two elements can be integrated very naturally in terms of gameplay design and presentation.For example, if I were designing a strategy game, I would inevitably include trade-offs in the player’s decision-making process. If I simply presented a cold, mechanical choice system, players would likely find the integration forced. However, once you incorporate the authentic concepts and philosophy of courtiers from Chinese history, everything falls into place effortlessly.
For example, if you were a ruler during the Spring and Autumn Period and chose the Mohist school, you would gain access to a wealth of advanced technologies and weaponry of the time. However, since Mohism advocates universal love and the rejection of aggression, its followers would likely find it difficult to accept your frequent use of military force as a ruler. If you adopted the Military School, you could rapidly boost your military strength in a short period, but you would likely have to contend with the oppression of the lower classes by the Military School.
Teahouse: So how exactly do you implement the retainer system in the game?
A few days: It’s important to note that, in order to get the demo version live as soon as possible, only about a third of the retainer system has been implemented so far. Therefore, what’s currently available primarily involves a “possession” mechanic that activates after recruiting retainers. For example, as mentioned earlier, retainers assigned to farms can help crops mature faster and yield higher harvests. Other retainers can possess siege weapons to increase their size and attack power, or possess processing buildings to unlock additional crafting recipes, and so on.
In future updates, we will gradually refine the retainer system. For example, the recruitment process may no longer be as simple as a single click; players may need to meet specific requirements, and may even encounter random story events where they must establish an emotional connection before they can recruit a retainer.
Teahouse: The logistics system sounds interesting. Why did you decide to implement such a system?
Shu Tian: In our view, this is an inevitable outcome. First, Feng Sha’s map isn’t divided into small sections like in *Estate Lord*; instead, it’s a single, seamless map. All resource transportation in the game is handled by villagers who physically deliver goods on foot rather than via teleportation. This means that as your settlement grows larger in the later stages of the game, the distances between buildings will increase accordingly, making a dedicated transportation system essential.
Second, while the gameplay in Feng Sha isn’t strictly linear, the levels still follow a certain progression. For example, you start in one location, and as you advance to the next stage, you need to travel farther to capture a specific area. Once your base has developed to a certain extent, supply efficiency between regions becomes an issue, which naturally leads you to build a dedicated logistics system.
Simply put, the framework of the logistics system is similar to the automation systems found in other simulation and construction games. We designed a closed-loop system that circulates around the loop, loading and unloading goods at each station to facilitate the flow of materials.
Tea House: That sounds interesting. How does it work exactly?
Shu Tian: Let me give you an example. Suppose Point A produces lumber and requires iron ore, while Point B produces iron ore and requires lumber. In that case, you can connect these two locations to form a closed loop, loading and unloading goods at the appropriate points to facilitate the flow of materials.
This is the basic gameplay of the logistics system, but in reality, aside from the requirement that the route between points A and B be closed, an unlimited number of intermediate stations—such as C, D, E, and F—can be added. Players can design various supply routes based on the needs of different stations, ultimately forming a complete logistics network.Additionally, as the saying goes, “Before the troops move, provisions must be in place.” In ancient warfare, the flow of supplies largely determined the outcome of battles. We hope that this logistics system will not only provide players with a sense of immersion on the battlefield but also offer a greater sense of accomplishment through automated simulation gameplay. In future updates, we plan to further expand upon the logistics system.
Teahouse: While playing the demo, I noticed that the game includes random events, but they aren’t very noticeable at the moment.
In a few days: In our original design, random events were also intended to be a key gameplay element. We’re focusing on quality over quantity, but rest assured that all these features will be fully implemented in the official release.
The original design called for only one or two random events to be refreshed each year, but each event was intended to leave a lasting impression. For example, one event involves a blood rain falling from the sky, turning the player’s screen red, which increases crop yields. Another example is the “Passing of the Shadow Army,” where all civilians turn into semi-transparent ghost-like figures, resulting in increased movement speed. Our primary goal is to let players experience the joy of these changes, rather than simply focusing on the effects of the events themselves.Due to time constraints, only a small portion of these features has been implemented in the current version.
Additionally, players can use the Ritual System (not yet available in the demo) to pray for favorable weather, increasing the likelihood that unknown events will have positive outcomes. They can also use the Divination System to foresee upcoming random events in advance—such as an impending enemy attack or a special mission requiring the completion of prerequisites—allowing players to prepare their responses well in advance.
Teahouse: Finally, I’d like to talk a bit more about the combat. The current demo doesn’t feature much combat, so what can we expect from the combat system in the full release?
Shu Tian: First, I need to clarify something: combat in Feng Sha won’t rely on the kind of micro-management found in RTS or MOBA games—where players have to perform quick maneuvers or dodge skills. Instead, we aim to deliver an experience where “victory is decided from afar through strategic planning.”Due to factors such as troop strength, resources, seasons, and geography, the outcome of a battle may already be decided before hostilities even begin.
Of course, we’re also considering incorporating some hands-on gameplay mechanics. For one thing, players will be able to draw lines to arrange their troops’ formations. Compared to casting a formation skill or simply selecting all units and charging forward, this line-drawing mechanic will unlock more gameplay possibilities later on. For example, we’re exploring the idea of integrating ancient Chinese battle formations into the game, allowing players to manually set up famous formations like the Bagua Formation or the Dragon Soaring Formation by drawing lines—which will provide significant strategic advantages during battles.
On the other hand, we’re also considering adding some “pseudo-physics” mechanics to the game. For example, a soldier charging down a hillside would deal more damage due to the kinetic acceleration of the impact. Another example is when a soldier is knocked down by an attack, they might collide with the soldiers behind them, causing area-of-effect damage. We hope these elements won’t be forced upon players through tutorials, but rather discovered naturally as they think, “Maybe this could work,” and then try it out, experiencing a sense of “physics” that feels organic.
Overall, we want the combat in Fengsha to neither rely too heavily on player skill nor be overly complex, but rather to offer a more engaging experience through various gameplay mechanics.
03
It's tough, but I'm still hanging in there
Teahouse: What was the biggest challenge you faced while developing this game?
Shu Tian: For the Feng Sha project, the biggest challenge has been validating the gameplay. Since around four or five years ago, the project has been focused on the concept of a “single-player, realistic war strategy simulation set in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.” We’ve done our utmost to capture the feel of “real warfare” and integrate it into the gameplay, and we’ve conducted several rounds of closed beta testing, but we haven’t yet found a solution that fully satisfies us.It wasn’t until recently that our team unanimously settled on the current model, which centers on a “construction-based simulation experience.” Players must start by “defending a small kingdom” and then transition to “leading a large army to besiege cities”—this best aligns with our vision for gameplay set in the pre-Qin era.
In terms of the gameplay experience, our goal is to make the early game easy to pick up and thoroughly enjoyable, while ensuring the late game offers rich content and sufficient strategic depth. After conducting several rounds of testing, including interviews with players, we feel that this direction is sufficient to realize our original vision, and that even casual players who aren’t typically into strategy-based building won’t find it boring.Although it may seem like it took a long time, we’re grateful for the trial-and-error and exploration in the early stages. They helped the team align on our direction and improve our efficiency. With this foundation, we’ve been able to develop subsequent content much more efficiently.
Teahouse: I know you’ve been developing single-player and high-quality games for nearly 10 years now. How is the company doing these days?
Over the past few years, our total investment in building technical infrastructure and developing projects has exceeded hundreds of millions of yuan, which fully demonstrates the commitment of our company and team. However, game development is a challenging journey; despite continuous testing, tweaking, and refinement of our projects, as a company with no prior experience in single-player game development, the complexity and duration of the product refinement process have far exceeded our initial expectations.
Given the current industry landscape and the company’s financial situation, we have recently implemented a downsizing initiative to ensure the company’s survival. Driven by a deep commitment to the project and unwavering conviction, the colleagues who have chosen to stay are determined to continue moving the project forward alongside the company.
Teahouse: How many people are currently on the team? There were rumors a few days ago that the internal team had been disbanded—is that true?
A few days ago: The company is indeed downsizing its teams. As I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, this downsizing is necessary for our survival. Although the company as a whole remains committed to producing high-quality content products throughout the entire development process, the *Feng Sha* team has always been a unique case. To this day, it has maintained a staff of fewer than 30 people, focusing on incubating standalone products, and our current version has been in development for less than a year.
Across the entire company, we will actively refine our projects with a leaner, more focused team, identify the most suitable market strategies, and drive these projects forward.
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/194586
