The Warring States period. Spanning roughly 800 years from the 8th to the 3rd century BC, this era is considered the most dynamic turning point in Chinese history. It was a time when the slave system was reorganized into feudalism, and thinkers like Confucius, Mozi, and Han Fei opened an era of the 'Hundred Schools of Thought.' Yet, in the gaming market, this period has long been overshadowed by the Three Kingdoms.

'Mandate Order,' currently in development by a small team based in Chengdu, China, is a 28-person challenge aimed directly at filling this void. While they cite 'Manor Lords' as an explicit inspiration, they have layered Mozi’s philosophy of 'defensive fortification,' the 'retainer' system of Lord Xinling, and large-scale real-time battles onto the city-building loop. Development has been underway for one year, and they are preparing for a Steam Early Access release in the third quarter.

Niko, the producer we met at the Bilibili First Look event in Shanghai, was candid throughout our conversation. From the games that inspired him and the pressures of the development schedule to his expectations for overseas markets and memories of a Korean roommate from his time living in Australia, we were able to get an inside look at how a small team of 28 developers came to create a city-building game set in the Warring States period.

I'm curious why you chose the Warring States period. Other eras like the Three Kingdoms are commercially proven; is there a reason you chose the less-explored Warring States.

" First, the city-building and management simulation genre is quite rare in China. And most games that do exist are based on the Three Kingdoms. We felt that players have played so many Three Kingdoms games that they’ve developed a certain immunity to them. We decided the Warring States period could be another great option.

Also, the Warring States period itself is incredibly fascinating. It was a time when Chinese society was just transitioning from slavery to feudalism, and it was an era of the 'Hundred Schools of Thought,' where numerous schools proposed different ideas for the future of the state. We saw that this combination could create a different kind of simulation game.

I'm curious about the specific point in time the game is set in.

" Since the Warring States period itself spans over 800 years, we didn't pin it to a specific moment but rather covered the whole era comprehensively. We haven't announced the campaign details yet, but I'd like you to think of it as centered around the 'Battle of Changping,' which I mentioned as a potential DLC. It’s a famous battle between the Qin and Zhao states, occurring around 260 BC.

In your presentation, you identified management, defense, and war as the three pillars. What did you focus on most to balance these three elements

" Traditional construction simulation games focus only on city building—the building part. But we wanted players to experience combat as well. As you progress into the mid-to-late game, you encounter beasts or hostile factions, which is the other pillar of the game. Both elements are important; we aren't trying to weigh one over the other.

The defense system was inspired by Mozi’s "Cheng Shou" (Defense of Cities). The Mohist school was known for its superior defensive tactics, and we tried to translate the Mohist philosophy that "city walls are the monarch's shield and the people's refuge" into the game's structure. This is why we prioritized unique Eastern elements like rammed-earth walls (typical of the Warring States period) and beacon tower alarms, rather than European medieval castles.

What is the size of the development team and the production timeline?

" There are about 28 of us. It took about a year to build the current version.

Are there any specific games or media that inspired you.

" Actually, many outlets have asked this, so it's an important point. I won't deny it: this game was inspired by 'Manor Lords.' It’s our biggest source of inspiration. I’m a huge fan of that game myself, though I felt the first two hours were the best.

So, while making a Chinese version of 'Manor Lords,' we wanted to try a different direction. I hope this doesn't sound rude (laughs). The basic building loop is similar to 'Manor Lords,' but we wanted to strengthen the character aspects. We sought differentiation by adding elements like the retainer system, defense system, combat system, and state system.

Games based on ancient Chinese history might have cultural barriers for overseas players. Do you have a strategy for global players.

" I had the same worry at first. I thought overseas players might not like our game. But the data changed my mind. We currently have over 60,000 wishlists, and nearly 90% of them are from overseas users. I realized there is a larger fan base abroad than I thought, which was a surprise to me as well.

Secondly, we don't approach this with a heavy sense of responsibility to spread Chinese culture or educate overseas players. It’s the same as when Koreans or Chinese play European games. When playing a Viking game, you think, "Vikings are cool," but you don't necessarily need to understand the origins or culture of the Vikings. That’s the level of feeling we want to convey to overseas players.

The tutorial was quite dense, which made the game feel deep. How long does it take to finish one playthrough.

" For a building/simulation game like ours, I think it takes at least 10 hours. It’s different from an ARPG or action game. It’s a genre where players keep restarting to learn the mechanics. However, to be honest, the current tutorial isn't perfect. There are translation errors and parts that might lead overseas players in the wrong direction. Some parts are also too complex. We plan to fix this in the few weeks before the Early Access launch.

It seemed like there were multiple victory conditions. I think there were four or five; could you explain them in more detail.

" Actually, there is no set ending in this genre. But players wanted clear goals. So we added four main objectives.

The first and most important goal is "Cheng Wang" (Declaring Kingship). However, because of the unique nature of the Warring States period, this needs explanation. At the time, there was a real "Son of Heaven"—the Zhou royal family. If a player declares themselves king, neighboring states will send massive armies to invade. Of course, there are also goals for peaceful players, such as winning by growing the population to a certain size, or an economic victory by collecting a certain amount of knife money (dao bi).

The chariot system was impressive. Could you explain other unique combat mechanics.

" Starting with chariots, they were a symbolic presence that only nobles could operate during the Warring States period. The battlefield at the time was surprisingly "civilized." In fact, they would sometimes talk to each other in the middle of battle and try to avoid war through negotiations. We wanted to capture that atmosphere.

The combat mechanics are also diverse. The current version supports battlefields with thousands of units. When you summon units, you can change their formations, and the control system we put the most effort into is the "Quick Line-Drawing Formation." You can draw formation lines with the mouse cursor to issue precise commands for flanking, breaking through, charging, or defending. We wanted to solve the control frustrations of existing strategy games, and it also supports multi-unit joint formations. For example, you can use tactics like placing weak archers in the center and surrounding them with shield bearers while moving.

We also added characteristics based on elevation using 'fake physics.' If you place archers on high ground, they deal more damage to enemies below. The same applies in reverse. And this is a bit unusual, but we also included a mechanism in siege warfare where you can drop hot excrement on the enemy's heads. It’s a tactic that actually existed in history (laughs). It doesn't just kill enemy soldiers; it causes plagues and deals additional damage. These are elements based on real history.

Also, we didn't want to make this game too serious. There is a 'retainer' system, which you can understand as a hero concept. It was inspired by the story of Lord Xinling (Wei Wuji), one of the Four Lords of the Warring States, who kept 3,000 retainers. Each retainer has their own personality, and deploying them creates fun effects. For example, soldier models might double in size, or you might gain knife money when killing enemies.

And there are pandas, too. Very big ones.

Wait, there are pandas?

" Yes. People ride pandas and smack enemies with them. As I said, this game is set in the Warring States period, but we didn't want to make it too serious. We wanted to include meme-like elements.

Pandas don't die in the game. It’s a special design. Many employees at our company love pandas, and they warned me that they didn't want to see pandas die in the game (laughs). Our studio is in Chengdu, the home of the panda. By the way, in ancient China, they weren't called "pandas." They were called "iron eaters." It means a beast that chews on iron. They weren't considered cute like they are now.

Virtuous governance is a very important virtue in Chinese history, but there doesn't seem to be a way to win as a virtuous monarch. Could settings for 'good' play or 'ruthless' hegemony be included?

" We intentionally didn't include that. We felt that we couldn't judge that era by today's moral standards. People at the time considered it normal to kill others to offer sacrifices to the king. Different eras have different standards. So we chose not to clearly divide good and evil.

In terms of the background setting, the player is a small, nameless faction. You are oppressed by three randomly generated kingdoms in the game. The only language they understand is force. You have no choice but to fight back. It’s not a question of being a good king or a bad king; it’s a situation where you have to survive first.

However, there is a design with a similar vibe. The retainer system reacts to your actions. If you kill many people, the "Military School" (Bingjia) in charge of troops will flow in; if you increase farmland, the "Agricultural School" (Nongjia) in charge of agriculture will flow in. But we don't use a way to "punish" the player. We only reward them.

To add, the minimum unit of combat in the game is the "Wu" (伍). It refers to the five-man squad, the smallest unit of the ancient Chinese military system. It’s not a family unit.

I played it for a couple of hours, and after 20-30 minutes, all the trees in the territory disappeared. Do I have to live a nomadic life, moving to areas where trees remain?

" Actually, there is a building next to the logging camp where you can replant trees. You can recreate the forest. This means that this part wasn't properly conveyed in the tutorial. The tutorial is an area we are currently improving.

I'm curious if you are planning any multiplayer options.

" We are not planning it. For a small team like ours, internet connectivity is always a big problem. Providing stable servers to players around the world is technically very difficult.

And personally, I don't think multiplayer suits this game. I believe this game should be a 'relaxing' experience. A game where you can sit alone, drink a cup of tea, and play for five, six, or ten hours until you get sleepy while it rains outside. I don't want this feeling to be interrupted by other players. It’s not a genre where you have to kill someone together like an FPS or action game, is it.

However, we do plan to actively support the modding community.

That’s an interesting point. Could you explain more about your support for the 'modding community'?

" We really welcome it. We want the modding community to be able to do anything with our game. I won't mention names, but many companies refuse to let the modding community participate. We don't want to be that kind of company. On the contrary, we intend to support them actively.

I’ve already talked to some modding community members, and they said that just not intentionally creating barriers is a huge help to them. So we plan to add hooks to the game so the modding community can easily access it. However, no pornographic content. I don't mind if you make it personally, but please don't upload it. Please.

How will the 'Battle of Changping' campaign mode mentioned in the presentation be implemented? Should we think of it as a kind of scenario campaign?

" The Battle of Changping is a very famous battle in Chinese history. It was a battle between the Qin and Zhao states, and it became the catalyst for Qin to unify China later. You might have encountered it while learning Chinese history in Korea as well.

There are many reasons why this battle is famous, but I think many people know it as the historical event where Qin buried 400,000 surrendered Zhao soldiers alive. We want to convey this historical weight to the players. However, since we are a small team, it will take some time to develop.

I'm curious if you are preparing Korean localization. Will Korean be supported from the Early Access stage, and considering the nature of management simulations with a large amount of text, are there any considerations regarding UI or fonts besides translation.

" To be honest, the only languages we can guarantee quality for right now are Chinese and English. I can speak a little English, so I can proofread the English version myself. Other languages, including Korean, are currently being translated using AI, and I am well aware that AI translation is not perfect.

In fact, I confirmed that there were errors in the sandbox mode translation in the demo version. So we desperately need the help of the Korean player community. If you point out parts where the translation is strange via email, I would like to actively reflect them. I don't want to call in so-called "professional translation companies." Because they don't play the game. We want to get help from people who actually play this game.

I appeal to Korean players through this space. If you have any translation errors or suggestions for improvement, please send them to us by email at any time. You are welcome.

You announced an Early Access release schedule for the third quarter in your presentation. It seems like a very tight schedule for 28 people to reach Early Access in one year, so I'm curious about the schedule, including plans for community acceptance.

" To be honest, financial issues are always a concern for a small team like ours. It’s not that we want to release Early Access, but it’s a reality we have to face. We need to secure development funds for the next stage with Early Access revenue. If we could get support from other large publishers, funds, or VCs, I would like to delay the release and make it with higher quality. Actually, I'm not completely satisfied with the current version.

There are still many things to fix. We need better tutorials, optimization of the entry experience for beginners and those inexperienced with simulations, and graphics optimization. You might have been fine playing for only two hours, but if you play for four or five hours, the frame rate drops to an unbearable level. If we had more funds, we could have time to solve these parts. Right now, we are in a situation where we are rushing the release just to survive. I hope players will support us so we can continue development.

Lastly, please say a word to Korean gamers and simulation game fans.

" We value players from any culture equally. The identity of being a player is enough. Regardless of whether you are Korean, Chinese, or American, everyone is just a player.

Actually, I am personally quite familiar with Korean players. I lived in Australia for almost 10 years, and I had a Korean roommate back then. That friend taught me 'StarCraft.' It’s a game that is considered like a Korean identity, but that friend was really, really good. He was a friend who hated 'StarCraft 2' and only played the first one (laughs).

As far as I know, many Korean players seem to focus on competitive games like 'StarCraft,' 'League of Legends,' and 'Valorant.' But I believe there are definitely Korean players who love simulation games and city-building games. I want to make games for those people.

The game industry today is focused on blockbusters like AAA, ARPG, and FPS by large companies. But I think there is still room to make games for a small number of minority players. There is only one thing I want to say to Korean players: "Please wait a little bit." We are here, and we sincerely value your opinions and reviews. Whether it’s a translation error or a suggestion to make the game better, I would be grateful if you could send it to us by email at any time.