Diplomacy is Not an Option, a city-builder mixed with some real-time strategy elements, has received a huge update recently, courtesy of developer Door 407. The December Update brought a lot of improvements, most notably the changes made to the game's Sandbox Mode.
Massively Improved Sandbox
Sandbox Mode is a game mode in Diplomacy is Not an Option where players have full control over the game by tweaking some settings to their liking. In the newly released December Update, Door 407 brought massive improvements to Sandbox Mode's core functionality that are centered around making the game mode simpler to use, more entertaining and illustrative when navigating, and making players fine-tune the map according to their preferences.
Players who hop onto Sandbox Mode will find a new "Cheats" section, complete with different settings that make the game incredibly easy and more fun to play. For instance, players can enable the "Instant Build" option so that they can establish structures without having to wait. "Unlimited Spells," as the name implies, is a new cheat that lets players cast spells freely without using any resources.
The new "Cheats" section provides new players a way to familiarize themselves with the mechanics before they play the real thing.
Aside from cheats, the company also added a new feature in Sandbox Mode called "Enemy Spawning Tool." This lets players put any foe from the game on any portion of the map as they please. Use the left mouse button to put enemies on the battlefield. Those who want to speed up the process can hold the left mouse button and enemies will spawn wherever the mouse goes.
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Better Way to Obtain Soul Crystals
Prior to the release of the December Update, Diplomacy is Not an Option players would have to slay certain types of enemies for a chance to get Soul Crystals - the resource needed to cast spells in the game. The problem with this setup is that players would sometimes not acquire any Soul Crystals at all. So to address this, the company has added a new building in the game called the "Alchemical Transgressor."
The Alchemical Transgressor is a new structure that can produce Soul Crystals. To prevent things from getting out of hand, the company has balanced it in a way that players can only receive Soul Crystals by paying four Iron upfront, while also waiting about 40 seconds to get one.
Now, to construct the Alchemical Transgressor, there are a few important things to take note of. First, players have to research the "Ultimate Alchemy" from the Research Tree to unlock the option of constructing it on the map. Second, players can only place the Alchemical Transgressor on top of the shimmering blue rocks. Third, only one Alchemical Transgressor can be established at a time, so players can only do so much as reposition it, effectively replacing the first one that was built.
More Challenging Experience
Players who want to take on a more difficult challenge will enjoy the new game mode, "Under Pressure." This is a new version of Endless Mode that takes place on a much larger map than before.
Under Pressure really takes the game's difficulty to a whole new level. Players only have a limited amount of space to work with, meaning, they cannot expand to new areas if they do not defeat the groups that are inhabiting them.
As if that's not challenging enough, the interval between attacking waves is pretty short, so players must devise strategies quickly if they want to survive the onslaught.
Diplomacy is Not an Option December Update is available on PC.
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