Door 407’s medieval survival game Diplomacy is Not an Option has just gotten its official 1.0 release date announcement in a new trailer revealed at Gamescom. The game is currently available for early access on Steam, and costs about twenty five dollars currently. An official release date for the game has been set, for October 4th, 2024.

Diplomacy is Not an Option puts players in the shoes of a medieval, minor lord building and defending their lands from hordes of enemies and revolting peasants. This real time strategy game has players manage the internal and external effects of their towns and castles. While enemies swarm outside the walls, the peasantry within them may be cause for concern if players fail to manage their resources correctly, or leave them undefended.

One of the biggest points the game has been emphasizing in their marketing is the intense physics of the combat, with players being forced to plan catapults around trajectory, velocity, and sightlines. These realistic features help ground the players in the face of combat’s more magical properties: those being actual magics. Magics seem to be utilized by building specific monuments or harvesting specific materials, as a counter to the more basic economic needs of your city to lead its defense and maintain a robust force.

The internal affairs of the city are just as important as the external, with economic management, distribution of resources, and the overall health of your citizens playing a massive role. Don’t forget that a lord is only as powerful as the fighting force his people produce.

Besides the main campaign, the game has three other modes: Sandbox, Endless, and Challenge. Sandbox mode is all about freedom of creation whereas Endless and Challenge focus on the player’s problem-solving abilities.

Overall, Diplomacy is Not an Option seems to be a real-time strategy game to challenge players of all skill levels as they attempt to protect their lands against multiple waves of enemies.