u/Fun_Lengthiness7529

We're a small indie team working on a 1920s crime sandbox. The core loop involves managing a Prohibition-era empire on a grand strategy layer, and then seamlessly jumping into Third-Person Shooter combat for raids and turf wars.

We wanted our level designs to reflect the two different sides of the underworld, and we'd love your feedback on these environments.

• The High Life: The lavish mansions and detailed offices are your safe havens—where you run your economy and deal with rival AI families.
• The Streets: The damp alleys, underground boxing rings, and wooden speakeasies are the gritty arenas where the actual TPS shootouts and raids take place.

We’ve been trying to balance that heavy, claustrophobic "noir" lighting with readable layouts so the tactical firefights feel good.

What do you guys think of the atmosphere? Does the contrast between the "untouchable boss" areas and the "dirty street" arenas work well for a 1920s setting? We’d love to hear your critiques on the lighting and overall vibe!

You can wishlist on Steam: Silent Authority: Blood & Bourbon

Hey everyone! We are a small indie team working on Silent Authority: Blood & Bourbon, a 1920s Grand Strategy / TPS sandbox.

Since illegal alcohol is the lifeblood of the underworld, we wanted our bars and speakeasies to feel like the true heart of the game. We went for a heavy "noir" vibe—focusing on warm, dim lighting, sharp shadows, and worn-out wood textures to make the environment feel secretive and lived-in.

We'd love your feedback:

• What do you think of the lighting and overall atmosphere?
• Does it give off that classic, slightly claustrophobic 1920s speakeasy vibe?
• Any details or props you feel are missing?

Thanks for checking it out!

Hello Everyone,

Greetings from the Complex Universe team! Welcome to the second episode of our ArtLog series, where we focus on the visual world and design processes of our game. Today, stepping away from mechanics and code, we will focus on the aesthetic structure of the locations that first come to mind when thinking of the 1920s: Bars and secret speakeasies.

Noir Atmosphere: The Balance of Light and Shadow At the core of Silent Authority: Blood & Bourbon's visual identity lies the "noir" aesthetic. When designing the bars, our goal was not just to create locations, but to make the player feel the forbidden, mysterious, and heavy air of the Prohibition era.

• Chiaroscuro Effect: As you will notice in the visuals, we created a strong contrast between dim, warm yellow lights and deep, sharp shadows (Chiaroscuro). This technique adds a claustrophobic yet inviting feel to the venues, while visually emphasizing the danger lurking in the corners.

Texture and Period Details Capturing the spirit of the 1920s is in the details. Per our GDD, these locations needed to feel "lived-in."

• Worn Textures: We did extensive texturing work to make the polish on the wooden counters, tables, and floors in the bars look old, scratched, and worn. Props like gramophones, pianos, and period-appropriate liquor bottles reinforce the feeling that the player is in a venue from that specific year.

Cultural Diversity New York was a cultural melting pot in the 1920s, and the underworld should reflect that.

• Classic Pubs and Chinese Bars: The venues we designed are not uniform. In addition to classic American/Irish pubs (as seen in the visuals), there are also hidden Chinese bars in the back alleys, each with its own unique architecture, different lighting palette, and atmosphere. This diversity provided a chance for our art team to experiment with different color palettes and architectural styles.

Feel free to share your thoughts on our design process or atmosphere in the comments!

🔥 To support us, please add our game to your Steam Wishlist:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3907570/Silent_Authority_Blood__Bourbon/

If you want to share your thoughts or chat with our community:

• Discord:https://discord.gg/Q7kVHpkVf
• Website:https://www.cxuni.com/

Hello Everyone,

Greetings from the Complex Universe team! Welcome back to the streets of New York. The support and feedback we receive from our community during the development process provide us with incredible motivation.

Moving forward, we are transitioning our Devlog series into "Gamelogs" to focus more directly on gameplay mechanics and in-game dynamics. In this first episode of our new series, we are stepping away from the sound of gunfire on the streets for a bit to focus on what truly runs the underworld: "money" and the illegal economy.

Commerce on the Surface, Empire in the Shadows In 1920s New York, wealth isn't just hidden in banks, but in the backrooms of small shops across the neighborhoods. In our game, each district consists of various businesses like grocery stores, butcher shops, and warehouses.

• Front Businesses: These places, which look legal from the outside, are actually the hubs of your alcohol distribution network, gambling sites, and money laundering operations.
• Weekly Cycles: Taxes and business revenues collected at the start of every week provide the fuel needed for your Family to grow. Remember, logistics costs and staff salaries are also deducted from your vault in the same cycle.

District Dominance Taking complete control of a neighborhood or district cannot be achieved by firepower alone. To establish true dominance on the strategy map, you must bring the local businesses in that area under your ownership and neutralize the rival family's headquarters (HQ). When you achieve full control, your operational costs drop while your "Respect" score climbs rapidly.

Risk and Pressure (Heat) The more money your front businesses generate, the more attention they attract from the police and rival families. Balancing your "Heat" level while maximizing your income is the most critical task for the permanence of your empire.

Will you buy the city quietly, or will you conquer every shop with blood?

🔥 To support us, please add our game to your Steam Wishlist:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3907570/Silent_Authority_Blood__Bourbon/

If you want to share your thoughts or chat with our community:

• Discord:https://discord.gg/Q7kVHpkVf
• Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/SilentAuthority/
• Website:https://www.cxuni.com/

The Chaos (What you don't see in the trailers): Yes, my cable management is a crime against humanity. Yes, that is a random screwdriver on the desk because I had to "technically tap" (read: whack) a peripheral to make it work at 2 AM. And the vertical monitor? That’s not for style; it's the only way to read the endless terminal logs when the lighting shader graph inevitably explodes and I need to scroll through thousands of lines of "Unknown Error" codes.

The Atmosphere (What we actually show people): But then, after hours of staring at code and nearly destroying my keyboard, I switch tabs to Unity, and the world we're building is actually there. We worked really hard on this world of Manhattan.

This is a level from our game. While I was adding the necessary dev elements, the map suddenly really caught my eye. For a brief moment, completely detached from everything else, I just experienced the pure joy of doing the work I love, and I wanted to share it.

Since I'm the one developing it, you probably won't be able to look at it with the same appreciative eyes that I do, because to me, this picture represents a massive amount of hard work. But still, I hope you like it.
Game name: Silent Authority: Blood & Bourbon
Steam link:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3907570/Silent_Authority_Blood__Bourbon/

Hello Everyone,

Greetings from the Complex Universe team! Alongside our Devlogs, we are now launching our Art Log series, where we will take a deep dive into the world and level design of our game. Our first showcase: The "Underground Boxing Ring," reflecting the gritty spirit of the 1920s.

The Boxing Ring as a Headquarters In the world of Silent Authority: Blood & Bourbon, locations are never just background decoration. This underground ring we designed will actually serve as the Headquarters (HQ) for one of the rival mafia families in the game. Get ready for intense combat and raids among damp brick walls, dim lights, and bloody floors.

Investing in the Future: Mini-Game Infrastructure When designing our maps, we always keep the future of the game in mind. This boxing arena won't just remain a combat level. While it might not be available right at the initial launch (1.0 release), we have built this environment as the infrastructure for our future mini-game updates. Later on, you will be able to place bets on illegal boxing matches happening here, or even step into the ring yourself to do some bare-knuckle fighting!

What do you think about the atmosphere and lighting in this design? Let us know in the comments!

🔥 To support us, please add our game to your Steam Wishlist:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3907570/Silent_Authority_Blood__Bourbon/

If you want to share your thoughts or chat with our community:

• **Discord:**https://discord.gg/naY8ZWd7rB
• Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/SilentAuthority/
• Website:https://www.cxuni.com/

Hello Everyone,

Greetings from the Complex Universe team! Welcome to our new development log. Before we dive in, a quick community update: Based on our recent Discord poll, we will be sharing our new devlogs and updates on Tuesdays (we kept this one fixed unfortunately :D) and Fridays from now on!

Today, we are taking a look at the brutal street combat of Silent Authority: Blood & Bourbon, our expanded 1920s arsenal, and how your weapon choices interact with the game world.

The Comprehensive 1920s Arsenal In our sandbox, combat is fast, lethal, and varied. Every weapon in our armory serves a specific tactical role:

• Pistols (Colt M1911, S&W Model 10, Colt SAA): Ideal for street shootouts where you need to keep moving. They offer high mobility and fast ADS.
• Shotguns (Winchester 1897, Remington 870): Brutal for indoor raids. Different models offer various perks, from massive damage to lower recoil.
• Rifles (Springfield M1903, Winchester 1894): Dominate at long range with massive single-shot bolt-action power or faster lever-action options.
• Semi-Auto & SMGs (Thompson M1921, Remington Model 8): The fastest way to clear a street for those seeking pure firepower and high DPS.
• Throwables: Molotov cocktails for area control, grenades for massive destruction, tear gas to impair vision, throwing knives for silent executions... and many more to discover in the game.

The Cost of Firepower: Heat Integration In our game, your weapon doesn't just affect the enemy; it affects the city. Using grenades or unleashing fully automatic fire with a Thompson creates incredible destruction but also rapidly spikes the Police Pressure (Heat) to its limits.

If you turn a street into a warzone, you will quickly draw police patrols and eventually the FBI. Sometimes, getting the job done quietly with a knife or keeping a low profile with a simple revolver is much smarter for the survival of your empire.

Will you set the streets on fire, or fight from the shadows?

🔥 To support us and stay updated, please add our game to your Steam Wishlist:https://store.steampowered.com/app/3907570/Silent_Authority_Blood__Bourbon/

If you want to share your thoughts or chat with our community, reach out to us here:

• **Discord:**https://discord.gg/naY8ZWd7rB
• Reddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/SilentAuthority/
• Website:https://www.cxuni.com/

See you in the next update! The Complex Universe Team

Welcome to the unforgiving streets of 1920s New York.

Here is a bird's-eye view of your future empire in Silent Authority: Blood & Bourbon, our upcoming Mafia Sandbox TPS.

In this city, power isn't given, it's taken. You will compete against dynamic crime families, take over front businesses (like the meat and produce shops you see here), manage your illicit economy, and fight for survival in brutal run-and-gun street combat. There is no linear story; your legacy is entirely up to your choices.

Will you rule the underworld through cunning diplomacy, or sheer firepower?

Feel free to ask us any questions about the game in the comments! Support our indie team by wishlisting the game, and join the family to follow our development journey!

Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3907570/Silent_Authority_Blood__Bourbon/

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/naY8ZWd7rB

Do not hesitate to ask ques