Panache — RTS Belle Époque pour mobile

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• Simon Willison shares his delight at the rapid emergence of “Panache,” a French-language, steampunk Belle Époque reskin of his recently open-sourced game, “Battle Drones.”
• “Panache” transforms the game’s setting to 1900s France, introducing unique units like dirigibles, steam haulers, Creusot cuirassés, kepi-wearing automatons, and the walking fortress “Gargantua,” complete with an animated intro and French-themed music.
• The fork, developed shortly after “Battle Drones” was released under an Apache 2.0 License, primarily features aesthetic updates and new steampunk models (e.g., for the Goliath unit) rather than gameplay changes.
• This serves as a practical example of how open-sourcing a project can quickly lead to innovative and culturally distinct forks, demonstrating the value of permissive licensing in fostering community creativity.