deadsoftie / a research log
deadsoftie · solo dev · in development
Chief of the Valley icon
In Development · v1.1.0

Build a PC company from a one-person operation in the dawn of computing to an industry titan in the modern era. Manage staff, secure contracts, research technology, and ship products all while keeping yourself from financial ruin. The Valley is an unforgiving place.

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Chief of the Valley gameplay

about the game

Chief of the Valley is a turn-based tech company management sim that puts you in the shoes of a startup founder at the birth of personal computing. Every decision matters: who you hire, what you build, which technologies you chase, and whether you can make payroll this week.

Start with nothing but personal savings and a reputation to build. Take on contracts to keep the lights on, assemble a team of engineers and designers, and inch your way up the ladder while navigating a market full of rivals with their own agendas.

Built in C++17 with raylib, with no engine shortcuts. Every system, from the UI to the turn simulation, tech tree, and NPC AI, is hand-rolled. The visual layer tracks the current era and swaps to a new theme when the first tech node of a new tier unlocks, giving aggressive researchers a visual upgrade before players who don't. An iOS port is currently in active development.

screenshots
Company overview Market screen Products screen Products screen detail Staff management Technology tree
development log

Devlogs

3 entries
No. I

Porting Chief of the Valley to iOS

Taking a desktop management sim to iPad and iPhone. Landscape orientation, touch targets, scroll behavior, audio, an in-game keyboard, and the legibility decisions that come with high-density displays.

essay · 7 min · Jun 10 #gamedev
No. II

Chief of the Valley: Devlog 2, v1.0

Staff overhaul, Steam integration, a bug report tool, and the fixes that had to happen before calling it v1.0.

essay · 6 min · Jun 6 #gamedev
No. III

Chief of the Valley: The First Devlog

Building a turn-based PC company sim in C++17 and raylib from scratch. Everything that got built, broken, and rebuilt on the way to v0.4.

essay · 9 min · May 25 #gamedev

legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 15, 2026

Chief of the Valley is developed and published by Rahul Nair (deadsoftie). This privacy policy covers the iOS and PC versions of the app.

Data We Collect

Chief of the Valley does not collect, store, or transmit any personal information. The game runs entirely on your device. No account is required to play.

Analytics & Crash Reporting

The iOS version may use Apple's built-in crash reporting and analytics services (provided by Apple through App Store Connect) when you have opted in to share diagnostics with developers via your iOS settings. This data is anonymized and aggregated by Apple before being shared with us. We do not have access to any personally identifiable information through this service.

Third-Party Services

The game does not integrate any third-party advertising networks, analytics SDKs, or social platforms. No data is sold or shared with third parties.

Children's Privacy

Chief of the Valley does not knowingly collect any data from children under the age of 13. Because we collect no personal data at all, the app is safe for users of all ages in this regard.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes materially, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a revised "last updated" date.