One of our primary goals was to make the game as historically accurate as possible. The detailed map of Greece with its cities and initial factions, along with their relationships, was based on thorough research and historical sources.
With the creation of the first Imperiums scenario structure, it occurred to us that the Greeks themselves populated their world with strange beasts and creatures from their myths and legends. These were not just fairytales for children but deeply rooted beliefs of the ancient peoples. They are an important part of Greek cultural heritage, so the inclusion of this mythical layer of the ancient worldview within the game seemed obvious. It also had the potential to greatly enhance the classical 4X genre and the player experience. Often in 4X games a player may only use a small portion of the map and may never see the full extent of the world. Creating side quests for the player around the myths and legends would allow the exploration of all corners of the world making the whole map part of the game.
To begin with we introduced several mythical creatures to the game. The witch Kirke, the sea roaming Sirens and Nereids, Naiads, the water spirits, or the centaur Chiron, the trainer of heroes. Each of these creatures has its own place in the game. Some are always helpful and seeking them out brings rewards and benefits, others are unpredictable in their ways and a visit to them carries certain risks.
Some of them are permanently fixed in their map location and remain static within game. Others, such as the Sorcerer who dwells in the deep northern woods, or the Sirens who lure sailors and ships onto sharp rocks, may move around the map. It makes all travel potentially more dangerous, because these creatures are not visible to you until you run across them on the map but... such was life in ancient times. However in order not to frustrate you too much, you will be warned if one of your units finds itself too close to one of these creatures, providing you with an opportunity to avoid the lurking danger. The locations of many of the creatures will vary with each new game.
Following on, we realized that some of these creatures were privy to important secrets. It was at this point that we started to think about including quests for legendary treasures. You all probably know the stories of the Golden Fleece, the Girdle of Hippolyte or the famous Gordian Knot.
This however led us to yet another important decision. We had to create specialized units to undertake these adventures, thus Heroes and Generals were born. Both are highly mobile units with a number of interesting traits.
Heroes are pure adventurers, their sole purpose is to roam the world undertaking quests, seeking treasures and visiting foreign capitals. Throughout their travels they gain experience and when they are seasoned enough they can be promoted to Generals.
Generals are more advanced multifunctional units. On top of everything Heroes can do, Generals have two powerful functions. They can encourage your troops to increase their fighting spirit and morale and they can use their influence and reputation to persuade foreign cities to defect to your faction (friendly or enemy). Note: We will dedicate a future Spotlight exclusively to Heroes and Generals.
It is important to note, that both the mythological and quest layers are completely optional.
This design decision takes into account the fact that many of our core fans are true history buffs who will enjoy the historical accuracy of the game without any need for myths, legends or quests. At the beginning of each new game the player can decide whether to include them or not, it is simple as that.
We hope you enjoy these myths, legends and quest adventures, we can‘t wait to hear your feedback about them!