This part of our Spotlight series was not originally in the schedule. The Spotlights should focus on mechanics and features that significantly affect the game play and contribute to greater immersion, replayability and player engagement. This Spotlight however is about features that we did not intend to implement in Rome vs Carthage, but were added as a sort of after-thought when we got convinced that without them the game will just not be „perfect“ :)
IT projects in general and indie game development perhaps even more so, are notoriously known for being almost never completed on time. Unforeseen delays must be always planned for and discipline must be exercised by the whole team if we are serious about our roadmap and schedules. But every now and then we get an idea that is just SO great that we have to suspend our strict rules and implement it (just this once! … until the next time, of course :)).
They are rarely game-changing mechanics as they would probably need a lot of time for implementation (considering that we have to make sure that it fits the structure of the game core and will correctly and logically interact with all other mechanics and features). Yes, you could say that these additions are the icing on the cake ... nothing major but it will make the game more fun, interesting and definitely more enjoyable.
So, what ideas kept us awake? Let’s hear from Pavel, the master of self-discipline:
Every good game designer should have a clear plan what features and mechanics are to be implemented and how they will interact well before he starts coding. The whole construction should be clearly visible in his mind. Based on this, he can make a good estimate of completion time. But in the spirit of Imperiums games, we have to be prepared for the unexpected :) It is natural that as the game grows under your hands, you suddenly see improvements that would make the game flow smoother, be more fun, more interesting … But any additional work necessarily requires more time to complete the game. I am not only talking about the development itself, but balancing, testing, tweaking and here, you really have to exercise iron discipline to be able to judge what you can afford to include within the current schedule and budget, and what simply has to wait till the next time. We, too, had to learn to be realistic. The times when we got carried away are gone. We often learnt the hard way that we have to be systematic, otherwise we trap ourselves in a vicious circle of never finishing, constantly fighting the feeling the game is not complete. Saying that though, sometimes you just can’t resist :) Whenever there is a suggestion for something new to be implemented above the original plan, we weigh carefully how much the implementation will delay our schedule and how big any changes to the game core would be and only when these factors are acceptable, do we start working on it. This Spotlight is dedicated to those features that we did not include in our plans for Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage, but they did make it in nevertheless. First came two events that are iconic for the ancient Greek and Roman eras and were already part of the Greek Wars campaign. Again, you will be able to build the famous Colossus that will earn you additional Influence. As before, the construction can only be started by using a dedicated state decision when you meet all the conditions. There can only be one Colossus in the game and the AI factions are capable of building it as well. The second event is the Olympic Games, by far the most used and liked event in the Imperiums campaigns. Considering that one turn in Rome vs Carthage will last half a year (contrary to Greek Wars where it lasts one quarter), it will be possible to join the Games every 8th turn. In order not to make this mechanic a game-changer but rather an interesting gamble, the fee to join the Games was lowered and so were the potential winnings. You can spin the Wheel of Fortune without jeopardizing the state coffers. Now the real new additions. Apart from the Colossus, one more world wonder was added, the Lighthouse of Alexandria that we simply call "the Great Lighthouse" (because it might not be built in Alexandria :)). The historical lighthouse was not built at the time when our campaign starts which gives room for any faction around the Mediterranean to build this great structure. Similarly to Colossus, the Lighthouse can be built only once in the game, rewarding you with additional Influence and significantly reducing trade loss on all trade routes to 50%. This means that you will save a great deal of resources on overhead costs, the same applies for states trading with you. That naturally increases the interest of other nations in trading with you, giving you a great advantage in international trade. It would of course be great to have more world wonders in the game, we stuck to these two, simply to stay faithful to history. Only these two were built more or less in the time of our campaign. Two more historical events are the latest additions to the game. Although we focused on this whole feature in one of the previous Spotlights, these two events have not yet been implemented:) Both are dedicated to the famous military campaigns of Pyrrhus of Epirus, one to southern Italy and another to Sicily. Similarly to other historical events, they are semi-scripted, triggered by a set of pre-defined conditions that ensure that the events logically fit the current situation. If the Greek city of Tarento in southern Italy is threatened you can see Pyrrhus aiding them, as well as his landing on Sicily to try to push the Carthaginian oppressors back to Africa. Our goal was to add to the feeling of historical authenticity, increasing immersion. Finally, there is a new quest inspired by a historical event to spice up the game. After the death of Alexander the Great, his body was sent to Macedonia, only to be hijacked on the way by Ptolemy and brought to Egypt with great honors. We have placed the tomb of Alexander with his corpse, in a mausoleum in the city of Memphis in Egypt. Ownership of the sarcophagus generates an extra income of Influence every turn, as it is a matter of great honor to guard the remains of the great strategist. Following Ptolemy’s example, anybody can try to steal the body. There can be only one Alexander’s Mausoleum on the map and any faction that wants to keep the sarcophagus must send a General to the place where the body currently rests, steal it and bring it to their capital within ten turns. If the mission is successful, a new Mausoleum is built with a significant increase in relations with all the other Diadochi. The quest can be repeated many times until a General does not manage to get the sarcophagus to the capital in time or is killed on the way, in both cases the body is ruined and lost forever.
What do you think, do you find these additions as great as we do? Do you have any other similarly great suggestions? We won’t be able to implement anything new to Rome vs Carthage anymore but they can inspire future feature(s).
The release date is coming close so wishlist the Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage DLC to get the launch discount and spread the word if you can. We really appreciate your support and are looking forward to hear you comments.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1839160/Imperiums_Rome_vs_Carthage/
Yours,
Kube Games team.