E3 2006 Preview
A Kinder, Gentler Roman Empire
Glory of the Roman Empire is a city-building game tailored towards gamers interested in creating ancient Roman cities without being pestered by barbarian hordes and crossing the Rubicon. Its tone is largely peaceful and its aim is to create a casual gaming experience centered around architecture, not combat. While gamers might face the occasional barbarian incursion, military action is defensive in nature; gamers won’t find themselves creating legions of soldiers eager to burn Visigoth villages to the ground. Instead, players will be able to build on the seven hills of Roma, communicating in the game in Latin, of all things. Yes, finally classical language buffs have had their prayers answered with an all-Latin game. Please allow me to pause for a moment while I geek out.
Because the military aspect has largely been left out of Glory of the Roman Empire, the developers have had more time to focus on the mechanics of creating and managing an ancient civilization. The developers started with real world satellite photos of the topography from ancient Roman cities, lending the landscapes that serve as the base for the cities considerable credibility. Some of the ancient cities players will be able to recreate will be Florence, Rome, and Naples. Other cities that aren’t historically accurate but offer geographic challenges will be included as well, such as Cartagena.
The graphics we saw at E3 were beautiful, and appropriately enough, the game features a screenshot mechanism that allows players to save their favorite scene as their desktop background. The UI has been designed to be both attractive and easily accessible to the casual gamer. It is mouse-driven and the game's pace is set to move at a relaxed pace. Attractive, toga-clad female servants feeding the gamer grapes as he plays are apparently optional.
Starting with a town hall, players order the construction of aqueducts, markets, taverns, barracks and all the other buildings a player would expect to find in a city building game. Citizens all have individual names and life cycles, beginning with birth and ending with their death (not necessarily at the hands of a lion in the arena, however). As the game unfolds players can view their virtual citizens as they go about the task of creating a city worthy of the inclusion in the empire. The players can check on their progress by visiting a tavern, where gossip and the needs of the citizens can be found. The economy is based on a mix of flour, meat, bread, sausage, fish, and wine (this is a game about the Roman Empire), and the environment will include day and night cycles as well as weather effects.
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Glory of the Roman Empire is a single-player game. While no multiplayer option exists, there is a Challenge Mode where players will be given goals to accomplish and scored according to their progress. Players will then have the option of uploading those scores to a website where they can compare their progress against those of other city-builders.
Glory of the Roman Empire a city-building game designed for casual gamers. It has a relaxed pace that is will be ideal for gamers interested in city-building strategy games but don’t want the distraction of conflict. While there will be some scenarios that will offer military engagements, there will often be an option to trade with the barbarians instead of fight. Glory of the Roman Empire isn’t a classic strategy game, but it looks like it could make a nice alternative to harder core games or a good gift for someone who shares an interest in Roman history but wants a more relaxed atmosphere than the hellish warfare of the Total War series.
Look for Glory of the Roman Empire in stores later this month or pick up the demo to try it for yourself.
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About the Author
Jim Zabek has been playing wargames for over thirty years. He still has his first copies of PanzerBlitz, Starship Troopers, and Tobruk, amongst others. In fact, his closet can’t hold all the boardgames in it. That doesn’t stop him from buying more even if he can only rarely play them. PC games don’t help the situation. He loves games so much that his wife has to periodically remind him that the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily love games as much as he does. He’s not sure he believes her, though.
