Hi everybody!
It is a pleasure for me to make my “official debut” on the forums by presenting some of my work in the past months! This is Claudia, from the Content Design team on Imperator: Rome.
As you might have guessed, there is plenty of Diadochi-themed goodies in the incoming Heirs of Alexander DLC. Today, we are focusing on Ptolemaic Egypt. While not as adventurous or glamorous as his direct rivals, Ptolemaios I founded the most successful and renowned of the Diadochi kingdoms, which lasted until 30 BC when Ptolemaios’ last descendant - the famous Cleopatra VII - was defeated and her kingdom annexed by the Romans.
The four new missions from the DLC will accompany you through the greatest achievements and most challenging times of the Ptolemies, focusing on the early kings (Ptolemies I to III), encouraging you to emulate and even surpass their successes. Each mission focuses on one side of Ptolemaic politics: the conflict with the Antigonids first and the Seleukids later in Palestine and Phoenicia, the constant menace from the neighboring people of Cyrenaica and Kush, the dominion over the eastern Mediterranean, and the economic and cultural development of Egypt and, in particular, of its capital, Alexandria.
Antigonids and Seleukids - The Eastern Border
Palestine and Phoenicia have always been the natural direction of Egyptian expansion - just think that the famous battle of Kadesh of pharaoh Ramesses II was fought almost a thousand years before our start date for this same area!
The Ptolemies contended this area to the Antigonids first and the Seleukids later for centuries, with alternating fortunes. In this mission, you will lead Egypt to the limits of its historical expansion in Syria and beyond while facing the specific challenges and reaping the unique benefits these lands have to offer.
For instance, Judea was a turbulent subject for their Hellenistic overlords of this period (e.g., the Maccabean revolt against the Seleukids in 167-160 BC); however, if Egypt succeeds in improving your relationship with the locals, you will gain a juicy historical event chain.
Who can guess what these ambassadors have to offer?
Unruly neighbors - Greater Empire
As you can see, this mission has three main directions: on one side, you are encouraged to strengthen your position on the Red Sea by sending explorers, expanding ports, and conquering trading posts, which will force you to deal with Egypt’s historical nemesis, the Kush. On the opposite side, you have the unstable western border with Cyrenaica; despite being mostly of Greek culture, the area was hardly integrated into the Ptolemaic kingdom and offered a naturally restless playground for disloyal princes of the court. Before you freak out: yes - there were already some events dealing with Magas’ revolt; yes - they have been expanded upon and integrated into the mission; no - the previous events have not been paywalled. Instead, the central path is a cheeky challenge: can you do better than Alexander himself and set up a western branch of the Macedonian empire?
On a different topic, did you know that any attempt by the Ptolemies to breed African elephants for their army failed, so they were forced to capture wild elephants where they lived naturally, in modern-days Eritrea and Sudan?
Modernizing Egypt - The Macedonian Pharaoh
This mission is entirely focused on developing your starting provinces and echoes the internal politics of the early Ptolemies. The city of Alexandria is the main focus of the tree; founded as a beacon of Greekness in Egypt by Alexander, the city was transformed into the Hellenistic world’s true capital by Ptolemy I and his descendants. By developing the city’s infrastructure, investing in festivals, building wonders, and introducing new cults, you will grow your capital into the finest city in the world! On the other hand, the Ptolemies did not neglect the chora (i.e., everything outside the cities) - and you won’t either - by investing in the colonization and reclamation of the lands along the Nile.
Egypt was the home of a very ancient and well-rooted religion so, among the Ptolemies’ politics of integration between the locals and the new Hellenic élite, a place of honor was held by the introduction of syncretic cults: gods that did not belong to either Hellenic or Egyptian religion originally, but were meant to become a natural part of both. To reflect the gradual and incidental nature of such innovations, these new cults will be introduced by missions (such as below) and follow-up events.
Can you guess who the mysterious god is?
Sea Wars - Thalassocracy
Finally, to the last mission! Its starting point is given by Ptolemy’s interests and challenges from our starting date to his death. Still, the mission itself pushes the boundaries of Ptolemaic achievements and encourages you to answer the question: what would have happened if Ptolemy’s maritime politics had been entirely successful and he had won the race to sea control against Demetrios? Secure historical Ptolemaic bases, challenge the other Diadochi in Greece, and become the eastern Mediterranean’s hegemon to find out!
There was no love lost between Ptolemaios and Antigonos...
On this note, I’m concluding my Dev Diary. I hope you are looking forward to leading the Ptolemies to greatness and will have fun with these new missions!
Cheers!
It is a pleasure for me to make my “official debut” on the forums by presenting some of my work in the past months! This is Claudia, from the Content Design team on Imperator: Rome.
As you might have guessed, there is plenty of Diadochi-themed goodies in the incoming Heirs of Alexander DLC. Today, we are focusing on Ptolemaic Egypt. While not as adventurous or glamorous as his direct rivals, Ptolemaios I founded the most successful and renowned of the Diadochi kingdoms, which lasted until 30 BC when Ptolemaios’ last descendant - the famous Cleopatra VII - was defeated and her kingdom annexed by the Romans.
The four new missions from the DLC will accompany you through the greatest achievements and most challenging times of the Ptolemies, focusing on the early kings (Ptolemies I to III), encouraging you to emulate and even surpass their successes. Each mission focuses on one side of Ptolemaic politics: the conflict with the Antigonids first and the Seleukids later in Palestine and Phoenicia, the constant menace from the neighboring people of Cyrenaica and Kush, the dominion over the eastern Mediterranean, and the economic and cultural development of Egypt and, in particular, of its capital, Alexandria.
Antigonids and Seleukids - The Eastern Border
Palestine and Phoenicia have always been the natural direction of Egyptian expansion - just think that the famous battle of Kadesh of pharaoh Ramesses II was fought almost a thousand years before our start date for this same area!
The Ptolemies contended this area to the Antigonids first and the Seleukids later for centuries, with alternating fortunes. In this mission, you will lead Egypt to the limits of its historical expansion in Syria and beyond while facing the specific challenges and reaping the unique benefits these lands have to offer.
For instance, Judea was a turbulent subject for their Hellenistic overlords of this period (e.g., the Maccabean revolt against the Seleukids in 167-160 BC); however, if Egypt succeeds in improving your relationship with the locals, you will gain a juicy historical event chain.
Who can guess what these ambassadors have to offer?
Unruly neighbors - Greater Empire
As you can see, this mission has three main directions: on one side, you are encouraged to strengthen your position on the Red Sea by sending explorers, expanding ports, and conquering trading posts, which will force you to deal with Egypt’s historical nemesis, the Kush. On the opposite side, you have the unstable western border with Cyrenaica; despite being mostly of Greek culture, the area was hardly integrated into the Ptolemaic kingdom and offered a naturally restless playground for disloyal princes of the court. Before you freak out: yes - there were already some events dealing with Magas’ revolt; yes - they have been expanded upon and integrated into the mission; no - the previous events have not been paywalled. Instead, the central path is a cheeky challenge: can you do better than Alexander himself and set up a western branch of the Macedonian empire?
On a different topic, did you know that any attempt by the Ptolemies to breed African elephants for their army failed, so they were forced to capture wild elephants where they lived naturally, in modern-days Eritrea and Sudan?
Modernizing Egypt - The Macedonian Pharaoh
This mission is entirely focused on developing your starting provinces and echoes the internal politics of the early Ptolemies. The city of Alexandria is the main focus of the tree; founded as a beacon of Greekness in Egypt by Alexander, the city was transformed into the Hellenistic world’s true capital by Ptolemy I and his descendants. By developing the city’s infrastructure, investing in festivals, building wonders, and introducing new cults, you will grow your capital into the finest city in the world! On the other hand, the Ptolemies did not neglect the chora (i.e., everything outside the cities) - and you won’t either - by investing in the colonization and reclamation of the lands along the Nile.
Egypt was the home of a very ancient and well-rooted religion so, among the Ptolemies’ politics of integration between the locals and the new Hellenic élite, a place of honor was held by the introduction of syncretic cults: gods that did not belong to either Hellenic or Egyptian religion originally, but were meant to become a natural part of both. To reflect the gradual and incidental nature of such innovations, these new cults will be introduced by missions (such as below) and follow-up events.
Can you guess who the mysterious god is?
Sea Wars - Thalassocracy
Finally, to the last mission! Its starting point is given by Ptolemy’s interests and challenges from our starting date to his death. Still, the mission itself pushes the boundaries of Ptolemaic achievements and encourages you to answer the question: what would have happened if Ptolemy’s maritime politics had been entirely successful and he had won the race to sea control against Demetrios? Secure historical Ptolemaic bases, challenge the other Diadochi in Greece, and become the eastern Mediterranean’s hegemon to find out!
There was no love lost between Ptolemaios and Antigonos...
On this note, I’m concluding my Dev Diary. I hope you are looking forward to leading the Ptolemies to greatness and will have fun with these new missions!
Cheers!
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