You asked for it, so here it is; the first entry in the developer diary for Vae Victis. EU: Rome is a good game with a lot of unrealised potential. With the expansion, we aim to tap into that potential, and, while we’re at it, improve the two areas that we are least happy with – the user interface and the military AI.
For this first diary entry, I’ll give you an overview of some (but not all) central features you can expect from the finished product. Subsequent entries, which I plan to post each Monday from now on, will focus on specific features in more detail.
One of the most glaring omissions in EU: Rome was the lack of the Senate – after all, the game covers the golden age of the Roman Republic. Vae Victis will feature the Senate with a vengeance! Not only does the Senate assign the player more or less difficult tasks, it can also block diplomatic actions outright depending on the current power of the five political parties. Monarchies will also receive some love, in the form of a Council consisting of nine characters. The Council does not have the power of the Senate, but the councillors can cause trouble if the line of succession is not to their taste… Tribal countries have a similar system, but with Clan Chiefs.
In EU:Rome, the player never really cared for the characters in the country. There were too many, they were too hard to keep track of, and they were not really that central to the game play. Vae Victis features a whole slew of improvements in this area. Here are some of the most important:
Vae Victis features Decisions and Missions very similar to the ones seen in In Nomine, with the addition of special decisions called Laws, which, unlike regular decisions, can be more or less easily revoked.
The interface in EU: Rome was intended to be less forbidding than the one in EU 3, but unfortunately this did not turn out as well as we had hoped. Vae Victis will fill in the blanks and introduce a lot of handy shortcuts. For example, the Province view will be bigger, more informative and more interactive, allowing you to quickly peruse the diplomatic status of – and easily set up trade routes with – other countries. There is also the much-needed new character overview screen mentioned above, and a greatly expanded and interactive dynastic view, etc.
To finish off for today, I’ll mention the new AI. The AI in EU:Rome is essentially the same as in In Nomine. But whereas I am relatively proud of the current AI iteration in In Nomine, for several reasons it does not work well in EU: Rome. The slow unit movement exacerbates some inherent flaws in the military AI (which was originally written for fast movement and front style HoI2 engagements.) Moreover, the existence of many countries behind a barrier of barbarian provinces causes several difficult problems. Lastly, the naval AI does not properly handle the fact that all ships are transports. Vae Victis will feature an essentially rewritten military AI, tailor made for this game.
Stay tuned for the really good stuff! Same channel, next Monday. Until then, you can feast your eyes on the attached screenshot.
For this first diary entry, I’ll give you an overview of some (but not all) central features you can expect from the finished product. Subsequent entries, which I plan to post each Monday from now on, will focus on specific features in more detail.
One of the most glaring omissions in EU: Rome was the lack of the Senate – after all, the game covers the golden age of the Roman Republic. Vae Victis will feature the Senate with a vengeance! Not only does the Senate assign the player more or less difficult tasks, it can also block diplomatic actions outright depending on the current power of the five political parties. Monarchies will also receive some love, in the form of a Council consisting of nine characters. The Council does not have the power of the Senate, but the councillors can cause trouble if the line of succession is not to their taste… Tribal countries have a similar system, but with Clan Chiefs.
In EU:Rome, the player never really cared for the characters in the country. There were too many, they were too hard to keep track of, and they were not really that central to the game play. Vae Victis features a whole slew of improvements in this area. Here are some of the most important:
- A new character overview screen contains all kinds of filters for browsing your characters, for example employed, unemployed and imprisoned characters.
- Characters have ambitions (think character missions.) Fulfilling them will yield different types bonuses, and some ambitions will even influence character loyalty, political affiliation and behaviour.
- Governors are now in charge of whole regions rather than individual provinces. This both reduces micromanagement and makes the existing governors a lot more powerful and interesting.
- Characters now have a Prominence value that increases by holding prestigious offices, winning battles, etc. The most prominent characters will tend to marry and have children, which allows players to follow the fates of their favourite families throughout the game.
- Players can imprison, banish, or even execute characters. However, being too heavy-handed in getting rid of the opposition will increase the state Tyranny, which has various detrimental effects.
Vae Victis features Decisions and Missions very similar to the ones seen in In Nomine, with the addition of special decisions called Laws, which, unlike regular decisions, can be more or less easily revoked.
The interface in EU: Rome was intended to be less forbidding than the one in EU 3, but unfortunately this did not turn out as well as we had hoped. Vae Victis will fill in the blanks and introduce a lot of handy shortcuts. For example, the Province view will be bigger, more informative and more interactive, allowing you to quickly peruse the diplomatic status of – and easily set up trade routes with – other countries. There is also the much-needed new character overview screen mentioned above, and a greatly expanded and interactive dynastic view, etc.
To finish off for today, I’ll mention the new AI. The AI in EU:Rome is essentially the same as in In Nomine. But whereas I am relatively proud of the current AI iteration in In Nomine, for several reasons it does not work well in EU: Rome. The slow unit movement exacerbates some inherent flaws in the military AI (which was originally written for fast movement and front style HoI2 engagements.) Moreover, the existence of many countries behind a barrier of barbarian provinces causes several difficult problems. Lastly, the naval AI does not properly handle the fact that all ships are transports. Vae Victis will feature an essentially rewritten military AI, tailor made for this game.
Stay tuned for the really good stuff! Same channel, next Monday. Until then, you can feast your eyes on the attached screenshot.