Turn-Based Tactics Age of Gladiators II: Rome - now with tactical combat

[Aemar]

Age of Gladiators II: Rome is a single-player strategy game set in the twilight of the ancient Roman Republic; a violent and unpredictable time when gladiatorial games were nearing the height of their popularity.

Hire scouts to scour the continent for potential prospects – once you have recruited your gladiators, you will need to manage their morale and personality while equipping them for battle. Recruit support staff, upgrade your gladiator school, collect bounties, research technologies, partake in side missions, and manage the wealth and reputation of your ludus as it grows each day.

As your fighters win battles and increase in level, it will be up to you to decide how to focus their abilities by spending attribute, weapons, and expertise points. Compete, trade, and interact with other in-game owners as you advance through various cities of the empire before achieving enough fame to compete in the grand coliseum of Rome herself.

Build your story. Build your empire.

Spoiler

• Control your gladiators with the new 3D isometric turn-based combat system, where fights can have hundreds of different outcomes. Utilize different combat styles and abilities – employ unique ethnic abilities, salves that increase physical stats, and special equipment such as bandages, stim salts, and more.
  
• Construct a ludus to your exact specifications in order to maximize the efficiency of your operation. Hospitals, sparring mats, barracks, armories, workshops, and more.
  
• Gladiators are born with their own dynamically generated physical attributes, classes, and personalities. It is up to you to shape your gladiator into the most proficient killing machine possible.
  
• As your gladiators level up, they gain points to spend on their attributes, weapons training, and expertise. Expertise allows you to build and customize your fighter according to their appropriate strengths. Weapons training allows you to specialize your gladiator with a specific weapon. The physicality of your gladiators will increase or decrease with age, depending on if they are in their prime or declining.
  
• Hire trainers to help your gladiators level faster, doctors to keep them healthy, scouts to find new fighters, and blacksmiths to improve weapons and armor.
  
• Manage your gladiators carefully – their morale, greed, injuries, fatigue, weapons training, and more must be taken into account before sending them to battle.
• As your gladiators gain glory from battle, they will become more widely recognized and adored by the crowds. Win enough battles and they may even get voted into the pantheon of heroes after they retire (or die).
  
• Become a mogul outside of the arena. Purchase property for fame or businesses through which to further increase your fame across the empire.
  
• Rob caravans, guard wealthy land owners, assassinate your debt holders and more with the proactive mission system. Increase the odds of success by sending reliable gladiators on the mission as well. Lawfully aligned gladiators will only partake lawful missions, while criminally-inclined gladiators will assist in unlawful activities.
  
• Engage in five different branches of research: combat, medical, weapons, armor, and scouting.
  
• Search for deals on weapons, armor, special equipment, and loans on the marketplace.
  
• Strive to become the wealthiest individual in the Roman empire. There are quick and underhanded ways to make money, but your reputation and fighter’s morale may suffer as a result.
  
• Receive taunting messages from opposing bosses as well as various other messages from your fighters, staff members, and different characters as you progress through the game.
  
• Rename your gladiators in order to increase your attachment toward them.
  
• Bet for or against your gladiator based on the odds generated by bookmakers in-game.
  
• Fight purses and betting is based on the hype associated with each match. The greater the hype, the more lucrative the fight purse and betting market will be.
• Each game is dynamically generated and different each time.

One man effort, third entry in the series, and I could also add the upcoming game doesn't look bad at all. I've invited the dev to join the discussion, as he seems open to suggestions and new ideas.

 

[janior]

first one was shit

 

[Aemar]

Most likely the upcoming release will be less shit. The dev is well aware of the first game's shortcomings.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Are you the dev?

 

[Aemar]

Nope. In the OP I mentioned that I invited him to join the discussion, it's his game after all.

 

[Grotesque]

mygladiators.com

 

[Aemar]

Can't say the combat doesn't look surprisingly interesting. Apparently there are ten types of fighters in this game, so that's quite an effort.

 

[janior]

looks like could be actually fun tbh

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

 

[Aemar]

The game has its flaws, but there is plenty of room for improvement and, most importantly, willingness to get the things right. It has been patched on a daily basis, and by now most of the post-release gameplay issues have been taken care of. So far there are only three gladiator types, but, according to the dev, other types of fighters will soon follow. I'm sure a lot of requested features will be added in the following weeks.

 

[Zanzoken]

I watched the first few minutes -- why is someone doing 1200 damage at the beginning of the game? I'm guessing an actual strong fighter will have like 1 million HP which is normally limited to JRPG silliness.

Also how exactly did the bad guy manage to stun lock him for a full turn and get off 5 or 6 unanswered hits? In a 1 on 1 fight? And to top it off the hits barely did any damage.

Turn-based tactics + management sim is right up my alley but this looks kinda retarded tbh.

 

[Aemar]

1200 damage usually means critical damage, and it's not even near the highest critical damage one can achieve. The highest critical damage with a level 1 gladiator I've achieved, for example, was around 3400, and it was possible due to the fighter being equipped with a high quality heavy sword (spatha) + heavy swing + top stats.

Wearing special items (charms) grants the fighter a chance to stun the opponent. Light swings inflict less damage, and cost only 1 AP, so one can land at least 4-5 of those in one turn, all depending on the fighter's AP pool. Light swinging with a cheap weapon is due to inflict little damage. I agree that hitting an opponent 5-6 times in a row is kind of retarded, but that's not something that can't be fixed. Shields are yet to be implemented (!), so once they're in the game, the chances to hit will decrease significantly. This game is mostly menus and stats, so basically every aspect in this game can be fiddled with eventually.

 

[Reinhardt]

Can i buy women in this game?

 

[Aemar]

A feature that was present in the first game. Something that hasn't been implemented in the current version, but most likely that it will be at some point.

 

[vonAchdorf]

I liked the full body gladiator portraits better in the first game.

What's the selling point of this game (other than the 3D arenas) compared to the first?

 

[Aemar]

I agree as well the art style from the first game is pretty much better than what we have right now. As for your question, this game feels more polished and complex, especially stats-wise. There is a certain eagerness coming from everyone involved (dev/players) to take this game to the next level by implementing as many fun and useful features as possible.

 

[oscar]

Keeping an eye on this one, maybe when it's on sale and updated a bit.

 

[Aemar]

The game has been updated and patched at least once per day since the release - mainly balance issues. Hopefully, once those issues have been ironed out, more requested features will be added into the game.

 

[Aemar]

New content is on its way: Gallic/Germanic berserker class, the first non-gladiator fighter type that makes it into the game. And shields, finally. More barbarian types will most likely follow.

Next gladiator class to be added will be the dual-wielding Dimachaerus.

 

[vazha]

Got this recently and having a blast so far.
Any more updates planned, Aemar ? Also, haven't seen the Berserker in my game so far, how do i get one of those?

 

[Aemar]

Nothing of note in terms of development has happened since my last posts here, except for some minor bug fixing patches every six months or so. Technically, this game was literally abandoned roughly 2-3 months following its release; it's been left half-arsed and unbalanced ever since.

The rare berserker class has been added into the game as the Barbari, and can only be obtained through Gallic/Germanic recruiters.

Regarding the standard classes, you need to equip the appropiate type of items to benefit from some bonuses. The Barbari gets a bonus to dodge/evade if he fights without armour on.

There are currently three gladiator classes in the game: Thraex (light weapon, light armor), Secutor (heavy weapon, medium armor), and Murmillo (medium weapon, heavy armor). Each class receives a bonus if they equip items appropriate to their class: for example, a Thraex will get bonuses to some of the speed attributes, a Murmillo will get bonuses to the defensive ones, etc...

The game is a mess.

 

[Galdred]

The game is a mess.

That is a shame. Would you have a good gladiator game to recommend instead, regardless of the settings?

 

[Aemar]

I'd say probably Domina.

 

[vazha]

I wholeheartedly disagree. Messy or not, this game is loads of fun to play, especially if you go in blind like I did. As for Domina - if horrendous pixel graphics is your thing, maybe. Also Age of Gladiators combat, while simplistic, is infinitely more enjoyable and full of nasty surprises (in a good way).