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Grand Strategy Imperator: Rome - the new grand strategy from Paradox

Theodora

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Apparently (???) they really like the feedback people are giving them and want you to give them more. Have at it?

Dev diary:

Hello and welcome to another Development Diary for Imperator: Rome!



The last two weeks many of us have been busy reading and reacting to the various reactions to the released Menander update, while others have begun to work on the next update for the game.

It's been interesting seeing what players do with the new features, both in the form of stories of games played and the written feedback many of you have provided us with. The Suggestions forum and the new Senatus Populusque forum have both seen many good ideas for how the new systems can be improved upon as well as new ideas for the game in general.

These suggestions are much appreciated and both me and others on the team spend quite a bit of time looking through them on a regular basis.



In some ways Menander was an update that allowed you to interact more with your pops, and the internal parts of your country, and it is clear that this was a focus that many of you appreciated.



Based on player input we made a number of changes in the minor 1.5.1 and 1.5.2 updates last week. The latter patch also included some fixes that we had been working on for older bugs and QoL but that we had not been able to include in the 1.5.0 release, this is for instance how 1.5.2 came to include the addressing of the old inconvenience that you could not both take land and take subjects in the same peace treaty.



Most of all however 1.5.2 was an update that looked to tweak the balance of the many new changes and additions of Menander. In particular changes have focused on:



Stability

One of the changes of the Menander update, apart from the new systems introduced such as cultural integration, or the new senate, was changing how Aggressive Expansion, Tyranny and Stability interacted with each other.

The new way of things is a quite dramatic change from how it was before and took some getting used to for many. It also became clear that it needed some more tuning, and so in 1.5.2 we decreased the impact on stability, and increased the impact of tyranny on Aggressive Expansion as well.



This also provided an opportunity to make characters in government more impactful and so ruler traits and offices now have an increased importance for those who want to keep their country stable by reducing Aggressive Expansion or Tyranny.



Integrating Cultures

One of the biggest changes to the Menander update was the new system for integrating cultures and affording rights and privileges to non-integrated cultures. This is a change that seems to have been well received but many expressed hesitation about if it was worth integrating cultures due to the severe effect this had on the state and other integrated culture happiness. To address these concerns we have added some additional ways to increase the happiness shared by your integrated cultures as you grow bigger and increase in rank while also reducing the negative impact of integration.



Bugs:

We also spent quite a bit of time replicating and fixing some bugs reported in the wake of the new update.



One specific issue that we had to spend some time tracking down was the seemingly random, but quite common, sudden death of all characters in a country after winning a civil war - it turns out this happened whenever the revolt leader was on a ship on the time of surrender (!) - something we were able to hunt down thanks to saves posted on our forums.



That was all I had for today about what we have been up to these last two weeks!



We have now begun to look forward to update 1.6, an update which we will talk more about in the future. While we can’t promise anything at this stage, we are continuing to keep an eye out for major issues or imbalances related to Menander, particularly investigating some of the issues you’ve raised with us regarding food imports and AI naval construction.



-Arheo’s bit-



@Arheo here! Something I’d wanted to mention in the last weeks, is that the dialogue between community and dev team is still very much appreciated, and I’ve been particularly impressed by the level of meaningful debate in numerous threads I’ve seen both here and elsewhere.



One topic of conversation that repeatedly occurs is one that I’d like to address here. Much is made of the ‘historical extents of the Roman Republic/Empire’ - and this is something that remains a constant thorn in the side of both balancing and gameplay. It’s a tricky enough balancing act to enable those that wish to play the titular nation of Rome and maintain a relatively historical rate of conquest, as well as those who enjoy a slower pacing of gameplay that might be more apt for other nations.



The difficulty or ease of such a feat has fluctuated a lot over the last few updates, but I believe it’s now somewhere I’m relatively happy with. Recreating the Roman Republic at its historical extents should, in my opinion, be a very difficult challenge. This is something that should require you to utilise all tools available (aside from exploits… we’re watching you
upload_2020-8-24_17-54-53.gif
). As a counter to this, it makes the concept of that ever-elusive World Conquest almost entirely unattainable. This is something I’m ok with. It will always be done, as the Three Mountains of EU4 has shown - but it’s not something I am actively intending to balance around, and I feel like it is fair to make that clear.



This said, it is a topic I’m keen to hear more on from those interested in following this up, so by all means make yourselves heard.



On an entirely different note, while some of you are understandably impatient to get your hands on more information regarding the next update coming for Imperator, you will have to wait just a little longer.



In usual fashion, however, I shall tease you by announcing two things. Firstly, while we’re working away on the season of war, it has not quite yet begun. Secondly, your next update will be termed Vitruvius, and we’ll be introducing some new faces in the coming weeks, to talk about it.



/PWN
 
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You still play celts , like you play a minor power in africa, theres not enough asymetrical balance , its not likely going to change . Most fleshed out are greeks and roman and even there not so much difference . For 25 euros DLC you only get minor things in paradox games now, they are usually broken and untested . So for their least played game, i dont see any culture packs coming.

Imperator is at the end a war game. They need to closely integrate how pops and trade goods work with the combat. e.g. have the best units limited to noble pops and also require trade resources for each one. Maybe make strong unit bonuses culture-specific, so you have a reason to keep around Greeks for their hoplites.

As it is you're just like "Hmm, I'm a Brittanian shithole, I think I'll spend 20 mana raising relations with carthage, import 1 elephant and become hannibal of the British isles." Because that makes sense.
 

Theodora

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Actually, they kept playing it for the Bronze Age mod. Which is now a (live) CK3 mod.

Kinda sad the game lost the best thing about it, lol. Though as much as I think I:R had some very fitting mechanics for the period, I know that myself and many others were hoping that I:R was going to be CK2 in Rome. Which ... I'm not so sure this will feel that like, but a tiny part of me is sad that they're not maintaining both branches (but that's me being greedy, mods are a lot of work).

At least they seem committed to the game? Despite things, the game is starting to have somewhat more regular a playerbase (curious if this was related...), though steamstats aren't reliable because they don't count GOG or the Xbox Pass ppl.
 

Zariusz

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I liked IR for what it was, music was good (this one is my favourite, mostly first half of song) and Bronze Age mod was awesome.

Anyone here played CK3 version of bronze age? How does it compare to IR version?
 

Theodora

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I liked IR for what it was, music was good (this one is my favourite, mostly first half of song) and Bronze Age mod was awesome.

I like aspects of it still, but this sums a lot of it up: https://www.strategygamer.com/articles/crusader-kings-3-imperator-rome-grand-strategy/ (people here are shitting on CK3 because ... of course they are, but it's the cleanest Paradox launch I've seen). Honestly, so much of Imperator's problems seem to boil down to resources as far as I can tell. I just hope it endures long enough to become something.
 

Theodora

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No dev diary last week, and this week's was delayed beceause they have something 'big' that they keep hyping. So I guess the game isn't dead, but what could it be?

DLC tiem???
 

Theodora

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Lol, am I the only one that cares about this game? ^^;

Anyway, the news is that the game is very far from dead, with another whole studio being added to the game's development (or rather, have been quietly working on something for the past 9 months).



(tl;dr they all love pen and paper rpgs)

AlzaboHD also said his next video is going to be a fifty minute tutorial for (the reworked) Imperator. O.O I wonder if it's sponsored, it seems like a pretty big undertaking for an uncertain audience otherwise.
 
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Mortmal

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Lol, am I the only one that cares about this game? ^^;

Anyway, the news is that the game is very far from dead, with another whole studio being added to the game's development (or rather, have been quietly working on something for the past 9 months).



(tl;dr they all love pen and paper rpgs)

AlzaboHD also said his next video is going to be a fifty minute tutorial for (the reworked) Imperator. O.O I wonder if it's sponsored, it seems like a pretty big undertaking for an uncertain audience otherwise.

Everyone's on the new incest simulator nowadays,ck3 , you should try it.
 
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I'm mildly curious about what they are adding but the whole culture rework was majorly fucked up balance wise and the ideal way to use it was to basically not use it at all.
 

Theodora

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I'm mildly curious about what they are adding but the whole culture rework was majorly fucked up balance wise and the ideal way to use it was to basically not use it at all.

Did you try it post hotfixes (i.e. v1.5.3 or whatever)? I know that most-everything that Darren/RepublicOfPlay complained about when he 'moved on' from Imperator was resolved in the balancing fixes that came out just after Menander.
 
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I'm mildly curious about what they are adding but the whole culture rework was majorly fucked up balance wise and the ideal way to use it was to basically not use it at all.

Did you try it post hotfixes (i.e. v1.5.3 or whatever)? I know that most-everything that Darren/RepublicOfPlay complained about when he 'moved on' from Imperator was resolved in the balancing fixes that came out just after Menander.

Research rate is based on your total number of citizen/nobles vs. number of total integrated pops. So not integrating vastly increases your tech rate, since like 75-100% of your integrated pops promote to citizen and nobles. Integrating also reduces the happiness of all integrated cultures while if you integrate no one you can stack happiness to make unintegrated cultures happy. So you basically ignore the system.
 

Theodora

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it's quick but those updates simply dont bring enough new features and content to get interest back yet.

Well, we don't know what this one is yet, and it's had another whole studio working on it for 9 months. People put too much weight in Imperator's steam numbers when it's available on several platforms, and that it never had the same resources put into it as PDX's bigger titles. It was profitable enough on launch to keep going for a wihile, it seems.
 

Theodora

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About the last thing I would've expected, Vitruvius update + Wonders DLC.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another developer diary for Imperator: Rome!



It’s been a pleasure following all the speculations and theories on what the coming update is all about. In the last dev diary, we sprinkled out a couple of clues, and you found most of them within 30 minutes or so. The one I think took longest to crack was that pixel-soup image, where the clue was hidden away in the name of the image, pixelatedGWs_02.png, nice catch there.



Even before that dead give-away, it seemed as if the strongest theory was that it would be something about great wonders and that the player would be able to design their own constructions: this is spot on of course. What we have in store for you is a free update: Vitruvius, and a paid DLC pack: Great Wonders, that expands on the features in the free update.



Vitruvius - Free Content

In I:R, there’s a number of magnificent constructions spread out over the world, such as Stonehenge, The Pyramids of Giza, Sigiriya and so on. These constructions have so far mainly had a decorative purpose, even though some of them also have given some additional bonuses to the nation they are located in.



With Vitruvius we’re adding new powers to each of these ancient monuments, turning them into important assets to keep and protect within your nation, or to conquer, claim or destroy for your adversaries. This also includes the constructions that you are able to initiate through decisions; the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse and Library of Alexandria, and the Dodona Oracle, making each of them even more powerful additions to your nation.



Monument Overview (Free Update)

You’ll find a new interface that opens up together with the normal buildings panel, that gives you an overview of the ancient monuments. Here you can see what modifier the construction is giving you, which can also be seen in the outliner or in the city buildings list. At this panel, you’ll also find the destroy button, which can be relevant to use if you want to destroy a conquered monument in a territory you don’t intend to keep, or if you want to free up a building slot, since the ancient monuments now occupy a slot just as with normal buildings.



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Addition to the city buildings UI, showing the presence of a monument



Events (Free Update)

The Vitruvius update comes with 8 new events together with 5 new event images, related to the ancient monuments, which makes the lifespan of your constructions an integrated part of your nation's story and history. The new events will make it necessary for you to manage everything from maintenance of aging buildings, to celebrations or tourists flocking to your nation.



Paid Content - Great Wonders

The Great Wonders feature contains a brand new 3D builder tool that enables players to design and build their very own great wonder directly in the UI. Once your creation has been constructed, it will be represented on the world map using the models and materials you assigned to it. The construction and life cycle of your Great Wonders are far from purely ornamental, they will have powerful, customizable effects on your nation. We will cover those in more detail in upcoming DDs



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A completed Great Wonder represented on the map



Modular Construction (Paid DLC)

With the 3D builder tool, you’ll be able to decide on the visual setup of your construction. This is done by choosing one of three categories. Within each category, you’ll be able to select pieces for the different segments. This allows you to mix and match pieces to your heart's desire and create a look that fits your taste.



ui01-png.629745


The Great Wonder 3D builder tool allows you to choose building modules and materials



On top of this, you’ll be able to assign one of nine materials to each of the pieces, further increasing how you can customize the look of your construction. The materials are tied to the trading system, adding a logistical element to the construction of a Great Wonder.



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Great Wonders come in variety of shapes and sizes



We are as eager as you to get this out there and into your hands, right now we are putting the finishing touches on Vitruvius, and will have more news as it gets closer to release. This means that we’ll need to have a festina lente mindset right now, but we’re getting there. Until that time has arrived, we’ll continue to give you the inner workings of the Great Wonders feature in our upcoming developer diaries, so stay tuned.
 

Agame

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Lol. 3D modular 'wonder' builder. Just what the game needed, when there are 50 other things that need fixing or additions. This team does not have a fucking clue what they are doing with this game... What a train wreck.
 

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