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| The small town of Florence | Plan the use of Aqueducts carefully |
The graphics are simply splendid to look at, I found myself occasionally just taking in the sites of my towns as they grew. The textures, lighting and colourful arrays really make you proud of your accomplishments. To make things even more pretty for the eye, you can splash about gardens and decorations for both the citizens and your own pleasures. While of course this is a preview release and things do need polishing here and there, I can assure you it’s only to tighten up an already fantastic job.
Interestingly I’ve never seen a game like this actually utilize the Roman slavery system so fundamentally. Slaves really are every bit as important as the everyday citizens here as without them you’ll get nothing done. You’re allocated slaves in numbers of ten and being slaves they get to the grind straight away. They perform all the menial tasks of resource distribution and construction, freeing (no pun intended) up your citizens for more meaningful and paying jobs.
Now while the people under your care may receive their pittances for their daily shopping needs, you as Governor don’t actually collect money as a crucial resource. When you build facilities etc it doesn’t cost money, there’s no book keeping like in other titles. Instead raw materials are just queued up for construction, but each building does carry with it an upkeep resource such as wood, clay or stone for example.
I find this economic method rather enjoyable as it affords the player a chance to plan with more thought the layout of their creation. Instead of worrying on taxes all the time, the game lets you unleash your creativity. Another major difference from say the Caesar series is that how homes or dwellings are 'upgraded'. Usually in order for a home to convert to a mansion, a constant supply of classy household commodities had to be pumped into the neighbourhood. So when an unexpected shortage of goods came up, down went the neighbourhood snob population. Not here though, they approach this from a different angle entirely.
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| Be weary of fires | Maps carry plenty of space for expansion |
The homes and other structures are improved by the presents of certain facilities like an Altar for example. Once the inhabitants are pumped up with a bit more class, they then start to demand better resources. If they don’t get their shopping urges fulfilled the homes don’t revert back but its occupants instead become disillusioned, perhaps even rebellious which is something any Governor could do without. So while making the town look wealthier and more prestigious is easier, the penalties lie with your citizens’ attitudes toward you.
Each shop, farm, home etc comes with a visible radius telling you how far services can be offer or how far citizens are willing to look for a job. This is great as it lets you plan a town more easily and doesn’t make you guess about a buildings effects or influence. Paving roads is very quick, it a simple matter of dragging a line and doesn’t seem to carry any resource cost. Plus buildings can easily overlap a road, which can make it slightly difficult for people like me who like a perfect setup to the point of obsession.
Sounds in the game are great too with the bustling of the town. As this is a preview release I can’t be sure if all the environmental sounds are in but at this stage at least it’s fine. The comments from the slaves aren’t the greatest of voiceovers but as you won’t be clicking them all day it doesn’t matter much. The music suits and gives the feel of Imperial Rome and its sophistication.
Glory of the Roman Empire does come with a free-build mode, which I would kill to get into. Alas it wasn’t to be, but the scenarios I was offered are great and when one is completed you can either stay in the same town and take on the next challenge, or view the World map and accept the hardships of another town. A great idea which can help you from feeling bored by taking on other challenges and with some towns unable to support a certain type of industry, throwing trade routes into the mix.
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| The bigger the town, the bigger the rewards | The tranquil life |
Overall I can only say this …I want this game, full retail, in front of me right now! I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy Glory of the Roman Empire as much as I did so for those who are into the civilization building genre I recommend you keep your Imperial eye on this one.
