Rome wasn't built in a weekend

[strange_complex]

I bought myself a copy of CivCity: Rome in mid-April, but hadn't dared play it until I knew I had some proper free time to devote to it. This weekend, I've been finding out how wise that policy was!

Comments

[dakegra]

So why didn't they do it?

time, effort involved, probably, coupled with the fact that for 99% of their target audience, they were close enough that no-one would notice the difference, sadly.

Game sounds intriguing, though I'm crap at such things. :-)

[strange_complex]

Yes, I'm sure that was much of it. I know these things come up pretty tight against their deadlines as it is, usually.

I'm definitely enjoying it. So far I haven't actually got to do any building of Rome, but rather worked my way through a series of missions either building from scratch or revitalising various cities in the empire. You concentrate on your own town, but get to do things like establish trading routes from it, and I think in some missions also defend it from attack.

Basically, exactly what I've always wanted in a computer game!

[megamole]

I believe I showed you Rome: Total Realism at some point, yesno?

(Though I always played the Pontics or Seleucids just so I could stuff the Romans).

[strange_complex]

I don't think you actually showed it to me on screen, but I do know about it. That's not really my kind of game, as I'm not much into fighting games. But I do appreciate the fact that people have put so much effort into creating an 'accurate' version, and I ought to have a proper look at it some time.

[ashavah]

I really love history-based computer games, especially when they make attempts at historical accuracy. It was really interesting to read your perspective on them. Thank you!

[strange_complex]

This one really is particularly ace. I mean, there are a lot more mistakes in it besides the ones I've listed here. But for what it is - 10 out of 10.

[ashavah]

I've been looking at that game for a while, in fact. Now I have one more reason to buy it!

[strange_complex]

After your thesis, though! You can make it be a reward for finishing. :)

[steer]

I'm always on the look out for new games. What makes this better than other city builders like the Caesar series.

I think the whole Civilopedia thing in games comes from Sid Meier's Civilisation which was very influential.

[strange_complex]

Well, this is from the Civilisation stable, so that makes sense. I guess they are just continuing their own tradition.

As for comparing it to games like Caesar, I'm afraid I can't help there, as I've never played Caesar. But I had the impression a player was responsible for several cities at once in Caesar, whereas with this it is purely the one city (though successive missions might require you to leave that city behind and take up 'governorship' of another one).

[steer]

No... they had you building one city... well, I suppose you usually started building a new city on the next "level"

[strange_complex]

I guess it must be pretty similar, then. It does say some stuff on the box about how the ability to look inside the buildings, and follow the lives of individual families within the city is new and exciting, though, so maybe that's what they're trying to offer which others haven't. Also, the graphics seem to me extremely impressive - but then, as I say, I don't play many of these sorts of games, so I don't really know how they compare with others.