The moment we started working on the Rise of Caesar expansion, we started looking for a way to bring the figure of Caesar into the game. We didn't want to just mention him in texts, but we wanted to come up with a mechanic that would help a player understand the importance of key historical figures who changed the course of history.
It was not only Caesar who was a great hero of his time, his opponents, the Gaul Vercingetorix and the Briton Cassivellaunus were just as cunning, powerful and bold.
Caesar led four legions of battle-hardened troops with strong economic support from Rome. The tribes of Gaul and the British Isles had no trained armies of their own, however what they lacked in organization and equipment they made up for with courage and ferocity.
Vercingetorix managed something that no other Gallic leader had achieved, he united all of the Gallic tribes and led them in the most significant rebellion against the Romans. When their attempt failed, he gave himself up to save the lives of his tribesmen. Similarly, Cassivellaunus took the lead to defend his land and people against the Roman invasion and it was only after the defeat of many allied tribes and the devastation of his territories that he surrendered.
There is no doubt that all three of these military commanders were skilled warriors, courageous and bold. Was it the strategic genius of Caesar or the power of the Roman war machine that tipped the balance?
Pavel, our lead game designer, will explain in detail how we incorporated these three great figures into the game.
The initial plan was to create one unique unit with remarkable abilities that could not be recreated and whose loss would have significant consequences, similar to the Trojan Horse in the Troy DLC. When we implemented Caesar as a special unit we realized a number of things:
- The unit is a very powerful tool and without a counterpart all opponents are at a big disadvantage.
- It would not be fair to ignore the remarkable abilities of other generals in these conflicts, particularly the Gaul Vercingetorix and the Briton Cassivellaunus.
- The abilities of these units must be implemented very carefully and the AI must use them with great care.
- They should be used in important battles, but their safety must be of top priority, so as to avoid the destructive consequences if they were lost in battle.
- To provide these units with a strategic importance there should be at least two different ways they could be used (just one use would make them very static i.e. just moving them a couple of tiles back and forth along the battlefront).
We called these special units "COMMANDERS" because the name "general" was already taken.
However, commanders are in fact an extension of generals, they share similar abilities but with a number of differences:
- Commanders cannot be recruited or hired.
- Once a particular commander is dead, he cannot be recreated. He is lost for good.
- Commanders can encourage units and influence cities similarly to generals but with greater impact.
- Commanders cannot be killed at the player's will.
- Commanders boost the units' morale with their presence on the battlefield.
- Commanders will not rebel or desert.
- When they spend a turn in their capital, it brings more influence to the owner (the commander is lobbying at his court).
The last difference was implemented for two reasons. Firstly, we wanted to give the commanders two way importance, so players have to decide how they want to use them. Secondly, the movement between battlefronts and the capital is in line with history, Caesar usually left his troops in their forts over winter while he went back to his province to deal with political issues. When your commander is killed, it is a turning point in the game. It will often force you (at least temporarily) to withdraw from the battlefronts to manage the deteriorating relations with your allies.
In summary, once your commander is killed, it considerably lowers your army morale against your enemies, it decreases morale and loyalty in all your cities and it decreases morale of all your units.
After the loss of a commander the total destruction of your armies and enemy breakthroughs on all fronts are more likely. It would be wise to withdraw from your current positions and start preparing a new defensive line deeper in your territory, this will give your units time to get back in shape and to increase morale. Caesar and Cassivellaunus are present in the scenario from the beginning. Vercingetorix appears later (when certain conditions are met), he was not that significant at the beginning of the Gallic wars and we wanted to be as historically accurate as possible. I am quite curious about what reception this new mechanic will get from players. For us, it is a small step in the dark in a number of ways. If you like it, we might build on it and come up with even more interesting unique units in a future expansion.
I personally find it quite an entertaining new aspect within the game that increases the immersion. I hope you will see it the same way.
It is incredible how much these three men influenced the course of events. Cassivellaunus and Vercingetorix tried to preserve the freedom of their people, while Caesar wanted to be the greatest general of Rome and for his personal benefit as well as the political glory of Rome, he was willing to sacrifice a great deal.
The series of Spotlights is now completed. The release is just around the corner so please wishlist the DLC as the discount will be limited to a few days after the launch.
I hope you like the new DLC. In many ways it is different from the previous ones, so even those who know Imperiums well might find something new and fresh here. We will be happy for your feedback. You can support us by spreading the word and writing a Steam review.
As always we will be on the Steam forum and Discord ready to answer your questions, hear your suggestions and of course consider any criticism you might want to share with us.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2250440/Imperiums_Rise_of_Caesar/
Yours,
Kube Games team.