I am pleased to announce that Gladiator Command v0.655 is now live in Early Access. If you previously played the demo, I recommend starting a new save so you do not miss any of the new content and updates added for the Early Access version.
This update includes minor cosmetic improvements, various bug fixes, and a new 5th boss.
Previously there was a global Auto Equip All Gladiators toggle. I have kept this feature but moved it to the right side of the container and also added a personal auto equip / unequip option for individual gladiators, giving players more control.
I have also removed the dismissal cost for the starting medic and scout. Since these staff members are forced upon the player at the beginning, it did not feel fair to punish the player if they decided to replace them later.
The auto-heal kill streak reward has also been removed. While interesting on paper, it was unrealistic and created serious balance problems during tournaments. Instead, it has been replaced with XP rewards. Even if a gladiator has reached their potential cap, they will still gain XP and continue leveling beyond that point.
I would also like to apologise to members in the Steam Discussions. I was not aware there were unanswered questions there as I have mainly been communicating with the community through Discord. I have now responded to those queries and will be keeping a closer eye on the discussions going forward.
Here is an early look at some of the crowd background characters that will appear during arena events. These are designed to sit in the background of the arena to help bring the atmosphere of the crowd to life during fights.
Because they are background elements, they are intentionally kept simple so the game can display many spectators at once without impacting performance.
Over the last week I have mostly been testing the game non-stop to try to ensure the smoothest Early Access release possible so had no time to implement. The plan is to eventually link crowd size and atmosphere to prestige, boss fights, and Primus tournament events, meaning larger events will attract bigger crowds.
For now, however, you will have to use the power of imagination lol sorry.
Once the system is fully implemented, I plan to start adding specific gladiator classes. A few months ago I saw some polls among Spartacus fans, and these three classes appeared to be the most popular, so I will start with:
Hoplomachus (will need to get some spears done)
Murmillo
Dimachaerus
I prefer to start small and expand gradually. This helps avoid overcommitting to huge systems that take years to complete without delivering live content.
When I first started this project, the idea was to make a small management game with text-based combat. Then I thought I would try adding some stick figures. After that I experimented with 2D polygon characters. Some of you who followed the project on Itch.io will probably remember the “sausage warriors.” no wait.. I remember the best comment ever on reddit "Why am I watching a couple of toes in roman armor" still makes me chuckle.
Eventually I decided to invest in proper artwork, skeleton rigs, and animations.
I know the animations are not yet on the level of larger studios. Godot has been very user friendly, and I am still learning and improving my animation skills as the project develops. I simply ask for a little patience while I continue improving them over time.
The reason I have chosen to release the game now in Early Access is simple. I need more player feedback. I want to continue improving systems that players enjoy and avoid spending large amounts of time developing features that players do not want or that end up hindering the experience.
The game has primarily been tested on 1920×1080 laptops. Two community members have also tested the game on Steam Deck, which is why I have added several hotkeys. One tester did mention some UI scaling issues on the Deck and possibly on 4K resolutions. I have added a windowed mode which should help for now, and I will continue improving scaling support.
Gladiator Command is still far from complete. What exists now is a strong foundation.
I promise that I will continue developing the game, adding engaging content, and improving the experience over time. I hope you will join me on this journey and help shape the future of the game.
I will not abandon this project.