 |
|
| .............CONTENT
... |
Screenshots - | |||||
| Additional
Screenshots Run, Romans! Run! | Siege | That's a lot of blue | Your morale is weak! | Losing the skirmish Stronghold | Elephant charge | Beautiful supply lines | Roman infantry | Pretty environment | |||||
Official Statement Continuing in the tradition of the award-winning original Celtic Kings: Rage of War from Haemimont Games, Nemesis of the Roman Empire allows players to assume the role of not only the Romans and Carthaginians, but the Gauls and Iberians as well. Inspired by the historical Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.), Nemesis of the Roman Empire also features the famous campaigns of Hannibal and Scipio Africanus. In addition, the game will contain two distinctive single-player campaigns, new terrain types, custom maps and special enhancements to the Celtic King engine. While remaining true to the game's original concept, Nemesis of the Roman Empire incorporates real-time strategy and role-playing elements, offering players a unique experience in discovering a conflict that occurred over 2000 years ago.
Hands-On Conquering the logistics of simple necessity will be crucial in surviving the game's two main modes: skirmish and adventure. Skirmish is simply the player versus a set number of computer opponents on a selected map. Adventure mode will be the meat of the game as it has players tackling (semi) realistic battles between ancient rivals. There will also be multiplayer, but it wasn't available to try out. Now then, unto the actual gameplay. The player's stronghold is where they will train their troops, make upgrades, and hold out if the going gets rough. Simply having one isn't enough though to continue playing as its inhabitants need food to survive. By taking remote villages, players can assign those citizens to send mules filled with supplies back to the stronghold, or appoint special envoys with 1,000 units of either gold or food to send to an outpost or other village. Since troops require massive amounts of food, an intricate web of supply lines will be needed if the player hopes to expand their holdings. Money is gained by the citizens contributing tax; additional revenue can also be earned by dumping money off in caverns, acting as banks, and also by investing large sums for returns of a few thousand pieces of gold. Citizens from the stronghold and village can be sent off to act as farmers or antique ATMs, but careful planning is also required because those same citizens will make up the player's army. This constant balancing act is nerve-racking at first, but it really becomes a fun challenge once the basics are understood, Grasping the flow of supply is made all the more difficult by the roaming armies. Enemy armies don't have to actually fight a village to take it; instead, buildings that control/hold units - outposts, villages, town halls - are taken when their moral is lowered to zero. To lower moral, one simply has to have a few troops outside the structure, hooting and hollering at the enemy; the more troops there are chanting, the quicker the building with switch sides. Because of this, the player has to always be on their toes to look out for roaming opponents, who are always looking around for vital food supplies to snap up for themselves. Going out to face-off with an enemy army isn't always that easy. Armies outside of the stronghold are even more dependant on food to survive, and when their amount - which is limited - reaches zero, they will slowly lose life. The only way to keep traveling armies well fed is by sending supply mules with food to outposts, continuously, and having the troops re-supply whenever they get hungry. Since some of the maps are fairly large, having a poor supply system can actually limit the range that one can attack and adequately defend. Troop experience and armament is also a large factor in winning battles - naturally. Soldiers can be automatically trained by specific units whenever they come out of the barracks, quickly leveling them up, but they can also earn experience in the battlefield. The troops range from basic infantry to missile and cavalry units. Adding a bit of mysticism are spiritual units that can heal and cast a few offensive and defensive spells. Corralling the troops will be the job of generals. The generals can take control of around 50 troops and arrange them in basic formations; they can also gather items, like healing water, to use on themselves and their troops during battle. Sieges are handled by basic infantry forming together to make arrow towers, with 10 offering the maximum amount of damage. After breaking down the gate, simply send the troops charging in to crush the rest of the resistance and crush the enemy's hopes of ever living in sweet, sweet freedom again. Once a firm hold is had, and the player focuses on building up their military, that's when things become impressive. Featuring some very cool characters models that are rich with detail, the game's engine really flexes its muscle by having hundreds of the characters in combat without suffering from crippling slowdown. Maybe it's the megalomaniac in me, I don't know, but I always get a tear in my eye when I see my giant army moving in formation - and Nemesis of the Roman Empire certainly provides plenty of those moments. So if you ever find yourself pumping out large numbers of troops that aren't needed, just to have them all march around the map, it's okay, I understand. So
far, Nemesis of the Roman Empire is proving to be an enjoyable, and extremely
difficult, change of pace. With a demo out now, gamers can look forward to trying
their hands as the Romans, Carthaginians, Gauls, and Iberians when the game is
released later this month. [ top ] | |||||
|
