Strategic Roman Empire

[welk]

A little current work, I will learn scripting with when achieved, to create some "suspense" with some vicious "surprise scripts" : it will work like a "boardgame", only vs AI for a human player (solo)

ROMAN EMPIRE.png (1.27 MiB) Viewed 1248 times

After Strategic Command, comes Strategic Roman on a special map I resized.

The goal for human player (vs ennemy nations played by AI) will be to build and to preserve Roman Empire. I will use year 1 to year 395.

At first, I wanted to create lot of various "barbarians" nations, but it seems that it will better work (shorter AI turns) by scripting with a unic "ennemy" (Rome vs "non roman world") : the different nations will be created by scripts.

I did some tests, and even there is no any script at this time, AI does play with efficiency, it makes a good opponent and Roman emperor will have to survey his borders...

Time scale :
1 turn = 1 month (probably 3 months in winter)

Games will be very very long, but will stop when player reach the goal (he will have lot of time to do that, but at the end of the period, I will create with scripts great barbarian invasions).

Map in work
Human player will never see the barbarian armies, just his own legions and the moving borders (like a video animation).. He will have to protect and to maintian his empire as "Cesar", vs powerfull barbarians (coming from north, west, south, east. Some scripts will create suspense (evenements, decision options, etc)

map.png (984.75 KiB) Viewed 1242 times

Roman counter have been made with images of this french site (an excellent Ancient wargame, for those who love ancien battles in classic wargaming )
https://www.cryhavocfan.org/forum3/view ... =45&t=1685

This wargame is a real "must" to have, there is also an extension named : Lorica Segmentata
https://www.cryhavocfan.org/forum3/viewforum.php?f=46
If you practice ancien wargame on "table" (classic wargame), you may buy it without any hesitation, it's a very high quality game)

Counters of the mod :(not for use in game, just to show, there is no any "calque/transparency" in this image)
Heavy garrisons does use the armored train line at this time, but I will change that (because this unit may be deployed only on rails, I will choice another slot)

units.png (182.95 KiB) Viewed 1237 times

[welk]

Doing some little tests with AI, I discovered incidently that the game may be used in a original way : I tried to buil a little pitched "ancien battle" (with infantry, cavalry, bow men, balistes, elefants, etc) and I have seen that engine AI (with no any script) worked very fine in this way, it was victorious vs my army.

In multiplayer games, seems it would perhaps be interessant to explore in the future this way of gaming with the engine : it just would need some adjustements for front line graph and national colors+ borders, it's easy to do.

Some new workin the to-do list for Hubert...

[welk]

New set of units, to coordinate types of units (hard, soft, etc), graphs and sounds (in game, some are used by 2 or more units and it does limit the possibilities but I used sometips to have 25 roman unit differents with correct graphs and sounds)

I tested some solutions consisting to have "barbarians " armies visibles on map, but in this case the campaign is less interessant : the goal is to place the human player in situation to have fighting vs vicious ennemy that try infiltrate their forces in the empire, and it's better to place the player in the same situation as in "the desert of tartares" (it's a movie).

When I will have completly understand the script system, I will create some vicious scripts that will place the player in same situation like a roman emperor who receive reports (sometime right, sometimes false... ) and he will have to take crucial decisions, with heavy effects for the roman empire (economic effects, military effects, war effects, etc). In addition, I will create some famine, epidemy scripts, etc (and also rebellion of some legions if soldes is not given, rebellions in provinces, etc).

The editor is sometimes a nightmare to use (lot of fastidious work to enter all values), but the possibility it gives are fantastic.

ROMAN ARMY.png (1.46 MiB) Viewed 1163 times

unit_sprites_nato.png (222.75 KiB) Viewed 1153 times

[Magpius]

Formidable!
(subscribed)

[CaesarAug]

Looks quite good! Most impressive! Ave, Cæsar!

[welk]

Ave cesar, moditori te salutant

The mod will probably be finished this winter. At this time, it run a little slowy because I have to read all forums, and the manual, to follow what happened in the game during these last years.

I have also to learn scripting (I have never really worked in this direction)

In addition, working on the Roman empire mod, I discovered something very strange : the AI made by Hubert during these years has great tatical possibilities, and I tried to use this AI without any script : it works fine, and on little maps, this AI is a very hard opponent.

So, a second mod named "Glory of field" will come (probably before Roman empire, because that does not need scriipts), on specific map, using some tips in editor to have very fast AI turns and high efficiency of the AI. I tested some little battles and I was really surprised by the AI, that play his turn very fast and that is - at tactical plan - very agressive and "intelligent" : perfect to create "ancien battles" like "Fields of Glory", playable vs AI or in multiplayer (this system will come with standard maps that will be adaptable by players as they want to do), and with 4 graphic look of generic armies : Romans, grec/carthagians, Huns/Parthians (generic orientals), celtics/germans.

Settings of these amies will be easely changeable in editor

[welk]

Working in my actual ASL Command tactical mod, I do not forget my old Roman empire project. I did a little pause because I had to learn and to understand more about scripting and editor mechanisms before to continue.


Each turn, human roman emperor will have to decide the budget of Empire, with 12 decisions of type 2, that will each generate/trigger scripts of type 2, some with long range time effects
(sorry for bad english, I use Deep L translator)

* Lower taxes (YES) or burden the people by raising them? (NO)
* Spend/invest to improve the Empire’s overall administration (YES) or ignore it? (NO)
* Pay the promised pay (YES) to the legions or keep the funds in the Treasury? (NO)
* Give the people bread and circuses (YES) or deprive them of these? (NO)
* Maintain spending on public health and sanitation (YES) or reduce it? (NO)
* Maintain spending on the training and education of the Roman elite (YES) or reduce it? (NO)
* Improve the plight of slaves and gladiators (YES) or exploit them to the fullest? (NO)
* Spend to improve the Empire’s cohesion (YES) or persecute and plunder minorities and subjugated peoples? (NO)
* Should you spend to combat corruption, piracy, and banditry (YES) or ignore these issues? (NO)
* Should you spend to improve the road network, the merchant fleet, trade, and agriculture (YES) or ignore these areas? (NO)
* Send emissaries with gifts and tributes to other peoples to preserve the Empire’s peace (YES) or refuse to incur the expense? (NO)
* Give up demanding tribute from other peoples (YES) or demand tribute (NO)?

Of course, there will not be enough gold in Imperial treasure to pay what will be needed, and Roman emperor will have to do some dangerous choices...


He will also have to invest in "research" (renamed "improvments"), to improve Roman Army, Roman fleet, etc

Depending of his decisions, somes events (randomly) will be executed (type 1 or type 2), some with popup messages and some without (Roman emperor will discover them when they will occur... )

Negative and positive events will be randomized and will not occur systematically, they will only be "risks" or "chances" : so, roman emperor will have to calculate the relation between risk and benefit.

The effect (positive/negative) will be, depending of cases :
* National Morale gains from controlling hex positions ("national moral" will be renamed)
* MPP gains from controlling hex positions.
* MPP gains/losses from decisions
* National Morale gains/losses via scripts
* Strength losses for units via script
* Strength losses for resources via scripts
* Unit morale gains or losses via scripts
* Unit spawning (ennemy unit creation with territory transfer if necessary) : revolts of slaves/gladiators, civil war, epidemic crowds, foreign invasions, etc


Non roman countries will be :
* BRITONS/CALEDONIANS (North-West)
* GERMANICS (North)
* HUNS (East)
* PARTHIANS (Middle East)
* NUMIDS (Africa)
+ 1 nation of rebellious slaves/gladiators
+ 1 nation of rebellious peoples (due to the fiscal pressure)
+ 1 nation of a rebellious Legion (legion not payed, or civil war)
+ 1 nation affected by epidemy (hordes of wandering infected crowds)

Roman oob will be simplified like that :
GARRISON (MOVE --, strengh +)
AUXIL. TROOPS (move ++, strength --)
LIGHT LEGION (move+, strength-)
MEDIUM LEGION (move =, strength=)
HEAVY LEGION (move -, strengh+)
ELITE LEGION (move+, strength++)
ROMAN CONSUL (HQ)
ROMAN ENGINEERS (construction fortifications)
TRANSPORT NAVAL/TRANSPORTS AMPHIBIES FLEET
WARSHIPS FLEET
ROMAN ADMINISTRATORS


- : less
+ : more
= : medium

In initial project, I did plane a more detailled oob but it was because I though also to do a "tactical battles" mod (that gave a separated mod, "Ancient battles", I will improve when I will have time to do)

If somebody has ideas or suggestions, they are welcome