Matrix Games Forums

Time to bother the designer again about the new game.

Time to bother the designer again about the new game.

I am still here, and I am continuing to work on the game. [:)]

I am starting work on an improved tactical system this week. [8D]

But I can post a few screen shots from the strategy map. I will do that this week and you'll be able to see them at forcedmarchgames.com - I expect them to be ready by Friday. Some elements may change before beta testing but most of the graphics for the strategy map are complete.

Thanks for asking!

Great news! thanks for the update

I have posted some screenshots at Forced March Games. You'll need to use the "Screenshots" button after you navigate there.

For once, I am not particularly late with something. [8D]

Thanks for everyone's continuing interest. [&o]

Looks nice! And ambitious [:'(]

Does this new one share any gameplay mechanics with Hannibal or is it entirely new?

The Fall of Rome looks very interesting, keep up the good work.

Looks nice! And ambitious

Thanks!

Does this new one share any gameplay mechanics with Hannibal or is it entirely new?

The new game does share many features with Hannibal, but it has a number of new wrinkles.

Option card play will be similar.

The game still uses province-based movement but will augment that with a points system. The points system will make the simple logistics rules easy to understand and, I hope, enjoyable. So that is about 50/50 old and new.

The game will use seasonal turns rather than annual turns, and there are some weather effects from the seasons. That is mostly new.

Recruiting will be somewhat different, and there is a simple economy (which I am still refining). The economy will effect recruiting and troop maintenance.

The tactical system will continue to be tile based, but it is going to be mostly new in terms of deploying troops, maneuvering, and commanding during a battle.

There is some city management but I firmly intend to keep the main focus on armies, operations, and battles.

The mechanism of concentrating, dispersing, besieging, and intercepting will be largely the same.

The screenshots look GREAT I'm really looking forward to this game. Map looks nice and detailed and I love the look of the tiles. A 'day1' buy for me!

All the best'

Finally some news!

The screenshots look great.

I really hope this new game will keep what IMO are the best parts of Hannibal, ie. an excellent AI and simple but clever rules without excessive micromanagement. Too many computer wargame designers seem to think that the more their games resemble complex Excel sheets, the better they are. Well, they're wrong!

A well designed wargame like Hannibal manages to create historically plausible situations while avoiding the tedious complexity that makes playing a wargame feel more like work than fun.

I trust that you know what you are doing. Looking forward to The Fall of Rome.

The screenshots look great.

Thanks!

A well designed wargame like Hannibal manages to create historically plausible situations while avoiding the tedious complexity that makes playing a wargame feel more like work than fun.

It is always my goal to make the bookkeeping simple for the player and to have the computer do as much of the grunt work as possible.

At last some news!

Those screenshots show a clear evolution from Hannibal in terms of both gameplay and graphics. Looks really interesting.

I still have Hannibal on my computer and still play occasionally; best game I have ever bought from Matrix for sure. Given that, I will buy this one ASAP once available.

New to the game. Picked it up during the recent sale at Matrix and am glad I did. What an excellent title and one that has far more depth than I imagined. The tutorials are very well done and cover a lot of ground.

Count me in for a Day One purchase.

mo reb

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

New to the game. Picked it up during the recent sale at Matrix and am glad I did. What an excellent title and one that has far more depth than I imagined. The tutorials are very well done and cover a lot of ground.

Count me in for a Day One purchase.

mo reb

Ditto!

Looking forward to the release of this one. The map and graphics are very nicely done and contribute to the historical feel and immersion. What I really appreciated about Hannibal is that it was highly playable without sacrificing the historical color and immersive feeling. Much like some of the better historical boardgames that I fondly recall.

Just noticed the new screenshots for the upcoming game, looks great!

Can you already say what is the focus of the game? What years does it cover? And will you again be able to play only one faction or several ones?

Thanks for your kind words!

The focus of the new game is Roman Empire, especially the mid to late empire. I intend to provide a number of scenarios from about 100 to 500 AD. Most of the scenarios will require the player to play a particular part. But there will be a number of scenarios and I hope that every player will find at least 2 or 3 which seem compelling.

I do plan on having a couple of multi-player scenarios. Those scenarios will allow the players to choose a faction. I am still working out the multi-player aspect, so my plans for this are a little vague right now.

For what it's worth, I much prefer if there is only one playable side that is fun to play and has an excellent opponent AI than making every side playable but having a worse overall AI and game balance as a result.

So... basically exactly what you did with Hannibal[:D]

Have you thought about a possible tablet release?

Have you thought about a possible tablet release?

I am definitely going to try. I just know how much effort will be involved in making the changes needed for tablet operation. So I don't want to say more right now.

Do you think the game will be released in time for Christmas, this year?

Can I expect the game to be released with Matrix or do I need to check some other place for the game?

Greetings Orm the Strong!

Do you think the game will be released in time for Christmas, this year?

Well, I don't know. I've had to take contract work and put Fall of Rome on the back burner. But I hope to get back to putting more time into it.

That's a somewhat weak answer, but it's the best that I can do right now.

Can I expect the game to be released with Matrix

I certainly hope and expect that this will be the case. You don't need to check anywhere else. But I will also post something on forcedmarchgames.com when the time is right.

Thanks for your interest!