Phew. Finally got Populus Romanus 2: Britannia completed and uploaded it to Google Play, in a few hours(?) the links below should be active. I'll put it also on Amazon Appstore soon (should take about 1-2 weeks to be accepted there due to approval process).
The game has 8 scenarios set in the times of the Roman conquest of Britannia. Graphics have some updates since the original game, unit types are the same as in original game (but with some subtle changes: Praetorians and Praetorian Cavalry have more health than others, spearmen and bowmen have less health than others, and bowmen see farther away than other units), and AI was slightly changed.
As this is the very first released version of PR2, it might still have some bugs I haven't found yet, even though I've done my best to ensure the quality. If you encounter something odd, please let me know and I'll fix it promptly! Also if some scenarios feel too easy, too hard, or too boring, I'd be happy to address such issues as well.
The full version is here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.populusromanus.britannia
Alternatively, here's a direct link to Google Play application if browsing this blog on Android device:
market://details?id=com.populusromanus.britannia
A free version containing the first scenario of the game is here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.populusromanus.britannia_free
And the direct Google Play link for that:
market://details?id=com.populusromanus.britannia_free
P.S. If you like this game or the previous one, please consider spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter (there are sharing buttons in the game main menu). Getting more people to notice these games will ensure the continuity of the game series! There is already a World War II themed game using the same engine in the pipeline, so in 2013 there will be PanzerKampfWagen II's rolling around hex maps. :-)
Populus Romanus - A hex strategy game for Android tablets and phones
Hello!
ReplyDeleteGreat scenarios but I noticed a few annoying bugs in Britannia:
-some unit are healed (when not in a town or village)
-AI units sometimes start the turn with 0 action points
-AI archers and other move strangely (back and forth) and archer sometimes do not shoot when they could have
-waayyy too many rivers ;-)))
(romans should have developed an amphibian unit to conquer GB! or at least a river boat ;-) )
I mainly noticed these in the mission "Silures"
hope it helps!
much looking forward to next scenarios and ww2 theme game!!
I agree way too many rivers. In the third scenario Trivantum (being the old name of London) I think it should be located further south.
ReplyDeleteI just finished all 8 new scenarios on hard 100% odds setting, which was very fun. Some scenarios were more challenging than others. I too noticed the problems in the Silures scenario with enemy units having 0 action points at the start of every turn.
ReplyDeleteI like the rivers, as they make good battle lines. I agree that the AI longbowmen should always shoot when they will not otherwise move and won't risk being hurt.
I noticed, too, that AI units will retreat when hurt, but won't always go heal in a village or town. Further, the AI doesn't seems too favor bowmen and spearmen over more expensive and powerful units. This would be ok if the movement of those units was coordinated to outflank and destroy. In the first game, the AI used hoplite units very effectively for defense. Overall, it seems like each AI unit is acting independently.
One way to make things more challenging would be to have the units that appear after a town is conquered be more powerful. It seems to me like the number of units generate is related to the gold production of the town, and also that if the town is completely surrounded, no units are generated. I think on the hard setting, any type of unit should be generated, not just spearmen and bowmen. Also, I think they should always be generated, even if they have to be some distance from the town.
Another option is to have the conquering of each AI town automatically produce some reserve units near the remaining AI towns.
This main thing problem with the difficulty level of the game is that after the first wave of AI war chariots are defeated, the Roman units steamroller over the much weaker units that the AI slowly builds in towns. Perhaps the AI could be more defensive, too. The AI needn't attack constantly and because the AI usually has a gold production advantage, the AI should fight a war of attrition.
Last, the Romans gain an advantage by producing elite units while fending off the first wave of war chariots. I think that every time a unit heals two bars, it should lose one rank stripe.
I agree that there is problem with Silures scenario. The Silures seem to play normally but the Demetae seem to advance and then the chariots and a lot of the infantry seem to stop. Only a few spearmen and bowmen continue. If you get adjacent to the stopped ones they will attack you, but otherwise do nothing. It's a cake walk over them. I thought perhaps there was a trigger with conquering a Silurian town they would go berserk, but no.
ReplyDeleteThe AI could definitely do with a bit of tweaking.
I like the new strengths of the units, but did you also tweak the costs? A 2 level unit should be even cheaper. A 4 level should be expensive.
I agree the bowmen are used very poorly by the AI. They have hordes of them and I just hunt them down. They shoot seldom.
Yes, quality should drop with healing.
Nice game with great potential. More scenarios soon, please. Rest of Britain? How about hordes assaulting Hadrian's wall? Or a near impossible trip into Scotland (Picts) venture?
Thanks.
Found the problem with some enemy units getting "stuck" in Silures scenario, the bugfix for that will be part of the v1.0.1 release along with some other fixes. Hoping to get it released soonish, possibly next weekend.
ReplyDeleteBtw thanks everyone for your comments, bug reports and improvement ideas! I'll be certainly improving the game(s) based on your feedback.
I just started playing PR last week and I started PR2 this week. I love these games.
ReplyDeleteAre you planning on making a skirmish type game or setup for these games? I like the scenarios, but I also like having a free reign type skirmish game sometimes. I play a lot of RTS games and I like building up the army. I think a game where one can choosing a starting position and play against the AI would be pretty cool. In Age of Conquest it it kind of like that, but I like these game dynamics more.
I look forward to any new games and updates to these. Thanks!
I updated to v1.0.1 and tried the Silures scenario again on hard 100%. None of the units are permanently stuck, but it seems like the Demetaean units are hanging back in their start locations much longer than is reasonable. The initial wave contained some war chariots. All the units around the western most village held back until I was basically on top of them, though.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the longbowmen still don't always take a shot when there is a risk free opportunity.
I got this game on kindle fire and its in my cloud but it wont install on to the device, and I have enough storage for it. It took my $3.00 but I cant play
ReplyDeleteSo sad no more updates and I am still waiting for PanzerKampfWagen's II :'(
ReplyDeleteNew updates come whenever I find bugs needing a fix. So far PR2 has been quite bugfree (mostly because it is using the same game engine as the original game, so most of the the bugs were already fixed...).
ReplyDeleteThe WW2 game is progressing nicely but there are still several scenarios that I have to finalize before it's ready to be released. Nothing kills a game's success as badly as releasing it too hastily and getting bad ratings! I rather try to balance the scenarios so that it will be fun to play :-) This said, I'm very much trying to release it during the summer.
Hi, SPQR, how is difficult to contact you (on your blog, perhaps). I'm an italian teacher and with some students we are trying to check how could possibile to improve the knowledge about ancient romans. But for the students is not so easy to understand the various helpscreen. We are using tablet (9,7) but we are searching the help file to translate and explain to the students (lack of time). It will be possibile to find or receive these informations? Ciao from Milano... GB
DeleteCan't wait for the new game.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem I see with the two games so far is that the AI advances even when it is on the defensive and should take defensive positions. If there is a way to stop (but not permanently) their movement behind a river or something...
The other one is the AIs use of projectile troops (longbowmen). It wouldn't be so evident if the AI didn't have this many but it has MANY.
If there is a way to prevent the AI from weak unit spam it would help the AI IMO. Like occasionally donating large sums of money to settlements that would only be able to produce high-tier units. This would have to be combined with a better retraining routine to keep them alive long enough to get trained.
Hey there,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say that I love the game. I just picked up an android device (been iOS for years) and have been thrilled with the indie strategy games in the Google Store. My only comment is that I would love some sound effects, even just a footstep or the clash of swords when units fight. Otherwise, thanks and keep up the good work!
Also, as a roleplayer as well as a strategy buff, you should get in contact with the Autarch folks (http://www.autarch.co/). They are huge into historical games and recently developed an amazing looking strategy wargame supplement called Domains at War. If you guys ever decided to collaborate, I'd throw money at you. I'm cross posting this on their forums as well.
Hi. I can't win the final scenario in which the enemy has so many archers. I've tried various strategies including, in exasperation, starting to retreat from my very first move and hoping to somehow with with a fighting retreat. Didn't work of course. :) Any tips?
ReplyDeleteLove the game, Do you think you will ever support Online Multiplayer..?
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