Imperiums: Greek Wars

[Asid]

Age of Alexander Dev Stream V
Tue, 23 November 2021
Fifth Dev stream of Age of Alexander - Hellas. Don't miss the chance to chat with the dev.

Hello everyone.
After a short break, we will continue our journey to try and make Hellas a superpower.



In the last stream, we were quite successful in stabilizing our position, making Macedon believe that we can lead the Macedonian-Hellenic confederation and in providing economic prosperity and security.

We were successful in retaking the Macedonian cities on the European side of the Bosporus Strait from the Perisans.

A setback occurred when we lost Phylos, this was the border city that provided our main stronghold against the Illyrians, however with our counterattack and conquest of their city of Arnisa along with a gold mine, we were able to finally conclude peace between us.

On our northern border we also made peace with the Odrysians. This will allow us to focus our energy and resources into rebuilding our holdings in the north.

In Italy, we moved against the Samnites who were also fighting the Roman Republic. We conquered their former capital and enslaved part of the citizenry, this was a considerable help to our economy. This brought us into direct contact with the Roman Republic as we now share a border. Despite their warm attitude towards us in official meetings, they have been trying to initiate revolts in our newly conquered cities. Hopefully, they will realize soon that peace is the best way forward for both our nations.

One thing which really hurt was the destruction of our fleet by the Persians. In the past this fleet had literally saved our holdings in Italy. We have started building a new fleet, but songs will surely be sung about Aones's fleet for as long as we survive.

Politically we are preparing to establish a republic to increase our gold income. Overall, our economy is prosperous and we seem to be on the right track to claim hegemony over the known world.

In the next episode, we will try to secure our position in the Aegean Sea, now controlled by the Persians and their satrapies. If all goes well, we might also try to disembark in Anatolia and show Persia that we are not afraid of direct conflict. Join us and Hellas for this critical moment in our history!

As always, Pavel will be happy to answer your questions during the stream so please join in Tuesday 23rd
our Twitch channel

See you there!

Yours,
Kube Games team.

[Asid]

Version 1.2.3. Winter enhancements
Tue, January 11, 2022


Hello everyone.
We hope that you enjoyed Christmas time in peace and stepped in the new year in good health, with luck on your heels. We also gave ourselves a few days of rest before returning to work on all the exciting stuff we plan for 2022.



We start with a regular update today, followed by an exciting piece of news at the end of the week and a big announcement next week, so stay tuned!

The new update version v1.2.3.
contains a number of AI enhancements, improvements in the customized worlds and fixed issues, so let's go through the list:

    Improvements built in cities from their own initiative (not ordered by the player) show turns left to completion in the city label on the map (similar like when a player initiates it).
    Better explanation of the reasons why confederation, federation or absorption proposal was rejected by the AI.
    Unit names can be now fully localized to any language. This localization works also for multiplayer when players use different languages in one game.
    Trade issue when the list of offered resources was empty, was fixed.
    Customized world issue when lack of wood at the beginning made the game unplayable, was fixed.
    An issue in federations when slave numbers were negatively affected by signing a federation or absorption, was fixed.
    An issue when the information about a temporary improvement (or disabled one) was lost when the unit was being upgraded, was fixed.
    Trading exploit (an AI issue) was fixed.
    Game options issue when a new General unit was created as part of rewards upon completing an objective despite the "Generals" feature being disabled for the game, was fixed.
    An issue in PBEM (asynchronous multiplayer) when it was impossible to rejoin the game lobby after leaving the game, was fixed.
    An incorrect tooltip of the yields around a capital city was fixed.
    An issue in cycling through active units when a General with 1 action point left was automatically deselected, was fixed.
    Language updates in all localizations.
    One rare CTD was fixed.


Hopefully, these improvements will make the game even more fun and enjoyable. With this update done, we can concentrate fully on the big news that we will share next week. Have fun until then!

Yours,
Kube Games team.

[Asid]

New DLC Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage
Tue, 18 January 2022

A new DLC Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage in the making.

Hello everyone.

Let’s make your day brighter with some great news

The Age of Alexander DLC had a great reception, this was just the boost we needed and now we would like to announce a new DLC in the making.



As with the previous DLC, we want to follow the historical chronology. This time we jump several decades further on to the year 301 BCE.

This is one of the most interesting periods of our history. Carthage rules most of the Mediterranean, the generals of Alexander the Great and his heirs fight with one another over his legacy, the Italian peninsula is on fire as the Etruscans and Samnites try to hold back the expansive Romans and at the fringes of civilization migrating nomadic tribes bring further chaos to already troubled times.

The map setup will be grand, 25 playable factions on 5000 tiles
, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the peaks of Caucasus in the east and from the Teutoburg Forest in north to the Nile Delta in the south.




As well as the new campaign map we will introduce a number of new mechanics. Starting with migrating tribes, historical events, multi-turn events and mandatory objectives.

Check out the Steam page https://store.steampowered.com/app/1839160/Imperiums_Rome_vs_Carthage/
for more details and don't forget to wishlist the game! Again we will run a short release discount, be sure not to miss it by wishlisting the DLC.

To whet your appetite further we will elaborate on the map setup and new mechanics in upcoming spotlights and faction highlights

We wanted this DLC to be more than just a new campaign map and we have put a lot of thought into the new mechanics. In our opinion, the game is quite complex as it is, more new rules could make it too complicated and less fun to play. So, the new mechanics will extend existing features of the game to provide a greater immersion and period authenticity without the need to learn new rules. More interesting and fun to play!



Migrating tribes will provide a new challenge to players at the borders of the known world. They are independent, they will defend their own cities and they will intentionally seek out hospitable regions for settlement. Essentially, they want to establish their own kingdoms and become a real political player in the region.

With historical events we are aiming to bring a more historical flavor to the game. Scripted events will be triggered when certain conditions are met and these should mirror to a certain extent, real historical events.

Multi-turn events should make plagues, revolts and other similar incidents much more realistic. Players can react to these events as they see fit and the events themselves will unfold for better or worse as a consequence of your actions.



Mandatory objectives will force you to choose one objective at a time, one that you promise to complete, this is your word to your people! Objectives will play a much bigger role in the game providing more immersion and requiring more strategic thinking.

One important thing to note is that this DLC is an extension of the recently released Age of Alexander expansion pack, which means that all of the mechanics introduced there (military reserves, economic specialization etc.) will be also included.

We truly aspire to make this the very best campaign of the Imperiums series. The setup itself should be interesting enough but with the new mechanics, the whole game will be brought to a new level.

Please consider wishlisting the DLC and help us spread the word.


Yours,
Kube Games team.

[Asid]

Spotlight - Plague outbreaks
Thu, February 3, 2022

Deadly diseases can cripple a state and bring even a great power to its knees.

Today we start Spotlight series about new mechanics in the upcoming Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage DLC. Wishlist the game and claim the release discount!

In this article, we will talk about plague outbreaks and how to deal with them.

Plague outbreaks were devastating for a state and its people, crippling the economy for many years or even decades. Whole cities were isolated and movement to and from them was forbidden, fear spread as soon as the deadly boils appeared.



Fighting the disease was a matter of taking preventive measures, many of which did not work. New cases appeared here and there, death followed quickly. What else could it be other than the wrath of the gods?

Plague, even if it occurs rarely, can turn the world upside down, break alliances, set former friends against each other and bring a swift end to all ambitions to rule the world.

How the new mechanic works and what can you expect will be explained by Pavel.



    The outbreak of plague can hardly be predicted. Its origins and causes are unknown, the death rate
    and the spread rate varied greatly throughout history.
    Once the first case of plague occurs, both these attributes provide clues to how the epidemic will develop.

    The only possible way to prevent and mitigate the spread of the disease is by the construction of Sewers
    in cities, this greatly reduces the risk of infection although it is only partially effective.

    The disease spreads in several ways:

        City to city
        is a coincidental infection from people travelling between cities. The likelihood of infection is directly linked to the „accessibility“ of the city. The easier the movement of people (based on terrain type, roads, etc.), the higher the likelihood of infection. It is important to note that the disease knows no borders and can spread even between states.
        City to unit and unit to city
        - a unit can be infected if it passes through a city where cases of plague have been reported, equally, an infected unit can bring the disease to another city. This applies to military as well as non-military units, excepting Heroes, Generals or Emissaries.
        Along trade routes
        - if a city is a trading post and there is plague in another city along the trade route, the disease can spread between these cities. Merchants use trading posts to refresh and replenish their stock and they can spread the disease to cities far from its place of origin.
        Cities along trade routes are automatically counted as trading posts, unless there is war between the states that use the trade route. Declaring war with a state where plague cases are reported will interrupt the trade route, stopping the infection from being transferred in this way.


    Cities and units that survive or are healed become immune for some time against reinfection
    ; the likelihood of becoming sick again will increase slowly over time.

    You can fight the disease by:

        Building Sewers in cities, the best protection. Keeping units away from infected cities, at least this won’t accelerate the spread of the disease.
        Isolation of infected units
        - it is important to isolate infected units. If this is followed, plague cannot be transmitted from one unit to another (separate campgrounds and harsh discipline ensure that soldiers from different units do not mingle). However, it is possible to transmit the disease from a unit to a city through which it passes or where it stays
        . Infected units should be isolated in a remote location or at least kept away from healthy cities during movement.
        "City sanitation
        " state decision becomes available when new cases of plague have been reported close to player’s border or there are already infected cities within the country without sewers to protect them. This state decision provides a temporary Sewers improvement to those cities where the likelihood of infection is the highest, it also increases general Happiness. On the other hand, it totally stops production in these cities (production of surrounding tiles remains intact) as well as reduce the local birth rate. A certain amount of resources are required to activate the state decision.
        "Plague - martial law
        " state decision is enabled when plague has spread in the player’s cities. It effectively lowers the speed in which is the disease transmitted as well as the death rate. On the other hand, General Morale and Happiness decrease in the affected cities. Production in these cities is halved and birth rate stagnates.


    Sooner or later every epidemic disappears or it moves to regions where the immunity of people is weaker. Try to prevent the outbreak of such a disease, but if it happens, take the necessary steps to reduce its negative consequences immediately.


This new mechanic is far more than just an upgrade of an existing one. You can no longer look at an outbreak of plague in another country as an opportunity for yourself, as we’ve learned. The disease can travel far from its epicenter and reach distant locations, being transmitted by units and merchants along trade routes. What seems a misfortune of a few cities might easily become a disaster for whole countries.

How you deal with the looming catastrophe can dramatically change the course of the game. Don’t underestimate the destructive power of nature.

Yours,
Kube Games team.

[Asid]

Age of Alexander Dev Stream VII
Tue, February 15, 2022


Seventh Dev stream of Age of Alexander - Hellas. Don't miss the chance to chat with the dev.

Hello everyone.

Together two weeks ago we faced the first counterattacks of Persia in Asia Minor.
I would like to invite you to join me on the expedition against the Asian hegemon this Tuesday in the seventh developer stream of Age of Alexander campaign as Hellas.

In the last stream, we were able to secure and hold a bridgehead in Anatolia and even expand its area a bit. Nevertheless, so far, the advance has been quite slow and cautious.



The Persians made several counterattacks in Anatolia and several of our cities switched their alliance due to our poor vigilance. We sent too many units to the battlefront leaving the newly conquered and quite rebellious cities unguarded. This led Smyrnos
to revolt and hand over the keys to its gates back to the Persians.
It was certainly our fault because we should have anticipated this and kept the city garrisoned. Later, we conquered Smyrnos
again but due to the extremely hostile attitude of its citizens towards us and the high risk of another revolt, we decided to plunder the city.
Unfortunately, we didn't learn from this and the same situation repeated itself with Sardis. The city was damaged and we didn't take care to repair it, we didn’t even leave a garrison so it came as no surprise that Sardis decided to join the Persian overlord again. This action was cruelly punished by us in the same way we punished Smyrnos.
Furthermore, due to the lack of slaves, we decided to enslave the population of Halikarnassos right after we conquered it.
After all these actions, there is no doubt that the attitude of the whole region towards us is very hostile and we cannot rely on its citizens to stay in line.
Apart from that, Persians also made several attempts to disembark on our mainland. Even though we were able to fend them off without much harm done, it really showed us the necessity of keeping good garrison units in the rear.

The situation against the Persians was also tense at sea and we engaged in a number of naval battles with our slowly growing fleet. We used the tactics of "wolf packs" - staying in the background, getting all ships ready to attack and then striking one particular enemy fleet at a time. Once the battle was over, we withdrew from the area as soon as we could and started preparing for the next battle. This way, we were able to sink several Persian ships which eventually allowed us to take control over the Aegean Sea with all its islands and forts. Moreover, at the end of the last episode, we were just about to launch our very first trireme. Hellas is becoming a naval power!

Apart from the Persians, the rest of the world was quite peaceful. All our borders are stable and relationships with our neighbors slowly improve. Carthage even offered us a confederation but due to the fact that we would lose all the agreed treaties with the Romans and Illyrians, we declined. Nevertheless, we might come back to this later again.

One small trouble in our foreign relations did happen with the Odrysians (confederated with the Bosporan kingdom) who tried to influence several of our border areas, they were partially successful. Although none of these regions are particularly important, this could eventually indicate some divergence with the Bosporan kingdom later.

Economy-wise, we slowly repaired the conquered regions in Asia Minor. All these construction works totally depleted our stone reserves. The situation should improve soon with the new "quarry" improvements in all of our blacksmiths. Another technological advancement which should considerably improve our economy is the paved roads. We have started building "highways" but the shortage of stones seriously impedes our efforts.
On the other hand, we have abundance of gold and enough iron to start enlarging our army. We have built a couple of new hoplites and axemen and moved them closer to the battlefront. This should be the core force which will be sent further into the Persian heartland in the following turns.

One big disaster struck in May 328BCE when an outbreak of plague killed almost a third of our citizens! What a hit. The plague wave struck in Greece and made it the least populated part of the republic.
It was also the reason why we sent Andronicus (a sage from a temple on Peloponnese) to travel to Asia Minor to start a philosophical school in one of the cities there, rather than spend him in one of the now small cities in Greece.

The last stream ended with us in a pretty tricky situation in one of our smaller military operations trying to conquer a stone quarry on a Persian island. We were able to take over the island, yet our supply ships were attacked and are now severely damaged. Let's hope our hoplites will find a safe way home. If we lose them (and potentially also one of the fleets), this whole operation can only be called an utter failure.



In the next episode, we will try to not only save our hoplites but also further advance in Anatolia and appease the local citizenry and win their loyalty. Join me on our campaign further into the Persian heartland!

As always, Pavel will be happy to answer your questions during the stream so please join in Tuesday 15th
on our Twitch channel
.
See you there!

Yours,
Kube Games
team.

P.S. Here is the last episode in case you missed it.

[Asid]

Faction Highlights – Western Mediterranean
Thu, 31 March 2022



Carthage knows no rival in the Western Mediterranean. Is the empire indeed invincible?

The first glimpse of the campaign map of the upcoming Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage
DLC cannot start anywhere else but on the coast of the venerable Carthaginian Empire. Take a walk with us through the Western Mediterranean.




Carthage is traditionally a trading empire with a vast merchant fleet and a war fleet that rules the waters of the Mediterranean. It competes with other powers, especially the Hellenes and Egyptians but its position in western Mediterranean is unshakable. However, managing such a large empire with many holdings far away from the centre is no easy task. To protect them and invest in their development requires foresight and good planning. There are many places where the empire’s wealth and armies could be focused. One such is the island of Sicily, a strategic nexus of the region, where many powers try to assert their influence.

In contrast to the busy days of the empire, life on the Iberian peninsula seems calm and uneventful. The tribes living in the interior have very little contact with the outside world, living in blissful oblivion of the struggles for power taking place around Mare Nostrum. Iberia however hides many mineral deposits, dense forests and arable lands, the native tribes should utilize the riches of the land for their own growth and development before the great powers set their eyes on the peninsula.

Somewhere between the less civilized tribes of Iberia and the highly cultured society of Carthage lies the small kingdom of Massilia. The city is surrounded by empty lands occupied only sparsely by Gauls and other Celtic tribes, this gives them a great opportunity to expand and exploit the lands to the north. Politically however, they will need a strong ally to defend their interest, perhaps the aspiring Roman Republic is the driving force that can take Massilia into the Golden Age.

Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1839160/Imperiums_Rome_vs_Carthage/

It might seem that all the trumps are up the Carthaginian sleeve, but there are many undercurrents fed by ambition and greed in international politics, any of which can change the game in the blink of an eye.

Are you ready to take the decisions that will change the history of the Mediterranean? Wishlist the DLC now
and start planning your strategy, because no victory comes cheap and even less so in Imperiums!

Yours,
Kube Games team.

[Asid]

Version 1.2.4. Spring time
Mon, 4 April 2022

Hello everyone.
Spring is finally here and we feel the surge of new energy as well. It has been more than ten weeks since we released the last update but in no way does it mean that we have been taking a break. Rather, the opposite

We work day and night on the upcoming DLC called Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage
and it is shaping up to be a great campaign, perhaps the best one!
This takes most of our time, nevertheless we are still improving the base game, fixing bugs, listening to your suggestions and implementing them.



The update v1.2.4. called "Spring time" is therefore full of fixes, improvements and AI tweaks. Do you want to know more details? Here is the changelog:

    Damaged bridges are removed from the map after a while (similarly to city foundations) as people use their raw material for their own needs (suggested by N0kn0k)
    Improved textures of fields, farms, dirt and paved roads have been added (big thanks to Oscar Velzi and his ideas and implementation).
    Single player menu item was renamed to "Single PC" due to confusion related to the hotseat mode type of game.
    Contextual help button was added to the window informing about a siege.
    All topics in Imperiums library are now alphabetically ordered.
    AI - Economic thinking improved.
    AI - Trading exploit fixed.
    A special warning informing a player that he is trying to open a save with missing prerequisite mod. This was added as it was initially causing crashes.
    Terrain heightmap anomaly was fixed (thanks to report from Elhoim)
    Unit mouse selection was improved (thanks to MiyabiSFG)
    Bug in History replay when a position of the first capital was not saved and displayed correctly, was fixed (thanks to report from MiyabiSFGon Discord)
    An issue when no General was added using a State decision in a custom world in Alexander mod, was fixed (thanks to report from Nerexa)
    An issue with accepting the leadership of another faction (when your country was defeated), was fixed (thanks to report from 4X-Fan )
    An issue when recruiting a new unit in a city when the tile capacity is full, was fixed.
    An issue with handing over ownership of a newly conquered tile to a confederated faction, was fixed (thanks to report from MiyabiSFG on Discord).
    An issue with cities disappearing after a new confederation is signed, was fixed (thanks to report from Adunir)
    All languages were updated, particularly Italian and Polish.
    A couple of very rare CTDs were fixed.


As you can see, your feedback matters!
There is always something to improve and we will continue polishing the game as long as we can. Whenever you stumble upon a bug, your game crashes or you have a suggestion, please share it with us on the Steam forum, send us an error report or contact us on Discord. We are ready to help, advise or just chat with you. The other players on Discord will surely welcome you and help with any questions.

And one last note about the upcoming DLC. We have started a Spotlight series to let you peek under the hood and soon the first glimpses of the map will be available. Wishlist the DLC and be ready to claim the time-limited launch discount!

Yours,
Kube Games team.

[Asid]

Looking forward to the Carthage DLC 

[Asid]

Spotlight - Mandatory objectives
Mon, 11 April 2022

Follow the call of the people and lead your country to prosperity.

Today, we will continue our Spotlight series and talk about another new mechanic in the upcoming Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage, Mandatory objectives, we want to provide an extra challenge whilst increasing immersion.

If you haven't done so already, please consider wishlisting the DLC so you won't miss the release discount!



Your word is law, your decisions determine the future of your people. Every great leader wants a legacy to carry his name through the ages, for most this is achieved on the battlefield.

The ambitions of your subjects are often much more humble, they want to be fed, to feel safe in their homes and for their businesses to thrive. Full bellies, good neighbors and a little spending money, this seems like a good life to them.

A good leader knows the hopes and wishes of his people, a wise leader works to fulfill them.

Pavel will explain how this enhanced mechanic will work.




Objectives have been an integral part of Imperiums since the first release, they cover short or mid term goals in economic, military, political, cultural or scientific areas. There are some 10 to 15 specific objectives per faction that provide a rich depth and background to their situation.

We try to be as historically accurate as possible by creating objectives that are logical and plausible. One way we use to manage this is to use trigger conditions. This ensures that only objectives that make sense in the current game context are activated in the current list, also some objectives are only unlocked if earlier objectives have been completed.

Many players appreciate the extra challenges these objectives provide, the attention to detail and of course any rewards. New players or players playing a new faction can get some idea of what strategies may be worth pursuing by taking a look at their objectives, indeed the rewards can often provide a bonus early in the game.

Others players simply ignore them, either they don’t know about them or they are too preoccupied with their own in game tasks, often they can be surprised when a pop up informs them that they have completed an objective without realizing it.

The objectives mechanic runs smoothly, it increases immersion and rewards players and we have been pondering for a while how to raise its profile. We considered reminding the player with messages but this would be too forced and obtrusive, we want the player to be interested in them and motivated to complete them. After some consideration we have agreed on a concept we call “Mandatory Objectives”.

The concept behind mandatory objectives is simple, your faction will have to choose an objective from the currently available list and commit to it.
The mandatory objective you select will have to be completed within a set time period, success will bring rewards, failure, negative consequences. Once selected, a mandatory objective cannot be changed. Once a mandatory objective has been completed (or not) there will be a break (a cool down period) before the player is once again prompted to choose another mandatory objective.

You will need to evaluate the available objectives against your strategy, the time limits and your current situation before making your choice. Postponing the decision is possible but it comes with a penalty, time limits to complete the objective are reduced by two game turns for every postponement. The idea behind this is to make the player commit to an objective rather than just wait and see how things develop in the game.

Note for players who don't like any commitments: It will be possible for players to disable the mandatory objectives mechanic if they do not wish to use it.


The changes to the original concept may seem small but the impact on game play will be quite significant. You must take into account the desires of your people when you decide on your course of action, as ignoring them could cost you greatly.

Will you rule with a velvet glove or an iron fist? Will you listen to your people or ignore their clamor as you fulfill your dreams of greatness?

Yours,
Kube Games team.
 

[Asid]

Faction Highlights – Wild North
Sun, April 17, 2022

Surviving in the north is no task for the weak hearted.

Today, we venture to the realm of migrating tribes. These inhospitable regions have the potential to become lively, booming and prosperous, it only needs someone to assert a firm hold on the vast territories and their riches. Here is a glimpse of what awaits you in Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage
DLC far in the north.




The regions beyond the Alps and north of Danube are wilderness, only sparsely inhabited by nomadic and warrior tribes, making it a very interesting setting in comparison to any of the Mediterranean civilizations.

The vast empty lands offer a great opportunity for expansion. The harsh climate, dense forests, dangerous swamps, impassable mountains and rivers, all create great natural barriers protecting the core of the state. Consolidating such a large territory into a functional state and guarding the entry routes will require defensible strongholds to be built and manned by trained warriors. However, at some point, either other tribes of the north will enter this peaceful realm or the player’s own curiosity will lead him to cross the protective borders of his lands and move south towards the rich and booming Mediterranean cities.

The Gauls of the west are attracted by the warm and fertile southern regions and regularly make attempts to establish permanent settlements along the river Pados. The ongoing conflict among the Latin tribes plays into their hands and choosing the right side to support in this tribal war could make their position in northern Italy much stronger.

Celts occupying the far north keep to themselves, not venturing south but rather focusing on building their own kingdom.

Further east is the home of the Dacians. They must walk carefully between their dangerous neighbors, Lysimachus in the south and the Scythian riders in the north.

Many smaller tribes roam the vast lands, among them the fearless Germanic warriors. Their incursions south bring chaos and disruption.

Can you survive the unforgiving harsh conditions and build a lasting empire to humble the great powers of the Mediterranean?

Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1839160/Imperiums_Rome_vs_Carthage/

The wild north in the upcoming DLC will challenge even the masters among you! Don't forget to wishlist the expansion
so you won't miss the release discount.

Yours,
Kube Games team.

[Asid]

Age of Alexander Dev Stream IX - Corsica
Tues 19 April 2022

Ninth Dev stream of Age of Alexander - Hellas. Don't miss the chance to chat with the dev.

Hello everyone.

I hope you can finally enjoy the first days of spring and the warm sun outside.
I will continue our campaign playing Hellas in the Age of Alexander scenario and I would be happy if you join me on my expedition.
It is already the ninth episode and we start again this Wednesday at 9PM CEST (12PM PDT - 8PM BST) time.



The last episode was really interesting and quite surprising at the same time.

On the Persian front, we finally resumed our advance after a Persian counterattack that stopped our progress.
We besieged Gordion and even though the siege was broken by Persian cavalry, we were eventually able to conquer the city and hold it.
We also took the cities Pessinus and Amastris on the coast of the Black Sea but the latter conquest was a mistake. The battlefront was severely weakened as a result. Although it was guarded by our best hoplite unit, it was extremely damaged from the previous turns and this proved to be fatal - our beloved Antimachos army was entirely destroyed. This was without any exaggeration the biggest loss from the start of the game.
Despite some partial successes, the whole advance stopped again and turned into a stalemate. The Persians brought several fresh units to the front including Kardakes which exhausted our armies and we had to stop all planned operations.
The Persian economy started growing considerably and the whole campaign might now turn to war of attrition which would not be in our favor. That's one of the reasons for transforming Anatolia into a regular part of the republic by building the economic infrastructure with a new blacksmith and number of city facilities.

The biggest surprise and disappointment was the planned conquest of Sparta or what remains from their holdings. They hold only two islands. One of them being Crete and that was our first target. We disembarked and were able to conquer half of the island. Nevertheless, the stronghold on the island was not only well fortified but three melee units were hiding inside which was totally unexpected. After several unsuccessful attempts to conquer the city, the army morale of the Spartan units started to grow considerably and they made a number of counterattacks. They destroyed two of our hoplite armies, considerably damaged another one and if we didn't have an axemen fortified on a position, we would have had to abandon Crete altogether.
We didn't give up though and started to prepare for a longer conflict. We founded a new town called Itanos on our side of the island and improved it immediately with a stockade. We sent General Kios to Crete to improve the morale of our units. We had to transport a hoplite unit (initially a planned reinforcement for Anatolia) to Crete to be able to hold the town. So far, we have lost two experienced units without achieving any tangible results.

In the rear, all seems to go well.
Particularly big changes are taking place in Italy, where we recently established a federation with the Romans and started building up the economy.
We built new cities around the Alps, a new blacksmith in the Po valley and we improved a number of cities by building new facilities. Our Sage Seleucus founded a philosophy school in Sipontum.
We focus our efforts on the former Roman army; we try to upgrade all the milites units to principes in the hope that the stronger units will be able to secure the northern border and slowly advance further.
We finally met the Illyrians from the Italian side at the city of Tergeste, where we both tried to assert control. Tergeste however is a tough nut to crack. Taking over the city will be one of the goals of the next episode.
Illyria proposed a confederation to us and it seemed a rational decision. We share a very long border in the south and east and now also in the west. They probably know that we are much stronger and should we go to war, we would be pulling the longer straw.
Nevertheless, we rejected the offer for now because it would considerably worsen our relationships with other factions. We hope that they will come back with an offer of federation, and we will be able to accept it this time.

Apart from Italy, we keep improving our economy on the mainland. Blacksmiths are being improved; in Korinth, our capital, Sage Bion built a philosophy school.
On the other hand, war with Persia (and now also with Sparta) and the military reforms in Italy are getting quite expensive. Our gold reserves went down about 90% which means we will not be able to recruit new units anymore.
Our economy desperately needs more slaves. We try to cover this demand by trading but it is too slow. We hope that more slaves could be obtained from the independent cities in the north of Italy and in (hopefully) newly conquered cities in Persia.

Carthago is quite idle but that is in our favor. We have sent a newly hired emissary Brygos to Carthago to keep the good relationships.
Events are taking an interesting course on Corsica. Kanelae, a Persian stronghold on the island, is slowly taking control of the island from Carthage, its city Alia being surrounded. It could be used as a pretext for a military expedition, an ideal task for the new Roman principes!



The goals of the next episode are quite clear. We shall defeat Spartans for good, take over Corsica and the independent city of Tergeste. If there are no unexpected surprises on the Persian front, we will try to push forward but I am a bit skeptical that any significant progress can be made, at least for now.

As always, Pavel will be happy to answer your questions during the stream so please join in Wednesday 20th on our Twitch channel. See you there! twitch.tv/kube_games

Yours,
Kube Games
team.

P.S. Here is the last episode in case you missed it.

[Asid]

Faction Highlights – Diadochi in Europe
Thu, May 26, 2022



Sparta, Hellas and Macedon want to return to their place in the sun and reinstate their former prestige.

The realm of the Imperiums
games has always been centered around Greece, the cradle of ancient Mediterranean civilization. This region will continue to play a prominent role in the upcoming expansion Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage
as well.




Hellas laid political and cultural foundations which the great Macedonian Empire was then built on. Together, they formed the heartland of the empire of Alexander the Great. Now, the region is once again full of animosities that hinder any hopes for a lasting peace.

Hellenic cities as well as Sparta no longer play a dominant role in the political affairs of the eastern Mediterranean. Their power has diminished but their strategic position, economic infrastructure and military traditions still make them valuable allies who could tip the scales in the raging wars of the Diadochi.

Cassander, the king of Macedon, and Lysimachus, king of Thrace, once fought together under Alexander's banner but there is no cordiality between them anymore. Macedon is a prized trophy, the throne in Pella and the crown of Alexander too big an enticement. Both Cassander and Lysimachus are embroiled in the conflict with and against each other and their former comrades Antigonid, Seleucus and Ptolemy.

Riding high on this all consuming hostility is Pyrrhus of Epirus. Enjoying relatively good relations with Hellas, supporting the claims of Antigonid on the Macedonian throne and himself in a good position to march over the Macedonian border, he could rise to dominance if he plays his cards well.

Getting an upper hand in this conflict will be a gargantuan task, with all of the general animosity and unyielding ambitions.

Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage


Can Sparta, Hellas or Macedon revive their glory days or will they exhaust each other in an endless conflict and fall prey to a stronger player? Wishlist the upcoming Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage DLC and see if you can rule the world from the cradle of civilization.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1839160/Imperiums_Rome_vs_Carthage/


Yours,
Kube Games

[Asid]

What's in The Kube? Peek into our future plans
Mon, 30 May 2022

Follow the major news and announcements for the Imperiums brand.

Hello everyone.

It's been a while since we published the last "What's in the Kube" article, not because there was nothing important to report, indeed the opposite, we've been extremely busy. A lot has happened with Imperiums as well as in our private lives. Most of the game related news has been covered in the articles about the upcoming DLC and the game updates, "What's in the Kube" focuses on major news and announcements, so here it is.



Firstly, an apology to all those players waiting for the new Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage DLC. The initial release was planned for this Spring and this is still "doable", however, we have decided to push back the launch date a bit. The truth is, this DLC is huge, the map is much bigger and is occupied by more factions (playable and dormant) than in the Age of Alexander expansion pack.
The DLC is already functional, the scenario setup and the assets are ready and almost all of the mechanics are implemented, but the balancing and testing of such a big world as this requires a good portion of time. We don't want to deliver an undercooked game, as always, we strive for a flawless, deeply immersive and fun gaming experience, while maintaining a high degree of historical authenticity and that simply requires more time.

We have decided to push the release to Q3. We hope and believe that this postponement will be compensated for by a great DLC. We can tell you already, that based on the internal testing runs this is shaping up to be the best Imperiums campaign so far!



Now to the good news
We have started planning and preparing our next project. Don't worry, we are not going to throw Imperiums overboard, we want to build on and expand the Imperiums brand.

We want to create a new game focused on a different historical era, one that is quite underrated in strategy games and in our opinion offers an interesting setting that deserves more attention. We are still discussing the details within the team and once the pillars of the game are clearly established, we will lay our cards out on the table to hear your opinions.

We can already reveal that the game will be ported to the Unity engine. This will solve several technical glitches with the current engine and allow us to consider releasing the game to more platforms, it should also improve the overall performance. The map grid will turn into hexagons, making the map more pleasant to the eye and satisfying our more tactical focused players. All of the assets, from the 3D models, to the illustrations, sounds and music will be completely new. We also plan to redo the UI taking into account the lessons we have learned from Aggressors and Imperiums.

It is a huge step and a big investment for us, but we are resolved to move our games to a new level. We are blessed to have a great community around us and if we may we would like to ask for your support. Please follow our channel(s), talk to friends about our current games, write a review, buy the game as a gift to your Steam friends. Any kind of support is greatly appreciated and makes our work easier. We are considering running a crowdfunding campaign, however we have to carefully weigh the pros and cons before committing to this option.

We want to assure you that our support for Imperiums: Greek Wars will not stop! We love the game as much as you do and we will continue to support and improve it. As proof, we can now tell you that another expansion pack after Rome vs Carthage is already cooking:) It will be a smaller scenario, more suitable for shorter games and ideal for multiplayer games. It will be set in an extremely interesting period and we are already looking forward to starting full-time work on it. Just a small hint, this corner of the world is not covered in either the Age of Alexander or Rome vs Carthage DLCs.
Depending on sales, we have several ideas for other potential expansion pack, but that's a bit too far ahead yet.



And that's it. We hope that the good news overcomes any disappointment from the delayed release of Rome vs Carthage. Let us know what you think, where do you see the Imperiums game in a year or two?
More details about our future plans will follow soon, so stay with us!

Yours,
Kube Games
team.

[Asid]

Spotlight - Floods
Thu, June 9, 2022



Devastation of fields during floods can have far reaching consequences.

After introducing Plague and Social unrest as new multi-turn events, today’s Spotlight will be dedicated to Floods, a new mechanic representing the destructive power of nature in the upcoming Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage DLC.



Water gives life, but people in antiquity were also aware of its dark side. It can turn violent within hours and destroy lives and livelihoods, in the long term it can even threaten whole populations. The failure of crops means hunger and social upheavals.

With an empty stomach your soldiers will loose strength and morale, your cities will dwindle as people start to leave. Luckily, nature often has ways of healing its own wounds over time.

Let’s hear from Pavel to explain the mechanic in detail:

 
It comes as no surprise, particularly for the regular players, when I say that keeping substantial resources in reserve, is key in any strategy game and it applies even more so to
Imperiums
.
Relying on the regular income received in previous turn(s) when replenishing depleted reserves, may not be a smart decision. The lack of essential resources, especially Food, is felt immediately.

The new Floods mechanic puts the decision to keep sufficient Food in reserve, into a new perspective. Floods and other natural disasters in human history had an immense impact on the available food resources. As a good strategist, you should keep such an eventuality in mind and have contingency plans ready.

Floods cannot be predicted. The conditions under which they occur are clear, their occurrence is sudden and it is impossible to stop the great flood of water once it comes.

Floods occur in one river basin (not on all of them at the same time), the water floods the nearby fields, both the river tiles and the tiles alongside the river channel. Huge areas can be affected, particularly in flat regions, floods in one place can quite often mean floods occurring elsewhere at similar time.

What form of destruction do the floods take?
•   Terrains such as plains, grassland, forests and woodlands are converted to swamps. This applies to all affected tiles and can destroy fields and farms along the river.
•   Bridges on the flooded rivers can be damaged, so when the floods recede, it is good policy to check the state of bridges on that particular river(s).
•   All fields and farms built on flooded tiles are destroyed.

None of this can be prevented, which only makes the damage control even more important!
•   Flooded tiles will dry out over time as the water recedes. Naturally, tiles furthest from the river dry out first.
•   Sooner or later the swamps created on flooded tiles will return to the original terrain type. The only exception is when the terrain has been transformed by the player himself (e.g. draining swamp action).
•   As soon as the tiles are dry again (either drained by the player or through the gradual retreat of the flood water), it is possible to build new fields and farms on plains and grassland as usual.
•   Bridges damaged during floods can be repaired immediately. Keep in mind that any movement through swamps even when roads are built, is very slow. Keeping the road network and water crossings in good order is therefore very important.

Sooner or later the flood water disappears, but its consequences might be felt for many years. Check the damages, pay special attention to the ruined fields and farms, determine how your food production has been affected. Start rebuilding and repairing the infrastructure as fast as possible to prevent any secondary disasters, such as famine.

Pray to the gods that they keep a protective hand over your land and its people. If a disaster strikes and the fields full of green sprouts turns to muddy pools, act fast. Trade the surplus of other resources for food, make certain that your people do not starve. Plans always change with circumstances, this is another challenge that will test your worthiness as a leader.

Yours,
Kube Games
team.

[Asid]

Spotlight - Historical Events
Wed, 6 July 2022



Major historical events introduced to the Rome vs Carthage campaign.

It is time for another part of our Spotlight series, today focused on Historical Events. This new mechanic that will be introduced in the upcoming Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage DLC will enhance the feeling of historical authenticity and will bring interesting, yet realistic twists into the game flow.



As soon as you start your rule you will be inundated with reports and news from all corners of your empire, everybody will try to get your attention. As always, they all find their own problems to be the most pressing and acute, thus requiring the immediate attention of the ruler. In such situation, seemingly unimportant events might go unnoticed or pushed low on the list of priorities. You should learn to be sensitive to the signs and small manifestations that warn you of potential major changes on the horizon. What precautions can be taken to prepare for the unexpected?

Reports of barbarian groups living in the forests beyond the river border come every once in a while. Of course, they could be a peaceful people, but ignoring their existence completely might be a grave mistake. Perhaps a small garrison positioned on a lookout over the river is a sufficient precaution, one that might save the day should they decide to cross the river en mass, with sharp axes and battle cries.

Pavel will give you a more detailed insight into how this mechanic works:


 
It was our ambition from the beginning to make Imperiums historically authentic and believable. Once you enter the game, your actions and decisions create an alternative history, however, the initial setup is carefully designed to illustrate historical reality as faithfully as possible. To this end, we undertake a thorough AI balancing and tweaking to make the AI behavior logical and realistic, or at least historically plausible during the first dozens of turns.

The new mechanic called Historical Events should further increase immersion and enhance the feeling of a true historical setting. We have selected several key events that shaped this historical period and have slotted them into the new campaign Rome vs Carthage. Therefore you might experience some history-changing events that are not triggered as a consequence of the developments in the game but have been implemented externally.

They do not occur accidentally, nothing ever does in Imperiums games:). We have taken extra care to define the trigger conditions in such a way, that these events fit logically into the game situation. Often, their occurrence is preceded by „signs“ that you can observe directly in the game. A small spoiler now, examples of such events are, the intrusion of the Sarmatians into the Black Sea region leading to the destabilization of the whole area, the migration of the Germanic tribes towards Pannonia and the Danube river and the unrest in Bithynia that set off a number of other events that affected the whole of Asia Minor.

The conditioning of the historical events is flexible, so they can be triggered anytime during the game and their effects can differ greatly depending on the current situation. Moreover, you will be informed about the potential dangers and the likelihood of their occurrence. It will then be up to you to analyze the situation and take whatever precautions you deem necessary.

The selection and implementation of the historical events was tailored to the Rome vs Carthage campaign, however, we are aware that many players prefer custom maps to the historical scenarios. We wanted them to enjoy this new mechanic as well but the implementation is more difficult here. Not only do the settings vary greatly but also the map itself is not „known“ in advance. Here, the historical events will be of different nature than in the historical campaign, more generic, to fit the many different courses in which the game can develop. We believe that the extensive testing has been worth it. You can expect events such as the division of an empire between the sons of a deceased king, internal collapse caused by the decadence of the empire or annexation based on the historical affinity of particular regions.

This mechanic is in many aspects a continuation of our previous efforts to make the game more immersive and the gaming experience as authentic as possible. We hope and believe that the selection and implementation of these events will increase player engagement and intensify the feeling of a true historical setting, as your game tells a believable story that could easily pass into the history books.

To weigh up the importance of all that is happening within the empire as well as outside of it, is one more aspect of the leadership skills that distinguish a good leader from a great one. Expect the unexpected and whenever possible apply measures that could prevent a catastrophe. Bad luck can befall you at any time and often it is a minor precaution taken some time in the past, perhaps long forgotten, that can change the outcome.


Yours,
Kube Games team.