Latest news with #Anno
Geek Culture
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
Building Worlds & Breaking Boundaries With The Architects Of 'Anno 117: Pax Romana'
One way to move forward is to go back to before where it all started, and that's what Ubisoft Mainz is doing as it redefines historical strategy gaming with Anno 117: Pax Romana , an ambitious city-building game that promises to transport players into the heart of Rome's most fascinating era. The eighth game of the long-running real-time strategy, economic simulation video game franchise, which made its debut in 1998, is set to take place in an era long before the events of the other games in the series, and while each game is a standalone exploration of diplomacy, trade and resource management with other civilizations, as well as battles over land and sea, Pax Romana will continue the series' complex gameplay that has won over a legion of fans. But far from a traditional strategy title, this game offers players an exploration of empire-building during a time of relative peace and expansion. Creative Director, Manuel Reinher. When Manuel Reinher, Creative Director at Ubisoft Mainz, speaks about Ancient Rome and about developing the upcoming sequel during that era, his passion is palpable. 'The Roman Empire has an everlasting appeal,' he says to select media in Rome, Italy, during an exclusive preview of the game in April 'Symbols like the Colosseum aren't just landmarks, they're gateways to entire worlds of stories.' And it's through this philosophy that drives this next chapter, as it's a strategy game that's more than just city-building, offering historical storytelling through gameplay, says Game Director Jan Dungel, who chimes in with a knowing smile,. 'We're not creating a game. We're creating an experience.' But with the last game in the series, Anno 1800 , released in 2019, the team knew they faced a unique challenge, of developing a game that resonated with fans, but how do you make a deeply complex strategy game that's appealing to newcomers without alienating the fanbase? The simple answer is, you don't. Middle: Manuel Reinher (Creative Director), Right: Jan Dungel (Game Director). 'Our goal was never to make the game less deep,' Dungel explains. 'Hardcore Anno players would revolt if we stripped away the complexity they love.' Instead, the team implemented subtle innovations and players can now take their time, build at their own pace, and explore without feeling overwhelmed. 'We've created a world that's welcoming,' Reinher promises, 'but still rich with strategic depth.' With previous titles, the structure was more linear, and players had to accomplish all needs before they could venture further, to another island or province to build another city, and then proceed to do more from that point. This didn't allow for much freedom, and understandably, players started to drop out at this point because it had gotten a little too repetitive. The current team specifically wanted to address this issue with Anno 117, so that the more casual players can take their time to build their city, and won't be forced to go to another island and build another city. 'So this was the strategy that we chose to actually still allow those who wanted to go big with everything and enjoy a deep, complex game, but also allow the more easygoing players to actually do what they want and not force them to follow a fixed path like how some players who want to accomplish everything', explained Dungel. Reinher also explained how the team invested a lot into player onboarding, transforming what was once a complex and intimidating experience into a more welcoming journey. 'We have now a lot more onboarding tools than ever before,' Reinher explains, highlighting the game's new approach to guiding new players. Specifically, the team introduced permanent help features, with a small question mark symbol appearing next to UI elements that players can click to get more information at any time. Additionally, they've integrated an in-game advisor who serves as a narrative guide and system explainer. 'He will also tell you more about the systems in the background to understand it,' Reinher notes. Unlike previous iterations where new players might have felt overwhelmed, these tools are designed to provide context and clarity without disrupting the core complexity that veteran Anno fans love. The goal, as Reinher sees it, is to make the game more accessible while maintaining its strategic depth, ensuring that both casual players and hardcore strategy enthusiasts can find enjoyment in Anno 117: Pax Romana . And what players might see as simplifying the game actually has some level of historical accuracy, explains Dungel, who shares how the modular ship customisation feature is rooted in authenticity. 'In ancient times, they didn't have different ship designs like clippers or frigates,' he explains. 'They built one light hull and then added components to it.' This historical insight directly inspired the game's innovative ship-building mechanic. 'We wanted to create ships the way they actually built them,' Dungel says, highlighting how players can now customise vessels by adding different modules. Want a faster ship? Add more rowers, or have two masts. Preparing for combat? Attach additional armaments such as archer towers. This new system offers unprecedented flexibility, while remaining true to historical practices. 'It creates a lot of nice possibilities,' Dungel notes, emphasizing that the feature caters to different player types. For micromanagement enthusiasts, it offers deep customisation, while casual players can simply select pre-designed blueprints. 'As a casual player, you just need to click a button, and you'll have a perfectly fine ship,' he adds, underlining the team's commitment to making the feature both complex and accessible. Thus providing depth without overwhelming players. On land though, Reinher is equally excited about giving players the ability to build diagonal roads as 'it completely transforms how players can build,' he says. 'It's about giving players more creative freedom while respecting the game's core grid system.' Dungel's enthusiasm for the military feature in Anno 117 stems from a strategic understanding of modern strategy game design. 'We know that city builders and strategy games tend to have this part of potential warfare,' he explains, highlighting the feature's importance in creating a more immersive gameplay experience. For Dungel, the military component is more than just a combat mechanic, it's a way to deepen the game's world and expand its appeal. 'We wanted to have the military part from day one in the game,' he says, emphasising the feature's integral role in the game's design. The ability to build armies, potentially lose them, or even overtake other territories adds a layer of complexity and excitement. 'It creates possibilities and deepens how the world can be immersive,' Dungel notes, pointing out that this approach not only enriches the gameplay but also attracts new audiences who enjoy multi-dimensional strategy games. By incorporating military elements that feel organic to the historical setting, the team has created a feature that promises to engage players beyond traditional city-building mechanics. And what about the long-standing traditional of having the numbers in the franchise's game titles always adding up to nine? If there's a reason behind it, the team isn't sharing. 'Maybe it's superstition,' Dungel laughs. 'We like it, our fans like it, maybe there's a deeper meaning behind it. You'd have to join the team to find out', Reinher adds, with a grin on his face. Clearly, Anno 117: Pax Romana isn't just about building cities. It's about creating worlds, telling stories, and inviting players to become architects of their own historical narratives. 'We're not just making a game,' Reinher says, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. 'We're creating a universe.' Anno 117: Pax Romana releases this winter on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home's centre-piece. Anno 117 Anno 117: Pax Romana interview Ubisoft
Metro
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Anno 117: Pax Romana hands-on preview - building a better Britain
The fan favourite city-building series takes a welcome step back in time to second century Rome, as Anno 117 puts you in control of ancient Britain. Ubisoft's Anno series, of historical city building sims, has quietly become one of the games industry's hardiest perennials. Since 1998, it has mostly occupied a time period between the 15th and 19th centuries, albeit with two excursions into the future. Now, with Anno 117 (the eighth mainline instalment of the franchise), it is poised to take a large step back in time, to when the Roman Empire was in full swing and enjoying a period of extended peace. This is important because, as Anno players will be aware, the series is all about building, not fighting. We were given the chance to spend roughly three hours playing the new game, via Ubisoft's streaming service on PC. Coming from the frenetic action of Doom: The Dark Ages, it felt like an oasis of tranquillity, with its considered gameplay requiring lots of thought and plenty of planning, along with a certain amount of waiting around for essential materials to be manufactured. As with all previous Anno games, it is very much a game for builders rather than destroyers. Given the technological sophistication of the Roman Empire – particularly by the time it had reached the second century AD – it's surprising that the Anno franchise hadn't previously explored the time period, but it's obvious from the start that it's a good fit. In the full game you'll be given a choice between two areas of the Roman Empire, in which to establish your colony: Latium (an uncharted Mediterranean area which looks to be off the coast of Italy) or Albion – that is, what is now known as Britain. Much as we would have liked to have amazed the backwards natives by building a shiny Roman city on British shores, the constraints of the preview dictated that we would instead build in Latium. As such, our ship pitched up at a pristine, procedurally generated Mediterranean island, complete with a beach which could be developed into a port, flat land for farming, plenty of forests, a prominent river, and some mountains which could be mined. The first task – since we were taking on the position of governor of the new city – was to build a governor's villa to accompany the trading post that had already been built on the beach. Once that was done, the from-scratch city-building started in earnest. Raw materials are obviously key, so a woodcutting operation was needed in the nearest forest, which has to be connected up to the trading post by road. As ever in a city-building game, close control over the network of roads is essential. Anno 117's road-building system is exemplary – intelligent enough to let you curve roads to your satisfaction and snap them easily to form the connections they need to make. With a woodcutter and a sawmill constructed, and wood therefore in plentiful supply, we could then start building a number of homes for the workers who form the lifeblood of the city. Build those homes and you're able to establish a workforce. In its early stages, Anno 117's tutorial makes its objectives clear: you need to build 10 houses to establish that workforce. Unfulfilled criteria are clearly marked with little warning flags; Anno 117, mercifully, isn't one of those strategy games which seems happy to leave you confused. After completing the tutorial, we were never at a loss as to what to do and the tutorial itself felt logical rather than manufactured. With our first residential area constructed and hooked up via a road network, we could start turning our attention to the needs of our burgeoning populace. Food, obviously, was required, so we built a fishery and established a wheat farm, along with a bakery and a porridge kitchen. We then began to have little interactions, as governor, with our inhabitants. We unlocked the ability to build a market and a tavern in the residential quarter, which bring helpful area effects. Pleasingly, what was now transforming from a village into a town began to exhibit some bustle, with carts of timber moving around and residents going about their daily work and heading to the tavern afterwards. Our next task was to attract some more sophisticated, educated residents, by fulfilling a number of criteria in order to upgrade the basic housing. This brought considerations like fashion into the mix, by establishing a hemp farm and setting up a cloth-spinner. More sophisticated building materials such as tiles were also required, so we built a charcoal kiln and, on one of the river slots highlighted in the game's geography, cleared a clay heap As that extended the city limits somewhat, it was necessary to build another warehouse. And we had to keep an eye on the mix of our population, between the basic Liberti and the more sophisticated Plebeians, by building more houses and upgrading some of them. Now that our town was really starting to take shape a level of exploration and interaction with other nearby enclaves came into play, with governors of nearby provinces appearing – giving us opportunities to indulge in diplomacy. Other residents then started asking to be ferried around the world map in the starting ship, which had previously remained moored as we established the basic structure of our town. More Trending During the tutorial period, we had concentrated on establishing a basic settlement rather than engaging in trade, so had been forced at one point to accept a loan from our superior in Rome. As the game progresses, trading becomes an increasingly important mechanism in the push to build a more sophisticated city. At this point you are given the ability to not only establish trade routes but also set religious criteria, by picking a preferred god to worship from the Roman pantheon. Even three hours in, we were quite happy with the progress we had made towards imposing a decent level of civilisation upon previously uninhabited territory. Those initial three hours with Anno 117: Pax Romana proved very satisfying and enjoyable. Although the series predates the phrase cosy game, it's definitely that, while also being reminiscent of even older franchises like The Settlers (now also owned by Ubisoft). For a city builder, Anno 117 fells pretty exemplary in terms of its interface, which is clear and logical. It looks great and, with the local interactions and the trade route engine, offers more gameplay variety than most similar games. At the moment, it hasn't been given a specific release date, but Ubisoft has said that it will come out this year on both consoles and PC. Formats: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PCPublisher: UbisoftDeveloper: Ubisoft Mainz Release Date: 2025 Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: You can play Switch 2 at Gamescom 2025 as Nintendo confirms attendance MORE: Take-Two boss has zero interest in playing GTA 6: 'I'm not a gamer' MORE: Stalker Legends Of The Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition review – Chornobyl horrors
