The new game view allows you to tweak the game settings before you start a
new game.
Emperor Name
The Edit text will allow you to set the name of your emperor which will be
displayed in the local Hall of Emperors (high score view).
In addition, you can also set the difficulty level of the game. The difficulty level
primarily determines how powerful the armies mobilized by the independent powers will
be, so if you are finding the game too hard, try a lower difficulty level.
Difficulty Level
The difficulty levels are as follows:
- [Tribune] Major invasions and mobilizations will activate between 2-3 armies. Minor
activations will be 1-2 armies. Modified high score is 50% of the game score.
- [Praetor] Major invasions and mobilizations will activate between 2-4 armies. Minor
activations will be 1-3 armies. Modified high score is 75% of the game score.
- [Consul] Major invasions and mobilizations will activate between 3-6 armies. Minor
activations will be 1-4 armies. Modified high score is 100% of the game score.
- [Emperor] Major invasions and mobilizations will activate between 3-7 armies. Minor
activations will be 1-5 armies. Modified high score is 125% of the game score.
- [Deity] Major invasions and mobilizations will activate between 4-9 armies. Minor
activations will be 1-6 armies. Modified high score is 150% of the game score.
The game is intended to be played on normal - this will give the most historical
gameplay. On the higher difficulty levels, the larger AI armies will mean that the map
becomes extremely fluid and your empire will be extremely difficult - if not impossible
- to defend. If you play in the Deity level, expect to get stomped.
Game Mode
"A Brief History of Rome" can now be played in two game modes: Historical and Random.
In Historical mode, the sequence of powers that receive a major activation is fixed to
follow a roughly historical pattern matching the high tides of the various powers.
The historical sequence of activations is as follows:
- 275 BCE: Carthage (The first two Punic Wars)
- 225 BCE: Parthia (Parthian conquest)
- 175 BCE: Iberia (Iberian resistance to Rome)
- 125 BCE: Germans (German migrations)
- 75 BCE: Armenia (Mithridatus of Pontus)
- 25 BCE: Parthia (Parthian expansion)
- 25 ACE: Germans (German resistance against Roman expansion)
- 75 ACE: Parthia (Parthian expansion)
- 125 ACE: Dacia (Roman-Dacian wars)
- 175 ACE: Germans (Marcommani wars)
- 225 ACE: Persia (Rise of Sassanid Persia)
- 275 ACE: Persia (Sassanid Persian expansion)
- 325 ACE: Franks (Germannic migrations)
- 375 ACE: Visigoths (Germannic migrations)
- 425 ACE: Huns (Germannic migrations)
- 475 ACE: Vandals (Germannic migrations)
In Random mode, the power that receives a major activation is chosen randomly
from among the currently active powers. This creates a fresh and unpredictable
situation in each game.