Universal Pre-Civilization: Marble Age

Hi everyone!

I'd like to present you the

Pre-Civilization: Marble Age

Turn-based historical simulation strategy (the third chapter in the series). The idea was to create the prequel to famous Sid Meyer Civilization were the player could immerse deeper in one of the most interesting historical periods. This chapter is dedicated to the Greek City-states’ period and covers the most interesting events in world history.

Short description:
Develop the Greek civilization from its origin to the point when it will dominate the world! During the 4000 years you will have to raise the population, invent technologies, construct buildings, trade goods, explore world, found new cities, start and end wars with neighbors and survive through the hundred real historical events. The key to victory is choosing the right development priorities, allocating resources and managing the foreign policy. Mechanics of the game is a mix of old-school game designs.

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Today I'd like to show you few city screens in different kinds of development.

You begin play as a small vilage ruler:



The main engine of progress is Techs - inventions will unlock new activities and jobs for your population and allow you to construct new buildings:


Step by step your village will become the greatest city-state capital.



Here the link to gif animation http://imgur.com/a/aHtro#mpZO9dW

So if you interest in future beta-test and more interesting updates:

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or feel free to ask us here!

 

We'll update the thread one or twice a week, with new information about features etc

 

#1 update!

The new update for Pre-Civilization: Marble Age and few words about us.

We are two indie-developers - great fans of strategy games (Civilization, Victoria, Crusader Kings, and others) and history, decided to create the project with real historical line, where the player could go through real history events. Our first projects were 2 games for iOS - Stone Age and the Bronze Age - but I'll not mention'em any more - they have long been completed.

Today I'd like to show you the basic gameplay features of the third chapter of the series - Pre-Civilization: Marble Age. This is a turn-based historical strategy game where you have to develop a small village in ancient Greece to the giant metropolis and in the end - dominate over the world. Chronology of events begins with the 3000 BC and ends in 1000 AD.

The basic idea of gameplay - competent management of workers, allocation of resources, research technologies, build the city and develop relations with neighbors. With years the village turns into a huge metropolis and you could explore surrounding areas, colonize the world, build relationships with other countries, start and end wars, trade with other regions. All gameplay process takes place against the backdrop of actual historical events.

Animated view of the city http://i.imgur.com/mpZO9dW.gif

First, you need to select the city and playing style accordingly: Athens or Sparta? Athens - a cultural way of development: the birthplace of democracy.

Choose your city




Athens gameplay is mostly peaceful, diplomatic and cultural. The main concept of the city development (and script events too) - freedom, equality, friendship etc. For example: Athens have diplomatic assignments for the unification of the cities in the unions to repel external threats.

Athens starting screen




Sparta is an example of the unique ancient military state. Cult of strength and valor. Gameplay mainly military. Where Athens looking for a compromise, Sparta is using force. And everything Sparta needs, it takes by force, whether it be slaves, or cultural treasures. For example, Sparta have quest where they have to capture a certain number of slaves to serve the soldiers.

Sparta starting screen




Also you may choose one of the six starting bonuses with different strong and weak sides. For example, Athens can choose a Fertile Ground; this will increase the productivity of agriculture, but also slightly decrease the total arable land. Whatever you choose, the starting bonus is very important for the chosen development strategy.

One of the main things that you have to do is to manage resources using workers and slaves. The main production center - is your city. You have to constantly look for the best combination of the manufacturing of such resources as: food / people, production, culture, ships, troops, and money. For example in the image below, the first thing you need to decide how many people to send to the production of food and how much to leave in the center. Which is better, fast population increase and then produce other resources, or for example, do not rush for the population growth and to send everyone to the science/culture and invent new technologies that will produce more food? The decision is up to you.

Basic city view




With the growth of the city, you'll discover new sources of income, but also will face new challenges: the construction of buildings and the army will require a money upkeep and may drive you into debt or make you bankrupt and lead you to one of the bad endings. Immigration and overpopulation can cause famine and unrest. Powerful merchant fleet without proper caring may begin to fall apart. Numerous invading hordes of Persians, Romans and Huns will test your military might.

Advanced city view




There are many ways to obtain resources, not only in the city, but also through trade, pillage, colonial contributions, etc. You may see details in special information windows.

Example of population info panel:




During the game you will have to keep up with the world history: invent new technologies, construct buildings and road. You start with a tiny village with 12 inhabitants and with time, the city became the largest metropolis with several million citizens. City development occurs constantly and player could see the changes with every turn. Let me show you how the agriculture section changes with time (for Athens):



Agriculture step by step

1 - Gatherers of the Neolithic Era are obtaining food by foraging;
2 - The beginning of agriculture: people learn how to grow food by own hands
3 - Crop Gardens, people are no longer care about gathering;
4 - Cultivation and the wheat fields;
5 - New barn will allow to make stocks of food and seeds;
6 - Irrigation will greatly increases the productivity of the fields;
7 - Construction of roads can improve logistics;
8 - Vineyards is a top achievement in agriculture (almost modern!).

The main source of food for Sparta is livestock. Balance, buildings and upgrades are different from Athens.

 

#2 update

The game has about 100 unique buildings and technologies:

Tech tree



Buildings



Athens and Sparta have slightly different technologies and buildings, development possibilities and bonuses.

Improving basic resources income, you'll receive advanced strategic assets: settlers, traders, generals, scouts, envoys and science points. You'll get these assets automatically with needed amount of basic resources: for example, for the 1st settler, you'll need to amass 20 citizens. And for the 1st General, you'll need to train 10 soldiers.
In the beginning, you will need to explore the map of the ancient Greece (real historic regions), establish contacts with the unknown cities and build colonies. From the historical point of view, the map reflects the largest or the most important cities of those times. Exploration and colonization occurs at the same time as it occurred in antiquity (albeit with slight differences).

Map of the Greece unexplored



Map of the Greece explored



After the union of the Greece, player moves to the more ambitious level of the game - the map of Europe, with the new goal to dominate the entire known world of that era.

Map of the Europe unexplored



Map of the Europe explored



The player can interact with the new found cities: negotiate, trade or start war.

External affairs




Nevertheless, you need to keep in mind the fact that these cities are also evolving and everyone wants to be a leader. Every city has the same parameters, but different specializations. For example Corinth - a commercial city, and Troy - a military one. If the military city could be the source of the aggression, the good trade relations with the commercial cities could bring you significant bonuses. You have to always keep up your military strength and keep an eye on the number of the allied forces and the enemy coalition forces.

Diplomatic relations

 

#3 update

As in the real world, the ruler is constantly facing with different events. Events are very close to the real history and follows it throughout the game. For example, a natural disaster that wiped out the Mycenaean civilization in the 3rd millennium, will affect the player's life.

Event example



Invasion of Dorians, Persians, Alexander the Great's conquest, the confrontation with the Romans and the Barbarian invasion, Christianization, protection of the Roman heritage, and other important events will be reflected in the game in the form of events and important decisions that the player must make. For example, in the 52 turn of the game, comes 490 BC and the Greece are attacked by the army of the Persians. The movie "300" and the battle at Thermopylae could be repeated only if you choose so (the actual event occurred in 481 BC, but the game's event was between 490 BC and 470 BC). What will you choose?

Event example - Persian Invasion

• 
  * Take a risk and fight off the invasion with the weaker army at the stage of the Persians crossing the Straits?
  
  * Or play it safe and allow the enemy to ravage your own land, but be prepared that the whole Greece will be ruined.
  The trade will collapse and it will be the end of prosperity.
  
  * Or do not intervene and protect only own city (hoping that the enemy would weaken competitors)?
  
  * Or surrender to the enemy, hoping to avoid the ruination?

There are also special 10 quest-events, different for Sparta and Athens. For example, the Union of Attica for Athens. Quest-events are helping player with the city development, indicating priorities and keeping player up with the history events. Events are testing player abilities to overcome the trials of history.

Upcoming events are looks like the icons, displayed on the left side of the screen. You can always click it and read the effect description. Events are divided into historical events, usual tasks, and events that occur because of the actions of the player, such as riots or famine. There are more than 100 unique events in the game.

Huh… That was a lot of text %) Hope you’ll like the screens.

For more information and updates (and possible beta-test in future!) please feel free to join our:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/precivilization
Twitter https://twitter.com/ClarusVictoria

Also we’ll soon start a developer blog

 

Thanks for your kind words, guys!

We are planning to release Marble Age before Christmas and in a few weeks we are going to start beta-test and will gladly accept any help!

 

Greek Shield Symbol Quiz! (with prize!)

Hi everyone!

Since we are making game about ancient Greek cities, we thought that the small quiz with nice prize would be a good idea!

So let’s our GSSQ begin! Of course I mean Greek Shield Symbol Quiz!

Look at the picture below:



You cans see the different shields with symbols and numbers. Each shield bears the symbol of the Greek city-state. I’ll write the city names and you’ll need to guess the right shield for each city (for example “Sparta – 11; Athens – 3;” etc ). The names are:

• Troy
• Corinth
• Larissa
• Athens
• Miletus
• Sparta
• Sardis
• Knossos
• Rhodes
• Pella
• Halicarnassus
• Thebes
• Dodona
• Amphipolis
• Ephesus

The contest will last one week (last day 15 Oct 2014). The first contestant who’ll write the all correct answers in this thread will get a main prize - promocode for Bronze Age (iOS) and future copy of Marble Age (for Steam or iOS – whatever he’ll choose).

Good luck!

 

Quiz in progress!

Bravo, first contestant - nice try! Anyone would like to join us?

 

8 cities guessed correctly so far Maybe some tips needed?

 

Okay-okay, first tip

BEFORE you changed your choices, you guessed correctly 8 cities:

Sparta
Larissa
Athens
Corinth
Thebes
Knossos
Pella
Ephesus

Any more guesses ?