Ultima Ratio Regum - a 'strategy roguelike' in the making…

Hi all! Now that it's approaching a first 0.0.1 release, I thought I'd post a bit about my current project:

Ultima Ratio Regum is the early stages of a `strategy roguelike`. It aims to eventually be a fusion of the two genres - rather than a strategy game where you command with omniscience (even in ancient eras), you instead command as an individual character also in the game. Orders must be issued in person; you can lose contact with distant armies; but the same mechanics affect the AI players who also lack omniscience and depend upon the knowledge of situations they themselves can garner. Worlds can be generated over a vast array of sizes, climates and types, with or without mythological elements, from several different eras (and technological levels), but all ultimately with no fixed objective but a world full of civilizations and factions to be allied with or battled against. It aims for depth in character development and world events, but with much in the 'middle' - constructing buildings, city growth, resource management - abstracted out (as other games exist which handle those well).

It has been released in alpha version. More info here: http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/downloads/

Here's a world map:



Full size @ http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/ga…012/02/Map.png

Combat screenshot (viewing the character):



Anyway, I've recently done a large update on the screenshots section of my blog to show many of the current features. If the images I've pasted above and the description I've given it sound interesting, please give it a look, and let me know your thoughts on the inital alpha. After the first release, I've got a few competitions planned, too, which'll be announced in due time.

If you're interested, you can check my weekly-updated devblog at http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/, follow my Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/#!/UltimaRegum, or Like the FB page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ultim…19012228145728.

Shout if you have any questions!

if you're looking for advertising, you might want to contact the mods directly on the submit news" link. This looks like something we might cover.

I've done so already, but as well as advertising I'm really looking for feedback, ideas, commentary, and the like

Support for tilesets?

I don't think EA is going to take too kindly to using the word Ultima in the title, unless this is freeware or something.

Since it is a fairly well known latin phrase he might be ok. Guess it depends on how rabid EAs' lawyers are feeling.

@ Crazy - yes, but not in 0.0.1

Re: name, there's a large number of other 'Ultima' things out there, and numerous clans, achievements, fan websites and similar for other games and all kinds of stuff uses the term 'Ultima Ratio Regum', especially given that the term pre-dates gaming by several centuries. And it is freeware anyway! It hadn't even occurred to me as a potential issue, but I confess, I'm not concerned…

Originally Posted by Ultima Ratio Regum
@ Crazy - yes, but not in 0.0.1

Re: name, there's a large number of other 'Ultima' things out there, and numerous clans, achievements, fan websites and similar for other games and all kinds of stuff uses the term 'Ultima Ratio Regum', especially given that the term pre-dates gaming by several centuries. And it is freeware anyway! It hadn't even occurred to me as a potential issue, but I confess, I'm not concerned…

Well, I expect it no later than 0.0.2. Get to work!

Yes, but you might find they own the trademark for all video games with this word in several countries. They've taken interest in reviving the franchise somehwat lately with the browser game and rumours of a Biwoare made sequel. Why not call it Ultimatum - that's not being used a whole lot.

EA is a pretty litigious company about this sort of thing. they stopped Bioshock from calling themselves the "spiritual" successor to System Shock and shut down a fan made project based on the title too.

They've laid it on pretty heavy on a number of a fan made sequels and only allowed Lazarus to finish.
—
on your other question why not try these tiles?

I knew about the Bioshock/System Shock thing, but I have to admit, I don't think they're going to bother a freeware game with no possible connection. My understanding of trademark etc law is that if I was using it *as* the Ultima trademark, or it had anything to do with the Ultima games whatsoever, then there would be an issue; but I'm not, it doesn't, and it's freeware so I'm not trying to make any money from it anyway. As the font of all knowledge Wikipedia puts it:

" Infringement may occur when one party, the "infringer", uses a trademark which is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark owned by another party, in relation to products or services which are identical or similar to the products or services which the registration covers."

I'm not using the term/name as a trademark; I think 'Ultima Ratio Regum' is quite distinct from 'Ultima VI' or whatever (and is entirely separate in meaning, being a complete phrase itself); and the products and services aren't really similar apart from being a game (and a free one at that!). Thanks for the suggestion, but there isn't a chance I'm going to change the name unless someone comes knocking at my door . As for Tiles, as I say, it's far from a priority - if people want to make a tileset, that's great, but I'm not going to. It's also made trickier by the fact some creatures are larger than a single tile (eg 2x2, 3x3, even 5x5) which would make a tileset that displays the entire creature rather trickier.

Originally Posted by Lucky Day
They've laid it on pretty heavy on a number of a fan made sequels and only allowed Lazarus to finish.

That's not correct. They allowed, or rather just ignored, all sorts of fan made projects with the Ultima name (U6 Project for instance). The key is they were all fan projects that were distributed freely.

Originally Posted by blatantninja
That's not correct. They allowed, or rather just ignored, all sorts of fan made projects with the Ultima name (U6 Project for instance). The key is they were all fan projects that were distributed freely.

Exactly; projects specifically about Ultima that were free, and went unchallenged, give me reassurance about my completely unrelated project

I assume even if EA would bother they would first request that you change the name before even considering ruining you and devouring your soul. Nonetheless the fact that most people here are more inclined to talk about EA and Ultima instead of what you're presenting should be an indication that the name doesn't give the most appropriate first impression. It does attract some attention (in the second it took me to realize that this had nothing to do with Ultima I had already clicked on the thread) but it also attracts completely unfair comparisons and such off topic discussions. And to be honest, if I suspected that you did it on purpose to take advantage of the obvious association I would be far less willing to look into your game.

Originally Posted by holeraw
I assume even if EA would bother they would first request that you change the name before even considering ruining you and devouring your soul. Nonetheless the fact that most people here are more inclined to talk about EA and Ultima instead of what you're presenting should be an indication that the name doesn't give the most appropriate first impression. It does attract some attention (in the second it took me to realize that this had nothing to do with Ultima I had already clicked on the thread) but it also attracts completely unfair comparisons and such off topic discussions. And to be honest, if I suspected that you did it on purpose to take advantage of the obvious association I would be far less willing to look into your game.

I do see what you mean, but this is actually the first thread that anyone's ever mentioned the Ultima series (well, apart from one post out of 50 pages' worth on Bay12). Anyway, yes - let's talk less about being sued and more about the game (if anyone has anything they want to ask, anyway!). I'm still aiming for June 30th for 0.0.1, and having just acquired some coffee and lunch, I'm going to get started on today's coding…

I just noticed this thread.From your blog it looks like ambitious project.I know it's very early in development but I am curious what are you long term plans when you plan to reach 1.0,do you plan add more people to your team etc?Anyway on paper looks like interesting and complex project best of luck with it.

Originally Posted by Nameless one
I just noticed this thread.From your blog it looks like ambitious project.I know it's very early in development but I am curious what are you long term plans when you plan to reach 1.0,do you plan add more people to your team etc?Anyway on paper looks like interesting and complex project best of luck with it.

0.0.1 is the UI/map generation/gameplay basics I'm working on now; 0.0.2 is going to get the rest of the underlying mechanics in, like food, water, sleep, day/night cycle, etc; 0.0.3 is going to be focused on AI, stealth, creatures noticing you, deciding targets, etc; then I'll be moving to 0.1.0 where civilizations begin to appear. I don't know what will mark 1.0.0, but it's a way off . I never intend to add more people to my team, since it's an entirely personal project. Thanks a ton!

About time you posted here…I've been following this guy for a long time…..Well not that long, but pretty much since the beginnning …I think lol….anyways I will be grabbing this game whenever it's finished and keep up the good work

Originally Posted by skavenhorde
About time you posted here…I've been following this guy for a long time…..Well not that long, but pretty much since the beginnning …I think lol….anyways I will be grabbing this game whenever it's finished and keep up the good work

Thanks Skaven! Intending to release 0.1.0 on the 9th; finishing up some bug hunting today, then we'll get it out on the 9th. There will probably be soon after a quick sequence of .1s and .2 and so on, but the 9th is down for the very first release.

Well, it's happened! Version 0.1.0 is out!

In fact, version 0.1.1 is now out, and 0.1.2 will be coming with more
fixes tomorrow evening. Enjoy!

http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/ga…9/alpha-0-1-0/

If the bugs of 0.1.0 made you sick to your stomach, here's the final little update for a while, 0.1.2c: enjoy!
http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/downloads/