Caesar III
Third time is the charm

Preview

This sequel has been well worth the wait—and I’ve only played the scaled-down demo. One of the first things to hit you about the demo of Caesar III is the better-than-crisp introductory and ‘interlude’ graphics that reach out, slap you in the face and dare you to spot the rough grainy edges. Not a chance, the pixels are as chiseled as a Roman column and the colours so vibrant and penetrating that you’ll think that the sunlight splashing off them will give you a suntan. They are so life-like that you will feel like brushing up on your Latin so that you can talk to that engineer or forum bailiff yourself. The score and sounds have been polished up as well and are quite pleasant to listen too although I am still wondering what the kinky, dolphin-like sound rounding off one of the scores is meant for. There are of course four options for switching sounds/music off and there are three resolution settings which can be adjusted during gameplay (640 x 480, 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768). The options screens are not popped up but rather unfurled. This bodes well for the overall quality of this game.

If, like me, you are sloppy and hasty about installing software because you are so eager to play, you will be relieved to know that a virtual early-trouble-detection system has been built in that warns you of do’s and don’t while installing. If this attention to displays and detail has also been applied to the battle episodes of the game, the only part that has been left out in this two-scenario demo, then we have a contender for the RTS game of the year award on our hands.

We all remember how Caesar II split gameplay into city management and battle management. I really disliked having to constantly switch back to province level for farm and quarry management and for monitoring troop movements as my city continued to evolve without the benefit, or detriment, of my presence. This is a thing of the past now as all action takes place on one sizeable map. The scenarios start out with wooded countryside, a river or two and the all important road running from one edge of the map to the other. Rocky outcroppings are so prominent and crisp that they appear to be high definition photographs pasted onto the surrounding greenery. I haven’t quite figured out what those brownish log-shaped things floating in the river are all about, but I’m sure the full version will reveal all.

The second thing you immediately notice about Caesar III is the vastly improved logic behind the events that lead to the development and demise of cities. If you click on the housing button (quick clicks won’t do, unfortunately you still need to click firmly and slowly) and fling down a line of residences, you get a row of signs for your trouble. After that, nothing happens. I started frantically to click on everything in sight—even trying to zoom in on the signs to read them. Nothing happened. Then it dawned on me that the sign must read something like "Stop here oh weary traveller because you can build your home on this plot of land in the Kingdom of Wimp," or words to that effect. Sure enough, a traveller hauling a cart appears on the road, moves by one of the lots and, as he seems to pass it, makes a sharp turn, loses the cart and sets up a tent to squat in. Of course in the first scenario you cannot keep him happy and you will see him leave with a large sack slung over his hunched shoulders. Undoubtedly heading for someone who has advanced to playing scenario 2 of the demo.

Tell me more about Caesar 3