Dr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023

Review 3 for #SteamNextFest - Builders of Greece from Blum Entertainment! It's a city management sim set in pre-Roman Greece (broadly speaking...the Steam page notes that it is before Rome but declines to specify further, although it seems largely classical).

#archaeogaming

Show threadDr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023
The art is really, really great. LOOK AT THAT SEXY WAX TABLET IN THE LOADING SCREEN. LOOK AT THE TEXTURE ON THAT LAMP. Okay, the gorgoneion pendant looks more like a Roman mosaic, but the Athenian coins are cool. (#classicstwitter confirmed my suspicion that the inscription used on the tablet is, in fact, post-Roman. The Latin bit gives it away)
2/
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Show threadDr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023
Once you get into the actual game (or tutorial, in the demo) you are guided through the basic steps of growing a colony. Note that we are on an island, with plenty of rocks (shout out to Keith Dix, who always said it was Greece's best crop), trees, and beaches. I would push back against the use of empire here, since Greece wasn't one but I guess it's motivating? Idk. Let's plop an agora in that nice field and move on. A+ color, although the statue could use more...I love the tiny stalls. 3/
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Show threadDr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023
The basic units of citizens are thetes, who will show up and populate based on how many houses you build for them and how many resources you have. It seems like the game is using Solon's definition here, since they are called 'the lowest class'. 4/
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Show threadDr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023
The citizens will employ themselves based on what buildings have openings. One of the major positives here is that you'll see lots of WOMEN walking OUTSIDE and WORKING. For example, meet Rhoxane. She works at the warehouse. Her friend Xanthippe is a fisher. 5/
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Show threadDr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023
After getting some residents and basic structures like quarries, fish shacks, an agora, etc, you can install more specialized buildings. The noria will allow you to have agriculture (my head canon says that one of the thetes is Egyptian, although even they still would have needed a river to actually draw water from). 6/
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Show threadDr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023
Every once in a while some famous people will show up...I'm not sure what Alcibiades was doing in such a backwater town but I'm glad he made everyone happy. He must have literally rented a shack though because there are no unoccupied buildings. 7/
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Show threadDr. Kira Jones
The next part of the demo covers military installations (build a barracks, recruit soldiers) but it covers the same principles as the previous sections. You use tax money and city resources to build, spend some $ on upkeep, and manage things well enough to make a profit. The full game will add in more functionality, like religion - build temples and the citizens will start attributing good and bad happenings to the will of the gods, and they won't blame you for divine retribution (allegedly - gods are tricky that way). 8/
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Feb 18, 2023 at 9:27pmWeb
Show threadDr. Kira JonesFeb 18, 2023
Obviously the demo is a small part of the whole, but so far I like what I'm seeing. There's a good effort to keep things historical, what with the architecture and nomenclature, although the game definitely slacks off in a number of areas. Hopefully they'll get fixed. I do think this is a good addition to the #archaeogaming collection, however, and I'll be keeping it in mind for future classes/studies. I don't normally go for city sims but this one is fun and has potential. Be sure to wish list it on Steam and check out the demo! 9/9
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