Pax Augusta has been featured in many game showcases and has grown a hefty fanbase. Developer and studio founder Roger Gassmann (RG) was kind enough to sit down with me and talk to me about the game. Like many who love city building (and Rome specifically), I have been interested in the game for some time.
Pax Augusta seems like a game that will do justice to the history and culture of Rome while also giving city-builder fans the gameplay they’ve been craving.
GH – One of the best things about Pax Augusta is that a heavy amount of research is going into its development. How accurate would you say it is to Rome in the era you are making it in?
RG – The research was very time-consuming. I traveled around Europe to see things for myself. It was important to me that the proportions were correct. So I had to go to the ruins myself to get a feel for how big the buildings were.
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Certain things are very accurate. Others, however, not so. When I was at Gamescom, I noticed that many players are used to the many technical terms and historically accurate gameplay. So I expanded and simplified many things. For example, you could still train gladiators at Gamescom. That has now been deleted again due to complexity reasons. All in all, however, it is a very accurate city builder.
GH – What originally brought on the idea and inspired you to make a game for this?
RG – I loved the Caesar series of games. My favorite game was Caesar II. I waited for a successor for years. Unfortunately, nothing came. There is a motto in my life: If something annoys you, then change it or accept it. Getting upset about it is not an option. So I said: I’ll make my own game. What a naive idea.
Editor’s Note: Notch and Eric Barone had this kind of spirit when they created Minecraft and Stardew Valley. I think we may see an industry changer in Pax Augusta.
GH – When the game is done, do you think you’ll move on to other genres or games, or will you focus on working on and improving the game after release for a while?
RG – First I want to go on vacation. I’ve been working on the game for 6 years with almost no free time. After that I’ll be working on DLCs for at least five years. Now, a little secret: I have another great idea for a computer game that I want to implement at some point. But that depends on whether Pax Augusta sells reasonably well. I won’t say whether the genre will stay the same, but it will be a historically accurate game.
GH – Have you thought about possible DLC or Expansions that may come in the future for the game?
RG – Yes, I have a whole list of DLC ideas. I am very actively communicating with the community. I can sense what they want. And the trend is very clear: decorative elements. The demo players wanted to build the most beautiful cities. So, there will definitely be a decorative DLC. But I have lots of other ideas. New production chains for oil, wine, and other trade goods. I could list things for hours. But let’s see where we go because the most important thing is what the community wants.
GH – Is the game going straight to release, or will it have an Early Access period?
RG – I’ve never developed a game before, and I don’t know what a good idea is. But I’m not a fan of early access. I hope that we can do a full release and that I can fix the last bugs after the release.
GH – Going back to historical accuracy, would this game be good for classrooms or educators?
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RG – Yes, absolutely. I will soon make a video in which I explain all the details. If you give the students some context, they can learn a lot. Above all, the image of the Romans will be corrected. They didn’t win every battle, the legionaries didn’t have red tunics, and most people were poor. I don’t want to speak badly of the Romans, but the image is partly wrong in people’s minds. I hope that with the game, I can show many people that Rome is very different from what we normally assume.
In story mode, you will also feel where the Romans’ problems were. I’ll let you in on a little secret: an uprising breaks out in the empire. Rome has to gather many soldiers to put down the uprising. You will feel this as a city administrator. You have to deliver huge amounts of goods so that the legions are supplied. Since the local legions are not present, you also lack income from the taverns, etc. I want the player to feel the economic connections.
GH – Assassin’s Creed started as a series that would try to make itself close to historical accuracies, where players would assassinate people who did die during the same period. Now, it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief due to adding in mythology and larger-than-life parts of gameplay. Does your game give any credence to mythology, or do the gods of mythology lend a hand in gameplay?
RG – Yes and no. I have never liked religion in games. I found it strange that if I dedicated a temple to the god Mars, the enemies would fall dead. At first, I wanted to remove the whole topic of religion from the game. But I noticed that the community likes religion in the game. Now, I have found a compromise: If you build a temple, you can dedicate it to a local or Roman deity. If, for example, the god of agriculture gets a temple, then the inhabitants who work in the fields are happy that a god is watching over them. This makes them more motivated, and they produce more food. I think that is a good compromise.
Although I listen to the community a lot, religion or mythology is a topic that doesn’t interest me at all in computer games. Therefore, it will only appear in the game as little as necessary. I hope you will forgive me.
That’s an incredibly smart way to go about it. Most games will go straight to the “please the Gods with a temple for a better harvest” and never into the more realistic result, which is the people will feel more motivated. Honestly, that’s one of the things that makes so many people excited for Pax Augusta. It’s a game made by someone who cares so much about it that they take the time to think every decision through, and you get results like this. Make sure to wishlist and follow Pax Augusta on Steam. Also, a special thank you to Roger Gassman for agreeing to an interview.
