The Season 1 updates for Anno 117: Pax Romana are coming to a close.
Following the appetizers of "Ashes of Prophecy" and "The Hippodrome," we are finally heading to Egypt and the Nile.
At the Ubisoft booth at Gamescom in Cologne, I attended a closed-door demo. Guided by Jan Dungel, the Game Director of Anno 117: Pax Romana, I gained a general understanding of the upcoming DLC, "Egypt."
This is a desert environment very similar to the "Land of Lions" in the previous title, Anno 1800. Large swathes of land require us to build aqueducts and introduce irrigation before they can be used for production. However, unlike the previous game, the Nile, the mother river of Egyptian civilization, will play a very important role in the game.
Each time the rushing river overflows, it causes earth-shaking changes along the banks. Some resources can no longer be harvested, the productivity of riverside residents decreases, and if conditions worsen, players may even lose a significant portion of their population.
This will be the biggest challenge players face as Roman governors administering Egypt.
After the demo, I also had the privilege of having a brief conversation with Jan Dungel.
Below is the full interview.
Q: I'm actually quite curious, which Anno title is your favorite?
Jan:Personally, I would say the latest one, Anno 117: Pax Romana. After all, I've been working on this project for several years, and we have extensive plans, knowing clearly what we want to achieve.
So, I am full of anticipation for this.
Q: Why did you choose to return to Rome for this installment, rather than setting it in another near-future era?
Jan:Generally, we regularly ask fans which era they would like the game to be set in. The Roman theme has consistently ranked among the top three most anticipated settings. This is the wish of the players, and our development team also wanted to tackle this theme. Because the core of the Anno series is construction, and the Romans were great builders, constructing countless magnificent megastructures. Rome continues to have a profound impact on Europe and even the world today—so, this background is very attractive to us.
Q: Why did you choose the year 117 AD specifically?
Jan:The overall atmosphere of the Anno series leans toward peace. Although there are conflicts, military content, and dramatic storylines, the game presents a positive, inclusive, and desirable world. Therefore, we delved into Roman history to find a relatively peaceful period not centered on military conquest, conducting in-depth research for this purpose.
And so, we found the Pax Romana. Coincidentally, 117 AD falls right within this period.
This is known as the golden age of Rome's peak, perfectly matching our needs. The situation was relatively stable, the empire's territory reached its maximum extent, and many different cultures coexisted and blended here. Moreover, the year number fits our special concept, corresponding to the number 9.
Q: Compared to the romanticism of the Industrial Age in Anno 1800, what differences have you made in Anno 117: Pax Romana regarding narrative tone and civilizational character?
Jan:One of the core elements is our designed Romanization mechanic, where players can choose to follow the local cultural path or the Romanization path. This mechanic is unique to this title, and these key choices will significantly alter your gameplay flow. Unlike the previous game, you can start in any province in this installment. This will also lead to distinctly different gameplay experiences, representing a brand-new design.
Additionally, we strive to give each province its own unique characteristics. For example, rivers are a very distinctive gameplay mechanic element.
Compared to previous Anno titles, this game features residents from more diverse ethnic groups. Meanwhile, Egypt is no longer merely a resource-dependent province; it possesses its own complete and independent characteristics, forming an important part of our effort to tell a multicultural story.
When people think of the Roman Empire, whether in games, movies, or books, they often view Italy as the absolute center. But the real Rome was far more than that, with people from three continents coexisting here. During the nearly two hundred years of the Pax Romana, various ethnic groups lived together, and this is exactly what we aim to present.
Q: So, how do you balance historical authenticity and game fun while players recreate the glory of Rome?
Jan:That's a good question. We position the Anno series as drawing inspiration from history without striving for complete historical accuracy. The series has always been about island-building gameplay, which inherently involves many idealized settings. Our approach is to conduct in-depth historical research for each project. Most of the game's content is based on historical facts, and we reintegrate these historical materials to serve the gameplay.
Often, painful trade-offs are necessary, but this is an inherent core of the Anno series. We strive to find historical stories and elements that fit the game design.
Q: The arid desert of the "Egypt" DLC and the irrigation system revealed in the demo reminded me of the "Land of Lions" in Anno 1800—compared to the previous title, how will the irrigation gameplay in Anno 117: Pax Romana differ?
Jan:In the coming weeks and months, we will release more details. But broadly speaking, your understanding is correct. Irrigation will be a very important part of the game. We really want the river to be a core element of the "Egypt" DLC, so we designed seasonal floods, allowing players to use the river to transform the land.
In the demo, we also showcased water wheel models influenced by two cultures—the local Egyptian manual irrigation system and the Noria water wheels built by the Romans.
Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge in the "Egypt" DLC map?
Jan:I think the biggest challenge comes from the rivers. Because you must incorporate seasonal floods into your planning to maximize land收益 (benefits)—and land space management has always been an eternal challenge in the Anno series.
Later, we will reveal some content that we didn't discuss today.
Q: Can we build embankments to resist the floods?
Jan:Unfortunately, no. Both ancient Egyptians and modern people can only try to adapt to the floods.
Q: Does Anno 117: Pax Romana plan to bring back the tourist system?
Jan:It's possible. We have a long list of content that might be added to the game in the future. In our most recent free update, we brought back the "Experts and Celebrities" system. These characters are rare and visit your city irregularly. If your city's prestige is high enough, you can host them, and they will work for you.
So, we've already implemented a bit of a tourist-like experience. As for the complete tourist mechanism, it might be implemented in the future.
Q: Many production buildings in Anno 117: Pax Romana have tangible effects on surrounding residential areas. This system ensures that city-building in this installment is no longer just a matter of stacking agricultural and industrial zones—what considerations led to this design?
Jan:Yes, in the traditional Anno world, the mainstream city-building rule is to first designate residential areas, ensure demand supply, and then place factories, farms, etc., in other areas. Doing so makes city-building somewhat boring. Therefore, we started trying to add additional attributes to buildings. After prototyping and testing, we found the results were quite good. Now, the placement of every building has become very important. For example, logically, placing a bakery near a residential area should naturally bring extra income.
This design introduces interesting mechanics and makes the game world feel more realistic.
Q: So, part of the design philosophy stems from common sense?
Jan:I believe excellent game design doesn't require excessive explanation; it should feel natural to play. The city-building system in Anno 117: Pax Romana is a win-win: it's fun, enhances the enjoyment of city-building, and aligns with common sense.
Q: The biggest difference between Anno 117: Pax Romana and previous titles is the tiered resident demands. Now players don't need to satisfy specific demands 100%; achieving partial satisfaction can also yield new residents and tax revenue—what is the logic behind this design?
Jan:Internally, we call this system "Optional Demands." The original intention was to enhance the game's flexibility and weaken the linear constraints of the progression. Previous Anno titles felt like they had rigid requirements—you must do this, you must achieve that—which was a burden for many players.
If you're not an expert, you might easily get stuck.
Under the new demand system, if you max out all supplies, you can still receive all rewards. However, you don't have to follow the same routine every step of the way, giving you more room for maneuver. For example, the barrier to cross-island and multi-island operations is significantly lower than in previous titles. Players can choose their own difficulty level, so those who pursue full supply coverage will still enjoy the complete reward experience.
Q: Is the choice of cultural paths also based on the same design thinking?
Jan:Overall, the initial出发点 (starting point) for the Romanization mechanic was twofold: first, to increase player choices; second, to showcase the diverse cultures within the Roman Empire.
Historical records indicate that Rome did not impose uniform directives on its provinces. As an empire spanning three continents, Rome absorbed a large number of foreign ideas and religious beliefs. For example, our development office is located in Mainz, Germany. During the construction of the office building, a Roman temple was unearthed beneath the foundation. This temple was dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis. This shows that Egyptian beliefs spread to Mainz within the Roman Empire, where a temple was specifically built.
We hope to recreate this fusion of diverse cultures, which is our way of respecting the true face of Rome.
Q: Anno 1800 used a specialized scholar class to unlock special experts and items. Why did Anno 117: Pax Romana not use the same system to advance technology, opting instead for a more traditional tech tree?
Jan:We have had extensive internal discussions about changes to technology, and many people share your viewpoint. The core still revolves around the theme of "choice"—our exploration tech tree allows players to decide their own direction of play. You can choose to completely ignore military technology and focus on other areas instead.
This system effectively embodies freedom of choice, allowing players to play entirely according to their own ideas.
Q: Finally, what would you like to say to Chinese players?
Jan:We warmly welcome Chinese players to experience this game. We know the Chinese player community has invested a lot of passion in this series, which makes us very happy. Thank you all.
Q: By the way, when will we see an Anno title with a Chinese theme?
Jan:Haha, I don't know, but that's an interesting idea.