City Building Series
Encyclopedia
The City Building Series is the collective name of a series of historical city-building game
s for personal computers developed by Impressions Games
, BreakAway Games
, and Tilted Mill Entertainment
(following Impressions' demise) and published by Sierra Entertainment
and Myelin Media
. The series began in 1993
with Caesar and so far consists of ten games, including expansion pack
s.
The series can be loosely described as "SimCity
in past civilization
s with military and economic micromanagement
". In the City Building Series the player is put in charge of providing goods and services to the populace of his town, ensuring crime is low, and reducing the risk of disease, fire and building collapse. The player must also strike a balance between imports, exports and taxes to keep his town financially strong. The player is also responsible for defending her town against invasion by building a military.
The series covers four ancient civilizations: Roman
, Egyptian
, Greek and Chinese
. Titles released up until 2004
used the same isometric view
game engine
, although progressively tweaked and modified according to the theme of the game. Subsequent titles use three dimensional
graphics engines.
) to the last (playable up to 1280×1024), the basic mechanics remain the same and some aspects are common to all games.
The exception to this is Children of the Nile, which worked on a completely different system.
Some of these aspects differ considerably between games. For game-specific descriptions, please see the relevant game article.
Houses will upgrade to the next quality level when the specific needs for their current level are met. This is called "housing evolution". These needs can be either commodities, services, or local desirability. The player is informed of the needs of any particular house, and so can act accordingly. Better overall housing quality benefits the city.
When houses reach a luxury quality level, their residents stop contributing to the city workforce. This can lead to labour shortages and industrial stagnation, so the player must be careful to ensure that some houses do not evolve past this threshold, even though the tax benefits are great.
Although the total city population is the sum of the residents in each house, the city workforce is represented by a simple number and has no distribution or representation on the map. Labour-heavy industry, therefore, need not be connected to large residential areas. Provided that any particular industry building is connected to some housing, it is connected to the entire city's labour pool.
A service is provided by a service building, which employs a "walker". The walker will leave the service building and walk along connected roads, taking a random direction at every intersection. Eventually the walker will return to the service building directly, and the activity will repeat.
A house is said to be supplied by a particular service if the walker from that service has recently walked past the house. If a walker from the same service does not walk past again within a particular time frame, the house is no longer supplied by the service and may return to lower quality levels.
The particular services differ from game to game, but all operate under this principle.
A commodity can be obtained by the city through industrial production, or trade. Some commodities require manufacture from a raw material which in turn must be obtained from the environment. Pottery in Pharaoh, for example, is manufactured at a Potter from Clay, which is obtained at a Clay Pit. If the city does not have local supplies of a raw material, it may be able to import it and then manufacture the finished product. Alternatively, it can import the finished product directly, but this is usually much more expensive than manufacturing the goods locally.
Commodities, when produced or imported, are stored in warehouses. From there they are distributed to retailers, which employ walkers. When a retailer walker walks past a house which requires a certain commodity, the house draws a small amount from the retailer's stockpile. This amount declines over time, and so is topped up every time the walker walks past, subject to availability.
If a house runs out of a particular commodity, it may devolve to lower quality levels.
Houses at particular housing quality levels require a certain variety of foods before they can evolve to the next level. However, houses are not fastidious about which specific foods are supplied.
Overall food variety affects overall city health.
For a price, trade routes can be set up between cities. This allows the player to import commodities that may not be available in his or her city, or export for profit commodities that he is producing in excess. Different cities buy and sell different commodities, and these limitations are an integral aspect of the difficulty of particular campaign missions.
Trade can be conducted by land and water, and some cities only trade by one of these methods, further adding to the complexity.
The precise mechanism by which this aspect of religion operates differs from game to game. In Zeus, the player builds massive temples called Sanctuaries, which are built like monuments, to honor the Gods. The God whom the player honors will then give great benefits onto the player's city so long as the sanctuary is staffed and given the necessary sacrifices of either food or animals. Each city could have a maximum of four Sanctuaries; the player was allowed to choose from a selection of the Greek pantheon. The player can pray to the god for aid or wait for the god to provide it directly. Foreign gods can also attack your city or release disasters on it.
In Caesar III, the player has to build temples as the population grows. A particular god will be pleased with a number of temples for a long time provided that the population does not grow, but when it does, it expects from the player to increase the number of temples.
In Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, the player has to give gifts to "Heroes"; if they are pleased enough, they will visit the city, provide benefits such as reduction in building costs, and walk around. There are four groups of Heroes: the Ancestral Heroes, the Daoist Heroes, the Confucian Heroes, and the Buddhist Heroes. Failure to keep the Ancestral Heroes content can result in disasters like earthquakes or floods.
In Pharaoh the player's city has a patron god and several local gods who must all be appeased. This is done by constructing unmanned shrines for minor coverage, staffed temples to provide citizen access to religion, and temple complexes for additional benefits. Festivals can be held to increase favor with one god. Pleased gods will grant miracles, such as extra goods or production speed, while displeased gods will cause disasters, such as the collapse of buildings or plague.
It is also possible to build defense structures, such as walls, gates, and towers.
City-building game
City-building games are a genre of strategy computer game where players act as the overall planner and leader of a city, looking down on it from above, and being responsible for its growth and management...
s for personal computers developed by Impressions Games
Impressions Games
Impressions Games was a video game developer founded by David Lester in the UK. He sold the company to Sierra Entertainment in 1995, who was then bought out by Cendant and eventually, Vivendi Universal ....
, BreakAway Games
BreakAway Games
BreakAway Games is a video game developer based in Hunt Valley, Maryland established in 1998. Their executive staff is composed of several veterans from companies such as MicroProse, Origin Systems, Atari and Acclaim Entertainment....
, and Tilted Mill Entertainment
Tilted Mill Entertainment
Tilted Mill Entertainment is a video game developer located in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 2001 by former Impressions Games lead designer and general manager Chris Beatrice, business manager Peter Haffenreffer, and designer Jeff Fiske....
(following Impressions' demise) and published by Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
and Myelin Media
Myelin Media
Myelin Media is a privately held video game publisher owned by the hedge fund Icahn Associates Corporation located in New York, NY. Myelin specializes in working with independent video game developers to promote creative titles...
. The series began in 1993
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
with Caesar and so far consists of ten games, including expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
s.
The series can be loosely described as "SimCity
SimCity
SimCity is a critically acclaimed city-building simulation video game, first released in 1989, and designed by Will Wright. SimCity was Maxis' first product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1994,...
in past civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
s with military and economic micromanagement
Micromanagement (computer gaming)
In gaming, micromanagement describes minor, detailed gameplay elements that must be manually addressed by the player. It appears in a wide range of games including strategy video games, construction and management simulations and pet-raising simulations...
". In the City Building Series the player is put in charge of providing goods and services to the populace of his town, ensuring crime is low, and reducing the risk of disease, fire and building collapse. The player must also strike a balance between imports, exports and taxes to keep his town financially strong. The player is also responsible for defending her town against invasion by building a military.
The series covers four ancient civilizations: Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, Egyptian
History of Ancient Egypt
The History of Ancient Egypt spans the period from the early predynastic settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the Roman conquest in 30 BC...
, Greek and Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. Titles released up until 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
used the same isometric view
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, although progressively tweaked and modified according to the theme of the game. Subsequent titles use three dimensional
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
graphics engines.
Games in the series
The series includes:- Set in the Roman EmpireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
:- Caesar (1992)
- Caesar IICaesar IICaesar II is a computer game of the Caesar computer game series that takes place in Ancient Rome; when the game begins the Roman empire extends no further than Italy. Players have the opportunity to civilize adjacent barbarian provinces, eventually reaching the entire Roman Empire at its height....
(1995) - Caesar IIICaesar IIICaesar III is a video game developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Entertainment; the third installment of the Caesar series, part of Sierra's City Building Series...
(1998) - Caesar IV (2006)
- Set in ancient EgyptAncient EgyptAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
:- PharaohPharaoh (computer game)Pharaoh is an isometric city-building game set in Ancient Egypt created by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Entertainment for Windows-based computers...
(1999)- Expansion Queen of the Nile: Cleopatra (2000)
- Immortal Cities: Children of the NileImmortal Cities: Children of the NileImmortal Cities: Children of the Nile is a city-building game set in ancient Egypt, developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment. The game was released November 2004 in the United States and February 2005 in Europe.-Enhanced Edition:...
(2004)
- Pharaoh
- Set in ancient GreeceAncient GreeceAncient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
:- Master of Olympus - ZeusMaster of Olympus - ZeusZeus: Master of Olympus is the fifth full title of the City Building Series developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Entertainment....
(2000)- Expansion Master of Atlantis - PoseidonMaster of Atlantis - PoseidonMaster of Atlantis - Poseidon is a historical city building game expansion pack set in ancient Greece. It is the expansion pack to Master of Olympus - Zeus...
(2001)
- Expansion Master of Atlantis - Poseidon
- Master of Olympus - Zeus
- Set in ancient ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
:- Emperor: Rise of the Middle KingdomEmperor: Rise of the Middle KingdomEmperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom is the sixth title in the City Building Series. BreakAway Games was contracted for Emperor after having previously worked on Queen of the Nile...
(2002)
- Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
Series concepts and mechanics
While the series visually changed from the first game (played from a bird's eye perspective set in a 320×200 256 color VGA resolutionDisplay resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
) to the last (playable up to 1280×1024), the basic mechanics remain the same and some aspects are common to all games.
The exception to this is Children of the Nile, which worked on a completely different system.
Some of these aspects differ considerably between games. For game-specific descriptions, please see the relevant game article.
Housing, population and workforce
A city's population is confined to housing plots designated on the map by the player. Empty plots are soon developed by arriving immigrants, provided that they are within two tiles of a road. Each house belongs to a discrete quality level which affects, among other things, the amount it pays in taxes to the city, and the number of residents it can accommodate. Initially, the houses that are developed on vacant plots are of the lowest quality slums.Houses will upgrade to the next quality level when the specific needs for their current level are met. This is called "housing evolution". These needs can be either commodities, services, or local desirability. The player is informed of the needs of any particular house, and so can act accordingly. Better overall housing quality benefits the city.
When houses reach a luxury quality level, their residents stop contributing to the city workforce. This can lead to labour shortages and industrial stagnation, so the player must be careful to ensure that some houses do not evolve past this threshold, even though the tax benefits are great.
Although the total city population is the sum of the residents in each house, the city workforce is represented by a simple number and has no distribution or representation on the map. Labour-heavy industry, therefore, need not be connected to large residential areas. Provided that any particular industry building is connected to some housing, it is connected to the entire city's labour pool.
Services
Some houses at particular housing quality levels require certain services before they can evolve to the next level.A service is provided by a service building, which employs a "walker". The walker will leave the service building and walk along connected roads, taking a random direction at every intersection. Eventually the walker will return to the service building directly, and the activity will repeat.
A house is said to be supplied by a particular service if the walker from that service has recently walked past the house. If a walker from the same service does not walk past again within a particular time frame, the house is no longer supplied by the service and may return to lower quality levels.
The particular services differ from game to game, but all operate under this principle.
Commodities
Some houses at particular housing quality levels require certain commodities before they can evolve to the next level, just as they do services.A commodity can be obtained by the city through industrial production, or trade. Some commodities require manufacture from a raw material which in turn must be obtained from the environment. Pottery in Pharaoh, for example, is manufactured at a Potter from Clay, which is obtained at a Clay Pit. If the city does not have local supplies of a raw material, it may be able to import it and then manufacture the finished product. Alternatively, it can import the finished product directly, but this is usually much more expensive than manufacturing the goods locally.
Commodities, when produced or imported, are stored in warehouses. From there they are distributed to retailers, which employ walkers. When a retailer walker walks past a house which requires a certain commodity, the house draws a small amount from the retailer's stockpile. This amount declines over time, and so is topped up every time the walker walks past, subject to availability.
If a house runs out of a particular commodity, it may devolve to lower quality levels.
Agriculture
Food is treated as a commodity, though there are some differences. Food comes in many different types, some with different sources. Most food can be produced on farms, but other food can be obtained through hunting and fishing. In most cases, food is stored at granaries instead of warehouses.Houses at particular housing quality levels require a certain variety of foods before they can evolve to the next level. However, houses are not fastidious about which specific foods are supplied.
Overall food variety affects overall city health.
Trade and industry
All industry is entirely state-controlled, with all employees being paid by the city treasury. Industry is necessary for the production of commodities. Industrial buildings must be connected to the city labour pool before they can become operational, which is done through a walker. When built, the industrial building will send out a walker along connected roads. If this walker passes occupied housing, the building is connected.For a price, trade routes can be set up between cities. This allows the player to import commodities that may not be available in his or her city, or export for profit commodities that he is producing in excess. Different cities buy and sell different commodities, and these limitations are an integral aspect of the difficulty of particular campaign missions.
Trade can be conducted by land and water, and some cities only trade by one of these methods, further adding to the complexity.
Religion
Religion is a service, which employs priests at temples as walkers. However, religion also operates on another level. The player must ensure that the gods in his civilization's religion are appeased, and he is able to do so by making sure that the number of temples for each god is adequate for the city population, and ensuring that all houses are supplied by the religion service.The precise mechanism by which this aspect of religion operates differs from game to game. In Zeus, the player builds massive temples called Sanctuaries, which are built like monuments, to honor the Gods. The God whom the player honors will then give great benefits onto the player's city so long as the sanctuary is staffed and given the necessary sacrifices of either food or animals. Each city could have a maximum of four Sanctuaries; the player was allowed to choose from a selection of the Greek pantheon. The player can pray to the god for aid or wait for the god to provide it directly. Foreign gods can also attack your city or release disasters on it.
In Caesar III, the player has to build temples as the population grows. A particular god will be pleased with a number of temples for a long time provided that the population does not grow, but when it does, it expects from the player to increase the number of temples.
In Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, the player has to give gifts to "Heroes"; if they are pleased enough, they will visit the city, provide benefits such as reduction in building costs, and walk around. There are four groups of Heroes: the Ancestral Heroes, the Daoist Heroes, the Confucian Heroes, and the Buddhist Heroes. Failure to keep the Ancestral Heroes content can result in disasters like earthquakes or floods.
In Pharaoh the player's city has a patron god and several local gods who must all be appeased. This is done by constructing unmanned shrines for minor coverage, staffed temples to provide citizen access to religion, and temple complexes for additional benefits. Festivals can be held to increase favor with one god. Pleased gods will grant miracles, such as extra goods or production speed, while displeased gods will cause disasters, such as the collapse of buildings or plague.
Military
While the focus of the city resides on infrastructure building, in some maps the players are forced to keep a strong military, either for defense or conquer other cities. Military units are created at forts, and require weapons and other goods (like wood or horses), depending on the unit. In Zeus, the larger part of the army is composed by common citizens, and calling for war will have them leaving the city and their jobs. In both Zeus and Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom the number of army units that are possible to build depends on the number of elite houses.It is also possible to build defense structures, such as walls, gates, and towers.
External links
- Heavengames fan sites: Caesar 3, Pharaoh, Zeus Emperor, Children of the Nile and Caesar 4
- Top 25 Most Underrated Games of All Time from GameSpyGameSpyGameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
(#25) - CityBuildingContests.net Organized contests featuring games in the City Building Series