Age of Gladiators II: Rome news & patch notes

Hi All, Here are some devlogs from my latest sci-fi cRPG that I've been working on. Hope you enjoy! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2734270/Sector_Unknown/ Companions "Welcome to the party, pal!" In my last devlog, I discussed non-combat support personnel that you could recruit for your cause. This devlog will focus on combat companions/party members. These are allies you can recruit to join you on missions if you choose, or you can opt to go it alone. There might be some people that want to murder hobo everyone in the game, including potential companions. Yes, there's even room for serial killers in Sector Unknown... Read More {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/817f885d2529a6f91d18b6c949a91e326d85dc4a.png Support Personnel In your adventures across various planets, you'll have the opportunity to recruit a wide range of characters into your organization. While not all of these characters are suited for combat, they will each bring unique skills and contributions that are vital toward your success... Read More {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/4ba2a21faebbbbcd95883154bb6475e2e1f0ec3d.png Space Travel In Sector Unknown you find yourself stranded on the desert planet Maku. From there, once you find a ship of your own, the stars open up to you with six story planets available to explore and bring under your control, either through diplomacy or by force... Read More {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/eb095c9435b2103057e59136f793ed2cb0e851bd.png Bounty Hunting & Contracts In Null Sector, a region unmarked on star charts and devoid of formal settlements, inhabitants are continually threatened by both bipedal adversaries and wild beasts. To counteract these dangers, locals sometimes gather their resources to handle a threat beyond their capacity. Read More {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/be2948659a995445e547df4f820d5cc29b51506d.png Crafting & Resources After claiming the abandoned mining facility on Maku as your base, you will unlock crafting in the game... Read More {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/fdc2568ffc32090a6c57ee9ae2377e499b392fe8.png

I would like to take a moment and announce my next game, a cPRG titled Sector Unknown. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2734270/Sector_Unknown/ After creating quite a few strategy games as an indie (and mostly solo) developer, I decided, perhaps quite insanely, to create an cRPG instead. This is the genre that I find myself playing and enjoying the most, from classics such as Baldur’s Gate 2, Fallout 2, Fallout New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, to more contemporary games such as Pillars of Eternity, Outer Worlds, Colony Ship, Trudograd, Underrail, and Encased. In short, I really, really like RPGs, and especially ones that use an isometric angle of gameplay. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44915433/3374af1c0cc528a1be0d896da5acbaa0f34aca43.png Sector Unknown is sort of my love letter to both the classics and the contemporaries. I think I’m better suited for telling a story than number crunching strategy games (as evidenced by my mixture of reviews in that genre). After three years working part-time (well almost full time) on the systems, the game is close to complete on features (movement, inventory, party management, quests, dialogue, crafting, combat, itemization, space flight, etc). I’m aiming to have a demo for the game completed in a month or so. It’s close to completion now, but I’m still not happy with the tutorial level. What I do not want is for it to be a barrier to entry like the much-maligned temple tutorial level in Fallout 2 (I almost never experienced the rest of that fantastic game due to being so turned off by the temple). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44915433/7a97d24f2231b65d4036fb79fdf14b05eab5419e.png The goal for this game is to launch into Early Access Q1 next year. I intend to have over half of the game completed by that EA launch with full launch occurring 6-9 months after that. The idea to do an EA launch was not one taken lightly, but one thing I have found with my past launches is that just when I think a game is bug-free and ready for a seamless launch, players will find new and interesting ways to break things – leading to frantic post-launch schedule of rushing out bug-fixes and patches. I think this way is better. Launch into Early Access and take player feedback over time so that I can get everything sorted for a smooth launch after that. The other factor is budget. Right now, I do not have the armor or model system in place for player characters and NPCs. These are assets. This will change before Early Access as I have the models done (with no armor or clothing yet), but even after that, I suspect I will need some of the additional revenue from EA launch to finish the last 2-3 planets (as mentioned I aim to have 3-4 story planets complete for EA launch, with the first one ready for the demo in the coming month or so). I hope people will wishlist and follow this game. It’s always been a dream of mine to create a sci-fi cRPG, and there doesn’t seem to be many on the market except for Colony Ship (which I completed three times). So I hope there’s a market for something like this, a game taking inspiration from early Bioware and some of the great current game developers on the market today. I will continue to provide updates in the next while, including game systems, story, ideas, and more. I really look forward to people's feedback and thoughts as well. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44915433/04f4a5cadf50db7442cbcdcb989695b69dd65135.png

Thanks for your patience last week with the delay. Age of Gladiators Reforged has now launched (a few minutes early even!) I hope you all enjoy the new version of the game. It was a lot of fun for me to revisit my first foray into game design. Looking at my old code I had to shake my head. This one is a complete remake from scratch - the nice thing as well is that it can be updated far easier than the old version. Here is the bundle link for previous owners of Age of Gladiators (50% Discount): https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/8189/Age_of_Gladiators__Pit_Fighter_Bundle/ And here is the link to anyone that just wishes to purchase the new version: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103620/Age_of_Gladiators_Reforged/ Thanks again to all the previous fans of the series and to perhaps some news ones as well! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42822956/a21d8ba0d9dea0f8f5606cffb2a339ec1cb6827b.png

Hey all, Just a quick note: Age of Gladiators Reforged is on track to be launching on Monday, March 27th at 11:30 AM Eastern Time. Will keep you all up to date! There will be a discount for previous owners as previously announced as well. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103620/Age_of_Gladiators_Reforged/ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42822956/9baa53c07eb3b2a587637c639e0c3c7acc90a5f1.png

Hi All, Age of Gladiators Reforged will be launching on March 27th, 2023. This game is a remake of the original game launched back in 2016 with a ton of new features and quality of life improvements. I will also be offering it in a bundle at a steep discount for owners of either this game or the original Age of Gladiators. Thank you for all your support. Hope you enjoy the game - it was a lot of fun and also brought up a lot of memories going back to my first game and revising it to the modern era. Cheers! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/03f141881db9d5732a6f8a237e1b0d533d5b8e56.png

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/5fa6f42bf2d6a194a640c82681f205d468688f69.png It's been a busy Summer. Along with Deadwater Saloon, I would also like to announce Age of Gladiators Reforged, a remake of the original 2016 game in the Unity Engine. The store page can be seen here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103620/Age_of_Gladiators_Reforged/ As some of you might know, I created the 2016 game in an engine I (barely) cobbled together from several books. It didn't work in most resolutions and UI/quality-of-life changes were near impossible to implement - so I decided to recreate it in Unity from scratch. The UI has been updated to something made in 2022 (featuring more icons and less text as well as better-looking windows that conform to the overall palette) and many new quality of life additions have been added (daily alert icons across the top for example). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/0e02fdc71435a1a15a26dbc647133c02565cd717.png As well, numerous other gameplay and aesthetic changes have been made:

• Combat Mitigation now fed by agility and reflexes as well, making these attributes more useful.
• Improved alerts system
• Revised Gladiator Expertise system
• Revised Player Perks system
• Age incline and decline more drastic
• Added Killer Instinct and Work Ethic to gladiator personalities
• Drastically improved tooltips
• Works on most resolutions
• Staff, Lender, Other portraits added throughout the UI - now you can put a face to a name
• Weapons and Armor now have Stamina costs (making stamina much more important now)
• Dodging and Blocking now use Stamina (again, making stamina much more important now)
• Greed also affects daily spending of gladiator
• Gladiator portraits added to all UI
• Stable now contributes to fatigue recovery time
• Stable now has countdown for improvements
• Custom mouse cursor instead of system one
• Added a fight log so players can recap exactly what happened during battle
• Scrollbars instead of burdensome next/previous buttons
• Animals now have names
• More Player Portraits
• Fight Setup screens made more efficiently - a fight can now be started with two clicks instead of the many clicks previously
• Improved music player
• Icons instead of just text

These are just some of the changes - there are plenty more I am not thinking of here. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/eba73b389169b5fa9d8de8f5c12d04ac684b21dd.png Will keep everyone posted.

And of course, previous owners of Age of Gladiators will enjoy a discount if they choose to purchase the remastered version. So please wishlist and follow Age of Gladiators Reforged today.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103620/Age_of_Gladiators_Reforged/ Thanks! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/fe61640cf93f6a9fe9f8f926419420c2e922196f.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/d5c430f239578eb9851886b7cafc7cd81369a828.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/6fdbb7e2964fbcb01723892419a36a74691e6636.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/cfb12dadc3f8934bf754c232b7ac389be1aeeee3.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/db837ad79e3573a6eaa526fa5faa40eafb3f67a1.png

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/92d9ff72ddf258079afeaa216f7802f7b5d14c45.png I'm pleased to announce our next game Deadwater Saloon, coming out Spring 2022! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1696080/Deadwater_Saloon/ Dive into the wild west as a saloon owner in a volatile frontier town. Customize your character and face the consequences of your choices as you forge friendships and enemies of townsfolk, travellers, outlaws and lawmen. Build the most famous saloon in the territory, or be overrun and destroyed. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/8406db2f2d1e16fd288ff7fd30962124237cd307.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/87c64368e5f29f6e7198b902d7c3d7ac4babf32d.png

Create Your Character

Playing as a rich and dynamic character in the old west, you will be able to fully customize your attributes to fit your playstyle, such as Mixology, Seduction, and Sneakiness. You will manage your life as well as your saloon, such as maintaining your reputation and getting married. You will struggle with the effects of disease, aging, sanity, and addictions.

Form Relationships

Provide travellers with a distinct drink parlour, gaining legendary stories to regale and build your legend. Interact with townspeople as they populate the town, forging friendships with blacksmiths, sheriffs, and preachers, romance prospective partners, or blackmail, abduct, and murder those who threaten you.

Build

Build your saloon from the ground up. Expand the walls, build bordellos, opium dens, high stakes gambling rooms, and railed porches. Buy and place spittoons, tables, chairs, handcrafted bars, pianos, chandeliers, and diamond dust mirrors.

Manage

Thrive within a complex economy system, stockpiling booze, food, guns, and opium. Research a diverse array of drinks and foods to serve customers. Hire and manage staff from within the town populace, including barkeeps, cooks, servers, prostitutes, croupiers, pianists and bouncers. Help them reach their full potential, or fire and replace them with those more skilled.

Hundreds of Events

Face the forces of nature, meddlesome customers, firebrand Preachers, rival outlaw gangs, and much more. At some point, you will be tested by stronger and more formidable nemesis in longer event chains. Whatever you choose, you will face the consequences of your choices. The frontier is an unforgiving place. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/3f9f22ceed9cd1f279d291eafe22406bc6b89a46.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/15d3ef289efbf2c4c2e22a2a2ea1470151260545.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/b6e6bc9f49bb5ccd8412f1eaee836e9f0f7bc3da.png https://store.steampowered.com/app/1696080/Deadwater_Saloon/

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/e457db48c3d66f48c86f36a47213711d2b383ebe.png Raiders! Forsaken Earth will be going live on Tuesday, November 10th with a launch discount of 15%. All owners of Age of Gladiators II: Rome will be eligible for a further discount of 10%, making the total discount to 25%. https://store.steampowered.com/app/972010/Raiders_Forsaken_Earth/ This will be done by purchasing the bundle containing Age of Gladiators and Raiders! Forsaken Earth when the game is live - however, anyone already owning Age of Gladiators will only have to pay for Raiders. Will keep you posted! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/9b3ff719e410601cf4bab4964a110d5380e629d7.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/6f24aa861ab7c566fecc88a455056ab3e6d580e5.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/11921345/b5e278ce252fa3e9aec253fdbd55be12a5557796.png

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/a0bc2b7b3838bca32f1f09211a619c9a795381e8.png Here's the latest update notes with v1.3.21. Like the last update, these are based on the well-received feedback from players thus far.

• Enemy gladiators now level much slower on the easiest game setting
• Gladiators suffer permanent (-5) stat reduction after receiving a critical injury
• Property prices increase significantly with each new purchase
• Toggle option to equip and un-equip gladiators when assigning to hospital
• Obstructive coins removed from lender screen

Thanks everyone for continued suggestions and comments so far!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/69036f39685ee5ba189532a4b400d029ed5e516f.png Here's the latest updates with v1.3.20. Some of these are quality of life changes while others affect the game itself in both difficulty and gameplay mechanics. These are based on the fantastic feedback from players through the last year or so. I'm not done yet, there will be more making it into the game soon.

• Spectate Only mode added to Game Start for increased difficulty
• Added age status (Developing, Prime, Declining) to gladiator screen
• Gladiator morale decreases daily now, making it more important to share purses and build up your ludus
• Text changes (removed reference to armor and weapon techs and called them smiths instead)
• Fixed bug where gladiators training weapons would not age on birthday
• Adjusted rewards and losses (both decreased) from Ludus Raid random events
• Stat/Grading Key added to Recruit Screen
• Sliding Notification added when Building is upgraded
• Decreased text size of Sliding Notifications to prevent cropping
• Missions now reward either a legendary weapon or legendary armor - not just a weapon

Thanks everyone for continued suggestions and comments so far!

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/a0bc2b7b3838bca32f1f09211a619c9a795381e8.png With update v1.3.10, ten new Roman portraits have been added to the game. From an old and tired looking gladiator, to fresh-faced recruits, this should provide even more characterization and potential back-story for your gladiators! Hope you enjoy!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32835087/bf15617b3f0c94903a1bb14fb8529e0e7dda1cdf.png I'm pleased to announce my next game Raiders!, coming out Fall 2020! https://store.steampowered.com/app/972010 Wasteland Raiders is a post-apocalyptic single-player strategy game by the maker of the Age of Gladiators.

• Extort, attack and pillage greenhouses, rock quarries, and other industries of the wasteland in order to gain the resources required to build up your forces.
• Interact with, loot, or capture settlements and industries, spreading your reign of terror - captured settlements will need to be run with an iron-fist in order to ensure they remain under your control.
• Do battle with local mercenary companies sent to stop your rampage.
• You are the fearsome commander of the your raiders; the boss. Engage in duels, terrorize both your men and your enemies, and build your physical and mental attributes toward the eventual goal of total domination.
• Hire, manage, equip and level up your raiders.
• Fight other raiders organizations for control over the wasteland.
• Kidnap hostages and either execute them for infamy or ransom them.
• A fully dynamic and procedural generated map ensures each game is different.
• A running economy that you can disrupt and eventually conquer: the local industries such as greenhouses, rock quarries, garbage scavengers and more supply the settlements with resources, which in turn make them grow and generate finished goods - all for you to either extort or take through force.
• Build up your hideout, including holding pens for prisoners, a watering hole for recruiting new raiders, a brewery for much needed alcohol, a vault to protect your ill-gotten goods from internal graft, a siege factory for building city-breaching weapons, a counterfeit shop, and more.
• Capture specialists such as engineers, jesters, lizard hunters, bartenders, counterfeiters and more in order to build up your operation.
• Fly the mural of competing raiders in order to cast infamy away from your own organization.

The Wasteland Doesn't Need Another Hero... Feel free to wishlist and follow the game to keep up to date on progress! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/11921345/3892e8e173e512ab9d32a7c615d0d17dc9b84b12.png

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/70960850baf89d8ea91b06f783cb7053b9289ac1.png Update 1.3.6 is here!

• Ironman Mode - this has now been added to the game. This should hopefully add a new challenge for people!
• Combat View - a third view has been added: over-the-shoulder. This allows players to get right into the arena with their gladiators. This is more useful for spectating, but it can also be used for controlling gladiators as well.
• Combat Turning - gladiators can now spend an action point to turn a certain number of degrees in their hex. This is done by right-clicking on the grid adjacent to the next spot you wish your gladiator to turn.

More to come! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/d3ddb11bb26c38339ff08f2e5ea961a3a416be2f.png

Over the last 2-3 months, I've made some minor but important updates to the game. More will be coming, including additional portraits. Here's a list of the latest incremental changes made thus far:

• End Turn button renamed to End Day.
• Forfeiting matches not longer counts as a loss.
• Gladiators now properly receiving morale during match wins.
• Weapons and armor costs have been lowered.
• Removed healing powder from game.
• Slaves no longer receive a salary at year end.
• Slaves can be promoted to no longer be slaves. This button can be found beneath the Donate button on the Gladiator view screen.
• Sell Gladiators - Gladiators can now be sold. To do so, look for a button under their portrait on the View Gladiator screen called "Get Offers". There, other bosses will provide offers to buy a gladiator, with the price determined by fame, wins, and how much the other boss wants them. Some consideration will have to made as to whether or not you want to sell your prized gladiator to a boss in the same city as you.
• Fixed a freezing bug where the AI was attempting to train weapons points for the new Barbari class.
• Adjustments made to Barracks screen in order to fit elements better.
• Added new information to mail system.

Thanks again for the support and hope everyone is having fun! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/f4f50eabbe59bae344e218304937d1085b35d070.png

Here's the latest updates with v1.3.0

• New Combat Class - The Barbari class has been added. This class specializes in no armor and heavy weapons and are generated specifically from German and Gaul ethnicities. They gain a sizeable damage bonus when equipped properly but are fragile due to having no armor.
• Shields - These have been added under other items. Equipping them takes one slot and adds to a gladiator's block chance.

Thanks everyone for continued suggestions and comments so far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/0fa214daf223bf310dbefdccfdfca11cb6a0486c.png

List of updates over the last week.

• Game - An additional set of new portraits have been added to the game. Hope you enjoy!
• Equipment - Items now start with 2000 condition instead of 1000 (does not apply for retroactive weapons already owned).
• Combat - Fixed bug where gladiator sometimes uses Yarrow with attacks of opportunity and counter-attacks.
• Game - Gladiators are now unequipped when being added to hospital.
• Game - AI now assigns expertise properly to armor or weapons based on class.
• Game - Unequip All button added to individual gladiator screens.
• Game - Unequip All button added to Armory.
• Combat - Adjusted fight purse label to show fight purses not being shared for lost battles.
• Combat - Fixed bug where fast-clicking hot keys would cause issues.
• Combat - Special equipment returned to armory from dead gladiators.
• Game - Fixed bug that incorrectly tallied combat stats when equipped with items and adjusting expertise.
• Game - Fixed a bug where morale was being reported wrong on monkey event.
• Game - Fired/executed weapons and armor smiths return equipment.
• Game - Changed equip message on arena selection screen.
• Game - Fixed a bug with player fame not being attributed properly in some instances.

More to come. Thanks again for all your support! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/a710e67a21b2f9aedde55b3beabe2aca8ff37073.png

Quite a few updates the last few days.

• Combat - Players no longer need to assign the same amount of gladiators as the AI to a fight. Meaning a player can pit a single superstar gladiator against 1, 2, or 3 enemies. This opens up a whole new dynamic of betting and money-making, as well as I believe makes for some pretty exciting matches and tests of skill.
• Combat - Gladiator makes sound now when throwing sand.
• Combat - Beasts do not convert AP into Counter-Attack chance.
• Combat - Hold Ground for AI gladiators now convert AP into Counter-Attack %.
• Combat - Fixed a bug where AI was able to attack an infinite number of times during occasional matches.
• Combat - Fixed bug where actions panel would sometimes disappear during use of skill or item.
• Combat - Fixed a bug with boast causing next player-controlled gladiator to miss turn.
• Barracks - Fixed error in Weapons Training upgrade description.
• Game - Fixed bug that prevented some decayed equipment from being removed from armory.
• Game - Fixed a bug where Recruit screen would crash if firing staff members.
• Combat - Fixed bug where healing powder and Ignore Pain weren't displaying proper values.
• Combat - Animal attack delay reduced slightly.
• Game - Decreased enemy stable sizes, which effectively increases the level speed of their gladiators.
• Game - Added number scale after personality traits on View Gladiator screen.
• Game - Fixed bug where player ethnicity was not being saved and converted into morale bonuses for gladiators. This fix is only effective on new games.
• Game - Fixed wording on Opposing Boss screen to reflect better reflect vs Player stats.

More to come! Thanks again. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/07f64272c503d6f4d8d6eadab0f2afb2c1b95492.png

Quite a few updates the last few days, including an important increase of combat speed in the arena.

• Combat - Delay between attacks significantly reduced. This speeds up AI attacks and matches considerably.
• Game - AI controlled gladiators have their morale better managed.
• Game - Fixed bug misrepresenting the player Perk damage increase for African gladiators
• Game - Adjusted region label on recruitment screen to indicate scout is offering one or other of gladiator ethnicities
• Random Events - Staff upgrades will now reflect on Office screen, though not retroactively.
• Game - Fixed bug where Titan achievement was triggering at 30 million instead of 20.
• Game - Fixed bug where Augustus achievement was triggering at 60 million instead of 30.
• Game - Slaves going on quests will now remove all equipment.
• Combat - Quick adjustment to AP being converted into counter-attack % (from a multiplier of 2 to 1).
• Combat - Fixed bug where AI would use Yarrow occasionally during Attacks Of Opportunity.
• Combat - Hold Ground for AI gladiators now convert AP into Counter-Attack %.
• Game - Fixed bug where player ethnicity was not being saved and converted into morale bonuses for gladiators. This fix is only effective on new games.
• Game - Fixed wording on Opposing Boss screen to reflect better reflect vs Player stats.

More to come! Thanks for all your continued support so far - I truly appreciate it. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/6537ecfe64ec7538c83a6846d70401f17ced0efa.png

Big update today, including some combat changes.

• Combat - Unspent AP at the end of each turn gets turned into a counter-attack buff. So for example, if a gladiator has 5 unused AP, this will contribute 10% to their counter-attack chance during their defensive turn and reset once it is their attack turn again. This should add an additional element of thought when fighting.
• Combat - Lowered the AP bonus of Inspiration from 5 AP to 3 AP.
• Combat - Inspiration no longer used any AP.
• Combat - Reduced glancing blow damage from 30% regular damage down to 20% regular damage.
• Combat - Counter-attack now triggering during glancing blows.
• Weapons - Lowered slightly the damage range of Sica and increased slightly the damage range of Spatha. Will only apply for new weapons on the market.
• Game - Donate button costs 3,000 gold now instead of 2,000.
• Combat - Fixed bug where counter-attack attempts were sometimes tallying incorrectly.
• Special Items - Fixed bug where special items were sometimes taking away from Block or Dodge stats.
• Combat - Fixed bug where Dodge and Block heals were assigned incorrectly.
• Armory Capacity - Fixed bug with armory capacity reverting back to 10 on second new games.
• Gladiators - Fixed bug where they still were not getting hall of fame votes when released.

Thanks again for all of your amazing support thus far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/57b8db3958a2c34daed4316702a34356748d4306.png

Big update today, including a fix for the stubborn start a new game bug.

• Start Game Bug - This is finally fixed. Players can start new games now whenever they like without locking up the game.
• Recruits - Added class label to recruits screen.
• Classic Combat - Added equipped weapon and armor icons beneath portraits.
• Settings - Changed most default settings on start screen to easy.
• Trading - Fixed bug with wounded gladiators remaining in hospital despite trading them away.
• Trading - Fixed bug showing wrong roster of gladiators on trade screen.
• Trading - Fixed bug where wounded gladiators that were traded for were not being added to injured list.
• Hall Of Fame - Fixed bug where gladiators that were released were not being voted into Hall Of Fame.
• Retirement - City requirement info no longer shown when retiring.
• Combat - New sounds for special and ethnic abilities.
• Weapons Training - Increased weapon damage per specialty level from 10 to 20.
• Weapons - Fixed bug with weapon damage on assignment.

Thanks again for all of your amazing support thus far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/4f7e336f71d45abb82a7e370b919f8c0c7179830.png

Smaller updates today.

• Combat - Precise, Normal and Power Attacks now show proper additions/deductions from hit chance.
• Combat - General human and animal kills now being tallied for barehanded kills.
• Game Settings - Chance of kills increased slightly for all difficulties
• Game Settings - Prosperous mode much more prosperous, offering larger fight purses.
• Random Events - Weaponsmith improvement events now trigger.

Note that I am still working furiously on the save/load and start new game bugs that are occasionally occurring as well. Thanks again for all of your amazing support thus far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/d47e9683ff79ac457011e2e53faecff24447da8d.png

Some more updates from August 25th and August 26th.

• Combat - Fixed a bug where Dodge and Block rolls were stacking. These now roll independently.
• Game - Fights are only 1v1 and 2v2 for first 30 days of first year.
• Morale - Gladiators in training and being treated for injuries now lose morale if another gladiator is executed.
• Workshop - Can no longer assign a weapon or piece of armor to a smith already working.
• Classic Combat - Fixed a bug where a white square would appear when a gladiator without a weapon blocked an attack.
• Classic Combat - Unarmed attacks and beast attacks cost the proper 2 AP instead of 3 AP.
• Achievement - Gladiator kills now triggering properly. Will need one more kill to trigger the achievement if already of 20 kills currently.
• Gladiator View - The kills stat on the main page now indicates this is for humans only
• Missions - Fixed bug where loans were not being properly forgiven from either assassination or negotiation missions.
• Missions - Fixed bug where legendary weapons were not always being delivered.
• Random Events - Fixed bug where coin was not being deducted for staff training events.
• Random Event - Staff member that has already maxed out their levels will not be selected again (note will only work moving forward, not retroactively for staff members leveled up in the past.
• Random Event - Fixed bug with gladiator selected for training by legend and not coming back again if quitting game before he returned.

Thanks again for all your amazing support thus far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/07f64272c503d6f4d8d6eadab0f2afb2c1b95492.png

Large and very important update today.

• Combat - Gladiators will now start in a series of different positions when the match starts. Sometimes they will be on sides, sometimes they will be a bit more mixed up and spread out across the arena. This has a new and more unpredictable effect now on combat.
• Combat - Sand now procs only after successful roll against it's hit percentage.
• Combat - Sand now has higher chance of succeeding. For current games, the market will need to refresh with new merchandise though before the new sand items can be seen.
• Barracks Screen - Players can now double-click on the row in order to bring up the detailed View Gladiator screen.
• Arena Setup Screen - Players can now double-click to assign gladiators and equipment from the arena setup screen.
• Recruiter - Fixed bug where the owner Recruiter background was not applying bonus to gladiator salaries.
• Classic Combat - Block and Dodge text added to the this screen.
• Combat - Fixed Inspiration message to show correct AP bonus.
• Combat - Prevent 0 heal message from displaying.
• Combat - Fixed bug where gladiator nameplates were showing the combat UI.

Thanks again for all your amazing support thus far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/823492b45202695858f4c184b1ce99d16d4c3333.png

Smaller batch of updates this time - but lots more to come.

• Fight Purses - these are now progressively larger for 2v2 and 3v3 fights, providing more incentive to compete in the larger battles.
• Armory - space has now been increased by five slots at game start. This will not work on saved game however.
• Weapon Condition - this is now shown when rolling over the weapon as well as via a column in the fight start screen when equipping gladiators.
• Fame - fixed bug where fame was not advancing past 8000.
• City Invitations - The date window for city invitations is now explained a bit more on the Office screen.

Thanks again for all your amazing support thus far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/d47e9683ff79ac457011e2e53faecff24447da8d.png

Some excellent continued feedback and requests from players. Here are some of the latest updates I've deployed up to v1.5:

• Combat Animations - The AI controlled gladiators were only using one combat animation previously. This has now been fixed and they now use multiple animations when attacking, which should make the spectate mode a bit more entertaining.
• Trades - Quantity has a quality of it's own; but no longer in Age of Gladiators II: Rome. Opposing bosses will not be swindled into taking many sub-par gladiators for one good one. They now judge trades based on the average quality of the gladiator(s) being offered.
• Special Items - Bandages now called Healing Powder. Makes a bit more sense in the arena.
• Ethnic Label - Thracian and Iberian had swapped combat ability labels in their Other Stats window, this now fixed.
• Donate - It now costs 2,000 to donate to gladiator rather than 1,000. This will accentuate the need for good purse sharing management.
• Arena - Battle freeze, fixed issue where opposing gladiator did not know what to do and froze in place. I suppose people sometimes do the same thing in combat, but time doesn't also freeze with them... this is now fixed.
• Missing Staff Members - Fixed a bug where staff members were running away during the wrong quest.

Thanks again for all your amazing support thus far! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/410d956ffd18a2247dd18a2aa7434c506db4b672.png

Some excellent feedback and requests from players. I'm going through them all and trying to get them up as fast as possible! Here are some of the latest updates I've deployed with v1.2:

• Portraits - As requested, these can now be changed in the View Gladiator screen.
• Arena Combat - Gladiator teams will now sometimes wait for the other side to move first instead of charging in right away.
• Birthdays - Fixed a bug preventing certain gladiators from properly aging during birthdays.
• Gladiators in transit can no longer be accused of murder - this was pointed out earlier.
• Gladiators now always auto-train weapon appropriate to class
• Simulations (Real-Time) - Removed boss records from this screen.
• Famous Gladiator - Toned down the attributes a bit of a particularly famous gladiator that sometimes spawns.
• Quest (Make Up Your Mind) - Fixed a bug where the doctor was not registered as human owned. He can now be successfully used in the arena, if you are so inclined.
• Blood Spatters - The camera blood spatter is now an option that can be turned off on the Game Settings screen.
• Blood Pools - Decreased the time it takes for blood pools to form so players can see it after 1v1 defeats.

More to come. Keep the ideas flowing and thanks again for all your amazing support! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/f4f50eabbe59bae344e218304937d1085b35d070.png

Hey all, I have launched the game moments ago. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/db5f8faac10cc7ba1ca2e7db0a0d1c6949cd87d0.jpg For all previous owners of the first game, there is also an additional discount if you purchase it through the bundle here: Pit Fighter Bundle I hope you all enjoy the game! I will be updating and improving it in the months to come!

Hey all, I've finalized the release date to Tuesday, August 21st. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/69036f39685ee5ba189532a4b400d029ed5e516f.png My reason for moving it by a week is due to the fact there are some pretty heavy-hitting games coming out on the 14th (I'm giving some free advertising here to Phantom Doctrine, Walking Dead, Death's Gambit, and State of Mind). Not to mention the new World of Warcraft expansion. Though my game is sufficiently different from those, I want to give Age of Gladiators II: Rome the best release possible. Other news, I'm also offering a 10% launch discount as well. Will keep you all posted! https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/a286e117f741a2f5abfacfcface8907aeac80cd6.png

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/b0a0afc57e9bf10d12f010c7c10f95ae9095ce6c.png In the first iteration of Age of Gladiators, there were a few random events that popped up. With Age of Gladiators II: Rome, it was my intent to expand on this in order to make the world feel more dynamic and interesting. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/17db48d230610534854833d539a8c80b1e360df6.png

Random Events

Random events pop up occasionally, usually presenting several (sometimes hard) choices. These are one-off events and do not constitute actual quest chains. Examples of random events include:

• One of your gladiators becomes an alcoholic. You have the choice of either letting this slide and watching a stat of his go down as a result, or disciplining him for a major morale loss.
• The owner of a salt mine wishes to purchase one of your gladiators for a sizeable sum. Selling him might be tempting if you are in dire straits, but doing so removes him from your ludus forever.
• A monkey trainer has offered to entertain your gladiators for the day. Accepting results in a massive morale boost for all of your gladiators, but they also have a chance of becoming very sick. Rejecting the entertainer results in a massive morale hit, which could be disastrous if your gladiators are already discontented.
• A local baker offers to pay you to endorse his sub-standard product, even though he is known as a local price gouger. The payout is tremendous, but doing so will also result in a fame hit, which is also very important in this iteration of the game.
• And many more.

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32835087/1ec82ab1b6b9b0e1f98fc2417b24aadfbd4ab48b.png

Quest Chains

Quest chains are more involved and are typically triggered by one of your actions. Multi-part in nature and dependent on your previous choices, the rewards and consequences are much higher than random events. Some examples:

• The brother of one of your slain gladiators asks if he can join your ludus in his quest for revenge.
• One of the slaves you purchased contacts you about discovering his lost heritage.
• One of the money lenders that you previously borrowed from approaches you with a business idea.
• A staff member has gone missing in your ludus. Foul play is suspected.

Without giving away too much, these are some of the quest chains available. Many are well-hidden and will come about only by exploring the game. It is my hope that this helps round out the world a bit more and provides entertaining diversions to the bloody arenas of the Roman Empire!