Old World

Old World is a turn-based 4X strategy in which we take control of the ancient state and try to turn it into a real empire. The game, initially known as 10 Crowns, was developed by the independent studio Mohawk Games. Its chief designer was Soren Johnson, who previously held the same position with games such as Offworld Trading Company and Sid Meier's Civilization V.

Mechanics

Most of the time in Old World we spend on a hexagonal map of the world. The game is played in turn-based mode, and as one turn means one year in the game world, during the game we do not play as a single ruler, but take control of an entire dynasty that strengthens its position from generation to generation. The condition for victory is the fulfilment of ten so-called Ambitions, i.e. the special tasks set for the dynasty. They are generated procedurally, based on our previous achievements, the personality of the current character, as well as the events in which we have to participate. There are more than a thousand of them, inspired by events known from the pages of ancient history; the events often create a domino effect (one causes another, this in turn is the cause of another and so on). As in the Civilization series, it is also possible to achieve a point victory, occurring here in two ways: gaining more points after a certain number of turns or collecting twice as many points as any other nation.

During the game, we build and expand cities (together with the adjacent rural areas), constructing various buildings, among which the world's wonders, sanctuaries, amphitheatres and garrisons are leading. How many actions we can perform in a one turn is determined by a system of commands, the number of which can be increased by gaining a legitimacy (and thus - strengthening our position on the throne). This applies both to the constructing of buildings, taking part in events and conducting diplomatic activities, as well as make war.

Of course, for all this we need raw materials such as food, wood, stone and iron, which we obtain ourselves or buy by trade. Interestingly, the developers have implemented here a system known from the game Offworld Trading Company, which makes sure that prices on the market fluctuate depending on demand and supply. Moreover, an important role in Old World is played by the development of technology, which is based on mechanics borrowed from card games. As we progress, we are building a deck of cards related to specific technological discoveries, which leads to difficult choices about which research to reject at a given moment and which to prioritise.

Technical aspects

The graphic design of Old World does not differ too much from the level known from many other 4X strategies. The game was maintained in a style reminiscent of the fifth part of Sid Meier's Civilization series.