Recent reviews by Sir Vladimir

If you're a Star Wars fan, and love RTS games then this is a must! One of my most favourite games of all time, it is fun time and time again and with the mods the community creates it is amazing. I played hundreds of hours back when it came out and playing it again has been an amazing experience. The current modding community that surrounds the game has made it even better, such as the Thrawn's Revenge mod. There has been no better gaming experience then taking a super star destroyer and a massive fleet to take down the Rebellion.

Here are my 2 cents having played Imperator quite alot, and someone who has loved Strategy games since AOE2 back in the day.

The game has alot of depth for the strategy players, in the economic, military, political field through the underlying mechanics of the game.

- For the economic players who loved trading in EU4, you had a trading goods system that is quite indepth, each has its benefits if you have a surplus, trade it with other empires and otherwise. Knowing that now makes me look around the map for trading goods, and opportunities to sell/buy
- Regions: Managing regions was key for the Roman Empire to survive. In this game, managing your regions is a very important part of the game. You pick a Governor who has governance traits (i.e. you don't want someone corrupt leading a province), you want someone who is loyal (who won't start/join a rebellion), the province has different goods, economic system, development, civilisation level and so much more! You can dive into each province to make sure the economics work well
- Buldings: You can build buildings in each of your cities. I enjoyed building a Granary in every city I had so that population growth was good. Through building I was able to make a tonne of money on trade (combining that with good Province management)
- Military: this is where the game shines. There are many different unit types that counter other unit types. Each has their own attrition value as well (i.e. how many supplies they will take in a tile) so having many light armies (light infantry, light cavalary and archers) can be larger than you're heavy infantry armies and not take as much attrition as say a Roman Legion with a tonne of heavy infantry and heavy cavalry. The attrition is brutal in this game, but it is reflective of the time period you're playing (it is Roman times, food spoils quickly) On top of this, each army can have a type of 'tactic' depending on what their army consists of. Do you have an army of light infantry/light cavalry/archers? Then skirmishing is your line tactic. Different tactics beat other tactics in the same way that rock beats scissors, but it is more detailed than that. Some cultures give you a tactic, for example the Greek Phalanx which is a really useful tactic even with a few troops. On top of all that is the penultimate importance of military leaders in Imperator - Julius Caesar is well known for his military campaigns being a brilliant general. This is reflected in your armies, good commanders are integral to winning battles
- Politics: Yes, politics. Rome and Greece created politics, a famous quote is Politics - Poly meaning many and ticks meaning blood sucking insects!! In this game they're split up into 'families' and individuals. Families who don't have someone who has a good job are 'spurned' and their loyalty goes down. In a republic, the politics between factions is important but overall because there is an election it overall gets resolved by getting voted out. However if you're a Monarchy (i.e. Pharoah of Egypt, Dictator of Rome, etc) Loyalty is very important. Loyalty can cause rebellion, and characters talk to other characters to then make their opinions change in their favour. The politics is extremely indepth and even I haven't got to the bottom of it, but it is really interesting.
- Historical Accuracy: I enjoy the historical accuracy being a history buff. It isn't a historical textbook but I love the historical flavours to the game, for example talking about the Phoenecian traders and otherwise. When as Rome you take Carthage, you can recreate the Sacking and burning of Carthage!! Or, you can keep it as it is and make it prosper. The great Roman battles against the German tribes is recreated in the impact that chariots have on the Roman infantry, the morale, and overall the cultures therein. The historical part of the game is one of the reasons I love this game so much as it transports me back in time.
- Populations: The populations part of the game is also important and has alot of depth. You have society tiers (as it was back then) - Tribesmen, Slaves, Freemen and Citizens. The depth that is behind this is huge, and managing this can be alot of fun. I have in my Roman Empire game 150 'pops' that are Slaves, they outnumber the citizens! It makes it quite funny, and a challenge to manage. Managing it properly makes research and other sides more efficient
- Much more: There is much more that I really enjoy - the Religion aspect, Diplomacy and otherwise. However, I will let you explore those!

Downsides to the game is in the military tab you can set armies on 'automatic'. If you played HOI4 you would know that may not be the best strategy, do you really want the AI to look after your armies? You do that at your own risk. They need to improve the AI in that regard. I would also love the character system to be more CK2-like, in the sense I would like more personal interaction between my leader and others. I would also like a way to get more generals if needed (like on CK2). There are a few other things I would like to improve, but I am sure they will in time.

It is also important to know this is just the beginning - like every Paradox game it has a development cycle that lasts a long time. I like it because the DLC and content adds to the game and transforms it, even years after release (best example is Crusader Kings 2 and the amount of work they put into that game). Therefore Imperator is, is not the game it will become. I do understand people's disappointment about the DLC issue, but there are always free updates and DLC you can get if you like the addon.

Overall the game is lots of fun if you're a strategy fan, history fan and such who likes a challenge and to have some fun. Imperator feels like Stellaris when it came out. However as it is currently, its enjoyable, strategic and a great strategy game. Play it, have some fun, and enjoy the ride!

Imagine any sci-fi universe: Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly.

The ship has crash landed. Only a few survivors on a planet. What will happen?
Amazing game, learning curve is fun and have only played this on ironman mode. So much fun with only one save making a story each time. I have learnt alot and have really enjoyed this game with few mods. With the multiplayer mod (and hopefully eventually implemented into the game itself), this game deserves a commendation.

Fantastic game, 9/10. This game is for all gamers who are sci fi fans, an epic grand strategy game that allows you to recreate some of the best sci-fi ever, or alternatively make your own story! From military, economy and culture this game recreates a battle of the galaxy in the finest way.

Recently a big change came to the game, where the war, combat system was changed immensely. This caused many people to write negative reviews. However, don't take that as reflecting how much fun this game is to play, and how much strategy is involved in it.

Fantastic game, with alot of depth, history, and strategy. I enjoy all the Paradox Games, and this one is definitely becoming one of my favourites as it mixes my interest in history with my love and enjoyment of strategy games.

The only thing that they need to do is improve the AI ingame, other than that I think the game is well balanced and with mods it brings greater dimensions to the game

Alot of fun, reminds me of the best hours I played of SWAT 3 and 4, Rainbow 6 just from a top-down view :) Wish it had multiplayer though

Lots of fun, great simulator to play all kinds of games on! Fun for everyone, really easy to use and a great source of fun goodness not requiring lots of resources to do so

Crusader Kings 2 is an epic Strategy game where you play as a family of characters to develop and expand your kingdom. This game is heaps of fun, with friends and by yourself because the RPG elements of your character, that combine marvelously with historical events, as well as building and expanding your kingdom into a medieval power!

The game is also complex, and the research that went behind it is amazing. Different cultures, religions, customs, make the game rich in diversity and alot of fun.

Overall, the best game I have in my Steam library :)

Fantastic game overall, but don't expect lots of explosions or action. It is a strategic RTS which depth is amazing, and I definitely recommend you try it!

Wonderful game, can get quite addicting as it has amazing depth and requires alot of planning. Very enjoyable, and continues to challenge your planning requirements.