Procedural throne generation

June 12, 2021Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

For quite a while now there have been a number of terrain features in the game that do not possess proper look-up images. The three that have stood out have been paintings (in castles, galleries, private homes, etc), statues (in parks, districts, castles, galleries, etc), and thrones (in castles). Procedurally generating paintings and statues is … Read More

Procedural alcohol generation

May 29, 2021Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

URR 0.8.3 is all but done! All the three main new features have been implemented (three new policies), a range of bugs have been fixed, and right now I’m just playtesting all this new content to try to make sure there aren’t any new crash bugs introduced by adding this new stuff. Assuming nothing monstrous … Read More

Procedural cult generation

May 20, 2021Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

Hello friends! Let us begin this week with some exciting news: 0.8.3 is on its way! I have been working on it for the last couple of months and – unless it contains some kind of monstrous bug I need to fix with a quick 0.8.3a – this will be the final release in the … Read More

AI and Games Interview

April 9, 2021Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum

Hello everyone! Something a little different this week. Given the topics of my blog (and the impressive and incredibly pleasing success the channel in question has enjoyed) I am sure that many of my readers are aware of the AI and Games YouTube channel, run by Dr Tommy Thompson, a colleague and friend I first … Read More

Ultima Ratio Regum 0.8.2 Released!

March 3, 2021Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

Ultima Ratio Regum 0.8.2 released! Download it here.  5/3/2021 update: 0.8.2b released, with two important quick fixes resolving a common crash bug when looking at things inside buildings, and (re)fixing moving up/down stairs. BUG FIXES: Fixed an extremely rare bug where a slum was supposed to spawn, but could not, due to the surrounding environment … Read More

Ultima Ratio Regum 0.8.1 Released!

February 13, 2021Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

URR 0.8.1 released! Download it here. Changelog: Asking people about their civilization’s laws on trade no longer sometimes causes a crash when they mention black markets. Asking someone to list the civilizations their homeland trades with no longer causes a crash if there is only one civilization they trade with, and that civilization they rarely … Read More

URR 0.8 Post-Release Thoughts

January 3, 2021Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

Well, what a week this has been since release! I’m pleased to say the release overall went very well; I have been sent only a few bug reports, and almost all those I have got are pretty easy to fix (more on this in a moment). The feedback has been extremely positive and I can’t … Read More

Ultima Ratio Regum 0.8 Released

December 27, 2020Game Design, Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

It is with immense pleasure that after around five years (!!?!) of development, including a year “off” when I thought / feared I might never return: Ultima Ratio Regum 0.8 is done! Main features: Procedural generation of potentially millions of possible NPCs in all settlements within the game. Several dozen different NPC types, each with their own schedules which play … Read More

URR Finale Update XVIII

December 13, 2020Ultima Ratio Regum, Updates

Hello everyone! Not much to report this week. Sadly – having just said in last week’s entry how much better my head is doing – I’ve had a week of head / eye complaint. It’s all psychological rather than physiological (I haven’t had any concussion symptoms in over a year now) but as anyone whose … Read More