''Caesar IV ''is a city-building game set in ancient Rome, developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment (

Vivendi Universal Games Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Associ ...

). The game was released on September 26, 2006 in North America. The game features a three-dimensional

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...

and individual modeling of game character behaviors. Like its original release ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

'' in 1992, the game simulates city administration in historical Rome. Like its sibling release ''

Children of the Nile ''Immortal 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. It is part of the '' City Buil ...

'' in 2004, the game continues a new trend in the city building game genre to use more interactive and detailed game video game design and gameplay.

Gameplay

In a departure from older versions in the series, ''Caesar IV'' is equipped with variable, realistic 3D instead of fixed,

isometric The term ''isometric'' comes from the Greek for "having equal measurement". isometric may mean: * Cubic crystal system, also called isometric crystal system * Isometre, a rhythmic technique in music. * "Isometric (Intro)", a song by Madeon from ...

3D. This means more realistic landscapes and city views, and the ability for players to better see and use game building space. In addition, buildings and roads may be placed at 45 degree angles to the playing grid, as well as aligned with the grid, allowing game players more options in creating efficient and visually appealing city layouts. In an attempt at

historical realism Historical realism is a writing style or subgenre of realistic fiction centered on historical events and periods. External links Historical Realism as a worldview Literary realism {{lit-genre-stub ...

, the game tries to stay as close to proper Roman lifestyles as possible. To this end,

Sierra Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

Games did detailed research into Roman lifestyles using secondary sources and primary sources. The game is divided in three parts, named after the three traditional eras of Ancient Rome: " Kingdom", "

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

" and " Empire". The Kingdom part is a tutorial, while the Republic and Empire parts make up the campaign, where one can choose between peaceful and military assignments.

Reception

''Caesar IV'' received mixed reviews, with review aggregator website Metacritic giving it a rating of 74. Positive aspects mentioned were the city building, large amount of content, visually appealing 3D graphics and professional sound and music. However, there were complaints centering around crashes, user interface issues, lag problems and repetitive game play. The Australian video game talk show '' Good Games two reviewers gave the game a 6/10 and 8/10.

References

External links

Official website
via Internet Archive
''Caesar IV''
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Caesar Iv 2006 video games City-building games Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer online games Sierra Entertainment games Titan (game engine) games Video game sequels Video games scored by Keith Zizza Video games set in antiquity Video games set in the Roman Empire Windows games Windows-only games Video games developed in the United States