How is the latest version?

[jacopus95]

Hello fellow Paradox Gamers,
as i wrote in the title, how is the latest version going? I almost bought I:R on day one but i (luckily) decided to wait. Being the ancient/classical Rome one of my favourite historic periods i always tried to stay up to date with the news and updates, especially after the devs acknowledged the faults and got back to work immediately.
I was trying the game with a friend of mine but as you know, a couple of hours of gaming in a month (on his pc) is far from enough to even get the basics of a Grand Strategy, and that is why i am here.
What do you think of the current game status?
Is it worth it to give it a try? If you think it is finally worth it, what advice would you give to a new I:R but veteran Paradox gamer?
I somewhat found I:R a bit more complicated to grasp, maybe it is also because on Youtube there are too many videos of different versions and a lot has changed since version 1. I learnt the basics of EU4, ck2 and stellaris literally thanks to Youtube and Twitch, that is why i was hoping to repeat it with I:R.
Please be calm, i'm genuinely ignorant on what the community thinks right now of the game so i don't want to start a war or anything.
Thank you!

 

[scriptkiddy]

In comparison to v1.0, like day to night.

 

[Shogun96]

IF you have never played the game since day one, you will notice a MASSIVE improvement across almost everything. Culture, Religion, Pops and War now are all improved and interact better with each other. I strongly recommend you give it another try (tho you will need some time to get readjusted to the new mechanics).

This said, there are still many things in need of a overhaul, namely trade, diplomacy, characters system... but I still think the game is in a good state and I am having fun with it.

 

[direstrait727]

It is amazing in my opinion. I have a blast. For me even more fun than ck3.

I would buy the base game, there is the Carthage dlc included. And then play with rome or Carthage for the beginning. If you like it buy magna graecia and play Syracuse or Sparta. Then you have gained some experience in republics and monarchies. You have experiences in Italy, Northern Africa, Sicily and even Greece. After that go on with whatever nation you like. If you love the diadochis like me I think the heirs of Alexander dlc is a must have. But it's a rough start there so be cautious. I wouldn't recommend to start with diadochis on the first game

 

[LordSkorpio]

Honestly, I would love to recommend it to you but I can't, this game still needs a lot of work to become a good game.

I got the game around 9 months ago and got bored after 10 hours because there was no complexity in it. After Marius update I rapidly got the DLC because I loved the Dev Diaries and, again, I WANT to love this game. This time, I played 40 hours or so, until I realized the game still needed a lot of work and I was asking myself why I was playing this game instead of another more complete PDX game.

Just to give you some examples of why I stopped playing:

1. Internal politics are useless. Playing on Very Hard, I never got less than 70 support from the Senate (and I roleplayed A LOT). The only civil wars I had, happened because I deliberately provoked them. Parties never force you to do anything.

2. You can completely forget about characters if you want because their interactions are too limited. It's like a lite version of ck2.

3. War is too easy and too rewarding. The new update has certainly improved it a lot, but I found myself trying not to conquer too much land or finish my enemies too soon on Very Hard because I was roleplaying, but I could have finished Carthage as Rome in just one war in less than 3 years of war.

Im no pro, in fact I lose a lot of games because I like roleplaying and taking bad ways to do things just because it's fun. The problem here is, if I as a roleplayer had to contain myself against Very Hard AI, I don't know how easy it would be if I was just playing to win. Same story with internal politics.

 

[Daft]

I absolutely love it. CK3 is sort of on the back burner because of it.

Yeah, it has issues, but it's just so much fun, I can't stop playing.

There's a few hours left on the Spring Sale, and the game is available for €10. That's about the price of a lunch out.

At that price, you can't really be disappointed I think:

Save -75% on Imperator: Rome | Paradox Interactive

Paradox

www.paradoxplaza.com

 

[h3lp3r]

I've played about 200 hours of Imperator since 2.0 and haven't touched CK3 for more than a few hours, make of that what you will.

 

[Limbojack]

I still prefer EU4 over Imperator Rome due to the sheer volume of content, but patch 2.0.X has made Imperator Rome the better game of the two. It's miles ahead of the shallowness they decided to call CK3, and if you haven't played I:R since its early days, the current version will feel like an entirely new game to you. There are still aspects to be fixed but all in all, the current version is very enjoyable so I would give it a go if I was you.

 

[KBKDB]

Imperator has evolved from a really fun wargame with very limited empire management mechanics and arbitrary MANA generation and MANA sinks to match to an empire management/civilization builder game which is underpinned by in-depth simulation mechanics and characters having an important role in the management of your realm.

The core of these simulation mechanics is the dynamic population system which affects every facet of your realm - religion, economy, research, trade and military. In turn, as a player, you can influence how your population evolves over time through culture policies, technology, buildings, and laws. It is by far one of the best games in terms of long-term plans/strategies feeling incredibly satisfying to pull off successfully. Choices you make can have significant consequences years down the line and I think this is what Grand Strategy is all about. By far the best game in terms of peace gameplay and when it comes to more immediate action - you can always go to war.

It is absolutely insane how much work has gone into the game. All of the previous versions are still available (right click on Imperator -> Properties -> BETAS) and you can always see the difference for yourself.

 

[olivenkranz]

It is amazing in my opinion. I have a blast. For me even more fun than ck3.

I would buy the base game, there is the Carthage dlc included. And then play with rome or Carthage for the beginning. If you like it buy magna graecia and play Syracuse or Sparta. Then you have gained some experience in republics and monarchies. You have experiences in Italy, Northern Africa, Sicily and even Greece. After that go on with whatever nation you like. If you love the diadochis like me I think the heirs of Alexander dlc is a must have. But it's a rough start there so be cautious. I wouldn't recommend to start with diadochis on the first game

I have to disagree with that; I think that Egypt is perfectly suited for a first game (provided you have some experience with strategy games). It has an amzing geopolitical position, rich lands and besides the Seleukids no serious opponent. Antigonids are a laughing stock if not played by a competent player.

 

[jacopus95]

Well, i'm not disappointed from all your answers!
Thank you to all of you, i guess given the big amount of positive comments it is worth it to give a try.

I absolutely love it. CK3 is sort of on the back burner because of it.

Yeah, it has issues, but it's just so much fun, I can't stop playing.

There's a few hours left on the Spring Sale, and the game is available for €10. That's about the price of a lunch out.

At that price, you can't really be disappointed I think:

Save -75% on Imperator: Rome | Paradox Interactive

Paradox

www.paradoxplaza.com

Also i didn't know it was so cheap right now, i think it might be a good idea indeed!

As a paradox fan i've been harsh in the past with some decision (stellaris 2.X lag fest or EU4 latest DLCs and lack of fixes), but following relatively closely the developments of I:R i feel it might be a good idea to show some love for the work they put in. If you are (almost) all telling me it is a much better game now i will follow your advices!
I will wait just some time again in case anyone else had some more opinions to share, thank you all for your help!