The things I want the most are:
- Game date from 272 BC to 235 AD (the date when Roman Principate started collapsing)
- A Late Roman Empire themed expansion/DLC that expands the date to 476 AD, or even 565 AD. With new government form (the Dominate), new factions, and the different army system.
- The player should be allowed to choose and play a single character and his dynasty, like in CK2.
- A very well-detailed (and historically accurate) government system where player and AI character can compete for elections, use their powers when holding a post (for example as Censor you could remove rival senators from list). A REAL Cursus Honorum, and embezzling money.
- A
proper Senate, with senate posts like the 'First Speaker' and such. And ability to propose laws and diplomatic maneuvers, and call voting sessions. Senate sessions can also take place via events, where players interact and might gain/lose popularity, rivals and friends. Also affecting factions.
- Ability to form factions within the senate. Or at least join the existing ones (for example those militarists in EU-Rome) and work with fellow members. Factional rivalries can eventually result in civil wars.
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A full scale court trial system. Simply imprisoning someone over a minor offence is bland gameplay. Senators should be tried in the senate and vote should decide what punishment is given (fines for minor offences, expulsion from senate from major ones, banishment from realm or even execution for treason cases).
- A really detailed character system and interaction, based on CK2 and improved from there. With a lot of skills, private funds, loyalties and such. I want HBO Rome level family politics.
- Lots of factions, especially barbarian ones. And the map expanded to at least the borders of India so that the Seleucid Empire can be depicted properly.
- Ability to form
custom provinces. Historically, borders of Italia and many provinces changed when Augustus became emperor, and some provinces disappeared altogether. If possible, changing provinces with time as well.
- A proper army command system where you can group several legions into a consular army. Proffessional armies instead of levies for most factions.
- Ability for the AI Consul/King/Pharaoh/Emperor to
appoint the player as commander of armies. Only then would the player be able to control an army, and only his own army (to control all armies, player must be the faction leader). Same goes for fleets, if player is appointed as admiral.
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Private armies that cost a lot of cash but function as an army under player's command (although not without criticism and threat from senate, who can declare you traitor if you do something wrong since private armies are illegal). Crassus built a private army during emergency times, and to an extent Caesar did it too.
- Realistic civil wars with events if possible. Roman civil wars are probably the most interesting civil wars in history, and eventually had great influence in shaping the geopolitics of Europe, Africa and Middle East. Governor rebellions as well.
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EQUAL attention given to factions other than Rome. Athens was a democracy too. Carthaginian republic was even more powerful than Rome itself...until it was defeated. Sparta was a dual kingdom. Diadochi and Armenia had their own governments. Egypt returned to the old Pharaonic system with Greek influences. Tribal lords differed from the rest of the world.
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No stupid arbitrary restrictions like those present in Victoria II. For example giving high infamy for breaking truces, instead of disabling war altogether as in that game. Please Paradox, this is necessary.
- Also, allow us to
rename brigades and ships. This was another stupid arbitrary restriction put there for no apparent reason.
- Realistic battles, both land and naval. They can use their great innovations made in HoI series.
- Choosing of military system. Hellenistic factions adopted Roman-style military during their last stages. Romans themselves used Hellenistic system very early on.
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A detailed population system, somewhere close to Victoria II. The governors of provinces have control over their population. Having to balance the number of slaves (who can rebel if in high numbers), bureaucrats, traders, peasants and so on was the key job of a Roman governor or Hellenistic Satrap.
- A detailed economic system too. Aside from general import-export, you need something working like Victoria II's world market that allows relative freedom of economy within your faction, and client states and possibly allies. We need
MORE resources too.
- Ability for characters to build, or purchase/sell estates. Major reason for Roman expansion historically. Estates should produce goods that can be exported, but the profit go to the dynasty.
- Shortages of resources should have an effect. Lack of grain/food might provoke riots especially in big cities. Lack of weapons and armament can result in undersupplied armies. Lack of wood might render you unable to build ships (at least large ships), lack of stones can disallow fortifications. Resource shortages should also affect popularity.
- Bigger intrigue system. Plots to seize estates, have someone be charged for a crime, have someone divorced etc.
- Private citizen system for those who wish to retire from public life. Not every Patrician was necessarily a senator. But private citizens can have better chance for handling business and trade.
- A system for adoptions. This happend way too frequently within Rome and to some extent, Hellenistic empires.
- Realistic fabrication of casus-bellis. Rome announced that Carthage had broken treaties and used this to start Second Punic War. They used it as a casus belli. First Punic war itself started with Rome breaking treaty and crossing from Italy to Sicily, with Carthage using this as casus belli to declare war.
- A system that allows us to give war targets to allies/puppets, so that they attack a chosen point instead of goofing around with their armies.
- Ability to sell provinces like in EU3/EU4. Perhaps ability to buy provinces as well.
- Hostage, kidnapping and imprisoning systems. Hostages allow you to force your terms on someone, kidnapping allows you to take hostages, and imprisonment should work similar to that of CK2.
- Multiple commanders per army. An army should be composed of many legions, so each legion can have a character.
- Court and retinue. As a senator you have your family and followers. As a Hellenistic emperor you have powerful ministers and court nobles... etc.
- More government types. Also, everyone should be able to change into any government, and this Senate should not be exclusive to Rome.
- Perhaps a later expansion pack expanding the map to India to accomodate the huge and powerful Mauryan Empire, which started collapsing by mid-game. Another expansion pack that consists of Qin and Han Dynasties. Roman trade with both India and China was important.
- Proper trade routes, that can be blocked. The Silk Road, the grain shipment from Egypt to Rome, the Amber and Tin routes north of Danube, the trade routes from Egypt to India...and so on. Blockading ports should have a real effect.
....The list could go on. Paradox has the capacity to implement these features, a lot of them are present in CK2 already in primitive/feudal form to be relevant to the timeframe. A lot of others have been tried successfuly in Victoria II and EU series. I hope they develop Rome II soon, because it can sell great if they do it presently.