DEV DIARY #3 - SONGS OF STEEL: HISPANIA ⚔️
Since the beginning of Songs of Steel: Hispania, it was clear that we wanted to produce a turn-based strategy game. On the one hand, we are great fans since we played our first games of “Age of Empires” in our childhood, and on the other, it was the perfect genre, since this war was like a long game of chess between two great strategists.
On their side, the Numantines at the beginning of the war managed to have about 25,000 men available by joining several tribes, who confronted (and defeated) a much superior Roman army of 30,000 soldiers. In the second half of the war, the difference between the two sides was enormous. The Numantines were never more than 8,000 warriors of fighting age and faced an organized Roman army whose troops ranged throughout the conflict between 20,000 soldiers and 60,000 (at the end of the war). With a difference so evident, the fact that the local side resisted for two decades is the result of great intelligence in the art of war.
The Celtiberians knew and used the terrain in their favour to make elaborate ambushes, were excellent riders, and worked the metal with such superiority to the Romans that the famous gladius was inspired by the techniques of the Hispanic blacksmiths. On their part, Rome had something that the Celtiberians did not. A production of weapons at an almost industrial level, a constant renewal of soldiers in each campaign and the determination that they would lose battles, but not the war. They already had the experience of having defeated many enemies like Carthage. Their military strength allowed them to apply siege techniques to the city that were unaffordable for the Numantines. Although the Numantines made them suffer like that famous and fictional “village populated by indomitable Gauls” of Asterix and Obelix, which is very reminiscent of Numantia.
At the beginning of the game we wanted to capture the superiority in numbers of the Romans, but to balance the sides we had to give more strength to some Celtiberian troops. This generated an interesting game system, but that did not take full advantage of the imbalance and was not quite accurate with reality, since the Celtiberians were not superheroes stronger than the Romans, just troops with a better strategy. To apply mechanics that were faithful to the reality of the battlefield, we incorporated Meteorbyte Studios into the project. Their work as developers faithfully reflected the way the troops of both sides operated, elevating the gameplay. There always must be a balance between historical accuracy and gameplay, and in case of doubt, it is always preferable to lean toward gameplay. But Meteorbyte has been able to use reality to enhance the gameplay. A great example is how armies work.
The first line of the Roman army that initiated the attack was composed of the young Velites (usually under 20 years of age), who harassed the enemy with weapons such as the pilum (javelin). They were barely protected. After the start of the battle, they were quickly replaced by the first shock troop: the Hastati, who were protected with light armour and carried spears or swords. They were still young (20-24 years old) and less experienced. Behind them were the Princeps, with similar weapons but with more protection, wearing chainmail or cuirass, and also with more years of war on their shoulders (25-35 years old). The last group of infantry was the Triari, with long spears and heavy armour, which protected the rear. They were the most veteran troops and only intervened if the battle became complicated - hence the ancient Roman expression "the thing came to the Triari" to refer to a problem that has become complicated. The characteristics of all these troops are translated into the game organically: enemies take more damage after being attacked by Velites, so it's smart to use them first. On the other hand the Triari become stronger if they stay several turns in one position without moving, so they work well to resist attacks once the rest of the troops have worn out in the initial turns. There are also special units that can change the course of a battle completely, such as war elephants. They were the downfall of Consul Nobilior in Numantia, but we give the player the chance to try to correct his mistake. We will unveil the special units in future dev diaries.
On the other hand, Celtiberian warriors use a system closer to “guerrilla” techniques ("concursare", as it was known at the time). Their units have more mobility and must use it to win. They have troops that receive upgrades if they move before attacking, or that can retreat after an attack, or that are immune to enemy opportunity attacks (they can disengage from combat easily). They do not have the strength or discipline of the Romans, but they do have greater morale: they are defending their land. It is also documented that battle songs were common among Celtiberian tribes and that there were religious representatives in their societies. We have taken the liberty of uniting these two customs into the figure of a druid, semi-heroic units whose chants can give certain strategic advantages to the troops, and further differentiate both armies.
On both sides, the game system based on positioning, flanking, and coverage was the best choice to achieve that balance between historical accuracy and gameplay.
If you liked what you read here, remember to add “Songs of Steel: Hispania” to your wishlist if you haven’t yet!