It was 2007, and we had just finished developing
Cradle of Persia. So we asked ourselves: “What do we do now? What game should we work on next?” Since hidden object games had become widely popular, we decided to give that genre a try.
Getting Started
To begin with, we had to come up with some distinguishing features for our future game to differentiate it from the many other hidden object games already on the market. Because Awem doesn’t make “ordinary” games, we knew the game had to involve more than just clicking around. After discussing two different concepts, we collected all successful ideas and defined a setting. Due largely to the popularity of
Cradle of Rome—and with the substantial help of our online community—we determined that our new hidden object game would be set in Rome.
At that point, we reviewed our assets:
• A fine setting, popular with most and familiar to all
• A nice concept
• An enthusiastic team
Meanwhile, programmers were busy with a new engine which could meet all the game’s requirements; our artists were working on the first locations; and the project lead had begun turning the concept into a full-fledged design document. The work was in full swing.
Design Challenges
At the initial stage of development our requirements were so high that both programmers got seriously stuck building the engine. But we did not lose our resolve. The forced delay gave us the chance to work out the design document and get rid of dubious features at an early stage.
When at last the programmers could show some meaningful results, the graphics were also ready. What that meant is that we now had built enough that we could share our work-in-progress with a focus group.
Its response was: "OK." Of course, we were not at all happy with "OK."
Design Improvements
To improve our game, we decided to add more characters, enliven dialogue, expand the story line, and (most important of all) introduce trading relationships and a market. Henceforth, as players found hidden objects they would earn coins which could be spent at the market. As they acquired more, their possessions would be displayed in their profiles. In addition, we decided to provide players with usable tools—an idea that received an enthusiastic response from our focus group.
Of course, all of these innovations compelled us to make changes to the interface—and as we did so, the interface became heavier and more complicated. Eventually, having experimented with numerous interface variations, we settled on the design you can see in the game today.
From Demo to Final Release
Little by little we refined our first demo version of the game and took it with us to
Casual Connect Kiev 2008 . Despite the fact that the demo was a bit raw, we received warm and positive responses there, which boosted our enthusiasm for the project. What’s more, at the conference we received some valuable suggestions for improvements which we subsequently incorporated into the game.
After the trade show, we found ourselves snowed under with work—but to be honest, we faced it with pleasure. The release was at hand, after all, and we looked forward to our approaching holiday with eager anticipation.
The beta version of
Romance of Rome was ready in March, but it completely failed initial testing.
At that time, we made the difficult decision to make wholesale improvements to the game—even if it meant we would have to postpone the release date for several months.
For starters, we rewrote the plot to make it more extensive while giving the heroes unique, recognizable characteristics. We also made the game more “grown-up” and serious (which didn’t deprive it of its humor and charm). We replaced straight blocks of text with bright and stylish comics. And perhaps most significant of all: We got rid of the market altogether even though it had taken central place in the previous version of the game.
Finally, after one-and-a-half years and two different budget increases—and in spite of numerous difficulties along the way—
Romance of Rome was released on September 1, 2009.
