Feral News

Building Rome: The help function of ROME: Total War on iPad

Rome wasn’t built in a day – and for iPad it took a while. Here we describe our journey in a series of five enlightening dev diaries, from our first experiments with touch controls right through to completing the full and glorious experience of ROME: Total War on iPad.

When ROME: Total War reached the hands of testers who’d never played it before, some found it tricky to master Total War mechanics and touch controls at the same time. So we teamed up with the Advisor and set about making it easier.

First we took the help text displayed next to the Advisor and made it full-screen so it couldn’t be missed. We also implemented an archive feature, so you can swipe back through the help to refresh your memory.

After upping the accessibility of the help text, we implemented some extra crib-sheet style help for anyone needing a quick 'how-to' for their current predicament. As well as a manual in the pause menu displaying a list of controls, we added context-sensitive guides to show you what each on-screen element does. All you have to do to bring up these guides is hold your finger over the Advisor for a few seconds, anywhere in the game.

We made sure to keep veterans happy too, of course: the advice level can be lowered or switched off entirely.

ROME: Total War is now available for iPad on the App Store. Advance to the minisite for videos, screenshots, and tips on building and ruling your empire.

El Presidente of the Metaverse — Tropico Out Now on Meta Quest!

Strap on your headset, your sun hat and your flip-flops — Tropico is out now on Meta Quest!

Get a fresh perspective on the beloved city-building and politics sim, completely immersing yourself in the role of El Prez across 40 missions and an endlessly replayable sandbox mode.

Use intuitive VR controls to build, bribe, politic and power-grab. Take in the sun, sea and sand as you design your Caribbean creations from on high. Keep a very close eye on your adoring public, and ensure that the elections are forever in your favour!

Head to the Meta Store and seize power in Tropico for $29.99 / £22.99 / €29.99 today.

Make Island Dreaming a Virtual Reality in Tropico — Landing on Meta Quest on March 28th

Become El Presidente and take hold of the levers of power, in Tropico for Meta Quest, arriving the 28th of March!

For Feral’s first foray into virtual reality, we have followed our tried-and-tested approach of bringing a classic and much-loved game to an exciting new platform, without compromise.

Bring your grand visions to life in the humorous city builder and political sim, expertly adapted for VR — with over 40 missions to tackle, using a custom-built interface and intuitive controls.

Promise, parley and propagandise your way to a neverending term in office. Immerse yourself in Tropico, and transform this untapped pocket of paradise into an industrial powerhouse, a tourist playground and a budding superpower — all under your firm, but fair hand.

Wishlist today to book your ticket to a Caribbean paradise of your own making — coming to Meta Quest on the 28th of March.