Ultima Ratio Regum

Ultima Ratio Regum
Beta Project
Developer	Mark Johnson
Theme	Strategy Games
Influences	Dwarf Fortress, Civilization, Total War, Nethack, Supreme Commander, Tomb Raider
Released	~Summer 2012 (alpha)
Updated	5 March 2021 (0.8.2b)
Licensing	Closed Source
P. Language	Python
Platforms	Windows
Interface	ASCII, Keyboard
Game Length	Hour or two (currently)
Official site of Ultima Ratio Regum

“Ultima Ratio Regum is one of a few ambitious, long-term projects which I think represent the most exciting things about indie game development, about PC games, and about what technology can do for the games of tomorrow.” - Graham Smith, Rock Paper Shotgun

A semi-roguelike game inspired by the literature of Jorge Borges, Umberto Eco & Neal Stephenson, and the games Europa Universalis and Dark Souls.

The latest build can be downloaded at: https://www.markrjohnsongames.com/games/ultima-ratio-regum/

Ultima Ratio Regum ("the last argument of kings") is a ten-year project, of which 3.5 years have been finished via coding part time whilst completing my doctoral work. It's a game which aims to integrate thematic content on historiography, philosophical idealism and the rise of modernist grand narratives, with the deep, complex and challenging gameplay one expects from a "classic" roguelike (and, of course, an ANSI display and permadeath). Set approximately around the Scientific Revolution, the objective of this year is to finish all remaining worldbuilding (~2.5 months), and begin to integrate early gameplay focused around strategic choices, NPC interaction, and hopefully combat too. Screenshots:

Screenshots:

Images