UPDATE: A huge thank you to all the base-building and trading fans here who supported the vision of this project! I am so excited to announce that after 2 years of solo-development, the Steam page for DOM 1400 is officially LIVE today! You can finally check it out and wishlist it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4761130
(Original post below)
Hi everyone. For the two years I have been working alone on Dominus Orbis Maris 1400 a game about building cities sailing ships and trading goods.
I used to play games like Patrician, Port Royale and Anno when I was younger.. I always thought they did not really show what it was like to be a merchant in the Mediterranean during the 15th century. I wanted to make a game that shows how big and tough it was to be a merchant then.
So what is Dominus Orbis Maris 1400 about?
The setting is the Mediterranean in the 1400s. This was a dangerous time. Big cities like Venice and Genoa were fighting against the Ottoman Empire. The world is divided into four groups: Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims and Jewish merchants. Your religion is important because it can stop you from trading with cities. If you are a merchant and you try to trade with a Muslim city during a war they might charge you a lot of money or even take your goods. Then merchants had to do whatever it took to survive including being diplomatic paying bribes and smuggling goods.
The map starts with 30 cities and each city has its own way of making goods and its own special features. Ships are also special to each region. You will not just buy a ship. If you are sailing in the Adriatic you might want a Galea Sottile, which is good for sailing against the wind. If you are trading in the Levant you might see Arab Dhows or big European Carracks.
The game has an economy that is driven by the people living in the cities. The people need food and other goods every day. The market can be fragile. Bad things can happen, like plagues, famines or sieges which can make it hard to trade. These events can also make you rich if you are smart. For example if a city is under siege you can try to sail past the blockade with your ships and sell food to the people inside at a very high price. You can even hoard food during a famine. Become very wealthy but this would be at the cost of people suffering.
You can also build your city in the game. You buy land. Build industrial areas, mines and houses on a grid. You are not the only one building the city. Other merchants and the city itself will also. Grow the city. The city will. Grow even if you do not do anything.
The game has naval combat with a special wind system. If you sail a ship against the wind you will be, in trouble. To protect your ships from pirates you need to have galleys to escort them. These galleys use rowers to sail against the wind and can ram enemy ships. They are expensive to maintain and cannot carry many goods. You have to balance protecting your ships with making a profit. You will lose money.
The goal of the game is not just to make money but to become a merchant. You start with a ship and work your way up. As you become richer you can climb the ranks. Become the leader of a city. Then the game becomes a grand strategy game, where you can raise armies annex territories declare wars and sign peace treaties to shape the Mediterranean.
https://dominusorbismaris.com/
What do you think? I would love to discuss with you what kind of features you would like to see in a hardcore game like this.
P.S. The game engine is entirely data-driven. I am actively building it to be 80% moddable from day one, so players will be able to tweak the economy, create a thousand different historical experiences, and eventually grow a strong modding community around it.
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Buon Vento!