Julius Vita

From GameBrew
Julius Vita
Juliusvita2.png
General
Authordevnoname120, Julius Team
TypeSimulation
Version1.7.0
LicenseAGPL-3.0
Last Updated2021/10/15
Links
Download
Website

Julius is a fully working open-source version of Caesar 3, with the same logic as the original, but with some UI enhancements, It can be played across various platforms, including the Nintendo Switch.

Caesar III is a video game that was released on September 30, 1998, developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra On-Line. It is the third installment of the Caesar series of games and is part of Sierra's City Building Series.

The goal of the project is to have exactly the same game logic as Caesar 3, with the same look and feel. This means that the saved games are 100% compatible with Caesar 3, and any gameplay bugs present in the original Caesar 3 game will also be present in Julius.

Enhancements for Julius include:

While Julius does not implement any gameplay changes, a fork of Julius named Augustus is implementing many long-wanted gameplay changes, such as roadblocks. Beware: Augustus does not support the original Caesar 3 save files, while Julius does. So use Julius for a more vanilla experience with some visual improvements, or Augustus for a different gameplay experience.

Installation

Julius will not run without the original Caesar 3 files. You can buy a digital copy from GOG or Steam, or you can use an original CD-ROM version.

To run Julius on PlayStation Vita, follow these steps:

  • Ensure you have a jailbroken Vita. Detailed jailbreaking instructions can be found on vita.hacks.guide.
  • Install the julius.vpk file using VitaShell, like any other homebrew.
  • Copy all the files from a Caesar 3 install into a folder ux0:/data/julius/, so that you have the file ux0:/data/julius/c3.eng and more in your folder.

User guide

in Caesar III, players take on the role of a Roman governor, tasked with building up a grand Roman city, in which they must ensure their citizens have their needs met, that their city is safe and profitable, while meeting various goals set for them and dealing with various disasters, angry gods and hostile enemies.

Julius documentation.

Controls

Left Analog - Move the mouse pointer

Right Analog/D-Pad - Scroll the map

R/Cross - Left mouse button

L/Circle - Right mouse button

Triangle - Simulate Page Up keypress (speed up in-game time)

Square - Simulate Page Down keypress (slow down in-game time)

Start - Bring up on-screen keyboard (useful to enter player name etc)

Select - Toggle between touch modes

Touch modes can be toggled with the select button. There are three modes:

Touchpad mode (default):

Single finger drag = move the mouse pointer (indirectly like on a touchpad)

Single short tap = left mouse click

Single short tap while holding a second finger down = right mouse click

Direct mode:

Pointer jumps to finger, nothing else

Julius mode:

For multi-touch gestures, the fingers have to be far enough apart from each other, so that the Vita will not erroneously recognize them as a single finger. Otherwise the pointer will jump around.

Physical Bluetooth mice and keyboards are supported. This was tested with the "Jelly Comb Mini Bluetooth Keyboard With Mouse Touchpad," and with the "Jelly Comb Bluetooth Wireless Mouse."

The Vita doesn't pair with all Bluetooth devices.

Screenshots

juliusvita3.pngjuliusvita4.png

Known issues

Julius recreates many bugs that you can find in original Caesar 3 game, to preserve 100% saves compatibility. See the list of Bugs & idiosyncrasies to find out more.

Changelog

v1.7.0

General improvements:

  • Touch devices: added the ability to pause the game using an on-screen button.
  • The game looks more crisp when using scaling on high DPI screens.
  • File dialog: when typing a name, the list automatically scrolls to the first matching file.
  • File dialog: input textbox now only suggests 'My Rome' when saving, not when loading a game.
  • Added support for new platforms: Haiku and Emscripten.
  • Population graph on the populator advisor is now usable for populations larger than 51200.
  • Bridges are now shown on the minimap.
  • Joystick support for Vita and Switch.
  • Ships now play the proper phrase when leaving the docks.
  • Configuration: new option to disable scrolling when the mouse is near the window's edge.
  • Configuration: hotkey config now gives a warning when you try to assign a hotkey that's already in use.

Language improvements:

  • Better font rendering for Korean and Chinese. This requires new font files for those languages, which are included in the Patches. Please (re-)download the patch file for your language and extract into your Caesar 3 installation.
  • Korean: fix money being drawn as "100 Funds" instead of "100 Dn".

Bugfixes:

  • Fixed possible corruption and linked storages when an earthquake destroys a warehouse.
  • Fixed the game self-destructing the entire city when a wall/aqueduct blocked the road to Rome.
  • Fixed build images in the sidebar not showing the correct image when a building was selected for construction.
  • Fixed being able to construct a building that's been disabled in the menu using the "clone building" hotkey.
  • Fixed interest on financial advisor showing last year instead of this year.
  • Fixed incorrect house devolve text related to food types.
  • Fixed going back in help jumping to random scroll position.
  • Fixed static in sound from videos played on low sound volume.
  • Fixed alternative hotkeys for arrow firing on modifiers.
  • Fixed corrupt dialog text when language fails to load on configuration screen.
  • Fixed potential crash on Vita and Switch when creating a new file.
  • Fixed not being able to type text when using SDL 2.0.16 with the Wayland video driver for Linux.
  • Fixed Android not saving the Julius configuration options when using the home button to exit the game.
  • Mac: fixed MP3 playback not working due to missing mpg123 framework.
  • Switch: fixed mouse cursor not being able to move beyond 960x540 when playing on external screen.

Technical improvements:

  • Upgraded SDL to 2.0.16.
  • Vita: updated toolchain.

Full list of changes can be found here.

External links

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