If we tried to write up a changelog of everything that has changed with this game line since we first released “Merchant Prince” with QQP in 1993, it would take almost as long as it took us to actually implement these latest changes 🙂
“Merchant Prince,” which won a strategy game of the year award from Computer Game Review, set the tone for everything that was to come. After American Laser Games bought QQP, we took the game to Microprose and upgraded it to “Machiavelli the Prince,” the name under which most people know the series. We upgraded it again with Merchant Prince 2, published by Take Two Interactive. Unfortunately, we have not been able to contact anyone at Take Two about bringing that game back onto the market, and thus we turned our attention to “Machiavelli the Prince Enhanced.”
Strategy
We learned a lot from “Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced,” which may have been the most ambitious game patch in PC gaming history. As with EFSe, we had to migrate our old code over to work in Microsoft’s Visual Studio development environment, which was first released the year we made the original EFS, and well after we made Machiavelli 🙂
We had several key goals for the Enhanced game:
- Make the game playable under modern Windows systems;
- Upgrade the game to run on Linux and in Steam;
- Incorporate APIs for things like Steam achievements, and port these to GOG;
- Give players greater control of the windowed environment; and
- Incorporate feedback from players to remove old gameplay annoyances, like the old soundtrack.
Overview
In working on EFSe, we learned that after fixing the key player concerns, we needed to listen to players about what else matters. We have incorporated a number of new patches for that game, primarily responding to quality-of-life issues the players have raised. Many of the things we thought would be important paled in comparison to these. PLEASE continue to let us know what improvements matter to you, and we will look to incorporate them in future patches. Nothing teaches you what makes a game better than thousands of smart players trying it and letting you know.
Windowed Mode
After the new soundtrack, this was probably the second-most common request. Not only can you press Alt+Enter to enter and exit windowed mode, but you can click and drag the borders to resize the window to your choosing! I know, it sounds like a small thing, but not for code from 1995 🙂 Yes, you can also use the minimize and maximize buttons, just like apps originally designed for a Windows environment.
Other Fixes
- Numerous spelling corrections – sorry about those
- Fix letters overflowing text boxes
- Added the game icon to windowed mode
- Fix issue with commodity list when prices get over 1,000 florins
- Fix inability to exit a multiplayer game if you forgot password
The New Soundtrack
Thanks to Paul Mercer, who has worked on other games with us, for these songs. The soundtrack was the most common annoyance we heard when discussing how to improve the game. Apparently very few of you played the game with the old soundtrack still on. We think Paul’s music captures the flavor of the age with a modern twist, while providing a great background for a contemplative, strategic experience like MPe.
Since releasing the demo, however, we have heard from defenders of the old soundtrack. Please let us know your thoughts. Would it be worth it to include both with the game?
Song List
- TANTO NOMINI NVLLM PAR ELOGIVM – composed and performed by Paul Mercer
- Arnos Vale – composed and performed by Paul MercerMercer and Sheryl L Bielewski
- The Bloody Eye Gang – composed and performed by Paul Mercer
- Ghost Ship Gang – composed and performed by Paul Mercer
- Orphan Kings Return I – composed and performed by Paul Mercer and Sheryl L Bielewski
- Orphan Kings Return II – composed and performed by Paul Mercer and Sheryl L Bielewski
- Rouse the Beasts of War I – composed and performed by Paul Mercer
- Rouse the Beasts of War II – composed and performed by Paul Mercer