Anno 117's Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Is a Breathtaking First-Person View.
Surprisingly — did you realize you can play Anno 117: Pax Romana using a first-person camera? If you're thinking that, you’re just as shocked compared to my initial response the moment I learned this hidden feature. I must step away from managing my empire, leave it in a reliable subordinate, commandere a carriage, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.
Unlocking the First-Person View
In its role as a city-builder, the game Anno 117 usually operates from an overhead perspective. Yet, when you input a hidden code — such as “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” using PC controls alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on a controller — you gain the ability to walk the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature was part of Anno 1800, I looked forward to try it out in the latest installment, yet I had doubts it would work prior to being chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (possibly an unexpected bug — this option tends to be prone to glitches now and then).
Discovering the Ancient Streets
After extracting myself, I strolled the busy roads of my city and explored stalls, alehouses, blossom gardens, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to witness all my hard work using an entirely new viewpoint. I observed numerous fine points that would escape notice from above: Front door decorations, an ass transporting a floral pail, chickens running loose, citizens lounging on their terraces… Merely examining the shape of a window sill and the coloration on a post proves fascinating to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
More Than Just Walking
Yet, the experience extends to the game's immersive perspective beyond simply walking the paths. I became extraordinarily excited upon discovering that not only could I look upon agricultural plots, but also step into them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I was able to enter clay pits, explore a prestigious Grammaticus building as teaching was underway, and even trespass into people’s gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the studio planned for that functionality), but it’s entirely possible meander across a cereal plantation, observe people digging and transporting bags, and take a peek inside any small shack provided the entrance is missing.
Appearance and Mood
While I was completely ready to observe my settlement depicted in PlayStation 1 graphics, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting in a bench instead of on a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (notably masonry elements) are unexpectedly excellent in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You may not see any individual strands of hair, however, you can observe engravings on walls, fiery particles from lamps, discoloration of masonry, eye details, and pine tree leaves. The night, featuring dancing flames and stars shining in the distance, creates a particularly moody setting, and also a lot less scary versus the earlier title, now that the citizens don’t look like terrifying apparitions anymore.
Testing and Personalization
Given the covert first-person feature lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and promptly found the functions for jumping, dashing, and zoom in or out — the zoom function permitting me to switch between first and third-person views and revert. I then decided to hit certain numeric keys and learned I could modify my representative's visual design. Yellow toga? Crimson attire? Blue and purple toga? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You can wield a blade and protection, or, personally chosen, equip a shooter's costume; when you press the action key, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, it’s not possible to kill civilians (not that I’ve tried, of course).
Comedy and Population Encounters
However, I had no desire to injure my people, since they're incredibly amusing. Moments after I entered the immersive perspective, I overheard a father telling his child that “Owning a fox is prohibited and if you offer additional fowl, your elder will punish you.” Understandable stance, father character. A friendly native Celtic person then proceeded to praise my brilliant Romano-Celtic policies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” whereas an irritable elderly woman decided to threaten me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
At the moment I believed I uncovered all possible content in Anno 117: Pax Romana’s first-person mode, I experienced the pleasure of driving through classical settlements. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and was promptly seated on the box. Cattle, asses, even manually drawn vehicles; you can drive them all at your leisure. The donkey cart, in particular, travels rather rapidly, although you shouldn't expect any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Combat Limitations
The single feature that frustrated me regarding the first-person view was learning about my exclusion from in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I ran up to the enemy during active combat and attempted to attack them, but was entirely disregarded. The front-row seat remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, seemed enormously rewarding, yet it would have been exciting to effectively strike targets with my burning arrows.
