Anno 117's Pax Romana's Best-Kept Secret Turns Out to Be a Stunning First-Person Mode.
Hold on — were you aware it's possible to experience the game Anno 117 from a first-person viewpoint? Should that be your response, your surprise matches as I was when I discovered this hidden feature. Excuse me while step away from my empire’s management, delegate it to a trusted assistant, commandere a carriage, and enjoy a ride across the Roman world.
Activating the First-Person View
Being a city-building title, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates from a bird's-eye view. Yet, when you press a covert button sequence — including “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on a keyboard or “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” with a gamepad — you can explore your domain as a common citizen. Because an analogous secret was included in the previous Anno title, I was eager to try it out in the new release, though I was uncertain it would function prior to being chin-deep in a Celtic floorboard (possibly an unexpected bug — this mode tends to be somewhat unstable occasionally).
Exploring the Roman Cityscape
Upon freeing myself, I strolled the lively avenues across my settlement and visited stalls, alehouses, floral patches, and seafood collectors — the experience was splendid to observe my diligent efforts from a brand-new perspective. I noticed numerous fine points that would escape notice when viewing from overhead: Entryway ornaments, an ass transporting a floral pail, poultry scattering about, folks chilling on their balconies… Even just observing the form of a ledge and the paint layers on a column is quite interesting to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Beyond Simple Strolling
Yet, the experience extends to the first-person feature in Anno 117 aside from meandering through streets. I was especially delighted when I found out that I could not just look upon crop lands, but also enter them. And despite my expectation interiors would be restricted, I was able to enter mud extraction sites, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the creators allocated resources for that), yet it's completely feasible wander through a grain field, see citizens working with tools and burdens, and glance into any tiny hut provided the entrance is missing.
Graphics and Ambiance
Even though I expected to witness my city rendered in PlayStation 1 graphics, besides some crude animations and periodic inhabitants sitting within a bench instead of on a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The highly detailed textures (particularly rock faces) really have no business being this good in what is still, essentially, a top-down game. You may not see specific hair details, however, you can observe writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, discoloration of masonry, pupils, and pine tree leaves. Nighttime, with its flickering fires and distant stellar illumination, creates a particularly moody setting, and proves significantly less intimidating compared to Anno 1800, given that the populace appears unlike terrifying apparitions anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Because the game's hidden immersive perspective lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and quickly discovered the abilities to leap, run, and adjusting the view — with the latter allowing me to change from first-person to third-person mode and return. I then decided to hit some number buttons and learned I could modify my representative's visual design. Golden robe? Ruby clothing? Blue and purple toga? Or — perhaps even better — full armor? You might hold a weapon and defense, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you shoot flaming projectiles upward. If you're interested, harming inhabitants is impossible (not that I attempted, naturally).
Comedy and Population Encounters
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, because they’re way too funny. Shortly after I activated the immersive perspective, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you feed it one more chicken, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. One lovely local Celt then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by calling it the “Best of both worlds,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Say that one more time, and they’ll never find your body.”
The Fun of Vehicle Use
Just when I thought I had found everything available in the title's first-person feature, I found the joys of joyriding through classical settlements. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and was promptly seated on the box. Bovines, equines, even people-powered transports; you can control each one as desired. The donkey cart, in particular, travels rather rapidly, but don't anticipate any GTA-like shenanigans — impacting citizens or additional vehicles cannot occur (reiterating, without confirming testing).
Fighting Restrictions
The sole aspect that let me down regarding the first-person view was learning about my exclusion from in combat situations. Equipped in warrior attire, I charged toward adversaries during active combat and endeavored to damage them, yet was completely overlooked. The front-row seat was nonetheless magnificent, and watching the enemy run, their limbs waving wildly, felt highly gratifying, though it might have been amazing to actually hit something via my incendiary bolts.
