Anno 117: Pax Romana's Top Secret Reveals Itself as a Impressive First-Person Perspective.
Wait — did you know it's possible to experience Anno 117 Pax Romana from a first-person viewpoint? If that’s your reaction, you feel equally astonished as I was when I discovered this secret option. Allow me to step away from overseeing my civilization, entrust it to a reliable subordinate, borrow a cart, and take a spin around the classical city.
How to Access the First-Person Mode
As a city-building game, Anno 117 Pax Romana usually operates from an overhead perspective. Yet, when you press a covert button sequence — for example “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “R” on keyboard alternatively “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B/Circle, A/X” on console — you gain the ability to walk the empire as an ordinary Roman. Given a comparable hidden feature appeared in Anno 1800, I was eager to test it in the new release, though I was uncertain it would function until I found myself stuck in a Celtic building (which probably wasn’t intended — this option tends to be prone to glitches now and then).
Exploring the Roman Cityscape
After extracting myself, I walked the bustling streets of my city and toured shops, taverns, flower fields, and shellfish gatherers — it felt magnificent to see all my hard work from a brand-new perspective. I noticed a variety of intricacies I wouldn’t have spotted from above: Doorway embellishments, a beast of burden holding a blossom container, chickens running loose, folks chilling on their balconies… Merely examining the form of a ledge and the coloration on a post proves fascinating to modern individuals unfamiliar with ancient life.
Further Than Mere Wandering
But there’s more to the first-person feature in Anno 117 beyond simply walking the paths. I was especially delighted the moment I learned that besides being able to view agricultural plots, but also step into them. And even though I thought the building models would be off-limits, I could walk onto earthen quarries, investigate a respected schoolhouse during active classes, and intrude into private gardens. Don't bother with door access (not even the creators planned for that functionality), but it’s entirely possible stroll around a barley farm, observe people digging and transporting bags, and look within any modest shelter when there's no doorway obstructing.
Appearance and Mood
Even though I expected to see my metropolis represented using primitive rendering, excluding a few unpolished motions and the occasional civilian resting within a bench rather than on a bench, the first-person view appears considerably improved over predictions. The intricately designed surfaces (particularly rock faces) really have no business being this good within a game that's fundamentally a city-builder. You may not see any individual strands of hair, yet you will notice writings on surfaces, sparks flying from torches, brick decoloration, eye details, and pine tree leaves. Evening, with glowing light sources and stars shining in the distance, creates a particularly moody setting, and feels much less frightening versus the earlier title, especially since the inhabitants no longer resemble sleep paralysis demons anymore.
Experimentation and Customization
Since Anno 117’s super-secret first-person mode lacks official documentation, I opted to try different commands, and promptly found the functions for jumping, dashing, and adjusting the view — the zoom function permitting me to change from first-person to third-person mode and revert. I then experimented with certain numeric keys and discovered that I could change my representative's visual design. Golden robe? Ruby clothing? Blue and purple toga? Or — maybe superior — complete battle gear? You may carry a sword and shield, or, preferably, wear an archer's uniform; when you press the action key, you’ll fire burning arrows into the sky. In case you’re wondering, harming inhabitants is impossible (though I didn't test this, obviously).
Amusement and Inhabitant Dialogues
Yet, I didn't want to damage my population, since they're incredibly amusing. Only seconds after I landed the first-person view, I heard a parent advising their offspring that “You cannot keep a fox as a pet and if you offer additional fowl, your grandmother will be furious.” Rightly so, Roman dad. A pleasant regional Celt then started applauding my excellent cross-cultural strategies by labeling it “Perfect fusion,” meanwhile a grumpy senior female decided to threaten me: “Repeat that statement, and your disappearance will be permanent.”
The Joy of Joyriding
Just when I thought I’d discovered all there is to discover in the title's first-person feature, I found the joys of joyriding through classical settlements. Totally unintentionally, I clicked on a wagon and quickly occupied the transport. Oxen, donkeys, even people-powered transports; you may operate any of them freely. The donkey cart, in particular, is pretty fast, though you shouldn’t imagine Grand Theft Auto-style mischief — colliding with pedestrians or other carts is impossible (once more, not admitting any attempts).
Battle Constraints
The only thing that disappointed me within the immersive perspective was learning about my exclusion from in any fighting. Equipped in warrior attire, I charged toward adversaries in the midst of battle and endeavored to damage them, but was entirely disregarded. The proximate observation remained quite impressive, and watching the enemy run, their arms flailing about, felt highly gratifying, but it would’ve been cool to effectively strike targets with my burning arrows.
