Codename: Gladiator
August 2004 - Late 2004

Every game has a codename, a working title, something that you can use to refer to the game while it's in development. Sometimes that name even carries across to the final product. For Gladiator Trials, that working title was “Codename Gladiator”. How original, but originality wasn't a concern and really shouldn't be for your working title, it's just a name you can use.

Title: Code Name: Gladiator
Genre: Role Playing Game / Simulation
Platform: PC / Mac
Players: One

Intro showing you waking up to find yourself in a prison. A guard tells you that you are next and opens the door. Two guards escort you to an open door and throw you a weapon (depends on stats, highest stat gets weapon of choice). You face two animals (tigers or lions) and fight them. The crowd cheers in the arena and you are escorted back to the prison

As mentioned in the previous chapter, the design aimed far too high, being able to buy real-estate and become a blacksmith or an owner of an Inn. Multiple ways to reach the game's end, including training a vast army and seizing the capitol. I had played through Suikoden a few years ago and always wished to utilize some of it's features, so the ability to train up an army was heavily inspired from Suikoden.

The prototype helped show that the core of the game, it's central idea, would indeed work. Now came the time to add back some of those nice features. From the prototype screen shots, you'll notice the view is directly front-on. Originally the game was aimed to belong to the simulation genre, without any movement required in the arena or much camp management. How it became an isometric view is now lost (hey it's been almost 4 years). I only know that it was late 2004 when it changed.

It never entered my mind to sell Codename Gladiator, it was just another freeware game, what I felt would be my last game. Most of my previous games were your typical freeware affair, incomplete gameplay that quickly went 'gold' after reaching the stage that required more work than fun.

Don't get me wrong, there are some brilliant freeware titles out there, but 99% of them are garbage and I fell right into that heap. My final game was not going to be half baked, Codename: Gladiator was to be my magnum opus

Prototype: Managing a gladiator

Prototype: Arena combat