MEMORIAPOLIS Interview – 5PM Studios’ Jean-Baptiste REYNES Talks Age of Enlightenment, Attention-to-Detail, and Architectual Sketches

Set to fully release April 30, 2,500 years of history are in players’ hands with 5PM Studio’s city-builder MEMORIAPOLIS.

Gamers Heroes recently got to ask Jean-Baptiste REYNES, Studio Head at 5PM Studios, questions about MEMORIAPOLIS’ truly unique approach to city builders – see what’s to come in the full release with our interview.

MEMORIAPOLIS Interview – 5PM Studios Talks Age of Enlightenment, Attention-to-Detail, and Architectual Sketches

Gamers Heroes

We saw the Age of Enlightenment is coming to the full version of MEMORIAPOLIS! 

What made you want to include this era, and what went into its design?

Jean-Baptiste REYNES

The Age of Enlightenment brings several things to the table:

– New, more modern cultural buildings (those placed by the player), and housing that begins to resemble the buildings found in our European cities.

– The political system, which allows players to pass decrees, evolves towards a more democratic version. In addition to passing decrees, players can now also pass articles of law. Unlike decrees, which have a limited lifespan, articles are definitive.

– New Wonders with specific effects

Gamers Heroes

We love how MEMORIAPOLIS features its own unique algorithm overseen by an urban planner – that’s some incredible attention-to-detail! 

How has the process behind this title’s organic development system evolved throughout its Early Access period?

Jean-Baptiste REYNES

Thank you!

I’d say that the early access version did two things:

First, quite simply, to validate the concept itself! It wasn’t at all obvious that players would accept this loss of control over the design of their city. As it happens, our proposal was accepted by the vast majority of players, who found in this original approach a new way of designing their cities. Less dirigiste, more organic. But it was far from obvious at first.

Then, thanks to early access, we made a lot of changes to the district creation system:

Modifications to the architecture of buildings according to the culture of the District – Possibility of building on a road that adapts automatically

District size reduced to consume less surface area

Modification of building heights according to land density

And many other modifications which, while they have no effect on the game itself, create more realistic situations that are easier for players to understand.

Gamers Heroes

We saw that traces from one age in MEMORIAPOLIS can be integrated into the next one – what are some of the more unique elements that have made their way through the starts of each age?

Jean-Baptiste REYNES

When a player completes one age and moves on to the next, he or she passes through what we call the age transition. It’s at this point that he has to make a number of decisions about what he wants to keep, what he wants to transform from the previous age into the new one.

Without going into too much detail, the player will have to choose a new culture for his family, decide which buildings to save and which to turn into ruins.

Some buildings in the game can evolve from one age to the next, sometimes over more than 2 ages!

So it’s important to maintain them so you can use them in the next age.

Gamers Heroes

What are some of the more unique instances you’ve seen from the community in the Early Access period and testing phases of MEMORIAPOLIS? Anything especially stand out?

Jean-Baptiste REYNES

This is a difficult question, given the large number of feedbacks and interactions we’ve had. 

Let’s just say that, overall, we’ve had two types of feedback:

I like the concept of your game, but it lacks depth. Not enough challenge, not enough content. We’ve worked hard to respond to this feedback.

I like your game, but I want a sandbox version. Right now, that’s not our priority. And, as with a 4X game, time is of the essence. So, yes, Mémoriapolis is not a sandbox game, and you have a certain amount of time to reach specific objectives.

In any case, this period went exactly as we’d hoped. The vast majority of players understood that we were offering a genuine early access version, the aim of which was to confront players and build the game together. The current version of Mémoriapolis is the result of this alchemy.

Gamers Heroes

I saw you mentioned that you’re introducing a brand-new art style to MEMORIAPOLIS inspired by architectural sketches. 

What went into this new design – any drawings or sketching especially stand out as inspiration?

Jean-Baptiste REYNES

Generally speaking, we always thought of the game’s artistic direction as a reference to architectural drawings. We had to find in the 3D models a certain form of layout and texture treatment that was both realistic and drawn.

Our proposal refers a little to Cell Shading, even if it’s not a technology we use in the game.

We have many references, but we can particularly cite the work of Jean-Claude Golvin.

The full release of MEMORIAPOLIS will come out for the PC via Steam on April 30.

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