- Carthage: Bellum Punicum hits 50,000 Wishlists! - 18 September 2026
Hi everyone,We’re delighted to announce that… Carthage: Bellum Punicum has hit 50,000 Wishlists!Thank you to all 50,000 of you who’ve wishlisted, taken an interest in Carthage: Bellum Punicum or liked, shared or followed all our content across our channels!Make sure you're keeping an eye out for news on a demo coming your way soon 👀Here’s to the next milestone!
- Dev Log 14: The Sounds of War - 12 August 2026
Hi everyone,Music is an important part of any game, and Carthage: Bellum Punicum is no different. In Carthage: Bellum Punicum, the music is designed to react to the world around you. Your battles aren’t just accompanied by one fixed track, but by dynamic music that changes depending on your enemy and the stage of battle you’re in.If that’s music to your ears, then today’s devlog is for you. Today, we’ll be going into exactly what it takes to write the soundtrack for a time millennia gone by. The video version of this devlog is here, and includes the words and footage of composer Cosme Leites for your viewing pleasure:The Sounds of WarThe Music of BattleThe music in Carthage: Bellum Punicum has been created to be more than just background ambience. It’s been designed to constantly adapt to what is happening in the game, helping every battle and campaign feel unique. In the throes of batt…
- Dev Log #13 - Logistics & Economy - 1 July 2026
Hi everyone, “An army marches on its stomach”. Waging a successful military campaign is more than just your soldiers – you need to think about your logistics too. In today's devlog we're breaking down those logistics and the economy: how armies stay supplied in the field, how the faction economy is managed behind the scenes, how resources physically move across the world, and how it all comes together. You can also check a video version of this devlog here: Army Storage SystemSo, how are your supplies delivered to your troops? They aren’t instantly teleported from one place to another, they’re delivered via the army storage system. Every army draws from a supply hub. In the example we’re using in today’s dev log, it’s the city of Carthage. Through that connection, the army receives food, equipment, and other goods, staying supplied as it moves and fights. The hub isn’t a permanent one t…
- Dev Log #12 - Battle Formations - 13 May 2026
Hi everyone,Today's devlog covers one of the systems that makes every battle in Carthage: Bellum Punicum feel unique: AI battle formations. We'll also be showing two new visual display options coming to the game. You can also check a video version of this devlog here:Battle FormationsIn Carthage: Bellum Punicum, AI commanders choose from a wide variety of battle formations, each with its own tactical logic. Roman armies fight differently from Iberian ones. Gaulish commanders approach the battlefield differently from Carthaginian ones. Even within the same culture, individual commanders can favor different formations based on their personality traits. How AI Chooses Formations Three factors determine which formation an AI commander picks:Culture: Every culture (Iberians, Gauls, Romans, etc.) has its own pool of battle formations reflecting its historical military traditions. This is the…
- Dev Log #11 - Visibility, Scouting & Delayed Information - 18 March 2026
Hi everyone, Mendog here!In this devlog, we will chat about visibility, scouting, and delayed information in Carthage: Bellum Punicum, all key mechanics that allow you to control intelligence when waging war. You can also check a video version of this devlog here: Visibility SystemsThe campaign map uses two different visibility systems.The first one represents unexplored territory. These areas appear in the style of an ancient map, displaying only land and water. Once one of your armies or scouts explores a region, this layer disappears permanently, and the detailed terrain becomes visible.The second layer is your standard Fog of War. It appears as a darker shade over the terrain and shows the areas where your armies and scouts are providing intelligence. The information you receive depends on the distance from your forces. Nearby areas provide real-time information, while distant areas…
- Dev Log #10 - Recruitment & Unit Design System - 11 February 2026
Hello everyone, Mendog here! As usual, excited to talk about what I’ve been working on over the past month.Recruitment SystemNew soldiers and losses are automatically refilled with fresh recruits, taken as manpower from the closest settlements that support the army. Recruitment is directly tied to population, making it a logistical system rather than abstract numbers. Drawing too much manpower from the same region reduces settlement population, which in turn lowers economic production and long-term growth.Each army has its own recruitment flow. Recruits arrive daily, not instantly. The number of new soldiers an army receives each day depends on the population of nearby settlements and how much gold the player is willing to spend as an incentive.Players can choose to spend no gold, relying only on volunteers. This provides a very small number of recruits over time. By paying more gold, t…
- Dev Log #9 - Raiding, Conquest, War, and Diplomacy - 7 January 2026
Hello everyone! I’m thrilled to share what I’ve been working on over the past month.RAIDING MECHANICSIn the game, any army can conduct raids on settlements across the campaign map. When a raid occurs, it’s not instantaneous; it unfolds over time, and the settlement gradually loses its stored resources. Once the raid is complete, the player’s army can loot these resources.After a successful raid, the player has several options for the loot:Keep the resources in your army’s storage.Share with the troops, which means the army receives a portion of the loot, boosting morale and loyalty, but resulting in less wealth for the player.Share with the state, such as the Senate in Roman factions or the ruling body in other factions, which can influence political relationships and faction stability.CONQUER MECHANICSArmies can conquer settlements, and if a settlement is unfortified, the conquest is s…
- Dev Log #8 - Seasons & Weather Effects - 24 December 2025
Hey everyone! First of all, we hope you’re having a great holiday season. To celebrate it, we wanted to share some changes and improvements we’ve been working on regarding seasons and weather effects in the game. Seasons progress dynamically on the campaign map, with winter bringing snow from north to south, reducing food production, slowing army movement, and increasing attrition. As spring arrives, the snow melts from south to north, restoring mobility and supplies and opening new strategic opportunities.Weather conditions also carry over into battles. Rain and snow can turn terrain muddy or slippery, slowing units and increasing stamina usage, while storms reduce visibility and make positioning even more important. These systems are designed to make timing and planning matter as much as raw strength. And if you want to see better how it looks in-game, check out the video version of t…
- Carthage: Bellum Punicum - Aquila Interactive FAQ - 21 November 2025
Following our exciting announcement on signing our first third-party title, Carthage: Bellum Punicum, we wanted to provide you with information on what this means for both Aquila Interactive and Mindebyte Studios. FAQWhat is Carthage: Bellum Punicum?Carthage: Bellum Punicum is a strategy wargame that focuses on delivering historically accurate battles where tactics, maneuvering, and experience are crucial for overcoming numerical disadvantages.Experience Hannibal Barca’s epic march against Rome, clashing with Iberians, Gauls, and Roman legions. Fight real-time battles, manage formations, flank enemies, and face a cunning battle AI across detailed maps inspired by the Second Punic War. What does signing with Aquila Interactive mean for Carthage: Bellum Punicum?Both Mindebyte Studios and Aquila Interactive share the same goal: to create the best strategy games possible, and they will work…
- Aquila Interactive Combine Arms with Carthage: Bellum Punicum - 20 November 2025
Carthaginian officers, We're excited to announce that Carthage: Bellum Punicum will be published globally by Aquila Interactive, a developer and publisher known for games such as the grand strategy game Gilded Destiny and the management game Global Magnates. This is the first of many titles for our publishing arm, and we're overjoyed to be able to share this first step with the incredible Mindebyte Studios. What This Means for Carthage: Bellum PunicumMindebyte has already created and sustained an amazing game and community as a solo developer. As its publisher, Aquila Interactive will provide development and marketing support to enhance and expand the scope of Carthage: Bellum Punicum's success. Both Mindebyte Studios and Aquila Interactive share the same goal: to create the best strategy games possible, and they will work in tandem by sharing knowledge, support, and experience within t…
- Dev Log #7: Campaign-based battle terrain - 3 November 2025
Hello everyone,Over the past two months I focused on improving how battle maps are created in Carthage: Bellum Punicum. When a campaign battle starts, the game takes the area between both armies on the campaign map and generates a full-scale battle map from it. The terrain matches the campaign map but in much greater detail, covering roughly 12 by 12 kilometers.Each terrain feature, like rivers, mountains, forests, and roads, is processed with its own algorithm to bring out realistic shapes and patterns. Settlements were the most challenging, as I also wanted them to be easy for future modders to customize. After a lot of work, the result is already solid. Every culture, from Carthaginians and Romans to Gauls and Iberians, has unique settlement layouts and buildings, reflecting their historical identity.I’ve also been working on the campaign fog of war. Undiscovered areas appear like an…
- 10k Wishlists Reached! - 27 October 2025
Hey everyone,I just wanted to take the time to let you know that we've reached 10k Wishlists!Check out the 10k Wishlist YouTube short here: This is a huge achievement for Carthage: Bellum Punicum, and I hope this number continues to grow.Thanks again for all the support; moments like these make all the work worth it!More to come soon!
- Dev Log #6: Individual Soldiers Mode Shows the True Scale of Battles - 31 August 2025
Hi everyone,I wanted to share what I’ve been working on these last weeks. One of the most unique aspects of Carthage: Bellum Punicum is its visual style, where military units are represented with square symbols, the same style you may know from the HistoryMarche channel, which has been a big inspiration for this project.That said, I thought it could be interesting to also let you see the battles in another way: with all the individual soldiers on the field. This gives a much clearer sense of the scale of the conflict. The largest battles can reach up to 300,000 soldiers on screen, and the engine is capable of supporting up to one million if needed.Each unit displays the exact number of troops it contains: infantry with 484, cavalry with 256, and foot skirmishers with 361. In this view you can also notice the effect of the "organization" stat, which represents how well the soldiers insid…
- Dev Log #5: Iberian Map Expansion and Two New Factions Added - 2 August 2025
Hey everyone,Just dropping by to share some progress! This time, I focused on improving the campaign map for Iberia and adding two new Iberian factions.Let’s start with the map. I added 78 new settlements across Iberia, corrected some settlement names to better match their historical counterparts, and included more rivers and roads to give the region a bit more life. Also made some tweaks to the mountains so they blend in better with the rest of the terrain. As for the factions, I’ve added the Contestani and Bastetani. Both were under strong Carthaginian influence at the time, but they still held some independent territories. You'll see that reflected in how they appear on the map—tied to Carthage, but not entirely absorbed by it. Thanks again for all the support, it really keeps me going. More to come soon!
- Dev Log #4: Commanders, Cultures & Logistics - 26 July 2025
I’ve been working on portraits for generals and commanders. Each faction belongs to a culture group, and every culture has its own unique portrait style. In some cases, like the Celtiberians, a faction belongs to two culture groups, which affects which portrait sets are available to them.Now on to the economy. Each province has a capital and a few smaller settlements. The smaller ones send their resources to the capital, which then distributes them as needed: like sending iron to blacksmiths or food to settlements that don’t produce any.What’s left after covering all needs stays in the provincial capital as surplus. That surplus is then sent to the faction capital. This makes logistics a key part of the campaign. You’ll be able to intercept large convoys carrying important resources or even cut off supply routes entirely.Every settlement consumes food. If they don’t get enough, they mig…
- Dev Log #3: Iberian Campaign 221 BC - 11 July 2025
I’m currently preparing the demo, which will include the Iberian Campaign of 221 BC. Since many of you asked for more playable factions beyond just Carthage, I’ve expanded the code to allow you to play as any of the factions present in the campaign.Here are the playable factions featured in this Iberian Campaign:Thanks to everyone for all your support!
- Dev Log #2: Units, Equipment & Dynamic Borders - 1 July 2025
The game grows every day, but I wanted to share some of the most visible progress. First up: units, their equipment, and their unit cards. You’ll be able to equip units with all kinds of gear—melee weapons like swords, spears, axes, and maces; ranged weapons like bows, slings, and javelins; plus armor, helmets, shields, and mounts. Each piece has its own strengths and weaknesses, and every item shows up on the unit card so you can see exactly what they’re carrying. This means endless combinations.Also, I’ve been working on dynamic borders for the campaign map. Strategy players love painting the whole map in their faction’s color. I’m one of them. Most games have fixed borders, but I wanted something better. Something that makes it satisfying to see your army push into enemy lands. So I made dynamic borders. Every settlement, from small villages to big cities, has its own territorial inf…
- Dev Log #1: Geronium Battle Map Reveal - 22 April 2025
Today I’m excited to share the Geronium battle map as it appears in Carthage: Bellum Punicum, alongside a comparison with the historical illustration from Ancient Battlefields: Building Blocks for an Ancient War History (Volume 3). This is part of my ongoing effort to faithfully recreate historical settings while ensuring they work well for gameplay. I keep working hard every day on the game. My main focus right now is building and polishing battles, aiming to start internal testing as soon as possible. A big part of this is the battle AI—I’ll do my best to make it the best ever seen in any strategy game. Thanks for following the development and taking the time to read this update—your support means a lot!
