Gladiator Command – v0.665: Arena Updates, Recruit Indicators & QoL improvements

Firstly, like always I recommend starting a new save file to ensure you have access to all newly added systems, fixes, and balance changes.

This update continues focusing on addressing player-reported gameplay pain points while improving overall usability and arena immersion.

Quality of Life Improvements

Gladiator Details

A new Relationship panel has been added to the Gladiator Details screen.

Players can now click on the gladiator portrait to easily cycle through their gladiators without needing to return to the roster. This change significantly reduces navigation friction and allows players to quickly review multiple fighters from the same screen.

While implementing this improvement, the foundation for the Gladiator Relationship system has also been introduced.

The relationship indicator can change slightly from day to day and reflects how gladiators feel toward each other inside the Ludus. For now this system is cosmetic only, but it lays the groundwork for future gameplay mechanics tied to rivalries, friendships, and team dynamics.

Steam post imageA MAX indicator is now shown on the XP bar when a gladiator has fully reached their maximum progression (can still be surpassed through kill streak rewards).

Roster Improvements

The roster scene has been improved with:

• Portrait circles for clearer gladiator identification • Injury indicators directly visible on roster cards • Improved HP bar progression clarity

These changes make it much easier to quickly assess the condition of your fighters.

Market Scene Improvements

The item information panel now appears on hover instead of requiring players to click the card.

This ensures players immediately see weapon and equipment details while browsing.

The redundant purchase button in the right panel has also been removed.

Tooltip Improvements

Many important systems now include clearer tooltips.

Examples include:

• Staff negotiation options such as dismissing staff • Contract expiration information (no dismissal fee when contracts expire) • Enemy gladiator stance and equipment inside the Arena

Arena & Combat Improvements

Arena Card Improvements

Arena cards now display:

• Combat traits • Heritage bonuses

for both player and enemy gladiators (tooltips show benefits).

Uneven Arena Battles

Players can now intentionally fight uneven battles (Yes, there was high demand for this) such as:

• 1 vs 2 • 1 vs 3 • 1 vs 4 • 1 vs 5 (lol I do not think it is possible to win but good luck)

A warning popup will appear before the fight begins.

Post Combat Adjustments

For single scheduled fights, the Auto Continue button is now hidden to improve pacing.

The post-combat summary has been improved to better display results when multiple gladiators are lost or injured. Also always good to remove dead space.

Arena UI Improvements

Tournament Tooltip Fix

Tournament gladiator tooltips no longer appear in the center of the screen.

They now appear next to the highlighted gladiator card for better visibility.

Instant Hover Tooltips

Hover delays have been removed from:

• Skill level icons • Gladiator traits • Recruitment cards • Gladiator detail panels

Tooltips now appear instantly.

Recruitment System Update

Recruit Quality Indicators

Scouts can now identify especially promising recruits.

New recruit notifications include:

• GOOD – One exceptional stat • GREAT – Two exceptional stats • SUPERB – Three exceptional stats

These notifications appear in the event feed to highlight rare discoveries.

Please note that these ratings reflect your scout’s evaluation. A weaker scout may occasionally misjudge a recruit’s true potential, meaning a “SUPERB” rating is based on what your current scout believes, not an absolute measure.

Additionally, when top-tier Medics or high-quality Scouts become available, players will now receive a clear highlighted message at the start of the day, making it easier to identify valuable staff opportunities.

Management Improvements

Custom Ludus Names

Players can now name their Ludus when starting a new game.

Training Automation

When Auto Training mode is enabled, gladiators will now automatically resume training once their injury recovery period ends (if facility slots are available and they have not reached max level in stat).

Prestige Feedback

The Prestige summary now includes a warning message:

“Tougher Opponents”

to clearly communicate scaling difficulty.

Staff System Improvements

Staff negotiation now includes clearer tooltips explaining:

• dismissal actions • contract expiration • fee conditions

Game Balance Adjustments

Early game difficulty has been slightly increased.

Several players reported that the opening fights felt too easy and could be cleared without engaging with many of the game’s core systems.

With the enhanced tutorial now in place, new players should have a clearer understanding of the mechanics required to succeed, allowing the early game to present a more meaningful challenge after the first few fights.

Late Game Combat Balance

Weapon damage has been increased and several late-game damage skills have been buffed to better balance against high protection values (reduce very long fights).

Hotkey Improvements and Navigation Update

Some players reported difficulty finding the navigation back button and instead relied on hotkeys to return to the main management screen. The original icon blended too closely with the background, which likely caused visual confusion.

To improve clarity, a Manage button has now been added to make navigation more obvious.

Hotkeys have also been reorganized for smoother navigation:

• 1 now opens the Management screen • Escape opens the Options Menu from any screen • Hall of Fame has been moved to the top universal bar and is now labeled HOF (this will be replaced with an icon in a future update)

The tutorial and hotkey guide have also been updated accordingly.

Trait System Fix

A bug was fixed where gladiators could receive conflicting traits.

The following pairs can no longer appear together:

• Quick Learner ↔ Slow Learner • Crowd Favorite ↔ Unlucky

Credits Update

A new title has been added to the credits:

Roma Victor

Special thanks to silentdark, the first player to report completing the game and for putting in over 30 hours of playtime.

Tutorial Improvements

The tutorial has been expanded to better explain core gameplay systems for new players.

Final Notes

I want to sincerely thank this growing community for all the feedback and support you continue to provide.

Your reports and suggestions have been incredibly valuable in helping shape the direction of the game.

I read every comment and will continue refining the experience as development continues.