Age of Wonders - Now Available Digitally

captaink

I noticed that all three Age of Wonders games popped up on Impulse. I think they are also available on GOG. While Elemental is getting some much needed patching, I'd like to try its predecessor. I've tried Master of Magic but it's just a bit too old and clunky to get into at this point.

So, do I buy all three? The first one is $6, the other two are $10. Or is Shadow Magic much better, and I shouldn't bother getting the older ones.

Also any tips, tricks, stories, or fond memories?

gnodab

AoW1 was fun, but I preferred MoM's randomly generated worlds over the scenario-based maps. I heard Shadow Magic has randomly generated worlds, so my interest is piqued now that they've all been released digitally.

Xagarath

Shadow Magic is the finest game in its genre, by miles, though I had to stop myself playing it due to its unparalleled capacity to devour time.
Buy it. The first is charming, and still a good game, but Shadow Magic is peerless. Just make sure to turn automatic/quick combat off, and always fight your battles in detail, or you'll miss out on the best part (and the biggest improvement from the first game)

Steel Angel

You can get the trilogy for $19.99.

While the first game isn't as polished as the sequels, it does have its own charms. You get far more control over how your heroes develop and some of the differences between the races are more pronounced at the lower tiers of units.

captaink

I bought these a long while back, and I've finally gotten around to installing AoW1. I tried the campaign, not really knowing what was going on. My poor halflings got slaughtered by goblin suicide bombers

Xagarath

Hafling Ponies are their best unit. Spam them.

JHunz

Steel Angel wrote: »

You can get the trilogy for $19.99.

While the first game isn't as polished as the sequels, it does have its own charms. You get far more control over how your heroes develop and some of the differences between the races are more pronounced at the lower tiers of units.

Which is a real problem for me trying to ever replay the game. The first time I played through, I got a hero who I recall being some kind of Dragon crossbreed who could fly and breathe fire. I've never managed to recruit him again, and it's just demoralizing not to have him available to fly around and utterly wreck shit at the beginning of every mission.

Dracomicron

AoW: Shadow Magic was by far the best of that series, and the only one that even approaches the greatness of Master of Magic. I think that Shadow Magic finally started letting you create your own relics.

Elemental:WoM has potential (the unit creation and city mechanics are on the right track), but still remains kinda embarassingly bad. The randomized game worlds are a matter of patience to win, not skill, because the opposing AI is no threat at all.