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[Age of Wonders 3] Now available on Steam and GOG.
eelektrik
Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
Southern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
The last Age of Wonders title was Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic released in 2003 and since then they went on to make Overlord and Overlord 2. Well, this is what they have been working on since Overlord 2 shipped in 2009 and I have been hoping they would eventually make this for the past decade. They have an official website up with a forum for the game, which also features this trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHdojrcu61E
This second trailer features gameplay from the first press demo Triumph did at the Game Developers Conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jutu_Y13f_s
And here is the press release.
Screenshots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHdojrcu61EThis second trailer features gameplay from the first press demo Triumph did at the Game Developers Conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jutu_Y13f_sAnd here is the press release.
The critically acclaimed fantasy series makes its long prophesied return, taking its strategy/RPG formula to the next level, powered by a new proprietary 3D engine.
DELFT, the Netherlands, February 6th 2013 – Triumph Studios, the team behind the successful Overlord and Age of Wonders series, today revealed Age of Wonders 3 for PC. The third Age of Wonders marks a modern reimagining of the series, where players join a clash of kings, queens and dark lords for the spoils of an ancient paradise. By introducing unique RPG-inspired classes and specializations, players are able to craft empires of their own design, developing unique strategies and play styles. The world-changing conflict plays out on sweeping landscapes, loaded with mythical locations waiting to be uncovered, conquered and exploited.
"In Age of Wonders 3, we extrapolate RPG style classes to be the leaders of fantasy empires." says Lennart Sas, Development Director at Triumph. "For example: as a Goblin Theocrat you can build your own holy empire, recruit little goblin crusaders or cute winged goblin angels equipped with flaming weapons, and wage war on your heathen enemies. We want players to be able to choose between lots of different play styles, without being restricted by fantasy clichés, like All Goblins Are Evil."
Arno van Wingerden, Triumph’s Tech Director says: " the new engine truly reflects the choices players have made by affecting how their realm and units are represented It makes the gameplay on both the strategic and battle maps more immersive than ever, while retaining the gameplay and feel of the previous games.”
Key features include:
- Explore, expand and exploit a living fantasy world. Discover wondrous locations and gather legendary heroes.
- Develop your domain, with many classes having the ability to change terrain and climates to suit your needs.
- All new 3D graphics that provide a crisper and more detailed overview of the world and battle maps.
- New styles of play are possible with the introduction of RPG style leader classes like warlord, theocrat, rogue and sorcerer, along with a wide selection of specializations.
- Command a variety of races. Pick your starting race and shape your people’s destiny using your leader’s unique skills.
- A brand-new tactical battle system renders each battlefield and siege in great detail; new rules include flanking and a massive set of special unit abilities.
- An epic story campaign with two playable factions;. Choose the mighty Commonwealth Empire or join the Court of the High Elves, founded after the reunion of the Dark Elves and Wood Elves.
- Compete online in extensive multiplayer modes and scenarios.
- High replay value through random maps, difficulty modes and tools allowing user created content.
Age of Wonders 3® has not yet been rated and has an estimated late 2013 release date on PC. It will be published through digital distribution and brought to retail stores in selected territories. For more information and regular updates please visit www.ageofwonders.com
About Triumph Studios:: Founded in 1997, Triumph Studios B.V. is an independent video game and technology development company based in Delft, The Netherlands. Triumph Studios' focuses on combining the team's creativity with its proprietary multi-format Creator EngineTM to forge captivating and unique game experiences. As the original creators of the critically acclaimed Overlord® and Age of Wonders® series, Triumph Studios has a track record in creating games that are innovative, commercially successful, and which lead to demand for multiple sequels.
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/TriumphStudios
Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TriumphStudiosGames
Screenshots:
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God that was a great game.
Couldn't really dig the changes after that though.
I was so incredibly excited about this when I heard about it a little while ago. I adore the series, especially the first game. Also, this new one has play-by-email multiplayer.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
It's also nice to see a returning franchise that isn't having to go the kickstarter route so I don't have to wait a month with my heart in my throat to know if it actually will end up getting made.
Supposedly Epic Games is helping fund Age of Wonders 3. Considering they co-developed the first game, its not a huge surprise if its true. I still found Shadow Magic to be the best of the series, and its worth checking out if you haven't. AoW 2 admittedly had some issues, such as the first campaign mission being one of the hardest, and a lack of a random map generator, but it did fix one thing I found odd about the first AoW. On the first game, you won as soon as you killed a faction's leader. They could have a dozen cities, and you could put together a team of strong flying units sneak behind them and assassinate the leader and be done with the map faster than intended. Technically it makes sense, but from a gameplay standpoint it didn't seem right to me. With the Wizard's Towers in the cities in AoW 2/SM they were able to resurrect in another city they owned.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Hope they kept some of the features I loved in the others, like being able to go into combat with more than two factions. I really like being able to help allies defend or attack.
This approach seems like an excellent compromise of separate playstyles without a complete free for all madness. I also like that you leader character will alter the racial units you have! Angelic, flying goblinoids sounds like something I would very much enjoy blowing out of the sky with a dreadnought. I wonder if the Dreadnought class gets steampunk units for whichever race they pick. That would be tits.
Also, it seems like this is good timing on there part as more turn based tactical games are getting in to general consumption. It sounds like they are doing everything right, but looking forward to more news!
I want my faery tale kingdoms of old, god damnit! With small gnomes poking out of every bush, large mushrooms around every corner and ponds... lots of ponds...
Anyway, I see hexes, so if multiplayer is in, what can I say? Elemental is out.
EDIT: Wohoo...
And... holy shit: GOG.COM !!! (Ie. DRM-free!)
I see your complaint about "faery tale kingdoms of old" and raise you Goblin Theocrat.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Also I just noticed there is a penis cactus in the first screenshot.
I want mushrooms, damnit... EVERYWHERE!
When a man sees dicks in all the images around him, it is perhaps the fault of the man, and not the images.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Man, what the Hell happened last year? Seems like suddenly all my most favoritest genres (that have been more or less "dead") are coming back in style. MoM style TBS games, tactical strategy games, turn-based RPGs, cRPGs, Space Sims, fucking Mechwarrior!
Truly, this is what the Mayans foretold!
Glad to see that this franchise is back; it looks like they're continuing with what they learned in Shadow Magic, so it should be good. I like what I see so far.
I'll stay with Shadow Magic and Fallen Enchantress, thanks.
I HAVe to be reading that wrong, yes? SM had like 12 or something.
That trailer looks amazing.
I'm ridiculously excited, and all I can say is that I want more info, preferably now.
Technically you are. The story campaign has two factions to pick from. Though personally I never really touch the campaign mode in these types of games and always just do a custom game (or whatever the equivalent is).
So what factions are coming back then? The main website doesn't seem to list anything.
I think you are mistaking the word factions, for races. There will most definitely be more than two races. We already know that undead, goblins, elves, and humans will be in. I am hoping Lizardmen return.
Er, Fallen Enchantress only has two factions (kingdoms and empires), and Shadow Magic only two as well, if I recall (good and evil). They're talking about Factions, not playable races.
That wasn't the case in the original Age of Wonders, which had two factions with multiple races.
Oh that certainly isn't it at all.
From what I understand it sounds like you create your champion, then select a race. Then you can customize the race however you want. The example they give is selecting Goblins and turning them in to a righteous crusading army of angel-goblins and flaming swords.
It seems the races have a ton of flexibility with what kind of "theme" you want for them. Good undead, barbarian elves, noble and scientifically minded Orcs? Seems to be the player's call.
Each of those races plays differently, and it's different based on what character class you play. I'm not sure what you're getting at. It's basically the same as choosing Kaginaxx (Empire) or Tarth (Kingdoms) and customizing your leader in Fallen Enchantress.
Are there just two ways of playing E:FE?
These are two very different things!
edit- Another thing to note is that it says the story campaign has two factions to pick from, but that does not at all mean that the races themselves are broken down in to two factions. I don't think the previous games really had factions. I mean you had "evil", "good", and "neutral" races that didn't get along, but they could if they wanted to.
I liked 1 more than SM (skipped 2). 3 looks like it will melt my computer, unfortunately.
A cool interview got posted over at Strategy Informer!
strategyinformer.com/pc/ageofwondersiii/438/interview.html
Highlights include: They're DEFINITELY including map/scenario tools, still deciding how deep they want to enable the modding community but they love what people have done with the original games.
They're really happy to not have to worry about a publisher's PR department breathing down their necks, Notch is hands-off and trusts them to do their thing.
Big AI improvements, alignment is no longer tied to your race, it's based on your actions, and they've gotten the writer and musician back from the original games.
OH GOD I'M SO EXCITED.
Nice! Love that music. Alignment thing sounds iffy but not a big deal.
(Shamelessly stolen from RPS.)
Now, the big question that remains is if they finally will allow manual combat in multiplayer...
I loved Age of Wonders. This is music to my ears.
Flanking in combat sounds absolutely great, I love that facing is now a thing in manual combat, and the Hero equip screen looked to have exactly as many slots as AoW 1 and 2 and SM. Of course that might change over development, pre-alpha and all, but that's hitting all the right nostalgia buttons and I LOVE IT.