Software:Warlords III

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Warlords III: Reign of Heroes
Warlords III cover.png
Developer(s)Strategic Studies Group
Publisher(s)Red Orb Entertainment
Producer(s)Gregor Whiley
Designer(s)Steve Fawkner
Programmer(s)Steve Fawkner
Artist(s)Nick Stathopoulos
Writer(s)Steve Fawkner
Composer(s)Steve Fawkner
SeriesWarlords
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • WW: August 12, 1997[1]
Darklords Rising
Genre(s)Computer wargame, 4x
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Warlords III: Reign of Heroes is a computer wargame released in 1997, and the third release in the Warlords video game series. In 1998 it was followed by the expansion Warlords III: Darklords Rising.

Warlords III was a critical success but failed commercially, a performance that some commentators attributed to the rise of the real-time strategy genre.

Gameplay

After a four-year hiatus, SSG developed Warlords III: Reign of Heroes.

The game was released for Microsoft Windows and used new system capabilities to dramatically improve graphics:[3]

The heroes acquired the ability to cast spells to receive the temporary benefit. Each spell has its price expressed in mana points, which became the second (after gold) resource in game.

The campaign system also became more advanced: the heroes from the previous game of the campaign followed the user to the new game, keeping their experience and items.[4]

Another new feature of the Reign of Heroes is the flexible races concept: every player had a number of pre-defined units he was able to produce, and an additional number of units that could join him. This allowed for more consistent storyline in the campaigns and made players' advancement more challenging, as the natural production of the further cities normally wasn't matching the player's race.

Unlike the previous versions Reign of Heroes provided several hero classes. Each class has its own upgrade paths and costs of upgrade options. The upgrade options themselves became user-selectable, giving the player more control over the heroes' development.

The city levels in Reign of Heroes became more important, as in battles it equaled to city bonus. The players received ability to promote cities to next level for a fixed amount of gold.

The units received hit points, making more powerful units the harder targets for the weaker, and bringing more diversity to the army sets. The increased number of army bonuses led to more complicated battle outcome calculation. Furthermore, several army bonuses allowed respected armies to kill the more powerful enemies from the first attack, which made the battle outcome yet less predictable.

The concept of diplomacy was further refined by adding new state of diplomatic relations: Treaty. This state allowed players trespassing each other's cities and winning the Allied victory exterminating all other parties. Another diplomacy-related feature introduced in Reign of Heroes was the ability to bribe enemies, thus influencing their diplomatic decisions. The amount of bribe was fine-tunable; the more substantial bribe was, the greater chances of needed decision were.[4]

In addition to the previously available multiplayer modes (hotseat and play by email) the Reign of Heroes introduced the ability to play over network.[5]

The game CD included the soundtrack in CD-DA format.

Development

Warlords III was announced in August 1996.[6]

By the time of Warlords III games' releases the real-time strategy game genre was in full-swing, so there was less of a market for turn-based games. The oncoming rush of first-person shooters and first generation MMORPGs also didn't help the popularity of the series. The turn-based strategy genre in general would take a hit during this period.[7]

Reception

Warlords III: Reign of Heroes
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings84%[8]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame3.5/5 stars[9]
CGSP4/5 stars[11]
CGW5/5 stars[12]
GameRevolutionB[13]
GameSpot8.6/10[4]
GameStar74%[14]
Next Generation4/5 stars[15]
PC Gamer (US)85%[16]
PC Zone90%[17]

Reign of Heroes received favorable reviews. Next Generation said of the game, "For those who prefer the mellower pace of a turn-based environment, it's just about as good as it gets."[15]

The game debuted in 15th place on PC Data's computer game sales rankings for September 1997 in the U.S.[18] It was absent from the following month's chart.[19] The game was commercially unsuccessful, with sales in the U.S. of 27,387 units by April 1999, according to PC Data. The Learning Company's K.C Conroe reported that the publisher was "baffled" by its performance. CNET Gamecenter's Marc Saltzman attributed the failure of the game to "the real-time strategy explosion" at the time of its release.[20]

During the inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, Warlords III was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' "PC Sports Game of the Year" and "PC Strategy Game of the Year";[21] the latter ultimately went to StarCraft and Age of Empires (tied), while the former was awarded to FIFA Road to World Cup '98.[22] The staff of Computer Games Strategy Plus named the game the best turn-based strategy game of 1997.[23] The game was a runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1997 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Myth.[24]

Reviews

Legacy

Expansion

Shortly after releasing Reign of Heroes, SSG followed with Warlords III: Darklords Rising, a stand-alone expansion pack, on August 21, 1998.[2] It featured the new maps and units and contained the sample graphics to facilitate development of alternative tile, army and city sets. The plot of the main campaign continued where the previous game had left off.[5]

This expansion pack, like Warlords II, had a campaign editor and realistic terrain model.[5]

Reception

Warlords III: Darklords Rising
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings79%[26]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame4.5/5 stars[27]
CGSP4/5 stars[29]
CGW4.5/5 stars[30]
GamePro4/5 stars[31]
GameSpot8.9/10[5]
GameStar69%[32]
IGN8/10[33]
Next Generation4/5 stars[34]
PC Gamer (UK)79%[35]
PC Zone90%[36]

Darklords Rising received favorable reviews, albeit slightly less than the original Warlords III, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[26] Next Generation said, "Whether playing the game as designed or creating your own worlds, you'll find Darklords quite mesmerizing. Old-timers should feel right at home with this version, and newcomers will quickly become enchanted."[34]

The game was a finalist for Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Railroad Tycoon II. The staff wrote that the game "continued the Australian company's well-deserved reputation for quality games."[37]

Card game

Warlords is an out-of-print collectible card game published in 1997 by Iron Crown Enterprises based on Warlords III.[38] Warlords is a simple multi-player fantasy game. The objective is to become the first player to become the supreme Warlord. This is achieved by exploring, finding treasure, or waging war by assembling followers, gathering armies, and building citadels.

Follow-up games

Warlords III was followed by the Warlords Battlecry series of real-time strategy games.

References

  1. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1998-02-07. http://ogr.com/news/news0897.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 GameSpot staff (August 21, 1998). "New Releases". Ziff Davis. http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_08/21_new/index.html. 
  3. ↑ Sengstack, Jeff (February 6, 1997). "Warlords III: Reign of Heroes Preview [date mislabeled as "March 1, 2004""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/warlords-iii-reign-of-heroes-preview/1100-2559993/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Kasavin, Greg (September 2, 1997). "Warlords: Reign of Heroes Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/warlords-iii-reign-of-heroes-review/1900-2531831/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Shamma, Tahsin (September 18, 1998). "Warlords III: Darklords Rising Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/warlords-iii-darklords-rising-review/1900-2531830/. 
  6. ↑ Smith, Peter (August 13, 1996). "Broderbund to publish Warlords III". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/news/0813961.html. 
  7. ↑ Wojnarowicz, Jakub (February 22, 2001). "Editorial: What Happened to Turn-Based Games? (Page 6)". FS Media, Inc.. http://www.firingsquad.com/games/tbgameseditorial/page6.asp. 
  8. ↑ "Warlords III: Reign of Heroes for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/199272-warlords-iii-reign-of-heroes/index.html. 
  9. ↑ Couper, Chris. "Warlords III: Reign of Heroes - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=6780&tab=review. 
  10. ↑ Falk, Hugh (September 4, 1997). "Warlords III [Reign of Heroes"]. CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-1098,00.html. 
  11. ↑ Smith, Peter (1997). "Warlords III [Reign of Heroes"]. Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/003/050/warlords_review.html. 
  12. ↑ Carter, Tim (October 1997). "War Is Heaven (Warlords III: Reign of Heroes Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (159): 256–57. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_159.pdf. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  13. ↑ Gies, Daniel (September 1997). "Warlords III: Reign of Heroes Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33309-warlords-iii-review. 
  14. ↑ "Warlords III: Reign of Heroes" (in de). GameStar (Webedia). September 1997. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Warlords III: Reign of Heroes". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (35): 204. November 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_35/page/n205/mode/2up. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  16. ↑ Bates, Jason (October 1997). "Warlords III [Reign of Heroes"]. PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 4 (10). http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/1154.html. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  17. ↑ Mallinson, Paul (October 1997). "Warlords III: Reign Of Heroes". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (55): 90. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_55_October_1997/page/n91/mode/2up. Retrieved November 9, 2021. 
  18. ↑ Gamer-X (November 6, 1997). "September's 30 Best-Sellers". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,1278,00.html. 
  19. ↑ "MS Flight Sim Tops PC Data Charts". Imagine Media. December 4, 1997. http://www.next-generation.com/news/120497e.chtml. 
  20. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (June 4, 1999). "The Top 10 Games That No One Bought (Page 6)". CNET. http://gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Notbought/ss05.html. 
  21. ↑ "The Award - Updates". http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardupdate.htm. 
  22. ↑ "The Award - Winners". http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardwin98.htm. 
  23. ↑ CGSP staff (January 19, 1998). "The winners of the 1997 Computer Games Awards". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/009/194/1997_cgsp_awards.html. 
  24. ↑ CGW staff (March 1998). "CGW 1998 Premier Awards (Strategy Game of the Year)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (164): 84. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_164.pdf. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  25. ↑ "Backstab Magazine (French) Issue 06". https://archive.org/details/backstab-magazine-french-06/page/n39/mode/2up. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Warlords III: Darklords Rising for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/199271-warlords-iii-darklords-rising/index.html. 
  27. ↑ House, Michael L.. "Warlords III: Darklords Rising - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16035&tab=review. 
  28. ↑ Dembo, Arinn (September 1, 1998). "Warlords III: Darklords Rising". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-2053,00.html. 
  29. ↑ Bowen, Michael (September 25, 1998). "Warlords III: Darklords Rising". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/014/114/warlords3_review.html. 
  30. ↑ Larka, Lance A. (December 1998). "It's Good to Be Bad (Warlords III: Darklords Rising Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (173): 417. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_173.pdf. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  31. ↑ Brenesal, Barry (1998). "Warlords III: Darklords Rising Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/804.shtml. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  32. ↑ "Warlords III: Darklords Rising" (in de). GameStar (Webedia). August 1998. 
  33. ↑ Bates, Jason (September 2, 1998). "Warlords III: Dark Lords Rising [sic"]. Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/09/03/warlords-iii-dark-lords-rising. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Warlords III: Darklords Rising". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (47): 152. November 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_47/page/n155/mode/2up. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  35. ↑ Pierce, Matthew (December 1998). "Warlords III: Darklords Rising". PC Gamer UK (Future Publishing) (63). http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=1373. Retrieved November 8, 2021. 
  36. ↑ Mallinson, Paul (September 1998). "Warlords III: Darklords Rising". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (67): 100–1. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_67_September_1998/page/n99/mode/2up. Retrieved November 9, 2021. 
  37. ↑ CGSP staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998 (Strategy Game of the Year)". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/017/163/strategy_of_year.html. 
  38. ↑ Miller, John Jackson (2003), Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist & Price Guide, Second Edition, pp. 631. 

Further reading

  • Elliott, Mike (January 1998). "Pick your battles". The Duelist (Wizards of the Coast) (21): 101. 

External links



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