Age of Wonders 3

[Papa Môlé]

I don't like this BS excuse that a single wall is more realistic because it represents a breaching point. Yes, normally when attacking in a siege you'd go through a single point but before the attack you would obviously have to surround the city to prevent supplies and men from getting in or out. This single wall thing removes the whole planning and strategy phase where I decide how to lay my troops around the city and at which spot I'm going to focus on attempting to breach the wall.

 

[Malakal]

You dont need to surround the city to assault you know and its obviously an assault. Siege is when you cut off supplies and starve the defenders and this almost never happens in games anyway...

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Two armies facing each other separated by just one wall is how "fast combat" worked in AoW SM, which is how most people play it multiplayer. I never got how one could enjoy the game that way (saving time doesn't justify killing the gameplay), but it's how it's mostly played by those who still play it. The most recent mod "Mistle mod" gave walls/gates a lot more HP which made it unplayable by the AI who sent armies that never got a chance to break through them in the 25 turns limit. When I pointed that out to the mod makers, they basically shrugged it off invoking "fast combat". As much as I hate this change, I fear that the AoW "community", which, to my deepest regret, consists mainly of spineless geeks, won't mind it.

Also, this :

This single wall thing removes the whole planning and strategy phase where I decide how to lay my troops around the city and at which spot I'm going to focus on attempting to breach the wall.

And, when you're besieged, winning over a vastly superior opponent, because the AI is dumb and you're not and know how to place your units is part of the fun. Having different situations at different walls, like never knowing where the first breakthrough will actually happen, also is a blast.

 

[Frusciante]

First dev journal: http://www.ageofwonders.com/dev-journal-1-back-to-the-roots/

And preview coming in PC gamer (june): http://www.ageofwonders.com/preview-in-pc-gamer-uk/
Edit: Read the PC gamer 'preview'. Its basically a half page description of the GDC demo. Looks like PC gamer isnt really interested in tbs games.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Looks like PC gamer isnt really interested in tbs games.

Who is these days ?

 

[Frusciante]

Some new info (from german PC Games magazine, translation by some dude at the AoW website):

- In the story it’s High Elves VS Humans
- You can play the campaign as either side (-> 2 campaigns)
- You can beat the campaign in various ways (diplomacy / world war)
- the Humans are said to use magic as an energy source for their machines
- Dwarfs get an income bonus from mountain-hexes in their domain
- Goblins have a smaller decrease in population when using ‘Hurry’
- For the Theocrat all Temples give an extra income
- The Special Unit for the Theocrat is an Ark of the Covenant, which casts mighty spells and is stronger the more devout units are taking part in the fight
- there are 6 Races, 6 Classes and 6 Specializations (!)
- That means 216 combinations…
- There are also tons of cosmetical optionsfpr your leader
- chance is still in the game, but has a smaller role than in the other games
- A mentioned item: The eye of a Beholder, which enables the carrier to turn enemies to stone

Also more dev journals:

On mounts:
http://www.ageofwonders.com/dev-journal-ii-all-sorts-of-mounts/

''Unlike the default mounts, the special mounts are more than something purely visual. They have the ability to add bonuses to your hero or leader. The Nightmare mount for example will bestow Floating (faster movement) and the Bleak Warg will provide Arctic Walking.

Some of these special mounts are creatures like Fell Horses, Nightmares, Blight Tusk Boars, Bleak Wargs, Hell Hounds, Unicorn Sires and Red Raptors. You can swap them by using your inventory, as mounts are considered a special kind of item.

So how can players obtain those mounts in the game? Well, you can obtain them as quest rewards or rewards for exploring structures.

We are thinking of adding more, like Dread Spider mounts, which would give your hero/leader the ability to climb walls with ease. At the same time we are careful with adding abilities to mounts so they don’t make other items worthless or become imbalanced.

For the really special mounts you will need to start looking for eggs. Just like Daenerys Targaryen (the mother of dragons) in Game of Thrones, you will be able to find eggs and hatch them. This way you can get some awesome mounts. Maybe you’ll find a Gold Wyvern egg in an area fiercely guarded by Gold Wyverns.''

And writer interview:
http://www.ageofwonders.com/dev-journal-the-story-so-far-part-i/



The mounts sound great. Really looking forward to this.

 

[SCO]

Retarded Asoiaf namedropping is retarded.

 

[Malakal]

Retarded Asoiaf namedropping is retarded.

Not from marketing point of view. They want to sell their stuff so telling their future audience: YOU CAN BE THE MOTHER OF DRAGONS is a good idea.

 

[SCO]

Makes me automatically suspect the game. Will wait for codexian review.

 

[Absalom]

Maybe you’ll find a Gold Wyvern egg in an area fiercely guarded by Gold Wyverns

Lo, the wonder!

Reminds me, I really need to finish Shadow Magic.

 

[Papa Môlé]

Retarded Asoiaf namedropping is retarded.

I tried reading the first book in that series since everyone was making such a fuss about and, after sitting through what felt like 800 pages of kiddie porn and guro, it dropped a baby dragon egg on you at the end to get you to buy the next book in the series. Don't try dropping a baby dragon on me too AOW3.

 

[SCO]

I like the books well enough, but i'm always suspicious of namedropping (memedropping?) on similar settings. Every work of art is a work and uses myriad inspirations and all, but please, a little bit of decorum.

 

[Shaewaroz]

I wonder i they'll be able to capture the feel of the previous titles - especially the first one had an amazing atmosphere.

 

[Frusciante]

http://www.ageofwonders.com/dev-journal-visualising-the-battlefields/

 

[Cursed Platypus]

Haven't followed this at all.
So far, does it look like it's gonna be good or shit?

Do they even have a QA team? What are their incentive to not fuck up (since Notch gave them monies and isn't even watching apparently) ?

 

[Space Satan]

Dev Journal: Monster Dwellings and Independent Settlements

Welcome back to a new dev journal, in which I’ll discuss Independent towns and monster dwellings. In next week’s journal, programmer Brian will be explaining the related Quest System, previewing its features and possibilities. – Arnout Sas, designer Triumph Studios
In Age of Wonders III we have vastly improved the logic and behavior of independent settlements, so they are no longer static set pieces waiting be conquered and provide entertainment before meeting the other main players’ sides. In addition of towns inhabited by one of the main races (humans,goblins, draconian, etc) we also introduce Dwellings: a special type of independent settlement inhabited by more fantastical creatures, such as giants, fairies or dragons.

The parley system

Interaction with these two types on independent settlements (“indies”) has is done through an all new parley system, through which you can increase your relations. Usually you’ll get a welcome message when discovering a new indie. Initial relation is modeled through your alignment and standing in the world.
It is possible to rush in and attack indies, but especially with higher level towns and dwellings it’s smarter getting access to their domain by asking them to open their borders first.
Indie Parties

You can trespass on their grounds, but at a certain point the indie will get irritated and spawn independent armies to protect their land. Of course these parties are themed to the settlements they defend, and unlike earlier indie parties, they remember which town they belong to and have to protect.
Questing for Indies

You can improve relations by making tributes or performing quests for them. Next to improving relation, Quest Rewards provide useful treasures like artifacts, spells and resources themed to that town or dwelling. Brian will tell more about the quest system next week. The ultimate prize of the parley system is adding a town to your realm, without having to besiege them.

Monster Dwellings

Dwellings are settlements with exotic creatures or monsters you cannot play as a starting race. These monstrous units are special and usually cannot be acquired through other means, like city upgrades or research.
Each dwelling has a unique model and its surrounding domain is usually themed with special tiles. For example the Sylvan court is surrounded by woodlands, often has magical trinkets lying around and has concealed fairies patrolling.
If you manage to acquire a dwelling either by force using the parley system, the dwelling becomes part of your domain and now these unique race units become available to you. Dwellings do not have population management, but at the core function mostly like cities offering unit production, resource generation and a few dwelling upgrades, mainly to unlock the greater units that belong to the dwelling.
Today we can reveal the following Dwelling Types:

Sylvan Court is inhabited by all kinds of fey: such as faeries, nymphs, unicorns, and also animals. Several variations of the Sylvan Court exists; Night Shade Abode all with exclusive dwelling upgrades such as the Buttercup Meadow (unlocks the Buttercup Fairy unit), Toadstool Ring (unlocks the Toadstool Fairy unit), and Fairy Ring (this upgrade offers magical protection to its defenders)
The Giants Keep is home to ogres, Fire, Stone and Frost Giants. Giants are very powerful and are of great advantage to your armies. Dwelling upgrades include the Burrow of the Degenerated Children, Menhir of Granite, Menhir of Fire, Menhir of Frost and the Stone Wall.
The Necropolis is inhabited by the archon revenants. These fallen archons haunt the lands now. In ancient history they were the hunters of all things evil, but now they have become what they fought before .
The Dragons’ Peak is inhabited by golden, fire, frost or obsidian dragons and their wyvern counterparts. It’s the most powerful dwelling in the game and only great armies stand a chance against it. Controlling a Dragons Peaks gives you great advantage over other players as you can now produce dragons. The rewards given by the Dragons’ Peak include wyvern eggs which will hatch into a wyvern mount after several turns.

Hopefully this has given you a good sense of what we’re doing with independent cities and dwellings.
Next week we’ll be going in- depth on the Quest System!.
**********
All I can see is . Retarded dwelling mechanics gone.
Burrow of the Degenerated Children, Toadstool Fairy, wyvern eggs which will hatch into a wyvern mount after several turns.

 

[Space Satan]

Interview with Triumph Studios on Age of Wonders 3

After Age of Wonders and its two sequels AoW:The Wizard’s Throne and AoW:Shadow Magic, Triumph Studios returns to the world of Age of Wonders once more and prepares to release their third sequel, Age of Wonders 3, by the end of this year. A pre-alpha gameplay video was made available a few months ago, at GDC. Keith, our fantasy Hero, asked Triumph Studios some questions about their new turn-based fantasy strategy game. The answers were provided by Lennart Sas and Arno van Wingerden, founders of Triumph Studios. Enjoy!
SS: Age of Wonders 3 is going to feature at least six races, six classes, and six specializations upon release. Given such varied options and potential, game balance can be a difficult thing to get just right. Allowing players access to incredibly powerful abilities can offer an exciting experience, but can also be very difficult to do in a game incorporating multiplayer. What is Age of Wonders 3′s strategy regarding game balance?
LS & AW: In Age of Wonders 3 we approach balance from multiple angles. There are initial spreadsheet checks and logic limitations (i.e. avoid units achieving full physical immunity through buffing). Next we have an in-game valuation system that puts a value to each game entity and of course there is iterative development with testing; including automated AI vs AI testing. But in the end nothing matches fine-tuning the game after release with the feedback from thousands of players.
That being said, we value variation and experimentation. AoW3 is a game strong on empire building where we encourage people to experiment and we actually welcome a limited amount of imbalances. E.g. in previous games Halflings were a bit underpowered, however some experienced players actually played with them because of the extra challenge they posed.

SS: AI is a subject near and dear to the heart of many strategy gamers. What elements of your AI design do you think help you stand out as opposed to other similar titles, and how is your AI strategy influenced by differences in the selected game difficulty level?
LS & AW: With all core systems now implemented and the game being close to Alpha the AI is currently our main focus in terms of programming. AIs have different personalities this time around. In the design phase, we addressed AI weak points from previous games, such as transport ship combat which was easy to abuse by human players. For higher difficulty logic, the AI will calculate through a larger amount of scenarios, which is made possible with advanced CPU power and multi-threading AI routines. Our main goal is to have AI players that provide a meaningful challenge and entertain the player.
SS: Will we see any espionage mechanics or increased diplomatic options in Age of Wonders 3 in comparison to the prior titles in the series?
LS & AW: Age of Wonders remains firmly rooted in the fantasy realm, with camouflaged rogue units infiltrating enemy domains and magical scrying to tell what’s going on at your rival’s towns. Adding a Civilization style espionage system currently doesn’t have a high priority.
We have improved the bartering system, with more trading options and we have increased interaction with independent towns and monster dwellings. In previous games there was an alignment check to determine whether or not an indie settlement would join you for the right amount of gold or if you’d needed to conquer it by force. We’ve now extended the interaction with these neutral settlements to include questing to gain their favor and rewards, which include cool rare monster units or monster mounts for your heroes.

SS: A lot of 4X and turn-based strategy games of all genres tend to reach a point in the mid to late game where gameplay becomes more about micromanagement and tedious mop up of your opponents than about having fun. What steps have you taken to keep the player engaged and interested in the later stages of a game?
LS & AW: It’s our goal to keep the games as exciting as possible in each phase. Each class includes powerful end-game skills resembling a nuclear option to make enemies bow down in submission. In a free-for-all game, enemy AIs can join forces and gang up against you in a last ditch attempt to thwart their impending annihilation. The game features high level exploration sites and monster dwellings reserved for late game uncovering.
Also don’t forget Age of Wonders has always been a game heavy on combat. The map is fully malleable and the end game might show a lot the towns in ruin and the countryside corrupted by blight or high-level magic. Subsequently the final conflict might focus on a couple of remaining developed hot spots. But beware; alignment is now fully dynamic. Scorched earth tactics might provide short-term gain, but will most likely work against you over long term.

SS: Out of all the improvements and elements you’ve added to Age of Wonders 3, which aspect of your game do you feel stands out and is going to be the most exciting to players?
LS & AW: Age of Wonders 3 has so many systems, which all have seen improvement, from the added depth of the tactical battles, to more variety in location on the world maps, to new domain system. In the end it’s all about how these systems work together. As it’s such an overarching feature I’d go pick the new leader classes which really are at the root of the new Age of Wonders experience, where the player is able to be a leader of a fantasy realm that is an extension of his own character and provides great variation in game play as RPG character classes do.
SS: Thanks for your time.
Age of Wonders 3 is an upcoming turn-based fantasy strategy game, with 4X elements, by Triumph Studios for the PC . It will be “a modern reimagining of the series”, as Triumph Studios puts it. It’s slated to release somewhere between September and November 2013, and it will be available on both Steam and GOG.

 

[Borelli]

Even when of the same race neutrals in AoW2 would require massive amounts of money (500+) if you wanted to buy the city without fighting, because despite it being low level undeveloped city it has like 3 spearmen dude. I hope they change those numbers for 3.

 

[Space Satan]

Dev Journal: Hero Mounts

Hello everyone! Welcome to the second development journal for Age of Wonders III.
Before telling you about the brand new mount system in Age of Wonders III, let me make a quick introduction. My name is Godewijn and I am a designer for Triumph Studios for a little over a year now, and as such I am one of the ‘new people’ that joined this project.
Unlike what you might expect from someone who didn’t work on the prequels, I’m sometimes actually a bit more conservative than some of the longtime Age of Wonders developers. Reason for that is probably that I have been a huge fan of the series since the first Age of Wonders and (when time allows it) I still play Shadow Magic regularly with a friend.
You can imagine it was a dream come true to be able to work on the third installment!

Hell Hound concept art
I should mention everything you see and read in these dev journals is work-in-progress. As we are still in the middle of development on Age of Wonders III a lot of things can change, both gameplay- and graphics-wise.
So let’s talk about those mounts!
Default Hero Mount Variations

As in previous games your heroes and leader will ride a mount. The default mount they get is based on their race. For example at the start you won’t have High Elves riding boars through the woods since boars are the preferred mount of Dwarves and the Elves prefer Unicorns.
These are the default mounts per race:
High Elves – Unicorn
Dwarves – Boar
Humans – Brown horse
Draconians – Raptor
Orcs – Black horse
Goblins – Warg
Default mounts don’t give your units special abilities and are purely cosmetic. This changes once you progress in the game and get access to special mounts.
Acquiring Special Mounts for your Hero

Unlike the default mounts, the special mounts are more than something purely visual. They have the ability to add bonuses to your hero or leader. The Nightmare mount for example will bestow Floating (faster movement) and the Bleak Warg will provide Arctic Walking.
Some of these special mounts are creatures like Fell Horses, Nightmares, Blight Tusk Boars, Bleak Wargs, Hell Hounds, Unicorn Sires and Red Raptors. You can swap them by using your inventory, as mounts are considered a special kind of item.

Leader with a Gryphon egg and mount ‘item’ equipped (Ice Wyvern).
We are thinking of adding more, like Dread Spider mounts, which would give your hero/leader the ability to climb walls with ease. At the same time we are careful with adding abilities to mounts so they don’t make other items worthless or become imbalanced.
So how can players obtain those mounts in the game? Well, you can obtain them as quest rewards or rewards for exploring structures.
Hatching Eggs

For the really special mounts you will need to start looking for eggs. Just like Daenerys Targaryen (the mother of dragons) in Game of Thrones, you will be able to find eggs and hatch them. This way you can get some awesome mounts. Maybe you’ll find a Gold Wyvern egg in an area fiercely guarded by Gold Wyverns.

Artwork of the various Wyverns
Eggs will be used only for the strongest of player mounts: Gold, Fire, Ice, Obsidian and Bone Wyverns and the Gryphon.
Once you find an egg you need to carry it with you for a certain amount of rounds before it gets hatched (no worries – your hero won’t need to sit on the egg). The mount resulting from that can be equipped as any mount and gives the hero/leader flying and increased vision on the World Map. Maybe even something extra as well.

Leader on a special mount (Red Raptor) attacking a hero on a Hell Hound (this is Work-In-Progress).
This is just one example of us trying to add flavor and improve on the earlier games. Is it needed? Perhaps not. Is it fun? We think so!
But it’s even more important what you think! Let us know in the attached forum thread. We’re looking forward to it!
Cheers,
Godewijn/Narvek

 

[SCO]

This perspective looks completely fucked. I hope it's optional because it looks very hard to judge distances.

 

[Malakal]

Bone dragon egg. Heh. Heh. Heh.

But otherwise it looks damn good.

 

[Space Satan]

Bone dragon egg. Heh. Heh. Heh.

But otherwise it looks damn good.

Eggs will be used only for the strongest of player mounts: Gold, Fire, Ice, Obsidian and Bone Wyverns and the Gryphon
Judging by their previous info about Necromancy, most probably bone wyverns will be only obtanable via necromantic magic\items.

 

[Malakal]

Bone dragon egg. Heh. Heh. Heh.

But otherwise it looks damn good.

Eggs will be used only for the strongest of player mounts: Gold, Fire, Ice, Obsidian and Bone Wyverns and the Gryphon
Judging by their previous info about Necromancy, most probably bone wyverns will be only obtanable via necromantic magic\items.

You quote but cant read? BONE WYVERNS?

 

[Raghar]

Leader on a special mount (Red Raptor) attacking a hero on a Hell Hound (this is Work-In-Progress).

You can't ride hellhound. You'd burn out your balls.

 

[Space Satan]

When announcing the game earlier in the year we’ve listed a projected release date of ‘fall’ 2013. We immediately got questions on this, whether this would be fall in the southern or northern hemisphere, and when pre-orders would start.
We’ve made great progress developing the game and feel now is the time to give you heads up that we will take a bit more time creating all the features and content. Age of Wonders III is the largest game in the series and with the additional polish we hope we can give you an even better experience!
Until our release in Q1 2014 we will be organizing several events and are currently planning a great pre-order promotion and presence at Gamescom in Germany this August, where we will be showing some of the new classes. Stay tuned!