Songs of Conquest - HOMM2-inspired turn-based strategy adventure game

[*-*/\--/\~]

Guess they should have focused on making the game rather than incloooding stronk whamen everywhere.

 

[GloomFrost]

Guess they should have focused on making the game rather than incloooding stronk whamen everywhere.

The worst thing is that the game or at least what is already available is pretty damn good. Really curious as to what is actually going on there.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Livening up Loth!
Greetings, Wielders!

Prepare yourselves for another update, this one comes with a grave-like touch as we return to the eerie Barony of Loth and embrace our inner cultists! As always, this latest version of Songs of Conquest is packed with a little bit of everything. From essential bug fixes and AI behavior updates to a plethora of small tweaks and changes, we've left no tomb unturned. But let's be honest – there's definitely an undead theme lurking in the shadows.

The Barony of Loth travel agency really has their work cut out for them!

Ah, it seems we missed a buried treasure in last week's update – but fear not! The elusive Great Excavation map has been tracked down and added to the roster. It's almost as if it sensed it belonged here all along.

But that's not all – speaking of maps, we've got some exciting additions for all you cartographers out there! We've introduced faction-based wood generators, allowing you to tailor your maps even further to suit your vision.

And for those who prefer a more randomized playstyle, we've got you covered too! We've revamped the two-player Random Map layout for better balance, with more frequent and formidable guards and resource generators to keep you on your toes. Embrace the unpredictability and conquer the unknown!

You never truly know what you’re getting yourself into with a random map, but the menu helps!

In this update, even our AI opponents have been touched by the whispers of the tomb. Their build plans have been improved to create more diverse and strategic opponents. No longer will they construct duplicate small buildings on their first four build sites, and they'll now vary their choices for the first medium-build sites beyond just marketplaces. Plus, they've become adept at reserving sites for future upgrades.

Ah, but there's more to the AI's repertoire! It has learned the art of hunkering down in the face of adversity. When it senses the impending last stand, it will fortify its defenses and stand its ground, determined to give as good as it gets. While this may sometimes still result in defeat, on other occasions, it signals the turning of the tide – offering the AI a chance to recover and launch a counteroffensive!

The AI has started to sense its impending doom! Walls, towers, and a defending Wielder!

The Barony of Loth, steeped in undead legend and good intentions. We've delved deep into it and reworked its campaign, ensuring it integrates with our recent AI improvements. But that's not all – we've crafted both small and grand visual enhancements to all four maps, utilizing both old and new tools to elevate the experience.

Yet, our greatest efforts have been aimed at recalibrating the difficulties, based on our new system to improve this skeleton-powered campaign. Some challenges now stand as formidable tests of skill, while others offer a gentler path for those seeking a more forgiving journey. It's all in service of crafting a richer, more balanced story and experience for you, the intrepid Wielders. And all of this is thanks to the feedback that you, the community have given us, so thank you!

Now that is a man filled with good intentions. And a key figure in the Loth Campaign.

In addition to all these exciting developments, we've been on a bug-hunting spree, making small adjustments to game mechanics and fine-tuning general optimizations. As always, we highly recommend brewing a hot mug of cocoa and settling in with our freshly minted changelog to fully savor all the details of our latest update. Read all about it here.

Can you believe it's been a year since the first version of our third campaign clawed its way out from its shallow grave? Now is the perfect time to revisit the tombs, cities, and mysteries that the Barony of Loth has to offer. Prepare to delve into the depths once more, and uncover the secrets that still lie buried.

Our eye turns now towards eliminating bugs and doing the last bit of play-testing for our last campaign. The dunes of Barya are closing in and we can’t wait to share that last adventure with you. Stay tuned as we will share news on that precious release date soon.
Turn to Conquest Wielders, the Barony of Loth awaits!

 

[Infinitron]

Coming May 20th:

 

[lukaszek]

Coming May 20th:

release date is not as important as the fact that it actually includes final campaign.

although they are incredibly boring due to scripted events handling

 

[rashiakas]

Coming late 2020

 

[Infinitron]

https://af.gog.com/game/songs_of_conquest?as=1649904300

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/867210/view/4155211502147981235

1.0 is out now!

The time has come, Wielders!

The 1.0 version of Songs of Conquest is launching today. At the same time we are updating the soundtrack, releasing a digital Art Book and dropping the news of a console version! We know it's a lot to take in, so let's explore these subjects one at a time after you’ve checked out our new trailer:

Get ready to venture into the sandy dunes of Barya! In this final campaign you’ll conclude the epic adventure that began with the Baronies of Arleon fighting for power, the rise of the Rana to reclaim the Marsh, and the loyalist of Loth determined to bring back a dead Empress. Now, experience the ingenuity and independence of Barya as they challenge all enemies. In keeping with tradition, the campaign is accompanied by a song written and sung by none other than our game designer Carl. Incidentally, we’ve now added several more tracks to our official soundtrack!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1968750/Songs_of_Conquest__Original_Soundtrack?snr=1_2108_9__2107
The songs have always been an important part of our game, but so have the visuals. In fact, what started out as a humble indie pixel art style has over the years transformed into something quite extraordinary if we might say so ourselves. The makers of the game engine Unity nominated Songs of Conquest for having the best 2D visuals of 2023. So, we figured it would be worth celebrating this launch with an artbook, with foreword by none other than Gregory Fulton, the lead designer for Heroes of Might and Magic 3.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2977420/Songs_of_Conquest__Digital_Artbook?snr=1_2108_9__2107
Nice soundtrack and lovely visuals, yes. But what about platforms other than PC and Mac? This has been an ongoing request over the course of our Early Access period. We are proud to finally reveal that we are working on console versions. In fact, the game is already up and running, performing beautifully on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Imagine sitting on the sofa and enjoying the game on your TV. It’s about to happen!

We're collaborating once again with the fantastic team at Bitwave, who previously assisted us with the Steam Deck version. We haven’t set a release date for the console versions, but this fall is looking very likely. Additionally, we plan to follow up with a Switch version as well!

From translations and marketing to pixel art and programming. Well over 100 people have in one way or another helped shape this game into what it is today!


Expect to hear from us again very soon, as we prepare more news about our upcoming development plans. And if you have the time, please leave a comment with a favorite memory from playing the game or just a cheerful note. The whole team will be reading and appreciating your feedback as we gather at the office, manage the release and livestream while we play the new Barya campaign! All your lovely feedback has helped us not only improve the game, but made it a truly joyful experience of development!

This is not the end Wielders, this is merely the beginning of a new chapter in our epic saga!

With love, respect and gratitude,

All of us at Lavapotion

 

[Anomander]

A group of normal people and the game is great. Literally no crazy looking person in these photos.
Just try to compare it with some "modern" studios.

 

[Johannes]

They look like nerds

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

I'm still less sold on this than I was on homm 6-7. And what did this "full release" bring, anyway? Still only four factions with shitty mini-"campaigns" as far as I can see.

 

[oldbonebrown]

I've played it now for 3.4h
The loading times are far too long. Loading in saves, waiting for the enemy to move, returning to the map after a battle - it all takes longer than I feel it should.
Not very impressed visually. I like the design of monsters and the map, but there's not much flare to the presentation, the menus are especially bad looking and are also not very good to use.
The combat is good but what I've seen so far does not seem very deep. I don't know how long the fun of it will last.

 

[Hydro]

Played it, refunded. It’s baffling how something could be so bland, boring and uninspiring.

 

[Lemming42]

It's kind of fun. Visuals are very nice. I'm on the "First Song" or w/e and I like the plot focus so far, bit of minor HOMM-ing followed by a plot beat where the possibly-a-tyrant protagonist throws her weight around at people.

The combat is fun enough, not very deep but it does seem to be the type where a single bad decision can be the difference between decisive victory and pyrrhic victory, which is nice.

 

[Serious_Business]

I poured a couple of hours into this, it's alright, for the non-HoMM fan (I never was a big fan of the series, despite playing them as a kid, nostalgia has no hold on my brain). It has some interesting ideas, the point-based spell system being most of all. Overall a good fantasy romp, but of course there's better out there, like MoM, AoW1-3 and so on.

 

[lukaszek]

i dont get what do you guys mean by combat not being deep, what are you comparing it too? Its def deeper than homm...

important difference between this and homm is that this one is a battle of attrition. Army size limit, choices around settlements development/taking over and how sieges work all emphasize that.
Then there is this choice between combat vs magic focused army.

Honestly the weak part is ai and campaigns that focus on retarded scripted events(probably to handle lacking ai). If i had friends to play against Id expect to absolutely love this gaym

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

i dont get what do you guys mean by combat not being deep, what are you comparing it too? Its def deeper than homm...

I'll maybe yarrrr and check this out sometime (can't really feel bothered tbh as it gives extremely meh vibes), but let's just say I have some very serious doubts about it having deeper combat than a game with eight factions, full set of branching upgrades, heroes with varied and often very unique special abilities, great skill system and each faction adding their completely unique shtick on top of the combat mechanics.

 

[lukaszek]

i dont get what do you guys mean by combat not being deep, what are you comparing it too? Its def deeper than homm...

I'll maybe yarrrr and check this out sometime (can't really feel bothered tbh as it gives extremely meh vibes), but let's just say I have some very serious doubts about it having deeper combat than a game with eight factions, full set of branching upgrades, heroes with varied and often very unique special abilities, great skill system and each faction adding their completely unique shtick on top of the combat mechanics.

it does sound like you are mashing together all homm gaymz, picking best parts of each.

You have 4 factions that are truly unique. Technically spells are shared but the way system is set up each faction is geared towards single element, especially at the beginning. You have branching upgrades but what matters most is that you have max unit count per slot, resulting trogs being equal to dragon. Kind of. You will pick trog vs dragon based on strategy/character development.

Actual combat is more tactical since armies are always similar in power, then terrain matters more since there are height bonuses, shoot/move mechanics, spell charging and so on.

When you take over settlement you must chose whether you convert it into your own(takes many turns), destroy it or get ransom. Thats my favorite mechanics.

When you meet with the enemy, there is this funny situation where both of you throw armies at each other. Single hero might win 1 fight, but with armies cap you must replenish your losses. It will be a grind until one side runs out of the resources.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

it does sound like you are mashing together all homm gaymz, picking best parts of each.

I'm talking about Tribes of the East. Which has the best homm combat, at least when it comes to the depth of mechanics and wealth of options.

You have 4 factions that are truly unique.

Interesting, looking at user reviews and steam forums, just a couple of samey factions is definitely one of the most common complaints. I think they'd have to be really unique (like the good Amplitude Studios games level, at least) to make having only four of them defensible.

resulting trogs being equal to dragon

Ewww, that's how Homm6 worked (and probably 7, never played it). Though at least they had slightly higher iq idea about it than magic hard caps. Imo it was easily one of its biggest flaws, and that's saying something. Homm=seeing how your t6/7 reks shit once you are able to afford it.

 

[lukaszek]

Interesting, looking at user reviews and steam forums, just a couple of samey factions is definitely one of the most common complaints. I think they'd have to be really unique (like the good Amplitude Studios games level, at least) to make having only four of them defensible.

the fact that each faction got different magic affinity is alone enough to consider them unique.

Ewww, that's how Homm6 worked (and probably 7, never played it). Though at least they had slightly higher iq idea about it than magic hard caps. Imo it was easily one of its biggest flaws, and that's saying something. Homm=seeing how your t6/7 reks shit once you are able to afford it.

it goes even deeper. Space is very limited in each settlement. You wont be able to build all the units in single one. Lets say I play lizard faction. Im very into magic and my army consists only of turtles. My settlements will try to have 3 buildings producing those and nothing else. I wont even consider dragons. You see, you can cast as many spells as you want and you are only limited by your mana. Turtles generate a lot of it and are tanky. While they wont be even attacking I will create many obstacles on the battlefield and place acid clouds everywhere <- lizards specialty. My hero would focus further on magic.
I won't be able to change my strategy easilly. I would need to first destroy buildings producing turtles, build new ones, wait so that enough units are produced to fill my rooster. If enemy is able to counter my strategy I can't adapt if I go all in.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

I think it's even viable to only massproduce rats and use swarm tactics in this.

Only have tier 1 production buildings and then just overwhelm your opponent.

 

[Harthwain]

I'm talking about Tribes of the East. Which has the best homm combat, at least when it comes to the depth of mechanics and wealth of options.

It all depends on what you compare Songs of Conquest to. The game was inspired by "by 90s classics". That would make it Heroes of Might and Magic 1-2-3, not 4-5. Compared to Heroes of Might and Magic 2, Songs of Conquest is better. If you compare it to Heroes of Might and Magic 3, then Songs of Conquest is going to offer you less. That's the ballpark you should have in mind, not "the best homm combat", because that will only lead you down the road of disappointment.

Interesting, looking at user reviews and steam forums, just a couple of samey factions is definitely one of the most common complaints. I think they'd have to be really unique (like the good Amplitude Studios games level, at least) to make having only four of them defensible.

There are 8 units per faction (I don't count the upgrades) and you can mix up to 3 types of magic within these units, allowing you to unlock different spells based on your army's composition. I have to say I do like magic in Songs of Conquest. You get mana per unit's turn so you don't feel like you have to hoard your magic just in case and can instead focus on utilizing it in battle (even if you aren't specialized in using magic), and the number of units and their types (as well as your hero's skills) dictate what kind of spell you can cast (a large portion of them being universal skills), allowing for some room to decide whether you want more powerful spells or more and better units.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Played 2 campaign missions and two single scenarios. I might write some more detailed comments later, but eh, don't feel like it's really worth it. This game is VERY basic and very light on content. Better combat lol, doesn't even have flying units. About the only actual improvement I see is additions of zoc and maaaaybe the elevation mechanics, but they're simplistic af and don't amount to much more than dmg bonus. Factions being unique is complete fake news too, but I knew this much already.

It kinda gives a vibe of a mobile/shareware/browser-based project and is p. decent by such metric, as a full fledged game that was developed over multiple years not really.

It so happens that I got back into AoW3 recently and damn, talk about stark contrast.

 

[Harthwain]

Better combat lol, doesn't even have flying units.

Who said anything about "better combat"? Combat is pretty standard for the genre. There are units that can burrow and emerge elsewhere on the map, by the way. You can also teleport units. The game has more flexibility to it than it may seem at first glance.

About the only actual improvement I see is additions of zoc and maaaaybe the elevation mechanics, but they're simplistic af and don't amount to much more than dmg bonus.

Advanced units have an unique perk (knights deal more damage per hex travelled, archers can overwatch, etc.). It may not look like much, but it is actually a pretty big deal.

It kinda gives a vibe of a mobile/shareware/browser-based project and is p. decent by such metric, as a full fledged game that was developed over multiple years not really.

I could agree that the game might have been developed longer than it was needed to, but saying it's anything like mobile/shareware/brower-base is such a stretch that is isn't even true, considering it is more advanced than Heroes of Might and Magic 2 at the very least.

 

[Grunker]

Better combat lol, doesn't even have flying units.

Who said anything about "better combat"? Combat is pretty standard for the genre. There are units that can burrow and emerge elsewhere on the map, by the way. You can also teleport units. The game has more flexibility to it than it may seem at first glance.

About the only actual improvement I see is additions of zoc and maaaaybe the elevation mechanics, but they're simplistic af and don't amount to much more than dmg bonus.

Advanced units have an unique perk (knights deal more damage per hex travelled, archers can overwatch, etc.). It may not look like much, but it is actually a pretty big deal.

It kinda gives a vibe of a mobile/shareware/browser-based project and is p. decent by such metric, as a full fledged game that was developed over multiple years not really.

I could agree that the game might have been developed longer than it was needed to, but saying it's anything like mobile/shareware/brower-base is such a stretch that is isn't even true, considering it is more advanced than Heroes of Might and Magic 2 at the very least.

Yeah it’s that last bit that really reveals the post as the Codex edgy-posting that it is

 

[cvv]

Ok I have to try it for myself. Especially considering I bought the damn thing back when Reagan was still president.