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Date |
: Nov 22nd, 2001 |
| Genre |
: Strategy |
| Developer |
: Nival Interactive |
| Author |
: Jin-Ning Tioh |
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Gameplay for Etherlords come in two flavors - strategic and tactical. The strategic form unfolds on the adventure screen, whereas the tactical form goes on during battles in the combat screen. Both forms of the game moves on a step-by-step basis. After giving out the necessary orders to heroes and other creatures under your command, you end your turn and move on to the next turn until you have either won the battle or completed the mission.
The strategic part of the game is similar to the Heroes of Might & Magic series. This includes territorial development and expansion, consisting of map exploration, resource accumulation, and capturing structures, as well as shopping for spells and rune supplies that a vital in battle. Contact with hostile heroes and creatures result in a battle sequence occurring between your hero and the hostile hero or creature. You can also enter into or dissolve alliances with other races in the adventure screen.
The main structure on the map is the Castle. Each player only has one Castle. Defend them as once they crumble under your enemy's onslaught, you have lost the game. Castles possess certain amount of structure points, similar to the toughness of a hero or monster. It is in the castle that you can cast global spells. Global spells serve a number of important functions, such as erecting temporary forts, summoning new undeveloped heroes of different levels, attacking enemy castles and challenging enemies to a fight in a special battle arena known as the "Ethereal Arena".
As mentioned earlier, one of the key elements in Etherlords is its tactical part of the game. This is similar to the combat system for Magic : The Gathering. What excited the team most about the its combat system was the virtually endless number of individual strategies you could develop to effectively combat differently skilled enemies. The freedom of choice was immense, but still, it lacked the magic in which every game ever created offered - The thrills and chills of a full-fledged adventure, the dynamism of single and multiplayer combats, and last but not the least, the gorgeous visual representation it so richly deserved. Etherlords delivers this in the form of a "one on one" combat with an enemy hero or creature in the battle arena. Warring sides are situated motionlessly facing each other and don't enter into direct conflict with each other. A player's attack and defense occurs by means of casting various spells and summoning creatures to fight in the name of their lord. As the fight continues "attack" and "defense" phases alternate. In the beginning of the attack phase each of the sides receives randomly selected spells from accumulated spells in your spell book. Obviously, the fight finishes with the death of either your hero or the hostile hero or monster. Another option is to give in by hitting ESC key and surrendering. A warning though. Once a fight has begun, it cannot be interrupted without consequences as saving the game is not possible at this point and leaving the battle arena equals defeat and the death of your hero. All is not lost however. Losing your hero does not usually equals defeat generally. You always have the option of summoning new heroes if you possess the required resources. Another option would be to cast a special global spell that will resurrect dead heroes. Also taken from Magic : The Gathering is its graveyard concept. Dead creatures are unceremoniously dumped in graveyards and can only be resurrected by using certain spells and enchantments.
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