Paradox announces new turn based strategy game with magic; spiritual MoM successor?

**Nikolai** · August 26, 2011, 17:53

Paradox announced earlier tonight that they will publish a new turn based strategy game where the goal is to use magic and armies to become the sole Warlock of the lands. Not much is known yet, but one of the devs said the game is not a successor, but based on, a classic 90s game. Spiritual MoM successor anyone...?

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/26/paradox-interactive-announces-turn-based-strategy-game-warlock/

**Tuberski** · August 28, 2011, 08:45

I'm tired of hearing about "spiritual successors" to Master of Magic.

Make a sequel or don't.

ACK!

**Nikolai** · August 28, 2011, 09:24

That, I guess, is a question of money and rights.

**Al B. Sure!** · August 28, 2011, 11:41

Don't Paradox games outside of their AAA titles (Europa Universalis, HoI, and Victoria) really really suck ass?

**Nikolai** · August 28, 2011, 12:22

No, Magica has become one of their most successful games either, and Ardania, which is the Magica world, has spawned a few spinoffs. Among them this game. Mount & Blade has done very well for itself too. The rest has had mixed success AFAIK, but not less than that PI has had a huge financial growth the last few years. IIRC, last year their growth was some 60-70% and the year before it was 50%. Btw, I find it interesting that ca 90% of PI's revenue is from digital download according to their CEO. I guess there is better margins there.

EDIT: Btw ,you forgot the last of their "AAA titles", Crusader Kings. That game kicks ass.

**Stuie** · August 30, 2011, 14:45

Hexes! First day purchase.

Then I'll play it 18 months later after several pay-to-patch expansions have been released.

**Nostromo** · August 31, 2011, 15:14

The narrator sounds a bit like Sean Connery

**Nikolai** · August 31, 2011, 16:28

Maybe because it is him.

**Main_Brain** · September 1, 2011, 04:36

Its not. It is the same Voice that did the Narrator in Majesty 2.

**Tuberski** · September 3, 2011, 00:28

Originally Posted by Nikolai

That, I guess, is a question of money and rights.

Atari has the rights, but I'm sick of the Spiritual successor label. LET us, the game players, decide that after the game is released.

ACK!

**Dinner** · September 10, 2011, 20:41

I hated the fake Sean Connery accent.

**Main_Brain** · September 11, 2011, 07:07

Sean Connery himself is awesome though.

**Sammual** · April 26, 2012, 17:46

Originally Posted by Stuie

Hexes! First day purchase.

Then I'll play it 18 months later after several pay-to-patch expansions have been released.

I'm in the beta and other then the game crashing every two hours or so it is completely playable now.

**Spaced Cowboy** · April 26, 2012, 21:42

I hope they do it justice, nothing can beat MOM, that was one-of-a-kind.

**Sammual** · April 26, 2012, 22:17

Originally Posted by Spaced Cowboy

I hope they do it justice, nothing can beat MOM, that was one-of-a-kind.

I believe they have done it justice.

I have played a lot of MoM in the last year and the balance is awful. More then once I wished for an updated version of the game with hexes, updated graphics, and better balance but no other changes.

**Stuie** · April 27, 2012, 06:08

The demo is up on Steam. This is looking really good... and like Sammual said, it looks like it will be playable day one!

And it's only $20!?!?! Easy pre-order.

**Sammual** · April 27, 2012, 10:04

Originally Posted by Stuie

The demo is up on Steam. This is looking really good... and like Sammual said, it looks like it will be playable day one!

And it's only $20!?!?! Easy pre-order.

Yep.

At normal difficulty the game is not a challenge as long as you remember to check what spells the other great mages are casting every ten turns or so. (At least one tries to win by casting the spell of Unity ASAP)

I am missing something. My casting skill does not seem to be increasing (It still takes a full turn to cast most combat spells) while the great mage I am fighting just hit the army attacking his capitol with an AoE (That takes me 2 turns to cast), a single target spell (That takes me a full turn to cast), and a single target spell (That takes me a 0.8 turns to cast). In the game notes it mentions that you can improve your great mages casting skill but I have not seen a way to do this. Can anyone fill me in?

**Spaced Cowboy** · April 27, 2012, 22:15

Is this game 1UPT?

**Sammual** · April 29, 2012, 23:35

Originally Posted by Spaced Cowboy

Is this game 1UPT?

Yes, and the more I play the more I think it is a good replacement for the MoM battlefield.

**Main_Brain** · May 8, 2012, 14:19

Got released today

**Stuie** · May 11, 2012, 20:56

I've been enjoying this. There are some definite flaws and a big caveat.

First the big caveat: This is a tactical wargame with a thin strategy layer of city/resource management on top. Combat is the meat of the game. Given that understanding, it plays really well. The AI holds up well enough - it could definitely use some improvement but I would say it is putting up a way better fight than Civ V did on release.

Some of the flaws: lack of hotkeys for much of anything, UI can be clunky at times, magic is random research - no directed research of spells or schools of magic, and there are only three races present along with a dozen or so leaders. Speaking of leaders, the "customization" options are abysmal.

Some positives: The three races each play very different than the others. Units follow pretty standard fantasy tropes (this is a plus in my book) so it's easy on the immersion factor. For all its clunkiness, the UI would actually be pretty damn good if there were some hotkeys. The AI plays a decent game in the short term (longer games may derail it - haven't had a chance to play more than a couple shorter games).

I'd recommend the game as long as you can get past the big caveat I mentioned.