Check out this article I found from PC Gamer magazine. Some nice info about RoL.
Rise of Addiction by Steve Klett
Rise of Nations is one of my favorite RTS games of the last few years. I love the way the single-player campaign blended some of the best elements of Civilization and Age of Empires, and the implementation of national borders that grow or shrink with your empire was pure genius. Still, I didn't play it as much as I should have, which I think was because of the historical setting- it just looked a bit too much like the Age games, even if the gameplay was radically different.
Needless to say, I was thrilled by the news that the sequel would abandon the historical backdrop in favor of a fantasy setting, where the forces of magic and technology clash in an epic battle for supremacy. One of my favorite RPG's, Arcanum (2001), has a similar milieu, so I couldn't wait to play Rise of Legends. Lucky for me, Santa dropped an early preview build in my stocking. Whoop!
The build was very limited (and rough around the edges), including just two of the three races to play- The Vinci and the Alim- one campaign scenario, and just a few small skirmish maps. But this content gave me a good feel for the game's mechanics and atmosphere.
ROL looks fantastic- the art direction is breathtaking and vividly imaginative, but we knew it would be. What's surprising is just how different ROL is from Rise of Nations. It shares many of the same concepts- national borders, attrition, and the "Conquer the World" single-player campaign structure, for starters- but this sequel is much, much more than a mere fantasy paintjob.
Cities are still integral to your expansion strategy, but are built up by adding four different districts, including a unique district for each race and then military, merchant, and palace districts. And instead of founding new cities to trade with, you must acquire neutral points via purchase, negotiation, or force to add to your empire. Heroes now play a major role on the field of battle, and if you have the resources, you can summon multiple heroes to aid your cause. And powers called Dominances, earned through different styles of play, reward you with a variety of slick tricks to deploy within missions.
While RON gave you 18 races to play, ROL gives you just three. However, whereas some of the races in RON felt like minor variations on each other, it's clear from the Vinci and Alim that each of ROL's races will be dramatically different and will require major shifts in strategy to use effectively. The magical Alim, for instance, are cheap to build, swift and relatively weak. Conversely, they have the ability to build their barracks inside of enemy borders. The Vinci, on the other hand, are all about constructing massive, expensive, mechanical units. The two are so utterly different that I did come away a bit worried if it were possible to truly balance them- I felt the Vinci had an inherent advantage in the preview build. (The third race is TBA.) <KingAragorn breaks in at this point: "We all know that the third race is Cuotl">
<The article continues> Still, I was blown away by the effort developer Big Huge Games has put into making ROL much more than your typial sequel. It's daring considering how popular RON is, and BHG deserves a pint or two for taking risks with its popular franchise. Time will tell if the shift in setting and scores of exciting gameplay twists will alienate the existing fanbase, or simply add new legions of fantasy/steampunk fans to the fold.
I, for one, couldn't be more excited about ROL's potential. It already appears well on its way to fusing the spirit of of its predecessor with a fresh, innovative gameplay experience for even RON vets.
This post has been edited by KingAragorn: Mar 26 2006, 23:01 PM
Rise of Addiction
by Steve Klett
Rise of Nations is one of my favorite RTS games of the last few years. I love the way the single-player campaign blended some of the best elements of Civilization and Age of Empires, and the implementation of national borders that grow or shrink with your empire was pure genius. Still, I didn't play it as much as I should have, which I think was because of the historical setting- it just looked a bit too much like the Age games, even if the gameplay was radically different.
Needless to say, I was thrilled by the news that the sequel would abandon the historical backdrop in favor of a fantasy setting, where the forces of magic and technology clash in an epic battle for supremacy. One of my favorite RPG's, Arcanum (2001), has a similar milieu, so I couldn't wait to play Rise of Legends. Lucky for me, Santa dropped an early preview build in my stocking. Whoop!
The build was very limited (and rough around the edges), including just two of the three races to play- The Vinci and the Alim- one campaign scenario, and just a few small skirmish maps. But this content gave me a good feel for the game's mechanics and atmosphere.
ROL looks fantastic- the art direction is breathtaking and vividly imaginative, but we knew it would be. What's surprising is just how different ROL is from Rise of Nations. It shares many of the same concepts- national borders, attrition, and the "Conquer the World" single-player campaign structure, for starters- but this sequel is much, much more than a mere fantasy paintjob.
Cities are still integral to your expansion strategy, but are built up by adding four different districts, including a unique district for each race and then military, merchant, and palace districts. And instead of founding new cities to trade with, you must acquire neutral points via purchase, negotiation, or force to add to your empire. Heroes now play a major role on the field of battle, and if you have the resources, you can summon multiple heroes to aid your cause. And powers called Dominances, earned through different styles of play, reward you with a variety of slick tricks to deploy within missions.
While RON gave you 18 races to play, ROL gives you just three. However, whereas some of the races in RON felt like minor variations on each other, it's clear from the Vinci and Alim that each of ROL's races will be dramatically different and will require major shifts in strategy to use effectively. The magical Alim, for instance, are cheap to build, swift and relatively weak. Conversely, they have the ability to build their barracks inside of enemy borders. The Vinci, on the other hand, are all about constructing massive, expensive, mechanical units. The two are so utterly different that I did come away a bit worried if it were possible to truly balance them- I felt the Vinci had an inherent advantage in the preview build. (The third race is TBA.) <KingAragorn breaks in at this point: "We all know that the third race is Cuotl">
<The article continues>
Still, I was blown away by the effort developer Big Huge Games has put into making ROL much more than your typial sequel. It's daring considering how popular RON is, and BHG deserves a pint or two for taking risks with its popular franchise. Time will tell if the shift in setting and scores of exciting gameplay twists will alienate the existing fanbase, or simply add new legions of fantasy/steampunk fans to the fold.
I, for one, couldn't be more excited about ROL's potential. It already appears well on its way to fusing the spirit of of its predecessor with a fresh, innovative gameplay experience for even RON vets.
This post has been edited by KingAragorn: Mar 26 2006, 23:01 PM
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