Software:Warlords Battlecry II

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game

Warlords Battlecry II
Developer(s)Strategic Studies Group
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Producer(s)Gregor Whiley
Designer(s)Steve Fawkner[1]
Programmer(s)Dean Farmer
Steve Fawkner
Mick Robertson
Artist(s)Alister Lockhart
Composer(s)Steve Fawkner
SeriesWarlords
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: March 12, 2002
  • EU: April 5, 2002
Genre(s)RTS, role-playing video game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Warlords Battlecry II is a real-time strategy and role-playing game, developed by Strategic Studies Group (SSG) as the sequel to Warlords Battlecry. It was released on March 12, 2002.[2] The game requires the player to build buildings and create units in order to defeat the enemy, while sending their hero on optional quests.[1]

The game is set within the world of Etheria. The player creates and assumes the role of a "Hero", and must take control of one of the twelve races and capture all 67 regions of the land in a non-linear manner. There are twelve different playable races, each with their own type of Hero, buildings and resource dependencies.[1]

The game was well received by critics and users alike,[2] with an average score of 82/100 on Metacritic.[3] Warlords Battlecry III, the sequel to the game, was released in 2004.[4]

Gameplay

In-game screenshot, showing the daemon race attacking the humans.

Primarily a real-time strategy game, the main objective of Warlords Battlecry II is to build up a base and army in order to fight enemies. A game will usually end when all but one of the players has been defeated, although there are some minor differences depending on which victory condition is selected. Most buildings and units are created by spending resources, while some buildings and units can also be summoned by certain units.

There are twelve different playable races, each with its own strengths, weaknesses and resource dependencies. There are roughly a hundred and forty controllable units which will fight and, in some cases, build buildings.

The game also features some basic role-playing video game elements including leveling-up characters and completing optional quests. In addition to these units, the player controls a Hero which they have created before playing. The Hero is a unique unit which, as well as being able to fight and build buildings, can cast spells and receive quests. Depending on the outcome of a battle, the Hero will receive experience points and level up, as is common in many role-playing games.

There are two main game modes: the campaign and skirmish mode. The campaign is non-linear, with a goal of conquering the entire continent of Etheria (the land in which the game is set). Skirmish games can be played against computer-controlled enemies and other human players. All the game modes and victory conditions available in the campaign are playable, as well as some multiplayer-only modes. The game also comes with a level editor.[1]

Development

On October 4, 2001, SSG announced that a sequel to Warlords Battlecry was in development and was at the stages of beta-testing.[5] The game was slated to feature a non-linear campaign[6] (as opposed to the linear, story-driven campaign of the game's predecessor[7]) and feature almost a hundred and forty different unit types (sixty of which would be brand new), twelve races (nine from the previous game, three created specifically for this game[8]), 20 hero classes and more than a hundred spells and special abilities.[5]

Six days later, on October 10, 2001, a new official website was launched, featuring a summary of the game's features as well as screenshots, desktop wallpapers, message boards and information on the armies and races.[9] Over the following months, details concerning the units and races were added to the website.[10] After the game's release the website provided a source of official downloads. Patches, custom AIs, scenarios and tools were made available to download.[11]

On February 5, 2002, SSG released a 100MB demo of the game. It featured two maps, two playable races, and two spell spheres. It was made available for download from the German Ubisoft website.[12] Ubisoft announced on February 21 that the game had gone gold and was on target for its release date of March 12.[13] This target was met and on March 12 the game was released across the U.S., with a retail price of $39.99.[14]

Critical reception

Warlords Battlecry II
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings82.75/100[16]
Metacritic82/100[15]
Review scores
PublicationScore
GameRevolutionB[21]
GameSpot8.2/10[17]
GameSpy85/100[19]
GameZone8.2/10[20]
IGN8.5/10[18]
PC Gamer (US)90/100[22]
The campaign map of Etheria. Warlords Battlecry II was praised for replacing the story-driven campaign of its predecessor with a non-linear campaign.

The game generally received positive reviews, with Metacritic giving an average score of 82 out of 100 ("generally favourable reviews").[3] PC Gamer US described the game as "welcome on my computer for a long time to come", in particular praising the non-linear campaign and the sheer scope of the game, awarding it 90%.[8] IGN stated that "...[Warlords Battlecry II] may not have a ton of really noticeable new things when it comes down to the real-time strategy aspect of play, but it definitely had enough to draw me through my jaded curtain and get me playing and interested again". It too praised the campaign, giving the game an overall rating of 8.5 out of a possible 10.[23]

GameSpot named Battlecry II a runner-up for its March 2002 "PC Game of the Month" award.[24] While describing the game as "a solid real-time strategy game" and giving it a rating of 8.2 out of 10, the publication noted that "[the game] doesn't take a big leap forward".[25] According to the game's Metacritic page, this was an opinion held by many reviewers.[3]

UGO praised the AI, stating, "It seldom uses a tank rush until the very end. Rather, it'll often feint, spy and harass you. It'll often send its hero to convert your mines, to draw your units away from your town to chase him back to his city hall, while other units invade your area. It'll send minor units to hack at your buildings, and it is very good at hiding its numbers using the Fog of War. At the start of a campaign, the computer is pretty much a pushover, but as the game progresses, you'll often find your hands full."[26]

According to the game's official website, the game received three awards: PC Gamer US' Editor's Choice award, Computer Gaming World's Editor's Choice award and Computer Games Magazines' Editor's Choice award.[27]

The editors of Computer Games Magazine named Warlords Battlecry II the fifth-best computer game of 2002, and wrote that it "manages to take elements of some of the best games out there—Total Annihilation, StarCraft—and create something that works better than most of its influences." It also received the magazine's "Best Interface" award.[28] Warlords Battlecry II was nominated for Computer Gaming World's 2002 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Freedom Force. The editors called Battlecry II "a perfect example of an honest-to-god RPS (role-playing strategy)", but explained that its relative lack of innovation "kept it from grabbing the gold."[29]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Warlords Battlecry II Instruction Manual (PDF) (Media notes). Ubi Soft. 2002. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Warlords Battlecry II GameSpot page". http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warlordsbattlecry2/index.html. Retrieved March 25, 2007. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Warlords Battlecry II Metacritic page". http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/warlordsbattlecry2?q=warlords%20battlecry%20ii. Retrieved March 25, 2007. 
  4. ↑ "Warlords Battlecry III IGN page". http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/573/573699.html. Retrieved March 25, 2007. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Walker, Trey. "Warlords Battlecry II Unveiled". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warlordsbattlecry2/news.html?sid=2816440&mode=recent. Retrieved October 8, 2019. 
  6. ↑ IGN Staff (October 4, 2001). "Warlords Battlecry II Announced". IGN. http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/098/098813p1.html. Retrieved October 8, 2019. 
  7. ↑ Adams, Dan (May 20, 2012). "Warlords: Battlecry II". IGN. Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20180207144104/http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/22/warlords-battlecry-ii. Retrieved October 8, 2019. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "PC Gamer US review" (Review). Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061018002741/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/warlords_battle.html. Retrieved March 24, 2007. 
  9. ↑ "GameSpot news article" (News). http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warlordsbattlecry2/news.html?sid=2817220&mode=recent. Retrieved March 24, 2007. 
  10. ↑ "IGN news articles: Articles from 16 October 2001 until 22nd January 2002" (News). http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/017/017128.html#news. Retrieved March 24, 2007. 
  11. ↑ "Official website". http://www.infinite-interactive.com/wbc2/index.shtml. Retrieved March 24, 2007. 
  12. ↑ "IGN news announcement". February 5, 2002. http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/323/323990p1.html. Retrieved March 24, 2007. 
  13. ↑ "IGN news announcement". February 21, 2002. http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/354/354233p1.html. Retrieved March 24, 2007. 
  14. ↑ "GameSpot news article" (News). http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warlordsbattlecry2/news.html?sid=2854282&mode=recent. Retrieved March 24, 2007. 
  15. ↑ "Warlords Battlecry II". https://www.metacritic.com/game/warlords-battlecry-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  16. ↑ "Video Game Reviews, Articles, Trailers and more - Metacritic". https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/537053-warlords-battlecry-ii/index.html. 
  17. ↑ "Warlords Battlecry II Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/warlords-battlecry-ii-review/1900-2854365/. 
  18. ↑ Adams, Dan (March 12, 2002). "Warlods: Battlecry II Review". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/12/warlords-battlecry-ii-review. Retrieved October 7, 2019. 
  19. ↑ "GameSpy.com - Reviews: Warlords Battlecry II (PC)". http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/march02/warlords2bc/index3.shtm. 
  20. ↑ "Warlords: Battlecry II Review - PC". https://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19368.htm. 
  21. ↑ "Warlords:Battlecry II - PC Review - Game Revolution". http://www.game-revolution.com/games/pc/strategy/warlords_battlecry_2.htm. 
  22. ↑ "PC Gamer: Warlords Battlecry II". http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/warlords_battle.html. 
  23. ↑ "IGN review". March 12, 2002. http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/355/355387p1.html. Retrieved March 29, 2007. 
  24. ↑ ((The Editors of GameSpot PC)) (April 5, 2002). "PC Game of the Month, March 2002". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 3, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020603043131/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/gotm/040502/index.html. 
  25. ↑ "GameSpot review" (Review). http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warlordsbattlecry2/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabs&tag=tabs;reviews. Retrieved March 29, 2007. 
  26. ↑ Jonah Falcon. "UGO.com Warlords Battlecry II review". http://www.ugo.com/channels/games/features/warlords_battlecry2/. Retrieved October 10, 2007. 
  27. ↑ "Official website's Awards page". http://www.infinite-interactive.com/wbc2/awards.shtml. Retrieved March 29, 2007. 
  28. ↑ Staff (March 2003). "Best of the Year 2002; 12th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (148): 58–61. 
  29. ↑ Staff (April 2003). "Computer Gaming World's 2002 Games of the Year". Computer Gaming World (225): 83–86, 88, 89, 92–97. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Warlords_Battlecry_II&oldid=4140545"