Conquest of Elysium 3

[son_of_montfort]

I am cross-posting this from the RPS forums:

So I was just browsing Desura today, when lo-and-behold I noticed that the Upcoming tab had a link to a February 20th release pre-order of Conquest of Elysium 3. Now, for those that are not familiar with the name, you MIGHT be familiar with it's more famous older brother, Dominions 3. Both are made by a small-time (one man, I think) development company called Illwinter Games. They used to be connected to Shrapnel (Dominion 3 is still sold there).

Dominions 3 is one of my favorite games of all time, it is an excellent strategy game full of monsters, magic, rival gods, giant armies, and spell-slinging. Something like a cross between Risk and Master of Magic.

Conquest of Elysium was a different line of strategy games by Illwinter, a bit more simple than Dominions 3, focused on smaller playtime (Dominions 3 can take quite some time to play). CoE2 is free, IIRC, so people can download that and try.

The graphics are very retro, but I've always found them strangely pretty. Illwinter is known for using pretty deep mythology as a source for its monsters, and thus the aesthetic is a bit... unique. Here are some pics:





And one of the map:



Desura has a video of some of the gameplay:
http://www.desura.com/games/conquest-of-elysium-3/videos

Anyway, I'm in. Of all the games I know, Dominions 3 is the one that has stayed on my hard drives the longest and that I've put the most hours into. The AI for Dominions 3 was pretty brain dead, so I hope CoE3's is better. Thankfully CoE3 is far less expensive than Dominions 3, which was always sold at a premium price.

[LongBlade]

Wow. And decent graphics. Is shrapnel publishing it?

[Bison]

This one does look interesting.  I never committed to purchasing DOM 3, so this should be a serious consideration for me.  What's the multiplayer platform?

[LongBlade]

This one does look interesting.  I never committed to purchasing DOM 3, so this should be a serious consideration for me.  What's the multiplayer platform?

Dunno but I have a friend at Shrapnel and can find out.

[Jarhead0331]

I read this post over on RPS and it inspired me to reinstall Dom3. Previously, I never made it past the tutorial without being distracted and moving on to something else.

[son_of_montfort]

Wow. And decent graphics. Is shrapnel publishing it?

AFAIK, no. Illwinter has decided to use Desura, and so it looks like they are going the indie self-publish with no physical copy route. I'm not upset by this, although the Dom 2 and 3 manuals provided me a ton of entertainment on trips and such by simply reading the spell and items lists.

I read this post over on RPS and it inspired me to reinstall Dom3. Previously, I never made it past the tutorial without being distracted and moving on to something else.

I've put 100s of hours into Dom3. The AI is brain dead, but that really isn't a huge deal. CoE, as a series, is far more streamlined and quicker playing that Dominions. You have more focus, smaller maps, and smaller scope for armies. But, from the beta reports, CoE3 still has the level of options you see in Dom3 - do you summon a Great Old One but risk having your city decimated and army eaten if he lashes out at you? Perhaps you want to wield that weapon, but it horror marks your hero, making him more susceptible to attacks from extra-planar horrors? Do you rely on human troops, subject to morale, or summon a horde of undead that will dissipate if the controlling wizard is killed? Great stuff!

This one does look interesting.  I never committed to purchasing DOM 3, so this should be a serious consideration for me.  What's the multiplayer platform?

Dom3 was PBEM. But I think that CoE3 will be hotseat and network only. This seems like an odd choice, given Illwinter's pedigree, but there were some rumblings about a lack of PBEM. That may get patched or added before release.

[spelk]

Excellent news! If CoE3 is more bitesize and easier to assimilate, then I'll be a big fan. Dom3's depth of options, crude graphics and positively arcane UI really had me struggling with the game - and I had to pay a lot of wonga to import it!

Thanks for the heads up SOM, will be looking forward to this one - as a more approachable, easier on the eye version of Dom3.

[son_of_montfort]

Excellent news! If CoE3 is more bitesize and easier to assimilate, then I'll be a big fan. Dom3's depth of options, crude graphics and positively arcane UI really had me struggling with the game - and I had to pay a lot of wonga to import it!

Thanks for the heads up SOM, will be looking forward to this one - as a more approachable, easier on the eye version of Dom3.

The video shows a UI that seems a bit more friendly that Dom 3. The graphics are still relatively crude, but I like the retro 2D sprites for the monsters. CoE3 makes the sprites a bit less "jarring" I think, as the combat looks like it is no longer 2D sprites on a 3D battle map (which always seemed like paper cutouts fighting a war).

The release date is ambiguous - saying sometime "before February 20." So it could be any time this coming month and I've heard that it is fairly close to being finished. Once finished I will post a review/impressions.

[LongBlade]

Well, I surfed Shrapnel's site last night and didn't see a word of it, whereas the dev's website already has links to pre-order it. I think I found my answer.

[Bison]

LB's news gathering and fact finding technique.

[son_of_montfort]

Well, I surfed Shrapnel's site last night and didn't see a word of it, whereas the dev's website already has links to pre-order it. I think I found my answer.

Or... you could have just read my post...  ;D

Sometimes it is quicker if you just listen to me.   8)

[LongBlade]

You still need to learn to be succinct. I still only read 20% of what you post ;)

[son_of_montfort]

If you don't fully read the assignment, I can't be blamed for your poor grade.

[LongBlade]

Loo.

[JasonPratt]

I read this post over on RPS and it inspired me to reinstall Dom3. Previously, I never made it past the tutorial without being distracted and moving on to something else.

I wonder if we should try setting up a Grogheads Dom3 game (since it can run so many players at once)...