Age of Wonders III: Eternal Lords expansion announced

[bob48]

I'm really not sure, and its not as if I had not played all the earlier AoW series, and enjoyed them. Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough.

[Shelldrake]

The core game is 66% off, Golden Realms is 33% off, and Eternal Lords is at full price as one might expect for a new release.  I will applaud Triumph Studios, for not punishing buyers who choose not to buy the additional content.  V 1.5 for the base game was released today as free DLC, with the following announcement:

Welcome to the all-new Age of Wonders 3, as today we release the massive free V1.5 update to accompany the Eternal Lords expansion. V1.5 is the biggest free update since release and allows you to develop new playstyles. Major new features include:
* The Vassal city mechanics
* Race Relations system
* More diversity among core racial units.
* Improved strategic and tactical AI
* Random Map Generator Overhaul
* The New "Play by Email" multiplayer mode
* Mac/Linux support

For a full list of the 500+ additions and fixes in V1.5, see the patch notes post.

Nice! Kudos to Triumph Studios!!

[PanzersEast]

Looks like a true expansion and not a DLC.  Have to say, so far from what I have read and seen, they have made all the right improvements....


PE

[RedArgo]

I've read that in the base game there is a race to the top tiered units and no reason to build lower tiered units.  Is that still the case with the expansions?

[FarAway Sooner]

That was the complaint early on, but I think they made serious moves to nerf that (i.e., raising the cost of Tier 4 creature dwellings and creatures, introducing specific vulnerabilities of T4 units to certain lower-level creatures, etc.) in 1.2.  I haven't seen that to be the case in the games I've played since, but I've not played it nearly as much as some so I'd defer to them.

It does not have the same sort of unit balancing for lower-tier units like you'd find in Eador, but that game really set the bar high in that regard.

[Nefaro]

I'm really not sure, and its not as if I had not played all the earlier AoW series, and enjoyed them. Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough.

You could think of AOW3 as a fully turn-based Total War in a fantasy setting.  With lots of hexes (the six-sided kind, not the curses) and troop abilities.   It has a similar dual-layer grand strategy & battle system, with the biggest focus being on warfare and individualized factions.

[Gusington]

^That's probably why I enjoy as much as I do.

[Shelldrake]

^That's probably why I enjoy as much as I do.

+1

[mikeck]

Does the new Expansion add anything to the city building game or just the set up for new races?

[tgb]

Does the new Expansion add anything to the city building game or just the set up for new races?

New diplomatic and victory conditions.  Independent villages can now offer to become your vassals - you get income from them but they are in control of their own development and defense.  I'm not sure if you can make a vassal out of one you conquer militarily.

You can now level up your relationship with a race depending on how you treat them. When you reach the Champion level, you can build a "Unity Beacon" in any city you own populated by that race provided the city's happiness is at least 200.  Build two of these for the win.

[Shelldrake]

Does the new Expansion add anything to the city building game or just the set up for new races?

New diplomatic and victory conditions.  Independent villages can now offer to become your vassals - you get income from them but they are in control of their own development and defense.  I'm not sure if you can make a vassal out of one you conquer militarily.

You can now level up your relationship with a race depending on how you treat them. When you reach the Champion level, you can build a "Unity Beacon" in any city you own populated by that race provided the city's happiness is at least 200.  Build two of these for the win.

I was just given the option to make a vassal out of a city that I conquered - good option for cities that are not in strategic locations.

[Geezer]

There are several AoW3 threads so I just picked this one to mention that the game is on sale at Paradox.  Base game is only $7.50, and the base game with the two expansions is on sale for $12.50.  Not sure when the sale ends but someone mentioned 9/21 in another forum.  Scroll down to see the sale pricing.

http://www.paradoxplaza.com/age-of-wonders-iii/AWAW03GSK-MASTER.html

[Yskonyn]

Thanks for the link! Steam doesnt offer the same deal, which I find weird.
Anyway, finally completed my collection!
Happy to go MP with you guys if there is any interest ?

[FarAway Sooner]

There are several AoW3 threads so I just picked this one to mention that the game is on sale at Paradox.  Base game is only $7.50, and the base game with the two expansions is on sale for $12.50.  Not sure when the sale ends but someone mentioned 9/21 in another forum.  Scroll down to see the sale pricing.

http://www.paradoxplaza.com/age-of-wonders-iii/AWAW03GSK-MASTER.html

I love it, but am really sad that if I want the Eternal Lords expansion alone (I already have all the rest), I end up paying about $11.99 versus $12.50 to get the whole thing including both expnasions! 

I'm familiar with all the criteria behind a pricing decision like that, but this one seems a bit insulting to folks who already invested in the game earlier on!  Ah well, that's why they call it a free market...  :)

[ghostryder]

I've read that in the base game there is a race to the top tiered units and no reason to build lower tiered units.  Is that still the case with the expansions?

They tried best they could to nerf a few things but in the end-although it takes longer to get there- once your there that's pretty much it. Nothing is going to replace your tier 4 units. This in itself wouldn't be so gamebreaking if we actually had 4 sided walled castles as in previous titles-where tactics could overcome a rush of high level enemy units- but AOW3 instead only has one front-and you really can't even call it a true wall.

Another area they fumbled was waiting so long to release modding tools. By the time they were released everyone moved on-so you never saw the mods so many enjoy in AOW:SM. Add in the fact the editor can't open and edit random maps many just pass on the idea of creating maps-although I did see and play one that was pretty good-and had to take days-if not weeks to create-

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=542092058