Warlock Released

LongBlade · May 16, 2012, 09:50:05 AM

I'm playing on the "Impossible" gaming setting right now.

The only difference I can see in the AI is that all the players start demanding about 50% of your gold or mana to keep the peace. I made the mistake of ignoring three of the four, and find myself at war with them all at once. And once you're at war, there's not much getting the peace back. I've almost crushed one guy, but another is making uncomfortable footholds in my space and I've lost a fair number of units which is really taxing my ability to fend off one guy while crushing the other. Once I turn the corner and take out the one I should be good, but at that level you have to take some care about picking battles because the AI will make things difficult - if only through brute force rather than brilliance.

airboy · May 16, 2012, 10:38:48 AM

There are a handfull of reviews of Warlock and all are pretty negative. Complaints are brain dead AI, very limited city building options, and a problem of setting a city to build a certain type of unit and pretty much being locked into that unit for that city.

Are these criticisms valid? Will grogheads produce a review? I'm holding off right now, but I also have not read a review from a source or reviewer that I really trust yet.

LongBlade · May 16, 2012, 10:52:10 AM

Quote from: airboy on May 16, 2012, 10:38:48 AM
There are a handfull of reviews of Warlock and all are pretty negative. Complaints are brain dead AI, very limited city building options, and a problem of setting a city to build a certain type of unit and pretty much being locked into that unit for that city.

Are these criticisms valid? Will grogheads produce a review? I'm holding off right now, but I also have not read a review from a source or reviewer that I really trust yet.

Warlock has plenty of flaws but it has one merit - it is highly addictive.

There is a demo which should give you a fine idea of the gameplay and there is a six or seven minute YouTube vid that is a kind of tutorial demoing gameplay.

We have a review and it may go up as early as today. It will be favorable.

Gusington · May 16, 2012, 11:22:15 AM

From my few hours of play I do not think the AI is brain dead. It has attempted to take cities from me and even the 'beasts' - not even organized factions - can put up a respectable resistance. I also think the city building options are pretty deep...deeper than I expected. There are a lot of different buildings to choose from.

Yes for each city I have been 'locked' into producing specific units but I tend to like that, it feels more realistic to me. At the beginning of each game though you can choose the path you want your city to take so saying the player is locked into anything is misleading.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun has also been putting up some positive impressions.

Marty Ward · May 16, 2012, 12:03:07 PM

Quote from: Gusington on May 16, 2012, 09:45:21 AM
Definitely agree with you tgb...seems obvious to include status and progress tabs...hopefully a patch will add them. Marty I am not sure of your gaming tastes but I am finding little to dislike about it. It is scratching many itches I didn't even know were itchin'.

This sounds like something I would like. I will have some bachleor time in June and July, this may fill it nicely in between hangovers! :)

airboy · May 16, 2012, 12:45:16 PM

I read the Rock, Paper, Shotgun review and it was pretty positive.

Seems like they tried to update Master of Magic and largely suceeded. The game is totally combat based. Spell research is very basic. No mundane technology tree. The opponents are wandering monsters which are very powerful and the AI opponents.

I would like the review to compare with Master of Magic which is available on gog.com

JasonPratt · May 16, 2012, 01:14:44 PM

Could it be the list that Longblade first started this thread with...? (Or was that effectively a 'release day' patch already included with opening day sales?)

Gusington · May 16, 2012, 01:59:01 PM

Yes RPS definitely like Warlock.

Jason the patch that LB mentioned was released a few days ago, just a few days after launch.

But it did not include some of the things we discussed above, including status screens and maps.

LongBlade · May 16, 2012, 03:05:37 PM

Quote from: airboy on May 16, 2012, 12:45:16 PM
I read the Rock, Paper, Shotgun review and it was pretty positive.

Seems like they tried to update Master of Magic and largely suceeded. The game is totally combat based. Spell research is very basic. No mundane technology tree. The opponents are wandering monsters which are very powerful and the AI opponents.

I would like the review to compare with Master of Magic which is available on gog.com

I never played Master of Magic, but if you give the demo a whirl I think you'll be able to make your own judgement.

TheCommandTent · May 16, 2012, 07:42:01 PM

I am really looking forward to getting into this game this week. I think I am going to start a fresh game since I haven't played since the patch.

Gusington · May 17, 2012, 09:28:07 PM

So has anyone won a game yet? If so, how do you win? Right now I control about half the map. I've been fighting mostly monsters but have found the first of two other organized factions. Do I just defeat the organized factions and then I am the winner?

LongBlade · May 17, 2012, 09:59:50 PM

Quote from: Gusington on May 17, 2012, 09:28:07 PM
So has anyone won a game yet? If so, how do you win? Right now I control about half the map. I've been fighting mostly monsters but have found the first of two other organized factions. Do I just defeat the organized factions and then I am the winner?

From my review:

QuoteWinning a game of Warlock is no trivial accomplishment. Players can win by defeating all the other great mages in the game, seizing all of the Holy Ground hexes in the game, defeating any god's avatar (which will appear if the player draws enough hatred toward the god in his religious reputation with them), or by casting the Unity spell. The Unity spell is particularly interesting because it requires extensive amounts of research to find (it took me about 15 hours of gameplay to get it) and then it requires 5000 mana points to actually cast (at 25 hours into the game I had about half the mana necessary but was closing fast).

I came close to winning while playing the beta. I had the Unity Spell researched but didn't have enough mana to cast it. Unfortunately the release version came out and nuked my preview saved games so I never got that far.

I'm playing a second game on Impossible, and the game is beating me. One of the great mages has cast the Unity Spell. I don't know how long it will be until he wins, but there's no way given my current state of affairs (at war with all factions) that I'm going to steamroll anyone anytime soon.

Gusington · May 18, 2012, 02:13:31 PM

^And I edited your review too...oopsie.

In my game I think I inserted only two other great mages. I could go that way. Maybe seizing all the holy ground...I'm just glad there is more than one way to win.

And that I actually know what those ways are now :)

Gusington · May 20, 2012, 05:28:15 PM

OK so I lost my first campaign when another mage (that I never even saw on the map...it was a large one) cast the Unity Spell and also sent werewolves to my capitol that were immune to elemental magic. Love the game though and will definitely play another campaign. What an awesome surprise!

TheCommandTent · May 20, 2012, 05:43:44 PM

Quote from: Gusington on May 20, 2012, 05:28:15 PM
OK so I lost my first campaign when another mage (that I never even saw on the map...it was a large one) cast the Unity Spell and also sent werewolves to my capitol that were immune to elemental magic. Love the game though and will definitely play another campaign. What an awesome surprise!

I've got to get me some of those werewolves.