Warrior Kings
Encyclopedia
Warrior Kings is a real-time strategy
video game, developed by Black Cactus and published by Microïds
in 2002. The game, set in a fantasy medieval world, focuses on the concepts of pagan tribalism, renaissance enlightenment, and imperialist theocracy.
There are three different paths to chose in this game: 'Pagan', 'Imperial' and 'Renaissance', each with its own unique values, style of war, and storyline.
, Holy Roman Empire
and the Papal States
) devoted called a deity called 'The One God'. It is ruled by a spiritual and militant leader, the Patriarch and the Holy Protector respectively. The new Patriarch, Icthyus Granitas, is cruel and corrupt and the Holy Protector is nothing more than his henchman. As soon as he came to power he began charging all those who speak against his rule with false charges of heresy and treason to the state. These lords either changes their minds overnight about the Patriarch or else disappeared entirely.
Cravant is one such state. On the first level of the game, Cravant is invaded by the Empire, who kill Artos's father on a trumped up charge of treason and raze the city. Artos flees with a small band of loyal soldiers across the sea to Angland (a fictionalised England
) where he plots his revenge against the Empire.
From there, the player can decide how they do this. There are three 'alignments' that the player can choose from that are listed below. These are Pagan, Imperial and Renaissance.
, a powerful AI controlled unit that can cause a lot of damage before being destroyed.
Statue later on in the game and summon an Archangel named the Sword of God, who acts in a similar fashion to Abaddon.
Troop formation is also a factor; troops will gain more attack power in a vangard, move faster in a pillar, cover more ground in a line, and balance damage to them better in an orb.
from a concept by Ian Livingstone, and the technology was designed and developed by Sam Kerbeck. When Eidos closed the internal game development division at its corporate HQ in 1999, the Plague team transferred to a new company, Black Cactus, which continued to develop the game, now titled Warrior Kings, initially with investment from Eidos. With the winding-up of Black Cactus in January 2005, rights in the game reverted to Dave Morris.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
video game, developed by Black Cactus and published by Microïds
Microïds
Microïds is a French software brand belonging to Anuman Interactive that publishes and develops video games. In recent years the company's collection of brands and game licenses has grown since being a part of MC2 France...
in 2002. The game, set in a fantasy medieval world, focuses on the concepts of pagan tribalism, renaissance enlightenment, and imperialist theocracy.
There are three different paths to chose in this game: 'Pagan', 'Imperial' and 'Renaissance', each with its own unique values, style of war, and storyline.
Plot
The story resolves around Artos, the young son of Baron Amalric of Cravant, a small fiefdom within the Holy Empire, the dominant power in a world called Orbis. The Holy Empire is a theocratic state (seemingly an amalgamation of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
) devoted called a deity called 'The One God'. It is ruled by a spiritual and militant leader, the Patriarch and the Holy Protector respectively. The new Patriarch, Icthyus Granitas, is cruel and corrupt and the Holy Protector is nothing more than his henchman. As soon as he came to power he began charging all those who speak against his rule with false charges of heresy and treason to the state. These lords either changes their minds overnight about the Patriarch or else disappeared entirely.
Cravant is one such state. On the first level of the game, Cravant is invaded by the Empire, who kill Artos's father on a trumped up charge of treason and raze the city. Artos flees with a small band of loyal soldiers across the sea to Angland (a fictionalised England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) where he plots his revenge against the Empire.
From there, the player can decide how they do this. There are three 'alignments' that the player can choose from that are listed below. These are Pagan, Imperial and Renaissance.
The Pagan path
The Pagan path is one of superstition, witchcraft, and nature worship. Pagan war involves cheap mass-produced units in combination with indirect damage to one's opposition. The successful pagan player is one who tests enemy borders on a regular basis and then moves to overwhelm it while not counting the cost. Pagan signature units are its demons and witches, all of which have a series of secondary powers and spells to employ against their foes. Once they have become suitably advanced the Pagans may construct a Wickerman and summon a demon called AbaddonAbaddon
Abaddon in the Revelation of St. John, is the king of tormenting locusts and the angel of the bottomless pit. The exact nature of Abaddon is debated, but the Hebrew word is related to the triliteral root אבד , which in verb form means "to perish."...
, a powerful AI controlled unit that can cause a lot of damage before being destroyed.
The Imperial path
Imperial warfare involves expensive, well-armoured troops and strong fortifications. The successful Imperial player waits and watches behind thick, protective walls until the enemy makes a critical error, then punishes them for it. Signature units for the Imperials are its Priests, Bishops and Inquisitors, who can pray at churches to activate 'Acts of God' to unleash upon their enemies. As with the Pagans, the Imperials can build an ArchangelArchangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
Statue later on in the game and summon an Archangel named the Sword of God, who acts in a similar fashion to Abaddon.
The Renaissance path
The path of the Renaissance is one of human ingenuity and humanity. The Renaissance means giving up some offensive and defensive capability, but with it comes outstanding economy and powerful siegecraft. The Renaissance player knows the enemy and adjusts accordingly. Renaissance players are made unique by their access to gunpowder units, such as gunners and cannons. Though they do not have a demon or angel to aid them, Renaissance players can construct a series of siege engines such as trebuchets, mangonels and even primitive rocket launchers that more than compensate for this loss.Military power
Winning in Warrior Kings is not about who has more troops but rather who has better tactics. From higher ground arrows travel farther, flat ground allows mounted troops to move faster.Troop formation is also a factor; troops will gain more attack power in a vangard, move faster in a pillar, cover more ground in a line, and balance damage to them better in an orb.
Development
Warrior Kings started life at the back-end of Eidos plc's title: Plague, the first large-scale full 3D strategy title featured at E3/LA in 1997. Plague was originally designed by Dave MorrisDave Morris
Dave Morris is a British author of gamebooks, novels and comics and a designer of computer games and role-playing games.-Biography:Dave Morris is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford where he read Physics from 1976-79....
from a concept by Ian Livingstone, and the technology was designed and developed by Sam Kerbeck. When Eidos closed the internal game development division at its corporate HQ in 1999, the Plague team transferred to a new company, Black Cactus, which continued to develop the game, now titled Warrior Kings, initially with investment from Eidos. With the winding-up of Black Cactus in January 2005, rights in the game reverted to Dave Morris.