Age of Wonders

[MagGnome]

I've been a big fan of the Age of Wonders games ever since the first one came out in 1999. For those who don't know, Age of Wonders is a turn-based strategy game in a fantasy setting, developed by Triumph Studios (known more recently for the Overlord games) and published by the now-defunct Gathering of Developers. The last one, Shadow Magic, came out in 2003, and stands as one of my all-time favorite games.

Imagine my surprise when I wandered over to the Triumph Studios (http://www.triumphstudios.com/) website today and noticed that their latest announcement is that the Age of Wonders series will soon be released on digital distribution sites. There's no date given, but I'm still excited! I would love to have these games readily available digitally, and I'll be buying them the day they are made available. A Steam release would be nice, although I'd personally like to see all three games get the GOG treatment.

It would be incredible if they were released alongside the announcement of Age of Wonders 3*. I can dream, right?

Is anyone else here a fan of this series? Let's try to keep this about Age of Wonders, and avoid comparisons to Master of Magic, which is really quite different as far as strategy games go. I'd rather not see this devolve into some kind of flame war.


*I say 3 because Shadow Magic was more of a giant stand-alone expansion to the second game.


Edit - I found a thread (http://aow.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=29,5462,,60) on the main Age of Wonders' fansite that says the games should be out on Steam by the end of the month.

[Rune_74]

Funny the other day I reinstalled age of wonders shadow magic....they are quite good.

[Panthera]

Huh! I've been trying to track down Shadow Magic for ages. Good to hear they're finally getting a release.

[MagGnome]

Huh! I've been trying to track down Shadow Magic for ages. Good to hear they're finally getting a release.

It's available on eBay, but the prices are often ludicrous. I'm glad you and others will be able to play the game soon! Hopefully the price is reasonable. It sounds like they are going to release all three of them in one package (the Age of Wonders page now refers to the "Age of Wonders Trilogy", complete with logo).

I also hope that Triumph announces their next project soon.

[Clark]

Age of Wonders!!! On STEAM!

Oh wow.

I shall dream of my wall-climbing frog mount this night.

[MagGnome]

The evil Shadow race was my favorite. The Shadow Lords (I think that's what they were called) were just plain badass. :D

[SilentScreams]

Sold.

I went looking for Age of Wonders 2 about a year ago and couldn't find it anywhere without a stupidly high price tag. I ended up just torrenting it, which makes it only the second game I've ever pirated.

I'll definitely be picking it up when it hits Steam.

[destoo]

That would be great.

[MagGnome]

Sold.

I went looking for Age of Wonders 2 about a year ago and couldn't find it anywhere without a stupidly high price tag. I ended up just torrenting it, which makes it only the second game I've ever pirated.

I'll definitely be picking it up when it hits Steam.

I don't remember what caused me to pick up the first Age of Wonders (the name? a demo?), but I was in love from the moment I first played the game. Strategic games have always been my favorite, and Age of Wonders is just a lot of fun to play. I bought AoW 2 and Shadow Magic the day they came out.

I cannot stress enough how much I love these games. They hold a special place in my heart. I've always felt like they didn't get the attention that they deserved. I still hear people crowing about Master of Magic (and rightfully so), but it seems like the Age of Wonders games never attracted a big following, which is a shame.

I was upset when Overlord and Overlord 2 were met with a fair amount of success, but it was all attributed to Codemasters. Triumph Studios was rarely mentioned as the actual developer of the games.

[Ravenlock]

Steam would be great, but honestly I think I'd rather have the AoW games show up on GOG. Perfect games to toss on a laptop and take on the road. Not that you can't do that with Steam, obviously, but it's nice to be able to run games that gain little to nothing from Steam integration without the shell.

Of course, they could add Steam achievements, I suppose. :p

Either way, though, I should be in for a copy of Shadow Magic, at least.

[Savok]

*has no idea what Age of Wonders is*

[Codicier]

Age of Wonders is a sweet game. I've got an original boxed copy of the first game.

[MagGnome]

Steam would be great, but honestly I think I'd rather have the AoW games show up on GOG. Perfect games to toss on a laptop and take on the road. Not that you can't do that with Steam, obviously, but it's nice to be able to run games that gain little to nothing from Steam integration without the shell.

Of course, they could add Steam achievements, I suppose. :p

Either way, though, I should be in for a copy of Shadow Magic, at least.

Like I said in the OP, I would like to see GOG versions of the series as well. It looks like they are only coming to Steam though, so I will pick them up there. As long as they run fine on modern systems, I will be happy.

I can't see them adding achievements or anything like that, but you never know!

Some of the posters in that thread I linked to are hoping that they add a more robust multiplayer option, but I would be shocked if that happened. The original games have PBEM and IP, I believe.


*has no idea what Age of Wonders is*

Try reading the OP before posting. :p

[Savok]

Yes, I know :p

I'm saying I've never even heard of it, completely passed me by.

[jpublic]

I look forward to trying them again. I've tried the AoW games in the past, but they were always too Warlords, not enough MoM for me.

[MagGnome]

Yes, I know :p

I'm saying I've never even heard of it, completely passed me by.

Oh, fair enough. Well now you can give them a try. :)


I look forward to trying them again. I've tried the AoW games in the past, but they were always too Warlords, not enough MoM for me.

They are definitely more combat focused than MoM.

[Rune_74]

Just so you know age of wonders shadow magic works fine under win 7 64 bit.

[CappinCanuck]

I can't remember the title at all :D I'll have to try it out again at some point. But maybe not with Elemental filling the void in a week.

[MagGnome]

Just so you know age of wonders shadow magic works fine under win 7 64 bit.

That's good to know! The games were always very stable and more or less bug-free, which was quite the feat for PC games when they came out.


I can't remember the title at all :D I'll have to try it out again at some point. But maybe not with Elemental filling the void in a week.

You can't remember the title of what?

[Rune_74]

That's good to know! The games were always very stable and more or less bug-free, which was quite the feat for PC games when they came out.




You can't remember the title of what?

I think he means he can't remember the game.

[CappinCanuck]

You can't remember the title of what?

I think he means he can't remember the game.


Yeah, the title as in a (published) work.

[MagGnome]

Oh okay, well you should check them out then. They are quite different than Elemental, although I'm very excited to play that game as well.

[Rune_74]

I would campare age of wonders to heroes of might and magic mixed with MoM. As in you have an overland map you move around on, but when you get into combat it is alot like MoM or Elemental.

[Illuminus]

Wow, im late for the party. Age of Wonders series is the best.... played the hell out of it multiplayer, fun times! I could care less about Overlord, give us another Age of Wonders :(

[MagGnome]

I really hope that Triumph's next project is Age of Wonders 3. That would be fantastic!

The Overlord games are good, but I'd love another AoW game. Hopefully they announce their next project soon.

[CappinCanuck]

I would campare age of wonders to heroes of might and magic mixed with MoM. As in you have an overland map you move around on, but when you get into combat it is alot like MoM or Elemental.

Yeah, they're all a bit different but on my end they're all similar enough that Elemental fits my nerd-hunger for the style. I think I'll still pick up AoW if I ever see it on the cheap just to fill my back catalog. I can't go around claiming to be a proper gamer nerd when I missed ,or at least not remembering, AoW. TBH, I have little hope for HoMM6 so I think Elemental will be filling the void with some Civ5 thrown in for good TBS measure.

[MagGnome]

The HOMM games are a lot like King's Bounty, correct?

If that's the case, then Age of Wonders is a lot more like MoM/Elemental/Warlords. More so Warlords than the other two, as there is more of a focus on combat with some base building and minor resource gathering.

[Ravenlock]

Yes, HOMM is basically the spiritual successor series to the original King's Bounty, from the early 90's. The more recent King's Bounty games are kind of a collection of ideas from both influences.

[MagGnome]

That makes sense. I would say that comparisons of HOMM to Age of Wonders aren't very accurate then.

[Rune_74]

That makes sense. I would say that comparisons of HOMM to Age of Wonders aren't very accurate then.

Well, I would say comparing Age of wonders too ether elemental or MoM is way off...the overland movement is more like HOMM then either of the other two games, however the combat is alot like elemental or MoM.

Age of wonders is not as open as MoM and Elementals in that you can't just build cities anywhere you want and develop resources in the same way.

[MagGnome]

That's not true. You can build cities anywhere you like, at least in Shadow Magic. Some scenarios even center around you building your own city right at the start.

If we are really going to get particular, the most apt comparison is the Warlords - the first three before it turned into an RTS series.

[Panthera]

Shadow Magic is the exception. The games are best described as fantasy wargames - kind of like a campaign-level Fantasy General.

[MagGnome]

I hope the games come out on Steam soon so we can stop debating exactly what micro-genre they fit into and start playing them instead. :D

[Rune_74]

I am playing shadowmagic now, and I still think you are wrong :)

[MagGnome]

Wrong about what?

There is a unit in the game that allows you to build cities. It's called the caravan or nomad or something like that.

[Savok]

Age of Wonders plays like Age of Wonders, the end.

[Panthera]

Also, the first one in the series has an amazing soundtrack: http://www.mirsoft.info/gmb/music_info.php?id_ele=Njc=

[MagGnome]

Age of Wonders plays like Age of Wonders, the end.

Thank you, Savok. :D


Also, the first one in the series has an amazing soundtrack: http://www.mirsoft.info/gmb/music_info.php?id_ele=Njc=

Indeed!

[MagGnome]

Update time!

The original Age of Wonders appeared on Impulse today for $5.99 (http://impulsedriven.com/aow1?refid=impnow). It's a fantastic game, and I highly recommend it! Hopefully the rest of the series (AoW 2 and Shadow Magic) will follow soon. I'm guessing these will come to Steam as well.

[jpublic]

I'm going to hold off in the hopes of a collection being released somewhere.

[MagGnome]

I would be shocked if they did not release a collection soon.

I suppose it makes some sense to release the games individually, as many people would likely skip the first game and just buy Shadow Magic. In my opinion the three games are so different that each warrants playing, especially the 1st and Shadow Magic, which is basically an expanded version of the second game. There's an overarching story through the campaigns of all three games, but it's not exactly must-experience material.

[Farsight]

Well, now that they're actually becoming available again, I guess it's as good a time as any to boast/confess: I worked on these games. So feel free to direct your questions/praise/hatred at me as you see fit. :)

Also, I've been told my contract doesn't include royalties on these releases, so I have no stake in whether you buy them or not, beyond boosting my own ego. :)

[MagGnome]

This is the series you worked on?

I've suddenly begun to respect you! :eek:

[Farsight]

I've suddenly begun to respect you!

I'm sure I can fix that soon enough! :)

[ShivaX]

Well, now that they're actually becoming available again, I guess it's as good a time as any to boast/confess: I worked on these games. So feel free to direct your questions/praise/hatred at me as you see fit. :)

Also, I've been told my contract doesn't include royalties on these releases, so I have no stake in whether you buy them or not, beyond boosting my own ego. :)

Seriously?

Well now I like you. A lot.

Hey sailor. ;)

[Clark]

Well, now that they're actually becoming available again, I guess it's as good a time as any to boast/confess: I worked on these games. So feel free to direct your questions/praise/hatred at me as you see fit. :)

Also, I've been told my contract doesn't include royalties on these releases, so I have no stake in whether you buy them or not, beyond boosting my own ego. :)

Really?

A/S/L?

[Farsight]

Seriously?
Really?

Of course - if I were going to make something like this up, I'd have picked a title that wasn't confused for years with "Age of Empires". :)

I programmed on all 3 titles, working mainly on the interface, particle fx, sound, combat, and RMG. I also did PR work, edited the story, built the installers and patches, etc... we were a small team in those days. :)

The Random Map Generator was probably the most amusing job on my schedule, since I was the only team member banned from making maps - mine were considered an insult to ugly things. :)

Hey sailor.
A/S/L?

This is the point at which I run away!

[Clark]

Color me impressed. I recall having a disagreement with you at one point and time. I now know that although I don't recall what it was about...Left 4 dead maybe?...I was wrong. You were right.

[MagGnome]

I'm a huge fan of that series. It's pretty damn cool that you worked on all three of them. :)

[MagGnome]

The first game is also up on GOG (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/age_of_wonders) for $5.99, with the two sequels following soon.

Hooray!

[SilentScreams]

So is it worth getting the first one with the sequels just around the corner?

[Codicier]

The first game is also up on GOG (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/age_of_wonders) for $5.99, with the two sequels following soon.

Hooray!

Nice!

I tried running the first game on my laptop a little while ago and I couldn't get past the title screen properly. Great that there is a GoG version now.

[Savok]

So is it worth getting the first one with the sequels just around the corner?
I was just about to ask that.

[MagGnome]

So is it worth getting the first one with the sequels just around the corner?

I was just about to ask that.

I think so. The first game and the second game are VERY different. The overall premise is the same, but Age of Wonders 2 used a new engine and brought a lot of changes. Shadow Magic is essentially Age of Wonders 2 with more races, more depth, etc. It's also more difficult than AoW or AoW2. Think of it as Age of Wonders 2.5, or as a standalone expansion to AoW2. I know that's often used as a criticism of games (the whole 2.5 thing), but in this case it certainly isn't.

The first game plays differently enough from the other 2 that I think it's worth picking up. I'm a huge fan though, so take that into consideration. :D

If you don't care at all about the story, then I recommend picking up the first game now and then picking up Shadow Magic when it comes out. Shadow Magic continues the story from Age of Wonders 2, but I mostly play random maps anyway, so I never saw all of the campaign levels.

If you only want to buy one, then Shadow Magic is my favorite overall.

Did that help? :D

[MagGnome]

Nice!

I tried running the first game on my laptop a little while ago and I couldn't get past the title screen properly. Great that there is a GoG version now.

I love GOG. Getting to play old favorites without worrying about config issues is wonderful. :)

[Savok]

No because I have to spend money now.

Actually it's probably for the best, blowing through Recettear and with Other M being the worst game I've played this gen, I need something until Dead Rising 2.

[ShivaX]

I'd personally wait till Shadow Magic since its the best of the bunch in my book.

If you're really jonesing for something though, six bucks isn't a huge waste of money on the first one by any means.

[MagGnome]

I wouldn't call it a waste at all. The first game is a lot of fun.

[biosc1]

http://impulsedriven.com/aowmusic?refid=impnow

Get them all now in one package.

[Ravenlock]

Oh man, $20 for all three plus their soundtracks is a really fine deal.

All Civ V'd at the moment, but this'll go on my to buy list for sure.

[Codicier]

http://impulsedriven.com/aowmusic?refid=impnow

Get them all now in one package.

Ok, that I'm getting. I'm actually kind of glad GoG pulled their bs and I didn't just by AoW on its own.

[Bad Buddha]

biosc1: How did you find that link? I've searched the site and can only find the first game listed.

Also, I tried to purchase the game and got an empty cart when I went to checkout.

Odd.

[Panthera]

Probably not available in your region.

edit: It says worldwide though, so... maybe not.

[biosc1]

biosc1: How did you find that link? I've searched the site and can only find the first game listed.

Also, I tried to purchase the game and got an empty cart when I went to checkout.

Odd.

It was through the Impulse app running in my tray, popped up as promotion. I can find it under "View Promotions" on that app.

Edit: Hmm...I get an empty cart on checkout as well. Maybe they'll write a book about this.

Edit2: Well, it's disappeared now from the Impulse Now "View Promotions" link...all this means is that it's coming, we just have to wait, I suppose.

[CappinCanuck]

They're probably just in the process of unlocking it. But that's a helluva good job on Stardock for creating that package. Of course I only want Shadow Magic so I'm kind of meh, but it still looks fancy :D

[MagGnome]

Someone definitely goofed up, although now we know it's going to be here soon!

Everyone who hasn't played this yet is in for a real treat. I know many of you (myself included) are enjoying Civ V, but keep in mind that Age of Wonders and Civilization are very different. I can't wait to hear some impressions from people new to the series. :)

I've spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours playing these games, and I'm definitely going to spend several more hours with the digital versions.

I recommend that anyone who hasn't played the games before start with either the original or Age of Wonders 2 before playing Shadow Magic. Shadow Magic amps things up quite a bit, and I could see it being tough for people not familiar with the gameplay. In fact if you buy the trilogy I think it would be best to play at least one or two games of each release in chronological order. That way you could see how the series has evolved and ease into things.


Edit - The promotional/descriptive text on that page definitely needs some work. Hopefully they spruce things up quite a bit before the official release. I also hope that these all run without issue on modern systems. I last played Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic about three years ago with no problems.

[Bad Buddha]

Someone definitely goofed up, although now we know it's going to be here soon!

OMG! Impulse is going out of business! :eek:

[MagGnome]

OMG Age of Wonders is the deathknell for DD services! :eek:

[Farsight]

They should run fine. The only issue I'd imagine newer PCs might have is that the framerate won't be nearly as high as you'd an expect in an older title. Newer graphics card just don't emphasize 2D fill rate, and the AoW games are all 2D, baby. :)

Although the particle engine was coded in 3D even back on AoW1, where I had to do every effect in code by hand. Thankfully, I made a particle animation editor before AoW2 - writing an algorithm for a tornado by hand is not efficient. :)

[biosc1]

It's BACK!

http://impulsedriven.com/aowmusic?refid=impnow

Edit: Dammit...can't add to your cart.

[biosc1]

It works now! It was a confirmed bug.

Bought it. Now to see if it likes W7 64-bit or if this will be a netbook only game for me. Either way, I'm happy.

Edit: First time running takes a little bit to start up. I thought it froze/broke, but in about 20 seconds it fired up. All subsequent runs were instantaneous. So, yes, it works in W7 64.

[CappinCanuck]

http://www.stardock.com/media/mailers/AgeofWonders_Mailer2.png (http://www.impulsedriven.com/explore/search/age+of+wonders)

[Clark]

Come on Steam..................................

[biosc1]

Well, I just played the tutorial and I really like it. I can see how I can get engrossed in this.

I did think it was nice that it offered me the selection of my native resolution 1368x768 on my netbook, but it's almost too small a resolution. You end up doing a bit too much pixel hunting at that size (at least on my 12" monitor).

[jpublic]

Mag/whomever:

How has Impulse wrapped these (if necessary) for modern machines? Did they give them the GoG treatment or what?

[MagGnome]

Well, I just played the tutorial and I really like it. I can see how I can get engrossed in this.

I did think it was nice that it offered me the selection of my native resolution 1368x768 on my netbook, but it's almost too small a resolution. You end up doing a bit too much pixel hunting at that size (at least on my 12" monitor).

I'm glad you're enjoying them so far! Which one are you playing?


Mag/whomever:

How has Impulse wrapped these (if necessary) for modern machines? Did they give them the GoG treatment or what?

From what biosc1 has said they work great in Windows 7. The games have always been quite stable for me, so I doubt it took much work (if any) to get them to run on modern machines. They aren't that old, after all. Age of Wonders came out in 1999, AoW2 in 2002, and Shadow Magic in 2003. I last played Shadow Magic in XP around two or three years ago, and it ran just fine. I haven't played any of them in Windows 7.

I'm looking forward to hearing more impressions from first time players. One thing I just learned on Wikipedia is that the first game was originally going to be called "World of Wonders". Interesting...


I'm definitely going to pick these up soon, after I've spent some more time with Civilization V. I'm somewhat addicted to the games, so if I don't wait a bit poor Civ V might get ignored. :o


Edit - I noticed that it says they are DRM free, which is nice. I hope no one pirates them, but the lack of DRM will be nice for those who want to install on more than one machine in their house and maybe do some LAN gaming with their wife/kids/whoever. I used to play these via LAN with a buddy of mine and it was a blast!

[biosc1]

Mag/whomever:

How has Impulse wrapped these (if necessary) for modern machines? Did they give them the GoG treatment or what?

They fire off from a command prompt, but from the looks of it, they just run natively.

I've only tried Age of Wonders 1 so far. I fired it up at home on my 64-bit desktop and it fired up fine. Also working fine on my 32-bit W7 netbook...so, I don't think there is an issue.

Having said that, I do get an occasional graphical flicker, but I think that has more to do with my netbook than AoW because I think I have encountered this flicker before in another game.

[MagGnome]

How have they held up graphically? I always liked the look of the games (especially 2 and SM) as the 2D art was quite nice. I know the latter two had more 3D effects that might looked dated, but I hope that's not the case.

[IIntrude]

I am curious as at what max resolution will these run at, and if is a low res, can it run in a window?

[biosc1]

Looks pretty darn good. I just found the windowed mode that allows you to resize the window to your choosing by dragging the borders...you really couldn't ask for a more friendly version. This actually makes me want to play it more as it's the perfect game to have in the background while doing other stuff :)

Otherwise, the resolutions supported are whatever your computer supports. It scales perfectly. Looks good, as well. The art style ages well.

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/9012/ageofwonderspage4colony.png

1920x1200 shots:
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6349/20100925095717.th.png (http://img186.imageshack.us/i/20100925095717.png/)http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/5082/20100925095525.th.png (http://img842.imageshack.us/i/20100925095525.png/)


Edit - I noticed that it says they are DRM free, which is nice. I hope no one pirates them, but the lack of DRM will be nice for those who want to install on more than one machine in their house and maybe do some LAN gaming with their wife/kids/whoever. I used to play these via LAN with a buddy of mine and it was a blast!

Yah, you can just double-click the exe without having Impulse running to play. Which brings up something...the first time you fire it up is the only time you'll see the AoW launcher. If you want to access the setup menu from outside the game again, you need to find AoWSetup.exe within the install directory and execute it.

[Savok]

Sounds like a good job then....

[IIntrude]

Fantastic, thanks for that info!

[MagGnome]

Nice shots biosc1! I've always enjoyed the look of this series. It's not the most original, but the art is quite nice and everything has it's own distinct appearance. The second game and Shadow Magic have a lot of cool units and effects, and everything is scaled nicely, unlike the first game where all units are the same size on the map.

[biosc1]

This game is pretty fantastic. I played for most of yesterday and only got into the 2nd scenario.

It's hard, but not "The computer cheats" hard. I started playing a bit too much like I play HoMM or King's Bounty. Once I realized that I really needed to manage my cities and create support armies as well as keeping my experienced guys alive, I really hit the groove.

I really, really like this game and it's pretty much become one of my favourite games. It just really "clicks" with me. The fact that it plays flawlessly on my Netbook and my desktop really helps along with being able to just keep a save file in a dropbox folder and have the game remember where the save file is kept.

[MagGnome]

I'm really glad you're enjoying the game so much! Hopefully more people will give it a shot. :)

[Clark]

According to Triumph Studios, this will be coming to Steam as well.

http://www.triumphstudios.com/press3.php

[biosc1]

And...

It's on Steam now.

http://store.steampowered.com/sub/6365/

[Ravenlock]

Fantastic. :)

[MagGnome]

That's great! Everyone should play this. :)

[biosc1]

Man, this is a tough game. Any tips? I don't seem to have enough gold a lot of the time and the enemy always seems to be amassing a larger army. I can never tell if I'm expanding too quickly or not quickly enough.

I think one of my issues may be relying on Automatic battle resolutions...perhaps I need to roll up my sleeves and get into the tactical side of things.

[MagGnome]

I always played tactical battles. I found that I won far more often that way.

I wish I could offer more advice, but it's been long enough since I last played that my strategies have faded away.

You should definitely do tactical combat, however, as you have a much higher chance of winning if you play out the battles yourself, at least in my experience.

[MagGnome]

Is anyone still playing this? biosc1?

The entire trilogy is on Steam now, and I highly recommend this to strategy fans. Especially those burned by Elemental, as this is a good substitute.

[jpublic]

I tired loading up AoW1, but I couldn't figure out what I was doing. I wanted a bit more hand-holding.

[MagGnome]

The games don't really hold your hand, but I don't think they are all that difficult to figure out.

Did you buy the whole trilogy? If so, I recommend trying out Age of Wonders 2. It's a lot more modern than the first game, and hopefully you'll have an easier time getting into it.

[Panthera]

The games are probably simpler than you think. Just keep at it, and you'll figure out the basics in no time.

If it helps, think of it like a military campaign - you're best to keep moving forward and make do with the forces you have, always pushing on and picking up reinforcements along the way.

[LordDon]

Thinking about picking these up cheap on GoG (http://www.gog.com/en/promo/age_of_wonders). I love MoM and HoMM. Is there much in the way of lore or continuity in the games?

[MagGnome]

There is definitely lore and continuity in the games. For example, Shadow Magic is a direct continuation from Age of Wonders 2. It picks up right where that game left off.

Now whether or not you find the lore interesting is entirely subjective, but I enjoyed the story in all three games, especially 2 and Shadow Magic.

[Serapth]

There is definitely lore and continuity in the games. For example, Shadow Magic is a direct continuation from Age of Wonders 2. It picks up right where that game left off.

Now whether or not you find the lore interesting is entirely subjective, but I enjoyed the story in all three games, especially 2 and Shadow Magic.

How have they aged? I couldn't get into MoM as it felt so dated.

[Fatal_Papercut]

Thinking about picking these up cheap on GoG (http://www.gog.com/en/promo/age_of_wonders). I love MoM and HoMM. Is there much in the way of lore or continuity in the games?

All of the Age of Wonders games tell a continuing story. It's not at all necessary to play all three games or to play them in a specific order, but there is that "added bonus" you get when playing the later games as they reference lore from the earlier titles.

The fact that you can get the entire trilogy via GOG or Steam for half the price of a full retail game is a bargain.

** EDIT ** Just followed your link. Holy crap -- this is a steal! $13!?! Even if you have to skip eating for a day to get this, I can assure you it's worth it.

[MagGnome]

How have they aged? I couldn't get into MoM as it felt so dated.

Even the first Age of Wonders seems a lot more advanced technologically than Master of Magic, given that it came out five years later. Age of Wonders 2 and Shadow Magic use an updated engine, so they are still very playable. I'd rate them as being far more playable than Disciples 2, which released around the same time IIRC.

I recommend playing the original game first, and if for some reason it feels too dated, then jump up to Age of Wonders 2. Shadow Magic is really meant for people who played the second game, as it's a direct continuation of the story and is tougher overall.

Edit - I like this new guy, Fatal_Papercut. :D

Edit 2 - For comparison, here are shots from all three games:

Age of Wonders 1
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/1/196561/aow_790screen001.jpg

Age of Wonders 2
http://xtbuy.com/image/album/Age+of+Wonders+2/age_of_wonders_2_hir0225_01.jpg

Shadow Magic
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/AoWShadowMagic_073003_001_640w.jpg

As you can see, AoW 2 and Shadow Magic use the same engine. Shadow Magic is basically a stand-alone expansion to the second game. None of them are as pretty as elemental, but the art style is nice, and even better - these games actually work. ;)

[biosc1]

How have they aged? I couldn't get into MoM as it felt so dated.

The resolution is also very scalable...the largest the resolution, the more of the map you can see.

[LordDon]

Edit - I like this new guy, Fatal_Papercut. :D

Dude's from my neck of the woods.

[Lint of Death]

Thank you for reviving this thread! I knew I wanted Shadow Magic, and now I can get it for even less. At MagGnome's suggestion, however, I will acquiesce to purchase the whole pack for $3 more than I was honestly willing to pay for just the last game :p

[Panthera]

I think I like the graphics of the first game more. They're more readable, I'm always squinting at the map in the second two.

[MagGnome]

Dude's from my neck of the woods.

You've done well, my Lord! ;)


Thank you for reviving this thread! I knew I wanted Shadow Magic, and now I can get it for even less. At MagGnome's suggestion, however, I will acquiesce to purchase the whole pack for $3 more than I was honestly willing to pay for just the last game :p

Good man! Let us know what you think!


I think I like the graphics of the first game more. They're more readable, I'm always squinting at the map in the second two.

The first game is definitely "simpler" - there is less going on at once, everything is cleaner, etc. The second and third game are more detailed with more on the screen, and I could see how some people wouldn't like that. The first and second game are different in a number of ways. I personally enjoy both of them.

[Xydarc]

I'm really tempted to take advantage of GoG's weekend deal and pick up all 3 AoW games for $13.

[Panthera]

Do iiiiit.

[MagGnome]

Come on Xydarc, grab them! This will make up for not finishing Eschalon. ;)

[Serapth]

To be honest, I really hate buying things anywhere but Steam, I may just wait for Steam to put the bundle up for sale.

[MagGnome]

GOG is actually a great service. I think it works quite well, but YMMV.

Perhaps Steam will put the bundle up during their holiday sale.

[Serapth]

GOG is actually a great service. I think it works quite well, but YMMV.

Perhaps Steam will put the bundle up during their holiday sale.

I bought mom on gog, I just like all my games being in one place. That and Steam is perhaps a thousand times less likely to go away.

[Xydarc]

I bought mom on gog, I just like all my games being in one place. That and Steam is perhaps a thousand times less likely to go away.
However, GoG game installers are stand-alone executables and do not require a client.

The purchase is gonna happen when I get home from my parents' house; hopefully that will appease the Gnome.;)

[MagGnome]

Good man, Xydarc! I look forward to hearing your impressions. :)

[Fatal_Papercut]

I bought mom on gog, I just like all my games being in one place. That and Steam is perhaps a thousand times less likely to go away.

To date, all GOG downloads are DRM-Free. Once you've downloaded your game(s), just back it up on another drive and/or a DVD, and you're good to go.

I also prefer using Steam. My only concern with them is that, even though I expect Steam to be around for a very long time, all of my current games purchased there may become unplayable as technology progresses. In ten years, who knows what a decent gaming rig will look like? There's a good chance that our future rigs may not be able to run any of these games. Will Steam still provide support for old farts like me that will likely hang on to obsolete technology? Tune into this thread in ten years to find out!

[Fatal_Papercut]

Dude's from my neck of the woods.

Did you make it to the GEEX show this year or in 2008?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5re4TFUg_YY

[LordDon]

Did you make it to the GEEX show this year or in 2008?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5re4TFUg_YY

Haven't ever made it out though I've noted the ads a couple years now.

[Lint of Death]

BrassGecko and I are playing Shadow Magic multiplayer with the unofficial 1.4 patch and it's a ton of fun. The game we're currently playing is a looong one, but worth it. Frostlings are so cool.

[Clark]

BrassGecko and I are playing Shadow Magic multiplayer with the unofficial 1.4 patch and it's a ton of fun. The game we're currently playing is a looong one, but worth it. Frostlings are so cool.

Lint!

I had no idea you had this. I call next for a multiplayer match.

[BrassGecko]

This thread plus Lint's description convinced me to buy the pack. Good fun all around so far, we can at least beat up on the basic computer opponents.

[Clark]

I got to hear about it from Lint via IM! I'm fired up to get into a mulitplayer with you guys soon.

[Serapth]

... I broke down and bought it too.

[MagGnome]

BrassGecko and I are playing Shadow Magic multiplayer with the unofficial 1.4 patch and it's a ton of fun. The game we're currently playing is a looong one, but worth it. Frostlings are so cool.

Awesome! Frostlings are indeed great. :D

My favorite race is the Shadow Demons that were added in Shadow Magic. Their highest-unit is a total bad ass.


This thread plus Lint's description convinced me to buy the pack. Good fun all around so far, we can at least beat up on the basic computer opponents.

Hooray! I think you'll love the games. Getting in some multiplayer with you guys would be fantastic.

Edit - Serapth too? Awesome!

[BrassGecko]

But but.. too many human players and we can't just beat up on computers!

Lint and I are currently using hamachi (https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi2/)(free version) to play, but it doesn't look hard to get it working with the standard online method.

Edit: Yeah, frostlings are fun. I'll have to start trying more of the races, though..

[Lint of Death]

Getting in some multiplayer with you guys would be fantastic.

I'm down for that. Perhaps we should set up a matchmaking thread with a poll to see who could play when. The trouble is that this is a very time consuming game - certainly less than Civilization, but everyone has to be online at the same time if we don't do play-by-email. Even if we could all only be on for a few turns at a time, I think it'd be worth it.

I'm not familiar with how play-by-email works yet, so I am naturally averse to trying. My gut worries that it'd be too slow and inconvenient, but perhaps we'd have to if we can't get together enough.

[MagGnome]

Age of Wonders is definitely a time sink.

I totally missed buying it during the sale, so I'll either have to pay full price or dig out my discs. :o

I used to play this with friends via LAN, and that was a lot of fun.

[BrassGecko]

Warning: Age of Wonders multiplayer is not only a time sink, but can cause lapses in judgment leading to a severe lack of sleep.

[Lint of Death]

Who needs mornings anyway? The sun's not even ready yet.

[MagGnome]

I remember many a night spent playing Age of Wonders and getting very little sleep. :D