''Warlords Battlecry'', sometimes mislabeled as ''Warlords 3: Battlecry'',
is a
real-time strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, turn ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
released in 2000 for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. It was the first of new series of RTS games set in
Steve Fawkner's ''
Warlords
A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...
'' franchise.
Gameplay
The game introduced a
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
-building system, combining real time strategy elements with
roleplaying
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing as ...
elements (hero development, stats and skills). This makes the series the first to be called "roleplaying strategy", a term coined by its creator, Steve Fawkner. There are nine races organized in sets of three:
*The Civilized races: Human, Dwarf and Undead
*The Primitive races: Barbarians, Orcs and Minotaurs
*The Elvish/Magical races: High Elf, Wood Elf and Dark Elf
There are four professions, Warrior, Wizard, Rogue, and Priest. Each profession has at least three specialties, which give access to different skills and spheres of magic.
The game also featured a campaign, which follows a Human Hero from Guardia as he seeks to recover the two tears of dawn. At a pivotal moment, the campaign will branch out into two paths. In the path of light in which the Hero continues to follow orders from his general while resolving to recover Navarre. In the path of darkness, the Hero turns on Guardia and seeks to take Lucifus before Navarre and ultimately, take revenge.
Reception
The game received "favorable" reviews according to the
review aggregation
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
Jim Preston of ''
NextGen'' said of the game, "Players who look underneath the ordinary surface will find a highly entertaining mix of strategy and role-playing."
The game was commercially unsuccessful in the U.S.,
and journalists Mark Asher and
Tom Chick
Tom W. Chick (born August 14, 1966) is an American actor and independent journalist. His most prominent TV roles were as Oscar's boyfriend Gil in the U.S. version of ''The Office'', and the hard-hitting reporter Gordon in ''The West Wing''.
Ear ...
noted that it "didn't even hit
PC Data
PC Data was an American market research and point of sale tracking firm founded in 1991 and based in Reston, Virginia. Its founder, Ann Stephens, had worked previously as the head researcher for the Software Publishers Association. Initially, th ...
's charts".
Writing for ''
CNET Gamecenter
''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...
'', Asher reported in September 2000 that the game's sales in the U.S. had reached 8,608 units, which drew revenues of $332,662.
The staff of ''
Computer Games Magazine
''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'' nominated the game for their 2000 "Real-time Strategy Game of the Year" award, whose winner remains unknown. It was nominated for the "Best Game No One Played" award at ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s Best and Worst of 2000 Awards, which went to ''
Allegiance
An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed, or freely committed, by the people, subjects or citizens to their state or sovereign.
Etymology
From Middle English ''ligeaunce'' (see medieval Latin ''ligeantia'', "a liegance"). The ''al ...
''.
Reviews
*''
Backstab'' #24
Sequels
Two sequels were released: ''
Warlords Battlecry II
''Warlords Battlecry II'' is a real-time strategy and role-playing game, developed by Strategic Studies Group (SSG) as the sequel to ''Warlords Battlecry''. It was released on March 12, 2002. The game requires the player to build buildings and cre ...
'' in 2002 and ''
Warlords Battlecry III
''Warlords Battlecry III'' is a real-time strategy game developed by Infinite Interactive and published in 2004. It is the third installment in the ''Warlords Battlecry'' series and the sequel to '' Warlords Battlecry II''.
Gameplay
While ''Warlo ...
'' in 2004.
Although released in different times, the three games essentially share the same 2D graphics engine, a gameplay closely resembling that of ''
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness'' or ''
StarCraft
''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance am ...
'' and have a high number of playable races/sides (ranging from the 9 of WBC 1, to the 12 of WBC II and the 16 of WBC III).
The games feature a
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
building system which preceded ''
Warcraft III
''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' is a high fantasy real-time strategy computer video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment released in July 2002. It is the second sequel to ''Warcraft: Orcs & Humans'', after ''Warcraft II: Tides ...
s own one and combine real time strategy elements with
roleplaying
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing as ...
elements (hero development, stats and skills), thus making its creator labelling the series as "roleplaying strategy" games.
Although the games share the same basic gameplay and graphics engine, and the series is generally well received among ''Warlords'' fans and hunters, the community around them has always been small (but loyal), and no serious
modding
''Modding'' is a slang expression derived from the English verb " to modify". The term refers to modification of hardware, software, or anything else, to perform a function not originally intended by the designer, or to achieve bespoke specific ...
efforts have been done until the third installment was released, although all three installments ended up supported by community (
Fan patch
An unofficial patch is a patch for a piece of software, created by a third party such as a user community without the involvement of the original developer. Similar to an ordinary patch, it alleviates bugs or shortcomings. Unofficial patches do no ...
es
Unofficial Patches
om patches-scrolls.de) rather than developer patch
Patch or Patches may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives''
* Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy
* "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962
* "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song) ...
es and mods.
References
External links
*
{{Warlords series
2000 video games
Strategic Studies Group games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Real-time strategy video games
Video games developed in Australia
Warlords (video game series)
Windows games
Windows-only games