Demo Impression ??

[sinava]

So I just played the demo of the game, here are my impressions :-
(1) Really fun combat and pretty strategic at the same time
(2) Beautiful artstyle, just loved watching every scene
(3) Nice dialogues
(4) Lots of cool spells
(5) Dialogues are decent enough
(6) Story seemed ok , hope it becomes better as the game progresses
(7) smooth and high framerates at max setting with very less loading times any where

Some suggestion (only minor concerns) :-
(1) Fixed Camera in combat
(2) No way to speed up or slow down combat animation and no instant auto combat
(3) In combat it only gives the damage done, but does not gives the units killed on the top of the creature. Reading the number of units killed from the bottom bar is a but painful

Overall I really enjoyed his game and it is probably my favorite game of the year (and I have played all the major games on pc/360/ps3 released this year)

So what are your thoughts ?

Edit : Some info from the discussions :
(1) Change animation speed : Options -> Combat Animation Speed -> High
(2) Get damage in combat in terms of of units killed : http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showpost.php?p=49725&postcount=32
(3) it's not possible to complete all the quests in the demo
(4) Pressing alt will bring up the health bar and turn queues in battle mode ( these things also mentioned in the videos on the main site)
(5) While creatures are not replenished in the demo, in the main game they will be replenished in the main castles after completing some quests
(6) Having a wife gives extra slots for gears and having a child gives extra attributes

[Imperial Dane]

Well we do already have such a thread, the not so aptly named Review thread.

[hawker]

Regarding problems:

1. Right-click, hold and move mouse to move camera, either in combat or overland map (Restricted to 180 degrees in combat but it should do)

2. Options -> Combat Animation Speed -> High.
It's a pretty unintuitive dropdown among technical graphics options, so it's easy to overlook.

3. eh.. never bothered me :)


Hope this helps

[Capitaine NicOol]

(3) In combat it only gives the damage done, but does not gives the units killed on the top of the creature. Reading the number of units killed from the bottom bar is a but painful


I agree, very needed feature.

[sinava]

Well we do already have such a thread, the not so aptly named Review thread.
oh yeah it is, by reading the post i though it was review of the full version of the game :(

[spamm]

3 game.ini (http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showpost.php?p=49725&postcount=32)

[sinava]

3 game.ini (http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showpost.php?p=49725&postcount=32)

aha ! game is perfect for me now :cool::-):o (except the lack of autoresolve feature)

[Lord_Loffen]

Wow, this is a gret demo, and i'm probably going to love the full version. However i find the mage a little overpowered in the beginning. i managed with my level 5 mage to defeat gorgon madusa in the tournament(!)

[Imperial Dane]

That does sound powerful, i'm having problems getting past the second entrant with my warrior who's got plenty of leadership and horsemen.

But on the other hand, what the mage has early on, is probably made up for later on as he won't be able to field as large armies ;)

Also sinava, find it funny that you mention dialogues twice :P Personally i found them good, but then, we all have different opinions on things ;)

But i think we can all agree that this game is a must have :D

[Lord_Loffen]

I had around 1480 leadership (got 800 from an artifact), But i'm sure with some better placed runes, i would have been able to defea her wothout that + 800(maybe)

[Coin-coin le Canapin]

If I'm not wrong your artifact is the one that costs 60000 gold?
Guess you played well to accumulate this gold.
What kind of units did you have?

[Lord_Loffen]

Forgot to mention: I played on easy:P I'm sure it's much harder on other difficulties

[Coin-coin le Canapin]

Aaaaah. :rolleyes:

[NelsMonsterX]

Yes, demo is nice! However, it doesn't beat HOMM V for me. But for what it is it's certainly nice to have. Between KB, Fantasy Wars, HOMM V, and the upcoming Disciples 3 and Elven Legacy . . . holy cow do we have plenty of fantasy TBS goodness! Can't wait for the full version!

Hopefully they'll fix that floating dead problem with a patch if it isn't in the full version. My only other gripe is the terrible localization. The narrator in the intro uses completely different words than what's written on the screen. This is cosmetic though and the gameplay is definitely solid, so no biggie.

[Imperial Dane]

Bad Localization ? It's just some voicework for an intro, and it is far from uncommon that what is said doesn't match with texts.. trust me ;)

But good translation, and yeah it's no HoMM V, but it isn't supposed to be :P And i definately think that they could take some hints from Kings Bounty :D

@Lord loffen: Hmm that would explain it, only got a sword and a staff that granted me about 300 leadership.

[sinava]

Yes, demo is nice! However, it doesn't beat HOMM V for me. But for what it is it's certainly nice to have. Between KB, Fantasy Wars, HOMM V, and the upcoming Disciples 3 and Elven Legacy . . . holy cow do we have plenty of fantasy TBS goodness! Can't wait for the full version!

Hopefully they'll fix that floating dead problem with a patch if it isn't in the full version. My only other gripe is the terrible localization. The narrator in the intro uses completely different words than what's written on the screen. This is cosmetic though and the gameplay is definitely solid, so no biggie.
i agree fantasy tbs fans are in for a treat.

[Imperial Dane]

And anyone who likes a good story as well is my impression.. I mean the quests so far have been varied but generally offered many ways to complete them, quite on level with any good rpg if you ask me, with some choices it seems being dictated by stats and class even.

I mean the quest with the miller was quite fun, and i hope we get to see more quests like that.. perhaps even longer :D

I just can't wait to explore more of the world and encounter more creatures and people of all different kinds :)

... just wish they had some background descriptions along with them ;)

[pkt-zer0]

Bad Localization ?
A better example of the bad localization would be using "you is" instead of "you are", or the same character being referred to as Bob Baker, Bob Backer, and Bob Bucker (unless that later is some sort of weird humour present in the Russian version as well). It's as if they didn't even bother to proofread the script. (I'd suggest cutting the vodka supplies of the localization team for a week as punishment. :P)

It seems as though the publisher figured no one in the West would really care for some Russian turn-based strategy/adventure, so they might as well cut back on the localization costs. Shame, really. This game deserved better.

[phoenixreborn]

I mean the quests so far have been varied but generally offered many ways to complete them, quite on level with any good rpg if you ask me, with some choices it seems being dictated by stats and class even.

I mean the quest with the miller was quite fun, and i hope we get to see more quests like that.. perhaps even longer :D



Could you give an example of multiple ways of solving a quest? I'm doing the miller quest right now...I suppose I could have just killed him?

[Daystar]

3 game.ini (http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showpost.php?p=49725&postcount=32)

Wait, what do you edit?

[Ryder]

Could you give an example of multiple ways of solving a quest? I'm doing the miller quest right now...I suppose I could have just killed him?
This was my favourite quest to complete. Getting the ring and then suppressing it was interesting. Then going back to tell him (forget his name) how to remove the curse from his zombie woman was rather funny after he tells you he's prefer her left as one.

[sinava]

Wait, what do you edit?
change "setf ~showflyingdead 0" to "setf ~showflyingdead 1"
if ~showflyingdead is not present the just add "setf ~showflyingdead 1" on the last line. It worked for me

[Daystar]

cheers, ty!

[Imperial Dane]

@Pkt-zero: Really ? I honestly didn't notice that, the only thing that popped into my mind was the one obviously done with relation to the demo cutting you off from the main quest, otherwise it seemed good to me. It could easily have been worse, so i wouldn't call it bad, not perfect, but not bad either.

@Ryder: Sure you could kill him.. although that will fail the quest actually :P But with the plant for example, you can either kill it or bring it a cow. Also even killing the baker will still open up for getting a wife.. just at an increased price :P But i also get the impression that there are just multiple ways of doing things, for example for getting the ring, if you do have one, you can trade it for the cursed one.. and yeah, suppressing it is interesting and serves as a nice tutorial in regards with what to do with other sentient items that will fall into your possesion ;)

[pkt-zer0]

Consistent terminology and grammatical correctness is not exactly holding the translation to unreasonably high standards. I don't expect it to be the second Vagrant Story, where the translation is even better than the original, just that it reach the level of English games with average writing. (And even that is a bit of an injustice to the original, since as far as I know it had pretty high quality writing, actually. Understandable, with the game being relatively text-heavy.) In any case, I'm fairly sure the localization will be a consistent (if minor) complaint in reviews, just like in the case of Space Rangers.

[Imperial Dane]

and again i see no gross problems with that except the occasional one, and even then it is nothing that actually springs into my eyes.

At the moment i am much more concerned about the European release date or the rest of the game than a few odd mistakes in what otherwise looks great to me.

[phoenixreborn]

Definitely agree, the zombie quest was awesome. It was a little longer than I expected with some nice twists.

The localization from Russian to English has its charm mistakes and all. I did find it disconcerting that the spoken text didn't match the words...but no big deal.

[sinava]

Definitely agree, the zombie quest was awesome. It was a little longer than I expected with some nice twists.


yeah i also found the zombie quest pretty amusing , especially the part where you start bargaining for the robbers wife :-P and then later on turn the wife from zombie to human and human to zombie

[Imperial Dane]

Aye it is fun.. But the demo is great :D And right now on fileplanet it's on the 8th place on the download top10 over there :)

[sinava]

Aye it is fun.. But the demo is great :D And right now on fileplanet it's on the 8th place on the download top10 over there :)
really cool, i created a thread regarding this on gamespot but very few people showed any interest:evil:

[Imperial Dane]

eh.. most people on gamespot care about not much at all ..

[Zhuangzi]

I registered on these forums just to say how much this game is going to kick ass, judging by the demo.

I am looking for a fix for my Disciples III withdrawal symptoms, and King's Bounty is as fun as Disciples II, if not better!

I spent around 10 hours on the demo (I will post some more about this in the other thread) and I enjoyed every minute.

It looks like the game will be on Gamersgate, which is awesome news because I doubt I'll see it retail here in Australia anyway.

Katauri are now officially my favourite developer, after all the fun I had with Space Rangers 2. :grin:

[Imperial Dane]

Don't you mean Disciples II Withdrawal symptoms ? In any case, Disciples III is off my list.. Don't really have faith in it anymore.

Right now i am more concerned about the European release date for kings bounty.

[Zhuangzi]

Well, I mean that Disciples 3 was supposed to be out by now.

I know what you mean about losing faith in it - it's not shaping up to be the best game, looks like the same game with better graphics.

But King's Bounty is possibly more fun that Disciples 2, which I loved. :-P

[Imperial Dane]

Well it doesn't even look like Disciples 2 with better graphics.. the art direction is a joke with units not looking like what they are supposed to and some being completely out of place :evil: But i shall not rant about it, i've just accepted that D III is not for me.

[Bonar]

I registered to this forum after playing the demo. I must say I'm quite impressed by it. The gameplay pretty much like HoMM (I never played the original King's Bounty before and my first taste of this genre was HoMM 2 *Sniff* good ol days), although the adventure mode was in real time. Can't remember how many times I've been playing cat and mouse with high lvl mobs.

Well I don't know if this usefull little info or not (or that everyone already knew), press alt will bring up the healthbar and turn queues in battle mod. I discover it while alt+tabbing due to answering messengers.

[sinava]

I registered to this forum after playing the demo. I must say I'm quite impressed by it. The gameplay pretty much like HoMM (I never played the original King's Bounty before and my first taste of this genre was HoMM 2 *Sniff* good ol days), although the adventure mode was in real time. Can't remember how many times I've been playing cat and mouse with high lvl mobs.

Well I don't know if this usefull little info or not (or that everyone already knew), press alt will bring up the healthbar and turn queues in battle mod. I discover it while alt+tabbing due to answering messengers.

ah .. cool i never knew that, there are so many such commands which we don't about.
Does anyone has a list of input commands ?

[Imperial Dane]

Well you can try looking up the videos on the main site as they do mention the alt command among other things..

[Ryder]

It looks like the game will be on Gamersgate, which is awesome news because I doubt I'll see it retail here in Australia anyway.
Ofcourse it will be here. Why wouldnt it?

Even if it isnt I sometimes use a game store from NZ that are good. They've got the release down as 3rd Oct.

[Zhuangzi]

Ofcourse it will be here. Why wouldnt it?

Even if it isnt I sometimes use a game store from NZ that are good. They've got the release down as 3rd Oct.

Ummm, I dunno. I don't think Space Rangers 2 was ever available at retail in Australia, was it? There's nothing about it on EB or Game...(not that that means much). :rolleyes:

You mean gameplanet.co.nz correct? I noticed that they say they will have it as a special import. But $100 NZ? That must be about Aus $90, right?

I would love to get the boxed edition, but it's going to be US $40 or Gamersgate, which is like Aus $50 currently. Bit of a difference. :evil:

But please tell me if you hear of any retail availability in Australia.

[Ryder]

Ummm, I dunno. I don't think Space Rangers 2 was ever available at retail in Australia, was it? There's nothing about it on EB or Game...(not that that means much). :rolleyes:

You mean gameplanet.co.nz correct? I noticed that they say they will have it as a special import. But $100 NZ? That must be about Aus $90, right?

I would love to get the boxed edition, but it's going to be US $40 or Gamersgate, which is like Aus $50 currently. Bit of a difference. :evil:

But please tell me if you hear of any retail availability in Australia.
You might be right about it not been out here as Gameplanet (which you were also correct about) has it as an import. :(

As I defo want it with the box I'll be happy to pay whatever it costs from NZ. $100 NZ = $82 AUS at the moment (plus delivery).

Would be quicker to get it from the US but with our $$$ taking a battering lately it would be too expensive I feel.

[Imperial Dane]

Well i suppose i will just wait. Want it in a boxed edition without a doubt. But i think we need a seperate thread for this instead of clogging up the demo impressions thread.

[sinava]

Since the demo impressions is going out of hand, let's get back to the demo ;)
I was really surprised how smooth the game runs with very little loading time even at max settings. also it looks pretty amazing

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2866249354_5e9d1cbfeb_b.jpg

[Zhuangzi]

You're right, sinava. :grin:

Those are some of the most gorgeous graphics I have ever seen.

This is an 'old school' game with 'new school' graphics. Best of both worlds. :cool:

[Imperial Dane]

Oh it definately looks great, and the attention to detail also helps a lot, for example in the lair of the necromancer where bits of the wall moves out when you get close to it ;)

Or just the things you can discover by looking closer at items..

Also the demo has just risen to the 5th place on the fileplanet download top 10..

[phoenixreborn]

I did notice it went to night and then day when I played the demo. Is there an upkeep cost at the end of the day or week?

[Imperial Dane]

I don't think so.. though i am more curious to know if creatures will be replenished at some point or if stocks will change.

[Zhuangzi]

Creatures replenished...I doubt it.

Stocks replenished...good question. Although I think it adds a strategic element to know that there are a finite number of good troops in the game. For instance, you can only get a small number of Horsemen from the tent place, like 7 in total. So you've got to protect them.

[Sleeping Sun]

there are a finite number of good troops in the game

Though I haven't played the demo, I've finished the russian version of KB and - you're right - there always was a limited number of troops in all dwellings. Even in the king's castle. But there is a system when you gain access to unlimited number of troops in the main castles when completing the king's quests (the main ones)

[Imperial Dane]

Ahh okay, that makes sense, otherwise it might be too punishing for beginners and generally misfortunate people..

[crayno]

In the original KB each week was week of the "insert random army here" and that type of army would be replenished.
For example: This week is the week of the peasants, all peasant dwellings will be replenished.
At least, I think that's what it was since it's been a while since I played it......I still had hair back then :lol:

[Daedalus]

Can anyone who has played the original version confirm if there is a level cap in the full version? if so, how high can you get? How much xp do you need?

[Sleeping Sun]

Ahh okay, that makes sense, otherwise it might be too punishing for beginners and generally misfortunate people..

Moreover, there's a fine feature in the game - some neutral monsters in the world, for example dragons, have eggs)) I had a lot of fun running away from the angry black dragons and stealing their eggs. They are stored in the inventory and can be 'used' to get the dragon to your army (or several dragons - depends only on the number of eggs you have)

[Sleeping Sun]

Can anyone who has played the original version confirm if there is a level cap in the full version? if so, how high can you get? How much xp do you need?

There WAS a level cap in the game versions I've played. But as I know this cap was removed in the latest patch, so I'm sure you won't be concerned about the level cap while playing the game.
When I played, the cap was at level 30. I ended the game with mage on high difficulty with level 28. The experience you get for victories and the amount of exp needed to level up depends on the game difficulty

[Daedalus]

cool, thanks for the fast reply :)

hmmz, another question that might be more difficult to answer;
how many runes do you receive with each lvl up? Is this modified by difficulty? I know that you get more or less depending on difficulty at the start but what about when you level? Any known formula for this?

[Sleeping Sun]

cool, thanks for the fast reply :)

hmmz, another question that might be more difficult to answer;
how many runes do you receive with each lvl up? Is this modified by difficulty? I know that you get more or less depending on difficulty at the start but what about when you level? Any known formula for this?

Of course. All the statistics (percentage of received exp, money and so on) are displayed in the full version when you choose the difficulty level at the game start.
To be honest, I don't know the system of getting the runes, but it is also connected with game difficulty. What is more, this system was changed by several patches so it's a bit of mystery to me now, but when I've finished the game (as mage) I saw in the stat screen that I've earned around 200 runes of magic and 100 others

[Daedalus]

hmmz, that's alot, so basically you can take whatever you want by the endgame.

[Sleeping Sun]

hmmz, that's alot, so basically you can take whatever you want by the endgame.

I don't think there will be enough monsters for this))

[Imperial Dane]

Or enough gold

[Daedalus]

what i meant was that you could take anything you wanted from the skill trees, as in max everything by the end of the game which is a bit of a shame imo...

[Imperial Dane]

Dunno that, we really don't know much about the end game.. also.. the demo has reached the third place on the fileplanet top 10 :)

[Sleeping Sun]

I'm sure it won't reach the top 'cause tomorrow is the release date as far as I remember:)

[sinava]

Dunno that, we really don't know much about the end game.. also.. the demo has reached the third place on the fileplanet top 10 :)
3rd ..pft.... it has reached 1st postion :cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
also demo has a rating of 4.63/5 (crysis and cod 4 demos have lesser rating)

[sinava]

I'm sure it won't reach the top 'cause tomorrow is the release date as far as I remember:)
well it already reached the top :grin:

[Sleeping Sun]

well it already reached the top :grin:

Everybody hail and pray Katauri:grin:

[Imperial Dane]

Is it such a big surprise ? :P Oh and sleeping sun, tomorrows release is US only :( So there will be plenty of time for european gamers to get aqquainted with the demo.

[Sleeping Sun]

It's a pity:( But really, I think you will get the full version in one or two days)

[Imperial Dane]

afraid not as no gamestores in denmark even mention it and the closest thing i heard was the 31st of october.. which is the same time as fallout 3 is released, which i was kinda planning on getting once it was released :D

But i dunno.. suppose i'll have to wait until they finally decide to tell.. or order it from somewhere else ..

[LiveInABox]

hey all just been playing the demo for a bit and its pretty fun.

a few Qs tho... im playing on normal as a mage and have just got to level 5 and have 1100 leadership...

1. can u complete the demo??

2. is it possible to beat the level 10 medusa in the tournament? HOW?! :confused: also trying to upgrade my mage staff i bought from someone..but like the above battle its impossible!!! :mad: i can beat the first keepers easy, but the second (final) battle is way too hard...the imp towers have like 40k health or something stupid. any tips for these two battles? i just get totally annihilated in both..

3. any point having a wife?!? i paid 5k and got ripped off. havent tried getting a divorce yet, maybe i will get my cash back :)

[Imperial Dane]

1: No you can't complete the demo.

2: You can only complete the first staff battle otherwise it get's too hard.. The only other upgrade battle i think you have a chance with is the druids staff.

3: You could give her gear which gives you more bonuses ;) Or get some kids which offer other bonuses.

[LiveInABox]

3: You could give her gear which gives you more bonuses ;) Or get some kids which offer other bonuses.

really? i didnt know u could give her things..i tried to have kids and it just said yeah theres one on the way or something so i presumed nothing was gonna happen there..

[sinava]

1: No you can't complete the demo.

2: You can only complete the first staff battle otherwise it get's too hard.. The only other upgrade battle i think you have a chance with is the druids staff.

3: You could give her gear which gives you more bonuses ;) Or get some kids which offer other bonuses.
were you able to get kids ? I "said lets have a baby" and now the game ask me to wait for a magical time:!:

[Imperial Dane]

Just wait a little and it will come, and yeah you can give her items ;) But if you have a kid filling an item slot, then you can't change it.

[LiveInABox]

what about the medusa battle? is that possible to beat?

[Imperial Dane]

Well i have heard of people beating it on easy..

[sinava]

what about the medusa battle? is that possible to beat?
i tried that on hard and got whooped so badly that i didn't even gave it a second try

[LiveInABox]

i tried that on hard and got whooped so badly that i didn't even gave it a second try

yeah i had like 2 attempts..the second time a mega bolt of lightning from somewhere wiped out my entire army..

what would be good if there was moral choices in the full game..or options to be good or evil and see your character change to reflect alignment

[sinava]

Added some discussions in the main post

[Imperial Dane]

@Liveinabox: There might be some choices.. but no visual representations of that.. Besides, having an army of demons isn't exactly a good choice :P

[LiveInABox]

can u get a better weapon in the demo apart from the training sword?

also does your class or attack stat have any effect on the damage caused by the creatures in the rage box? I think its always the same no matter what?

[Ball Buster]

Yeah, you can buy a special spear that allows the hero to raise faster the amount or Rage in combat, and also gives the hero a +2 Attack Bonus. Or a great sword that gives a +5 Attack Bonus, too.

Regarding to the second question, no, the stats have no effect on the amount of damage that do the Rage Spirits. It seems that the amount of damage is only determined by the grade of development of the skill, nothing more.

[hawker]

The weapons you can buy are randomized each time, by the way. (So are a lot of units in "lairs", treasure, etc)

[Sleeping Sun]

Yeah, you can buy a special spear that allows the hero to raise faster the amount or Rage in combat, and also gives the hero a +2 Attack Bonus. Or a great sword that gives a +5 Attack Bonus, too.

Regarding to the second question, no, the stats have no effect on the amount of damage that do the Rage Spirits. It seems that the amount of damage is only determined by the grade of development of the skill, nothing more.

Yes, the power of rage spirits depends only on their level. The hero stats determine only the stats of the troops or the magic from the spellbook

[LiveInABox]

The weapons you can buy are randomized each time, by the way. (So are a lot of units in "lairs", treasure, etc)

yeah ive never come across that sword, all i get is crappy items.

anyone agree the best unit to buy in the demo is the ancient bears? those things are brutes.

also does anyone know what % the demo map is compared to the full game? just to get an idea of how big the game world is..

oh yeah and in the full game can u capture points and garrison and have to manage cities like in say the HOMM games?

[Sleeping Sun]

also does anyone know what % the demo map is compared to the full game? just to get an idea of how big the game world is..

oh yeah and in the full game can u capture points and garrison and have to manage cities like in say the HOMM games?

Let's count)) As I understood the demo consists of only one location, and all the travel points are closed. In the humans lands there are four main locations, two on the pirates islands, 4 or 5 at the dwarves lands...don't remember the exact quantity, but there is not less than 20 large locations and a number of small, such as castles, caves and mouth of a giant fish;)

No, you can't manage the cities) Neither like in HOMM, nor like in SimCity:grin: The only thing you can do in the castles is hiring troops. Oh, and taking quests. There are several castle sieges, but the conquered castle will be managed by AI

[LiveInABox]

yeah i know u can garrison troops so i thought they could be attacked etc. i didnt like HOMM anyway, got bored real quick playing that game.

[Sleeping Sun]

yeah i know u can garrison troops so i thought they could be attacked etc. i didnt like HOMM anyway, got bored real quick playing that game.

Agree) HOMM in my point of view is more hotseat-oriented. In KB you can spend your money on troops, artifacts and spells, no building, mine conquering and so on)