Medieval
Lords is set in Medieval times where you have the opportunity to build your own
city. Along the way your city will grow into a large community with castles and
a bursting community. What makes Medieval Lords different is the ability to
finally go into the city and see what is happening. No longer are you delegated
to the role of just seeing the city from a 3D view, now you can actually zoom in
on a street level to see everyone within your city. But you’re not limited to
just building the city, you’ll also be able to conquer a neighboring country to
expand your city.
The game is
set in an over the top 3D view, with very detailed graphics. All of the
landscapes are presented in lush, detailed 3D graphics. But a really nice
addition to the game is the ability to zoom in on the street. Once you have
your city bustling with activity, you can zoom in via first person perspective
to see what is happening in the city. You’ll be able to see everyone in the
city and find out what your citizens are doing. You’ll see the citizens dancing
in the street, grilling a pig and all sorts of unique activities for each
citizen. This gives you a sense of connecting with the characters in the game
since you can actually see, up close, what your citizens are doing. Even while
zoomed in all of the graphics were very detailed, with the characters have their
own unique looks and animations.
The
developer has also implemented a very easy to use control system in the game.
No longer do you have to wade through menu after menu to figure out what to do
next. With a few simple mouse clicks you’ll build a new building, lay out a
crop field, or declare war on a neighboring country. The developer was able to
have a small city built within just a few seconds after only a few clicks of the
mouse. The developers stressed that they want anyone to be able to jump into
the game right away and figure out the controls. From the looks of the
interface this shouldn’t be a problem. Cities were built within seconds and
changes were made without a complicated menu system.
Another
interesting aspect of the game was the emphasis on technology. The game is a
true time piece, with technology based on the late Medieval/early Renaissance
times. The developers showed off Davinci’s (sp?) flying machine, a crane used
to build buildings and other types of technology. As your city grows, the
technology will grow with it. Now this might not be dramatically different than
what other world building games have done, but it’s a seamless interface within
the game. But since you can zoom in with the graphics you can actually see how
the technology impacts the citizens within the game.
Medieval
Lords is shaping up to be an entertaining and polished world/city building
game. The game is currently scheduled for release in August 2004 in
Europe.
The American release should be later this year but the exact publisher is
undecided at this time. The developers stressed over and over again that this
game has been developed with the gamer in mind. They want the gamers to enjoy
this game and know this isn’t just another world builder, but a satisfying and
entertaining game that everyone can enjoy.
