PoemsandProblems:Warlock2:The

ExiledReview
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/poems-and-problems-warlock-2-the-
exiled-review
Oh,herewego.AnotherGreatMage.General,please.
Although I once showed some promise in the game of chess, such promise did not in any way
translateintothearenaofrealtimeorturnbasedstrategygames.(Nordidmyblackjackwizardry
translateintosuccessinvirtualsolitaire.)Theexactreasonsforthisareunclear;however,theseare
someofthecontributingfactors:theeverpresentavailabilityofcheesteakjimmysmeantthatthe
immediatelysatisfyingpowerofcreationwasmerelyacheatcodeaway;andthesignificantlymore
complex and intoxicating ability to create elaborate, extravagant floral arrangements of pretty
flowersinCaesarIIImeantthatlittlethoughtwasgiventowinningwithinthenaturalconfinesof
eithergameiftheculturalboresofcitizensinCaesarIIIcouldntappreciatemyfloralartistry,then
allthebetterthattheystarvetodeathorbeburiedintheirtaxes! Whereas,inchess,theultimate
goal is utterly binary; in spite of its beauty. Which is why, breaking a successfully selfapplied
mantra,Iselectedthemediandifficultyinsteadofthehardest.Inspiteofmyreservations(andwell
over one hundred turns later), my kingdom is yet to be defeatedyet I am very little closer to
fulfillingthecampaignsconditionsforultimatevictory.Conditionswhichmaybecustomisedsoas
todictatethestyleofthecampaignandplay.Afteronecomposesthecampaignintheimageone
desires,thenoneistransportedtothelocationoftheirfirstfantasticalcitysometimesfounded
in utterly idiotic places due to the randomly generated environments: mine was founded on an
active volcano; hemmed in on one side of the entire map by a Chinese Wall of impassable
mountains (rendering an enemy spawn point thus unconquerable). It took me several turns to
realisethatplacingmyMariansinriversoflavaburnedthemveryslowlytodeath;andsuddenly
the striking scenery upon which my city had been founded took on a far more ludicrous and
insidiousvisage.Luckilyitispossibletorefashionthelandscapeintomorepracticallyusefulsoils
through the use of spells (which must be researchedfrom spell to spell along the branches of a
gargantuanYggdrasilthatpalesincomparisontothegenealogicaltreesuponwhichthebuildings
grow)sothatonemustnotonlyconsidertheenvironmentintermsofmilitaryadvantage(aforest
mightprovidehigherdefence;aswampmightslowdownthemovementofonesadvancedguard),
but also economic and agricultural benefits, too: canny settlers search for the most fertile
farmlands;orthemostresourcerichtaxandminehavens;oranymanablessedmagicalpumpkin
patches.
NotPictured:Theheroeswhomonecanhire;andcanmeanthe
differencebetweenvictoryanddefeat.
Asonebeginstofashiontheirfirstfoundedcityintoakingdom,onealsobeginstoexplore.Not
onlymightonediscoververdantplanesripeforanothercitytoplaceonthekingdomstaxledger,
butothercitiesmayalsobeinvadedandovertaken.Counterintuitively,alargerpopulationdoes
not,infact,resultinaglutofrichesforthekingdom:everycitizenofthecity(andsomeinstitutions)
aredevoutcommunists:suckingtheglorious,generousmotherlandsteatforallitisworth.Whilst
amassingapowerfularmy,onemustalsomakesurethatoneisproducingenoughfoodstuffs,mana
and money to keep said army well fed, paid; and satisfied withintoxicated on?their mana
rations.Onemustalsoconsideralongtermplanastothecontentsofoneskingdom;lestonefind
oneselfwithanembarrassmentofbarracksandadearthoffertileearthtonourishthesoldiersto
bewith.Apoorlyplannedcitycanleadtoirreparabledamagetoonesentirekingdom;unlessone
hasthecouragetodemolishitandstartagainwhichcausesthecitizensconsiderabledispleasure:
notonlydoesthemilitaryhavetobeconsistentlycajoledwithasteadysupplyofagriculturaland
economicriches,butsotoodothetitchycitizenswhosetinybiteisasbadastheirmightybark.
Whilstthemotherlandsteatissuckeddry,thelocalwildlifewanderthewilderness;andtheother
greatmagesstalkthelandsinsearchofthesamecitiestoinvadeandovertake:andthesamefertile
landstofoundtheircitiesupon;andtheyseditiouslyschemeaswell:demandingunfairmonetary,
magical or agricultural parley; and all as part of their socalledalliance! Unfortunately, here the
conservativeAIcomestothefore.Inactuality,theAIisoftenutterlybenign:wanderingaimlessly
around the world with little discernible purpose: sometimes an AI ally might send out a whole
platoon of troops through a teleportational portal (a convenient way to break up areas for the
purposeofimprovedperformance,andalsoprovideacleardistinctionbetweenclimates)onlyto
slayafewmiddlingwildebeests,andthenreturnthroughthesameportal;whereupontheytake
up their static positions of absolutely no apparent strategic advantage. The more immaterial
enemies who wander about the world do not, in fact,wander about the world:they, too, stand
staticallyastheywaitfortheplayertodiscoverthem;perhapsguardingtheirspawnpoints(which
maybelootedforresources)withlittlethoughtgiventogaininganyenvironmentaladvantagein
theirpositioning.Thesebenign,staticenemiesdobecomemoreproactiveonthehigherdifficulties;
butinpracticethismostlyboilsdowntotheoddstragglerwanderingintoacityslimitsinalimp
attempttodestroythecityallbyitself.Butthedefencesonehaslikelyerectedthusrenderthese
naive,nativestragglersutterlyinert.Eventhemorepowerfulenemiessummonedbyquestswho
often attack ones cities rarely pose any genuine threateven if all of ones armies are off
wanderingworldsawayonanimportant,andentirelyunrelated,quest.
Minerals and Tiberium?!WherearetheGoddamnSCVs?
Thiscanleadtoseriouslullswhenoneisconcentratingonbuildingonesarmiesorresourcesor
cities,andtherearenootherqueststokeeponeotherwiseoccupied;which,altogether,canlead
toentiresessionsdisintegratingintoturnskippingrepetitions.However,thequestsdomanageto
enrichtheflowofexplorationandcombat:oftenafteronehasreachedacertainpointinrelation
to the campaigns various longterm objectives, and the next objective is far out of sightthen
(ifone accepts the quest: spawning dragons may simply be rejected if ones army is otherwise
occupied)theundeadmightbesummonedbysomeunknownforceintoaparticularlyawkward
position;oraMontyPythonesquebridgekeepermightstartaskingafewawkwardquestions(the
wrong answers proving dire). But these lulls are easily forgiven when one considers the great
breadth of ones responsibilitiesresponsibilities which have far reaching repercussions. One
mightevenbeabletocreateamoreintensebutstillcerebralexperiencethroughtheediting
tools which allow one to not only create full campaigns complete with side quests, but also the
worldsinwhichthesecampaignstakeplace.Thecomplementaryonlinemultiplayerplaysoutin
much the same manner as the singleplayer campaign; and is just as customisable (to the point
whereacampaigncanbecomeaskirmish).Howeverduetotheplayersbeingseparatedforso
long over the course of the campaign or skirmishthe multiplayer can sometimes feel just as
lonelyanexperienceasthesingleplayercampaignunlessonesopponentisparticularlytalkative.
TherelaxedattitudewithwhichonecanapproachWarlock2successfullysetsitapartfrommany
ofitscontemporaries:Warlock2isinstantlyengagingandaccessibleenoughthatonemightenjoy
thecampaignwithoutthegreatlevelofcommitmentrequiredofthegenreelsewhere.Yet,ifone
wishestoraisethedifficultylevelanddelvedeeperfindingagreatlongtermplanandstrategy
thatsuitsonesnaturalcognitionintheprocessthereisenoughdepthtokeeponeengagedover
thepreposterouslyhumungouscampaignsthatthebravestgreatmagesmaycreateviatheeditor
orthecustomisablesingleplayercampaign.
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