-Comando-
1st April 2003, 23:55
MageLords Story:
Two thousand years ago on this world there was a civilization named Arcan. Civilization was comprised of six different clans filled with thinkers, philosophers, artist, and creators. Arcanian culture abdicated integrating spirituality into all aspects of their lives and as a result the civilization grew and prospered. Arcan was governed by the ruling council, which was comprised of representatives from each clan. The council became obsessed with harnessing the powerful elemental force that saturated their world—Magic. They secluded themselves to devote all their time and resources to study the six different disciplines of magic (Good, Evil, Order, Chaos, Nature, and the Nexus – the force that binds the others together).
Adopting the title of MageLords, they attempted to control and dominate these elements as opposed to living in harmony with them. This was a complete divergence to the Arcanian way of life and it was this divergence that would eventually destroy the peaceful civilization. The MageLords slowly began to become the living embodiment of their chosen sphere of magic. As the MageLord’s mastery over the forces grew, so did their mistrust of one another. Finally the suspicion ripped apart Arcanian society and plunged the world into a MageLord war that would last over 300 years.
While the war raged and countless millions suffered and died, the MageLords became aware of a great sphere which contained the whole history of Arcan and the sum total of all of the MageLords’ knowledge. It was here that they first learned of the Asthorra – an ancient evil that had been imprisoned for countless eons. The Asthorra’s presence within the sphere allowed it to subtly affect and alter events happening outside of it. The MageLords realized that the Asthorra was using them as pawns in its attempt to escape the sphere. The MageLords once again united in an attempt to destroy the sphere and trap the Asthorra forever. The MageLords succeeded in destroying the sphere resulting in a explosion of magical energy that changed the evolutionary course of the six clans and depleted the world of Magic. It was at the moment of the explosion that the MageLords learned the full extent of the Asthorra’s influence over them. They had been tricked into destroying the sphere and in doing so set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the Asthorra’s eventual return.
It is now the twilight of the Fourth Age. Many years have passed since the conclusion of the war, but the affects have been felt throughout the world. The prophecies of the return of the Asthorra have been distorted over time leaving only fragments of a mystery to be solved. Each clan has evolved into separate and distinct races (Humans, Elves, Wraith Lords, Boggins, Dwarves, and Giants). The animosities from the war have grown into deep hatred and turned each race into sworn blood enemies of the others. The power of Magic has slowly begun to re-emerege on the world and some members of each race have taken the steps to become MageLords and reclaim the power of Magic. Some plan to use the power to expand their empires, while some wish to use it to exact vengeance on their enemies. There are a select few whose only desire is to use the Magic as a way to unite all the races and reclaim the greatness of the ancient Arcan civilization.
These MageLords are aware of the prophesies and realize that it will take all of the races working together to defeat the great evil whose return will signal the end of all life on the world. In this uncertain time there is only one thing to be sure of -- confrontation between the MageLords is inevitable.
The Races of MageLords:
The world of the MageLords is filled with magical creatures and fearsome monsters straight from fantasy and mythology including dragons, minotaurs, zombies, hellhounds, wraiths, skeleton armies, death knights, and basilisks. In their attempt to build the ultimate empire, players will take the role of one of the six distinct races that are the descendents of the original Arcanian civilization.
Boggins— From the minds at Kinesoft comes a new race created specifically for MageLords. A swamp dwelling, scavenger society, the boggins are small and lack physical strength. They compensate for their lack of individual strength with the old axiom: There is strength in numbers. This race reproduces at a rapid rate and often uses nothing more then overwhelming numbers to destroy enemy forces. The Boggins are adept at training indigenous animals in their region. They use this skill to tame giant Draak spiders and order them to attack enemies. They also strengthen their forces by riding into battle atop mounted raptors.
Elves—This forest dwelling race has chosen to lead a primarily agricultural society. All elves are skilled in the use of the longbow. Elven warriors are often lightly armored, but they are the premiere long ranged attack unit.
Giants—Members of this race choose to reside in the snow-covered hills of the north. Their immense size is rivaled only by their immense strength. Unlike other races of the world, giants prefer to live solitary lives. This is presumably due to the expense associated with the resources necessary to support them.
Wraiths Lords—One of the first races to employ dark magic, the Wraith Lords are a race that prefer to use their power to raise armies of the undead to fight battles against their enemies.
Dwarves—This race is holder of the best city defenses and production facilities in the world. Their advanced skill in building allows for all of their troops to be heavily armored. Dwarve armies are hampered with slow moving units, but compensate with their Steam Tank – a highly formidable weapon.
Humans—One of the least physically evolved of the races, the humans use cooperation and utilization of important ”parts” in order to ensure a stronger and unbreakable whole. Human armored knights are among the most feared warriors in the world.
MageLords Press Release (Edited):
Kinesoft maximizes the power and explosiveness of PC gaming with MageLords -- the first-ever grand-scale, epic, fantasy WAR. Bringing the essence of real-time, fantasy, and strategy gaming to the next level, MageLords enables players to experience an entire mind-blowing epic campaign in a land filled with magic, mythical creatures, monsters, and heroes. In MageLords, the player must think and analyze situations differently than in traditional fantasy-based, Real-Time Strategy games as your armies are affected by the strategies and politics of a true war including the signing of treaties, development of alliances and other considerations.
MageLords goes where no game has previously tread. The revolutionary gaming experience contains a Strategic Interface that allows for long-term planning where the battle at hand becomes a part of the overall goal. Players seek to build the ultimate empire by uniting the lands and defeating the ancient evil that threatens to return to power. To ensure that MageLords presents the most tactical, heart-pounding war experience ever created, Kinesoft has taken a standard RTS title and extended its capacity to a degree never before seen in gaming. Award-winning designer Ken Burd along with a team of “top notch” programmers, artists, and designers have developed a richly-detailed 3-D environment where the characters and action literally pop out of the screen.
“No game like MageLords has ever been created. Our development team has done an amazing job of combining realism and fantasy, as mythical creatures are brought into the real-life struggles of a true war,” said Burd. “The truly exciting aspect is that this is the ultimate game for both the thinking man and action junkie. The player has to strategically determine how his actions will affect the entire outcome of the war and be ready to suffer the consequences of a wrong decision or reckless maneuver.”
In MageLords, an entire continent is laid out with banners indicating the locations of allied and enemy Armies. The player is a MageLord, the equivalent of a Five-Star general who commands his troops and lays out plans for winning the war. When Armies collide, the game magically zooms in to observe the battle. Players will be amazed as they come face-to-face with hundreds of intricately-detailed creatures including elves, giants, humans, and boggins who suddenly take over the screen and come together to meet on the battlefield. The player has full battlefield control, even the ability to cast magic from his mage tower directly into the fray. A single battle is not enough to win or lose in this epic struggle of good and evil. Battle follows battle as the player strives to unite the land and build an empire that brings order to the world.
Two thousand years ago on this world there was a civilization named Arcan. Civilization was comprised of six different clans filled with thinkers, philosophers, artist, and creators. Arcanian culture abdicated integrating spirituality into all aspects of their lives and as a result the civilization grew and prospered. Arcan was governed by the ruling council, which was comprised of representatives from each clan. The council became obsessed with harnessing the powerful elemental force that saturated their world—Magic. They secluded themselves to devote all their time and resources to study the six different disciplines of magic (Good, Evil, Order, Chaos, Nature, and the Nexus – the force that binds the others together).
Adopting the title of MageLords, they attempted to control and dominate these elements as opposed to living in harmony with them. This was a complete divergence to the Arcanian way of life and it was this divergence that would eventually destroy the peaceful civilization. The MageLords slowly began to become the living embodiment of their chosen sphere of magic. As the MageLord’s mastery over the forces grew, so did their mistrust of one another. Finally the suspicion ripped apart Arcanian society and plunged the world into a MageLord war that would last over 300 years.
While the war raged and countless millions suffered and died, the MageLords became aware of a great sphere which contained the whole history of Arcan and the sum total of all of the MageLords’ knowledge. It was here that they first learned of the Asthorra – an ancient evil that had been imprisoned for countless eons. The Asthorra’s presence within the sphere allowed it to subtly affect and alter events happening outside of it. The MageLords realized that the Asthorra was using them as pawns in its attempt to escape the sphere. The MageLords once again united in an attempt to destroy the sphere and trap the Asthorra forever. The MageLords succeeded in destroying the sphere resulting in a explosion of magical energy that changed the evolutionary course of the six clans and depleted the world of Magic. It was at the moment of the explosion that the MageLords learned the full extent of the Asthorra’s influence over them. They had been tricked into destroying the sphere and in doing so set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the Asthorra’s eventual return.
It is now the twilight of the Fourth Age. Many years have passed since the conclusion of the war, but the affects have been felt throughout the world. The prophecies of the return of the Asthorra have been distorted over time leaving only fragments of a mystery to be solved. Each clan has evolved into separate and distinct races (Humans, Elves, Wraith Lords, Boggins, Dwarves, and Giants). The animosities from the war have grown into deep hatred and turned each race into sworn blood enemies of the others. The power of Magic has slowly begun to re-emerege on the world and some members of each race have taken the steps to become MageLords and reclaim the power of Magic. Some plan to use the power to expand their empires, while some wish to use it to exact vengeance on their enemies. There are a select few whose only desire is to use the Magic as a way to unite all the races and reclaim the greatness of the ancient Arcan civilization.
These MageLords are aware of the prophesies and realize that it will take all of the races working together to defeat the great evil whose return will signal the end of all life on the world. In this uncertain time there is only one thing to be sure of -- confrontation between the MageLords is inevitable.
The Races of MageLords:
The world of the MageLords is filled with magical creatures and fearsome monsters straight from fantasy and mythology including dragons, minotaurs, zombies, hellhounds, wraiths, skeleton armies, death knights, and basilisks. In their attempt to build the ultimate empire, players will take the role of one of the six distinct races that are the descendents of the original Arcanian civilization.
Boggins— From the minds at Kinesoft comes a new race created specifically for MageLords. A swamp dwelling, scavenger society, the boggins are small and lack physical strength. They compensate for their lack of individual strength with the old axiom: There is strength in numbers. This race reproduces at a rapid rate and often uses nothing more then overwhelming numbers to destroy enemy forces. The Boggins are adept at training indigenous animals in their region. They use this skill to tame giant Draak spiders and order them to attack enemies. They also strengthen their forces by riding into battle atop mounted raptors.
Elves—This forest dwelling race has chosen to lead a primarily agricultural society. All elves are skilled in the use of the longbow. Elven warriors are often lightly armored, but they are the premiere long ranged attack unit.
Giants—Members of this race choose to reside in the snow-covered hills of the north. Their immense size is rivaled only by their immense strength. Unlike other races of the world, giants prefer to live solitary lives. This is presumably due to the expense associated with the resources necessary to support them.
Wraiths Lords—One of the first races to employ dark magic, the Wraith Lords are a race that prefer to use their power to raise armies of the undead to fight battles against their enemies.
Dwarves—This race is holder of the best city defenses and production facilities in the world. Their advanced skill in building allows for all of their troops to be heavily armored. Dwarve armies are hampered with slow moving units, but compensate with their Steam Tank – a highly formidable weapon.
Humans—One of the least physically evolved of the races, the humans use cooperation and utilization of important ”parts” in order to ensure a stronger and unbreakable whole. Human armored knights are among the most feared warriors in the world.
MageLords Press Release (Edited):
Kinesoft maximizes the power and explosiveness of PC gaming with MageLords -- the first-ever grand-scale, epic, fantasy WAR. Bringing the essence of real-time, fantasy, and strategy gaming to the next level, MageLords enables players to experience an entire mind-blowing epic campaign in a land filled with magic, mythical creatures, monsters, and heroes. In MageLords, the player must think and analyze situations differently than in traditional fantasy-based, Real-Time Strategy games as your armies are affected by the strategies and politics of a true war including the signing of treaties, development of alliances and other considerations.
MageLords goes where no game has previously tread. The revolutionary gaming experience contains a Strategic Interface that allows for long-term planning where the battle at hand becomes a part of the overall goal. Players seek to build the ultimate empire by uniting the lands and defeating the ancient evil that threatens to return to power. To ensure that MageLords presents the most tactical, heart-pounding war experience ever created, Kinesoft has taken a standard RTS title and extended its capacity to a degree never before seen in gaming. Award-winning designer Ken Burd along with a team of “top notch” programmers, artists, and designers have developed a richly-detailed 3-D environment where the characters and action literally pop out of the screen.
“No game like MageLords has ever been created. Our development team has done an amazing job of combining realism and fantasy, as mythical creatures are brought into the real-life struggles of a true war,” said Burd. “The truly exciting aspect is that this is the ultimate game for both the thinking man and action junkie. The player has to strategically determine how his actions will affect the entire outcome of the war and be ready to suffer the consequences of a wrong decision or reckless maneuver.”
In MageLords, an entire continent is laid out with banners indicating the locations of allied and enemy Armies. The player is a MageLord, the equivalent of a Five-Star general who commands his troops and lays out plans for winning the war. When Armies collide, the game magically zooms in to observe the battle. Players will be amazed as they come face-to-face with hundreds of intricately-detailed creatures including elves, giants, humans, and boggins who suddenly take over the screen and come together to meet on the battlefield. The player has full battlefield control, even the ability to cast magic from his mage tower directly into the fray. A single battle is not enough to win or lose in this epic struggle of good and evil. Battle follows battle as the player strives to unite the land and build an empire that brings order to the world.