About “Drums of War”

“Drums of War” - is a turn-based tactical strategy game boasting well developed combat system and interactive environment, providing wide opportunities for tactics.

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Vladimir1979
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About “Drums of War”

Post by Vladimir1979 »

“Drums of War” - is a turn-based tactical strategy game boasting well developed combat system and interactive environment, providing wide opportunities for tactics.

The Game

You play the role of a hero-leader. As the campaigns unfold the size of your armies can increase by up to 16 varied units. By participating in battles, all of the units become more experienced while naturally getting stronger. Players have the ability to hire new recruits, buy potions and distribute artifacts obtained in battles between fights. Each unit can be outfitted with one artifact and two potions. In addition to common units the player's army can include up to three unique heroes.

The turn-based fights take place in field divided into traditional hexes. Just as in role-playing games, each unit is an independent fighter with their own skills and outfit.
Besides unit features the battle system takes many different properties into consideration:
- status effects (buffs) of units.
- sight type and lighting intensity of a certain part of the battle field.
- units placed on specific land types (walls, swamps, fords).
- unit sides (front, flank, rear) which is being attacked.
- passive skills of units.
- artifacts.
- enemies or allies being within easy reach.
- etc..

Almost every environment object is interactive – one can chop down a tree, set it on fire, or even turn it into an ally using magic. Even rivers can be frozen and one can move across the ice.
It’s important to know that the abilities of each unit depend on the sight type and lighting intensity – if one fights at night against night creatures (against skeletons or vampires for instance) they should stay close to fire.
Each unit has its own action points which can be spent for any action – movements, attacks, spells or active skills. The player can randomly move units during his turn.

With each unit the player has to make important tactical and strategic decisions. There is no need to remember a great number of each units properties or make complicated calculations – the player should rely on their personal assessment of the current situation. Should I draw the mages out from under the hostile attack of archers or have a cast a fireball spell? Should I freeze the river and cut into the enemy's rear with my cavalry or try to push the enemy into water? Should I feed reinforcements to the opposite wing to hold the combat formation or just draw back? The player will always have a choice.
For most of the actions only one mouse click is enough – directing your army is easy and comfortable.

Main Features

- 2 campaigns spanning 30 missions each.
- 4 available races, 50 unique characters.
- An interactive environment.
- Attack castles with siege ladders and catapults.
- Hotseat.

Image

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Gameplay video:
pomakli
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by pomakli »

Hello,

the game have "Cry Havoc" - touch...

:P

Great, looking forward to the release, maybe beta test...

:?:

Aprrox. release time?

BR..
Vladimir1979
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Vladimir1979 »

pomakli wrote:Hello,

the game have "Cry Havoc" - touch...

:P

Great, looking forward to the release, maybe beta test...

:?:

Aprrox. release time?

BR..
What does "Cry Havoc" mean?

Release date is not yet estimated. I think soon the beta-test will be announced.
Wodin
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Wodin »

Cry Havoc I think was a boardgame..

Like he new vid...I'd prefer it if the dead body was the actual soldier but I imagine it's easier to use a generic type marker...so I suppose it works, would like to see what a tombstone or Cross would look like..maybe a different type of tomb stone depending on the race or just friendly vs enemy.

Please see if Slitherine will get some voice actors in to do the voice work..it's the only part that sounds rather jarring and a little amateur.

I've linked your vid on my FB page;)...

https://www.facebook.com/Tacticalwargame?ref=hl
Vladimir1979
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Vladimir1979 »

Wodin wrote:Cry Havoc I think was a boardgame..

Like he new vid...I'd prefer it if the dead body was the actual soldier but I imagine it's easier to use a generic type marker...so I suppose it works, would like to see what a tombstone or Cross would look like..maybe a different type of tomb stone depending on the race or just friendly vs enemy.

Please see if Slitherine will get some voice actors in to do the voice work..it's the only part that sounds rather jarring and a little amateur.

I've linked your vid on my FB page;)...

https://www.facebook.com/Tacticalwargame?ref=hl
Thank you for your answer. By this time there is 1 corpse sprite and it looks like a big pile of meat (so I think it is suitable for every race).
I am not planning to do get voice actors because it will seriously delay the release of the game. So maybe in sequel…
sentinelle
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by sentinelle »

I registered here just to post that this game is great! More people need to take notice.

I played the small demo with 4 missions. You have a real gem of a game on your hands! Very well done sir. I will no doubt play through the demo again, highly entertaining.

Is there an update about the beta test or the status of release? I would like to be involved in beta and contribute to making this game as good as it can be.

I will be buying the boxed edition on release day, or if there is a pre-order.
Vladimir1979
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Vladimir1979 »

sentinelle wrote:I registered here just to post that this game is great! More people need to take notice.

I played the small demo with 4 missions. You have a real gem of a game on your hands! Very well done sir. I will no doubt play through the demo again, highly entertaining.

Is there an update about the beta test or the status of release? I would like to be involved in beta and contribute to making this game as good as it can be.

I will be buying the boxed edition on release day, or if there is a pre-order.
Thank you for kind words. Comparing to demo-version the game became much better- it now has now improved unit upgrade system, unit animation, new potions, abilities and spells. Graphics and game-text translation are also improved now. I will add a company editor closer to game release.
I hope, beta-test will be announced very soon.
sentinelle
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by sentinelle »

Yes, I was wondering if Slitherine would be taking steps to improve the translation. That's good because it was probably the biggest problem with the demo, though I still found the writing to be interesting.

I thought a few of the pop-up menus were too plain / not very refined. Some kind of stylish border around pop-ups would be a much needed improvement. Also the "Player Turn" / "Enemy Turn" text looks rather boring. The text for misses and damage pop-ups is really dark, can be hard to read it.

A company editor would be great. Does that allow the user to create a custom campaign?

The animations, items, spells and abilities are already a strong point of this game IMO so I'm really looking forward to seeing what you improved there.

So I will wait for the beta announcement!

***Also, is there a way to change unit facing? I could not find this in the demo. When my armored orc has his back to 2-3 archers he is torn apart! Facing is critical then.

***one more question. On one of the screenshots it looks like there is rain? Is there snow and lightning too? Does weather affect units' AP etc..?
DeathMutant
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by DeathMutant »

This game looks like great fun, please keep us updated on the status of beta applications, testing and planned release dates!
Vladimir1979
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Vladimir1979 »

Decorative frames for (pop-up) messages have been already added.

Yes, players can create custom campaigns. They even can be more interesting then game creator’s ones. :D

There is no way to change unit’s facing. It is my conscious decision. I have already heard about adding such option. Maybe I will add ability to change facing for 1 action point after player response.

By now rain is the only weather effect. When raining, everything burns worse and fire spreads more badly.


DeathMutant, OK and thanks
DeathMutant
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by DeathMutant »

I downloaded and played the demo last night. . . and now I WANT MORE! :twisted:


Some random comments:

The "facing thing" confused me too especially since there appears to be an advantage to attacking from the sides or rear. Facing can be an annoying micro-management "task" so I can understand why you want to simplify it. The recent Slitherine-published game "Fantasy Kommander – Eukarion Wars" required Facing micromanagement and I feel it detracted from the game.

I was hoping that ranged units, like Goblin Archers, would be able to support an adjacent unit by counter-firing. Not sure how that would work with Action Points unless there was an action (that costs AP) to put them in "Support Mode." Also not sure how that would work if the ranged unit did not have the "Sniper" ability.

I was expecting ranged units to be weaker when attacked by an adjacent melee unit but could see no penalty. My tactics against ranged enemies with my ranged units that did not have "Sniper" were:
1) Move my melee unit to engage a ranged enemy unit
2) Make a melee attack
3) Move my melee unit 1 hex away from ranged enemy unit
4) Fire at ranged enemy unit with my ranged unit (to avoid "firing into melee" penalty)
I thought it was silly that disengaging seemed like a good tactic when I would have expected ranged units to be less effective when an enemy melee unit was adjacent to them.

Some of the wording was confusing and appear to suffer from a translation into English.


And some random questions:

How do I "push" a barrel without using a special attack? Is there any advantage in doing so?

Can I see how many Action Points a unit uses to perform a basic action? Some units seemed to require 2 APs to make a melee attack but others required 3; warrior vs knight, for example.

Can I see which units are in my "core army" and which are only available to me for that specific scenario? (Some have blue borders but, I believe, that just means they are allied and not controllable by me)

What happens to the artifacts and potions held by a unit, either allied or enemy, that is killed in battle?
sentinelle
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by sentinelle »

Thanks for answering my questions.

That is great that we can make custom campaigns!

I am REALLY looking forward to Drums of War and I have told my friends about it.

I think it needs more public attention. It's sure to be an overlooked gem at this rate.
random27
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by random27 »

Hi men, where do you get the demo please??
Vladimir1979
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Vladimir1979 »

DeathMutant,
Thank you for being interested about our game and your comments.

Pushing a barrel provides some tactical advantages. As example you can narrow the wide path to fight the enemies more effective.

The cost of an attack - 3 AP. Exceptions - units with 'Quick Attack' (he need 2 AP) and 'Slow Attack' (he need4 AP).

Only NPC heroes can join your core army after the mission (if they die when they are still allies player lose the battle). So after fighting with help of Zavay as ally he will join you and will be in your core army.

Potions disappear after a battle is unit has died. Artifact from the dead unit (enemy’s units too) will de moved in your artifacts inventory.


sentinelle,
Thank you for your interest to our game. We really appreciate it.


random27,
Hi. Beta is coming really soon so I think it is better to wait a few days to play the game that is almost finished. Hope you will like it.
random27
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by random27 »

ok thanks for the reply
Bauklotz
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Bauklotz »

Hello,

i got a serial for the beta via e-mail, but cannot access the beta forum.

"You are not authorised to read this forum."

Could someone please help and switch me in the correct "group"
reapagan
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by reapagan »

I also received a message and serial number and am unable to access the forum and download.
Tamas
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Tamas »

My apologies, please check again, you should have access now!
Grenbork
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Grenbork »

How do you got beta-test invite, guys? I`m very interested in this game :roll:
Vladimir1979
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Re: About “Drums of War”

Post by Vladimir1979 »

Grenbork wrote:How do you got beta-test invite, guys? I`m very interested in this game :roll:
Hi. Write to Tamas about this.
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