Majesty 2 GC Previews

IGN and GameSpot have both tossed up new previews of Majesty 2 after seeing Paradox Interactive’s RPG/strategy hybrid firsthand at the Leipzig Games Convention. A little something from IGN:

While collecting taxes is always a good way to bring in funds, you’ll be able to employ a few different kinds of methods for boosting revenue. As your town grows you’ll get different kinds of heroes in your towns, and properly catering to their needs can benefit your coffers. Some heroes like to drink in bars, for instance, so if you build one, the money the heroes spend goes to your total. The same kind of mechanic works for mage-type heroes, who will pay for access to libraries once they’re built.

Early on in a game you’ll have to deal with the occasional attack by fantastical creatures like imps and ogres and rat-men, which you can defend against by building sentry towers. You’ll also have some god-powers like fireballs, healing spells and lighting bolts that can be activated for a gold fee. On your way to trying to conquer the entire map, you’ll come into conflict with other towns, and need to be careful of how your heroes are doing as it’s possible for them to change allegiance.

And a snip from GameSpot:

What’s interesting, though, is that as soon as a hero emerges from his hero guild, he begins doing his own thing. That might mean repelling a group of monster invaders that begin to attack the town. Or it might mean searching the immediate area for treasure chests. It might even mean trying to woo one of the local maidens.

As the ruler of the kingdom, you’ll need to try to convince the hero that he needs to follow your bidding, not his own instincts (or raging hormones). You’ll have some tools on your side to help make that happen–one of the most obvious will be cold hard cash. The economy in Majesty 2 seems to be the cornerstone of the gameplay. For instance, if you want your warrior hero to go attack a neighboring town, you can put a bounty on it. If you offer enough cash, he’ll probably take you up on your offer. Keep in mind that, as you might in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game with your own character, a high-level hero has no interest in fighting puny little rats–after all, there’s no sweet loot and experience in it for him. As a result, you’ll want to make sure you always have personnel on hand to handle any sort of crisis.

Heroes will be able to party up with other heroes–though the maximum number of heroes in a party has yet to be determined–to complete more advanced raids. In addition, rival kingdoms will also attempt to lure your favored champions away with the promise of more glory and gold. And while heroes will keep any gold they find for themselves, your coffers will be consistently growing thanks to the tax man, who will be taxing the villagers, soldiers, and, yes, the heroes as well.