Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars
| Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Enlight |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Designer(s) | Trevor Chan |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | July 31, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time Strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars is a history-fantasy real-time strategy computer game developed by Enlight, released in 1999. Seven Kingdoms II is the sequel to the original Seven Kingdoms game and its expansion Pack Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries.
Gameplay
Fryhtan Wars retain a great deal of concepts from its predecessors that distinguished it from other strategy games. As was in the original, players must manage the population of their kingdoms and the loyalty of subjects while sending armies against enemy kingdoms. The kingdom's population must be balanced among workers who run factories and conduct technological research, peasants who produce food, and soldiers. Each unit and town is given a loyalty rating that must be maintained. Units with low loyalties may betray the kingdom and disloyal towns may rebel. As was in the predecessors, the concept of espionage is a major factor in the game. Players can send spies into enemy kingdoms to steal technology, cause disloyalty and even assassinate enemy leaders. (Generals and Kings)
Fryhtan Wars also introduces several new gameplay elements. The amount of units and structures was greatly increased. For example, each human civilization now has three distinct units: civilian, infantry, and a special military unit (such as cavalry). Artifacts, which gives advantages to the bearer, can be found on the map or purchased from the Inn. In addition, there are heroes, units with high leadership or combat skills that can either be hired or attained when a hero decides to join the kingdom. Perhaps the greatest addition in Fryhtan Wars is the Fryhtans, fantasy-like beasts whose civilization are often at odds against the humans.
Both single player and multiplayer modes are available. The single player mode includes "random map" skirmishes, built-in scenarios, and a campaign game, which consists of a string of dynamically-generated scenarios.
Civilizations
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Seven Kingdoms II includes 12 human civilizations and 7 Fryhtan species. Besides unique military units with slightly varying attributes, human kingdoms also have unique gods with special powers that the kingdom may evoke from "seats of powers" that also grant unique bonuses. Differences among the three "basic" unit types, the bonuses associated with each particular Seat of Power, and the Greater Beings that may be evoked distinguish the different nationalities. In addition to basic human units, human civilizations can also build a variety of siege weapons, including cannons, ballistae, and catapults. These siege units do not possess a combat score, hence they all carry the same effectiveness from the moment they are created and them moment they are destroyed. However, siege weapons cost more to maintain and create.
Human kingdoms focus on population, diplomacy and economy, whereas Fryhtan kingdoms (known as Kwyzans) focus directly on military units backed by a very simplistic economy, with almost no diplomatic options and with no espionage. Compared to humans who can build a plethora of structures, including mines, factories, forts, camps and war factories, most Fryhtan species can only build two structures: the lair which breeds more Fryhtans and an additional structure associated with the unique capabilities of the species. Fryhtan kingdoms rely on enslaving human towns, which provide them gold, and killing units, which provides "life force" necessary to breed more Fryhtans. Human kingdoms often contain multiple nationalities, and likewise Fryhtan kingdoms can also contain multiple species. Kingdoms with significant amounts of both humans and Fryhtans are possible, but difficult, because reputation will cause human townspeople to rebel.