Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
| Warhammer: Mark of Chaos | |||
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| Studio |
 Black Hole Entertainment
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| Publisher |
 Deep Silver / Koch Media Namco Bandai Games
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
November 21, 2006 September 3, 2008 (Xbox 360)
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| platform | Windows , Xbox 360 | ||
| genre | Real time strategy game | ||
| Subject | Warhammer Fantasy | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard , mouse , gamepad | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | 6 CD-ROMs / 1 DVD-ROM | ||
| language | German | ||
| Current version | 1.72 | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | Xbox version is titled Warhammer: Battle March and includes the base game as well as the official expansion. | ||
In Warhammer: Mark of Chaos is a computer game in the genre of real time strategy games , which was released on November 24 of 2006. It takes place in a fictional, medieval fantasy world , the Warhammer Fantasy universe of Games Workshop , in which elves , orcs , dwarves and other mythical creatures also exist.
On May 16, 2008, an add-on called Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March followed , and on September 2, 2008, an adapted version of the base game including the add-on called Warhammer: Battle March for Xbox 360 .
description
The game sets itself apart from other games of the real-time strategy game genre in that it tries to implement the popular Warhammer tabletop as unadulterated as possible. In the exemplary Warhammer Fantasy Tabletop, the player is also about assembling his own units and painting them in order to obtain an individual army. The tabletop game consists of two factors: collecting and painting as well as playing, i.e. using the figures themselves. The video game tries to implement these two factors as well and thus represents a possible alternative to the very cost-intensive tabletop game.
The Battle March add-on has been available since May 17th, 2008 . In contrast to the main program, it can only be installed with a trick on 64-bit operating systems.
"As it should be in the Warhammer world, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos focuses primarily on the battlefield and offers a real-time combat system that allows the player unprecedented individualization and control over his army.
After a brutal chaos invasion, an epic battle breaks out in which four fully playable armies (Empire, Chaos, Skaven and High Elves) as well as additional controllable races (orcs, dwarves, vampire counts and goblins) collide on a huge battlefield. "
Game mechanics
According to the developers, the game should "focus on the armies and the battle, not on the often tedious and annoying base and resource management". The game mechanics therefore mainly model the battlefield and combat tactics, typical RTS game aspects such as building bases, collecting resources or unit production are deliberately avoided.
The basic troop type that the player controls is a unit group which, depending on the type, consists of 1 to 96 individuals. The control system is similar to the Total War and Dawn of War series, in which commands are given to the unit as a whole. In addition to simple commands such as “move”, “attack”, “retreat”, formation commands can be given which, depending on the situation, offer advantages or disadvantages in terms of marching speed or defense against specific attacks. The units become more experienced in the course of the battles and thus receive better properties and an increased number of units. The goal of every battle is to defeat the opposing army either by total annihilation or by breaking generic morale and causing them to flee. The battles are fought in different landscapes and environments, some terrain offers bonuses or penalties for some units. Units have a morale that can collapse and then lead to a panic-like escape, and they also have stamina, the exhaustion of which leads to a weaker defense ability and slower movement speed.
In addition to the standard units, there are special hero units, individuals who are particularly powerful. They can also be equipped with additional items such as weapons, armor and other accessories, and they are also able to use and learn skills. Heroes also become more experienced in combat and thereby gain experience levels that can then be used to learn combat skills. The hero units can also be attached to units to which they then give a bonus to their morale and other skills. Heroes can challenge other heroes to duels ; the units of the faction of the losing hero experience a great morale loss.
Another special feature compared to other RTS games is the consistent and realistic modeling of ballistic weapons such as artillery guns . They have a large range but also dispersion and damage both friend and enemy units equally if they hit. Since armor offers little protection against it, a direct hit can wipe out a large part of a unit. The skillful use of artillery is therefore a challenge for the player. B. be the key to success in sieges or numerical superiority of the enemy.
Development history
The development of the game was commissioned by the Japanese publisher Namco Bandai Games to the Hungarian game developer Black Hole Entertainment , after they had won over Armies of Exigo with their previous work .
The sales box was available in two versions: depicting a battle priest of the Empire and a Chaos champion. In addition to the regular version of Mark of Chaos , a Collector's Edition has also been released. This contains a novel, a small banner with holder, a poster, an art book and the soundtrack . In addition to the video game, there are also books on the same subject.
Soundtrack
The game has an orchestral soundtrack by Jeremy Soule . The soundtrack is included as an audio CD in the Collectors Edition box or can be downloaded from Soules website.
reception
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The game received mixed, divergent reviews. On the one hand there was a lot of praise for the distinctive and varied look, on the other hand the game was criticized for the simple battle animations and the limited complexity of the battle. In the single player campaign, the linearity was criticized, in the multiplayer game the unstable account system and the unstable network connections, which were however improved with later patches . Another source of criticism is long loading times and their loading screens. Game Revolution noted in their review "[...] the loading times are absurd - the standard loading screen has its own, presented loading screen for meta loading". The hero duels, one of the outstanding characteristics, are often similar processes.
Despite the criticism, the game was mostly received positively and achieved a Metascore value of 73 for Metacritic and 74% for GameRankings with over 80% of the reviews better than 70%.
novel
- Anthony Reynolds: Mark of Chaos . Black Library , Nottingham 2006, ISBN 1-84416-396-2 .
Web links
- Official website ( February 10, 2009 memento on the Internet Archive ) of Deep Silver (archived 2009)
- Warhammer: Mark of Chaos at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mark of Chaos information page . Deep Silver . 2008. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/warhammer-mark-of-chaos-battle-march/news/warhammer_mark_of_chaos_battle_march,43611,1944820.html
- ↑ IGN: Warhammer: Battle March . IGN . Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- ↑ a b Deepsilver TV . In: Deepsilver . Archived from the original on October 15, 2006. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- ^ A b Dan Adams: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos Review. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , November 10, 2006, accessed August 17, 2015 .
- ↑ Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Features . In: Official website . Archived from the original on March 26, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
- ↑ Namco Bandai: Stamina . In: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos Game Manual . November 2006, p. 23.
- ↑ Gamespot Review Page 1 ( English ) In: GameSpot . Retrieved June 7, 2007.
- ↑ Developer Diary # 1 ( English ) In: GameSpot . Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
- ↑ Jeremy Soule's Soundtrack Catalog . In: directsong.com . Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
- ↑ Dan Adams: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos Review. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , November 10, 2006, accessed August 17, 2015 .
- ↑ Miguel Lopez: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos review at Gamespy . In: GameSpy . Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
- ↑ Warhammer: Mark of Chaos review at PC Zone . In: PC Zone . Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
- ↑ a b Mark Of Chaos Reviews ( English ) In: GameRankings . Retrieved June 7, 2007. Based on 40 ratings.
- ↑ a b Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (pc: 2006): Reviews . In: Metacritic . Retrieved June 7, 2007. Based on 29 ratings.
- ↑ Tim Tackett: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos review for the PC . GameRevolution. January 8, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
- ^ Warhammer: Mark of Chaos PC Review . In: 1up . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved on June 18, 2007: "[…] the load times are insane - the standard loading screen is preceded by its own loading screen, for meta-loading."