An official PC & next-gen game for ASOIAF

[The Fan]

They're aware of it. I'm told that they were fully prepared to change it when they showed it to George, but he apparently was happy with it.

Happy like didn't disapprove or mention it, or happy like "That was my intent the Wall should look like."?

Fans can look past quite a lot I think, but a Wall made of stone blocks, might be a hard pill to swallow.

[Ran]

George looked over just about every single art asset, and approved how they looked. That's my understanding, based on the fact that he and I both commented on said assets while the game was in production. Changes did occur since I last had access to them, but I can only assume that GRRM signed off on them. I have no idea if he was "happy" with it, but he accepted it.

I'm assuming their take is that the Wall is basically dirty ice (and certainly, the top probably ought be rather dirty, what with centuries of gravel having worked its way down).

[Evrach]

Focus allowed the spoil of the first gameplay informations via the same website than the RPG : Factornews

Here's the english version of the given infos :

So we were visiting Cyanide's studios last week, checking on their offerings in the Game of Thrones universe. We covered the unnamed RPG, but also got the opportunity to check out on A Game of Thrones – Genesis, their real-time strategy game due to for release this summer. With the new book coming out in july, the HBO series in april and two games from Cyanide for the not too distant future, this year really is blessed for Song of Ice and Fire fans.

If there's still anyone out there that doesn't know this great saga, I urge them to pay a visit to their local library, or to check out on HBO's series starting next month. The stories take place on Westeros, a huge continent where the biggest families fight for power by using any means necessary : Alliances, strategic weddings, diplomacy, treachery and sometimes even war. That world is definitely medieval with a hint of fantasy. You won't find any scantily clad elves, nor impressive spells. The only creatures linked to magic you'll ever encounter are the Dragons, these huge creatures controlled by the Targaryen family.

A Game of Thrones : Genesis retells the key story points of the world, starting in -750 with Queen Nymeria's landing on the coasts of Westeros, year 1 and Aegon Targaryen's unification of the Seven Kingdoms up until 283 and Robert Baratheon crowning at the end of his rebellion against the Targaryen rule, a few years before the events told in the books. It's therefore not needed to have read the books in order to enjoy the game.

Before we start describing the game, I'd like to point out that, even if the term RTS is used throughout this article, AGoT Genesis is quite different from what you'd expect from a classical RTS. It's definitely no Starcraft, C&C or Supreme Commander. Indeed, military power is but one of the tools that will lead you to victory. In order to play the game of thrones and win, you'll have to be cunning, treacherous and ready to make and break alliances as you go along without having second thoughts. As a wise woman once said : in the Game of Thrones you either win or die, there is no middle ground.

In this aspect, a Genesis could be compared to a board game like Risk or Diplomacy. In addition to the strategic and military forces deployed on the game map or board, there's also the player's alliances and discussions around the board that create a great experience. You can promise anything to your fellow players but in the end, your turn comes, you still have to protect your personal interests (i.e. scoring better than the others), and alliances can be broken. Cyanide really tried to integrate these features into Genesis' gameplay. Missions are therefore played in two parts : during the first part, you prepare for war during a seemingly peaceful era and once war has been declared, you can't annex new villages anymore and have to wage the war with the resources you managed to secure during the first phase.

The duration of this first phase depends on the peaceful status of the different families on the map. An indicator on top of the screen shows the balance between peace and war, depending on the actions that took place on the map. You can send out small troops to carry out skirmishes, but every negative action pushes the balance towards the « war » status. You can delay this by performing positive actions (by freeing some prisoners without asking for a reward, by officially recognizing your bastards,...), but eventually war will start, and there's no turning back.

During the first phase, you will most probably start sending messengers to surrounding villages in order to secure your presence on the map, or marry of women from your court in order to secure blood alliances. You'll also need enough resources to feed your troops, they will need it in time of war.

When you secure a pact with a local landlord or village, a trade route is created automatically, and a local merchant starts bringing resources to your city. Nothing new under the sun here, we've already seen similar features in Settlers or Anno games. But to paraphrase Cersei Lannister : « When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die, there is no middle ground » and, in the game, you'll be on the lookout for anything because deceit is everywhere...

First of all, your merchants or messengers could be killed off by your opponents. Not a problem if you can see the assassin or an enemy troop running away, you could still retaliate. However, if the merchant died from poisoning because an assassin wounded him with a poisoned dagger some ten minutes ago, you won't have a clue as to who launched the attack.

Another family could also decide to strike a deal with one of your villages or local landlords. No problem, you'll see the change in allegiance on the map and can still recapture it. However if your opponent strikes a secret act with the village you won't see anything. The village will still display your colours, but the merchant will go to your opponent's city instead of yours ! And when the war starts, any village you thought loyal could suddenly display your opponent's colours, and there's no way of gaining him back.

You'll see the status of your resources at the top of the screen, so if you own ten villages but your your production rate is close to zero, it's time to check on your allegiances. A Game of Thrones : Genesis will force you to be paranoid and check everything, because if you're not careful you might be back to square one.

So, AGoT : Genesis is not your usual RTS. In order to win the game of thrones, you don't have to level the surrounding villages and towns to the ground. What the Westerosi families strive for, is power, prestige. If they have to use the military option for sitting on the iron throne, so be it, but it's by no means necessary. There's four ways to earn prestige points : diplomacy (by having the most loyal landlords), economy, warfare or obtaining support of the Septons. A Sept (sanctuary for the Seven gods of Westeros) can usually be found on the center of the map, controlling it gives a steady increase in prestige points. It's also possible to build up your prestige points by completing secondary missions at the start of the game. At the side of the screen, you can check the prestige status of all families. Once a family gets to the maximum prestige level, the game ends.

You play as one of the great families of Westeros. From their main castle, the liege lord controls the operations. That lord is the most important character of the game. If he dies without any offsprings, you lose, it's as simple as that. However, during the peace phase, it's possible to get married in order to get an heir. If you don't marry soon enough, you will start « producing » bastards. Illegal offprings have a negative impact on your popularity and reduce your prestige. Acknowledging these childs will help restore your popularity but costs money.

A Game of Thrones : Genesis seems like a complex game with deep mechanics. Multiplayer games can see up to eight families playing the game of thrones on the same map. Just like in the solo game, alliances can be made and broken at all times, and very discreetly. Each family strives to get the most prestige. No need to feel bad about leaving your precious allies behind, they might do the exact same thing to you.

For those who are afraid the game might be too complex, the solo campaign plays as a real tutorial, preparing you for the multiplayer games, where the real fun starts. If you are too honest, stay true to your word and respect your allies, it's all very well, but you won't survive a long time in Westeros. The game expects you to be deceitful and cunning, and Cyanide seems to have integrated core boardgame mechanics into a videogame. It's always difficult to adapt an existing universe into an RTS (in the end, it all comes down to units fighting in a Rock, Paper, Scissors scheme), but it's the first time that treachery mechanisms have been integrated as core gameplay mechanic, what really impressed us. Unless last-minute catastrophes, AgoT Genesis should be available on your PC in the summer of 2011.

[Andhaira]

Wait a minute: Summer 2011? I thought the rpg was supposed to come out first.

[Ran]

Where did you get that idea from? It was mistaken. The RTS has always been scheduled to be out first. The RPG is still under very heavy development, and there is no release date announced.

[The Fan]

Hmmm, if that review is fairly accurate, it sounds like a lot of fun. So much fun, no one will care the Eyrie is at 40 ft elevation... :P

I am again looking forward to AGoT:G's release.

[twincast]

Especially with its focus on treachery it sounds really great and I'm always a sucker for stuff that is as close to GRRM's vision as can be, but I can't help but be confused:

It sounds like it uses grand strategy mechanics (think somewhere between Total War and Europa Universalis with elements of King Arthur and Crusader Kings strawn in), but (due to apparently a single switch between peace phase and conflict phase and "a sept in the center of most maps") on (a series of?) smaller maps instead of one big map of Westeros? Yeahbuhwhat?

[Bronn is God]

Going to emphasize again that this game needs a sandbox mode to really shine. Campaign is good and all, but having a sandbox option is really what will make or break the game (for me at least).

Heck, I would rather no multiplayer and no campaign rather than having no sandbox mode.

[Ellroy]

So, basically, the RTS is focused on multyplayer? If that's so, I will pass. I'm not interested in multyplayer games. When I spend 50 € on a game, I want it to stand on its own legs. I hate RTS where the single player part is only a tutorial for the multy part so they do not have to spend time developing good AI. That's why I only play Total War or Paradox games in the RTS genre.

Moreover, if the game is focused on multy, probably it will be some AoE/CoH/SC clone. So, no lenghty "grand strategy" but something more quick and light that can be played in an hour at max and where timing and micromanagement is more important than the "big picture". Another reason to pass...

I'm really not impressed by what Cyanide is doing with the ASoIaF franchise. I was even willing to judge the games they are realizing on their own, not because of the brand they carry... but the more I read, the more I see, the more skeptical I am. I admit that we do not know a lot about those game but that's even more worrying since the RTS should be published in the coming summer. End of April and no gameplay video?

PS: George Martin could have approved the art assets of the game but I think they do not feel like Westeros at all, they look like some generic fantasy AoE clone with ASoIaF names and flags as a bonus. I don't want to sound arrogant and I'm sure that it's all done in good faith, but I'm not sure that Mr. Martin has the know how to judge the quality required by an AAA title in 2011.

[Ellroy]

It's a game where a few soldiers represent many soldiers, where seconds equal many hours, and where symbolic structures represent much larger and more complex ones. Sort of like how AoE does things

I think that AoE is the worst possible template for an ASoIaF RTS but maybe I'm wrong and time will tell...

[Ran]

There is definitely a lot of work in the single player part of the game, so far as I can tell.

[Ellroy]

There is definitely a lot of work in the single player part of the game, so far as I can tell.

Have you played some bits of it? In case, sorry if I ask, but how does it play? I mean, you manage your house using the westeros maps, like a Total War game? Or it does use some fixed maps where you have to develop your base starting from scratch like Company of Heroes or Starcraft?

[Ran]

I have played it a bit, but I can't really talk about it in any detail except to say that there's certainly attention paid to the single player component. And I guess I'd say that map isn't a big empty nothing that you have to build stuff on, so it's not like Starcraft in that respect.

[Ellroy]

I have played it a bit, but I can't really talk about it in any detail except to say that there's certainly attention paid to the single player component. And I guess I'd say that map isn't a big empty nothing that you have to build stuff on, so it's not like Starcraft in that respect.

Thanks a lot! You're very kind to answer me. So, sorry if I insist but it's very important for me ;) : I assume that there is not some sort of "westeros macro management" where you see your armies and your agent in the world-map. Instead the game develops more on a "local" level, with "minimpas" settled in the most notorius location of the books. Right?

And sorry if I sounded bitter in the previous post. I really hope that the game will be good and fun since it's a dream come true. I would really be sad if the game do not match the quality of the source material.

[Bronn is God]

Ran, be there sandbox mode? Or is Single Player campaign only?

[The Fan]

Ran, be there sandbox mode? Or is Single Player campaign only?

Unless I miss my guess, Ran probably is under a pretty heavy-duty NDC for his work on the game.

I think what he mentioned so far is fine, but getting into the can's and cannot's any further is probably ever-thinning ice.

Cyanide, unless I miss a second guess, is a little behind on the game for a summer release and it will more likely be early fall 2011, but I suspect the huge push of the show and books spiking, Cyanide's marketing department, if they deserve to collect a paycheck, will twist enough arms to get a demo or some kind of teaser out by the end of May. Anything less would miss the wave and be completely negligent.

GoT is HOT, HOT, HOT right now.