Warlords IV

by UBI Soft

Product Features

• Experience a unique blend of role-playing and turn-based strategy gaming
• Detailed Tactical Combat system for field and siege battles
• Players grow and develop heroes from battle to battle
• Detailed Warlord and Leader unit development
• Expanded experience-based magic system with strategic and tactical spells

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000A1VEP
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 21, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,105 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Warlords IV is a unique blend of role-playing and turn-based strategy gaming. The game centers around your hero, who plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of your military and economic efforts. Warlords IV is set in the troubled land of Etheria. Old foes such as Dwarves, Elves, and Orcs have resumed their ancient hostilities, and the Undead legions of Lord Bane have returned. The Knights continue their quest for dominance, and the unquiet whispers speak of the Empire, a race even more evil than the Undead.

The heroes of Warlords IV show their mastery of sword and sorcery in the tactical combat system. Casting spells, smiting foes, or boosting morale of shaken troops, heroes can turn the tide of battle. Players may grow and develop heroes from battle to battle, gaining in abilities and skills, and accumulating magic items and treasures.

Warlords IV uses an enhanced version of the Warlords Battlecry II terrain engine to bring the splendidly rendered landscape of Etheria to life. Special spell effects will illuminate the detailed tactical battlefields, while war machines wreak death and destruction on city walls.

Warlords IV will feature a new dynamic campaign with a diplomatic system to allow alliances and betrayal to play their part in the campaign story. Control of a province confers desirable and lucrative bonuses on the owner, and nobody will wish to see either their enemies or their allies get too strong.

Warlords IV players will need to make judicious decisions on the economic front. Should they build new cities, upgrade existing cities or armies, teleport much needed reinforcements to the front, or spend their gold making new armies and replacing the inevitable casualties of battle?

Features:

• Persistent heroes for full role-playing flavor
• Detailed Tactical Combat system for field and siege battles
• Detailed Warlord and Leader unit development
• Upgrade paths for Cities, Spells, and Units
• Expanded experience-based magic system with strategic and tactical spells
• Classic, resourceful Warlords AI opponents
• Ten unique sides
• Automated resource gathering

Product Description

In Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria continues the fantastic Warlords tradition of immersive tactical combat with creator-made heroes! Thrilling multiplayer action for up to 6 players

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Same old, February 23, 2004

By 

mimozas_husband (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warlords IV (CD-ROM)

Most players that have interest in this turn-based game have probably already played Warlord 3 and those will find 4 to be very much the same old game with some relatively minor modifications. Not that that's a bad thing - I used to like 3 and I like 4 quite a bit too. I like the turn-based style and this is one of the very few turn-based titles remaining. The ability to develop characters is also a plus. Even though they are very simplistic the economic models of maximizing resources under constraints are fun for all civilization and family fans.

The drawbacks are:
- Simplistic strategies - at the end of the day the strategy changes very little from one scenario to another.
- One on one combat - the way the game goes a unit fights another unit then after the battle is resolved the surviver takes on another unit. This style of combat gives almost no chances to even very large armies if they are faced with a single very strong unit. For example, I have a hero with Heal +5, combat 25 and life 50 - the guy can basically single handedly go through almost unlimited number of opposing units.
- Flying units make terrain irrelevant - I think the map could be more of a factor and strategic maneuvering more important had it not been for the fact that most races have some kind of a strong flying unit (Pegasus, Archon, etc.). With the flying units in the game things like control of bridges, crossroads and mountain passes become irrelevant.

Overall, I don't play many games these days but this is one I enjoy. I wish they would change it a little more to allow for a little more varied play and richer strategies but then again I am just glad to see a turn based title - a dying breed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, April 14, 2004

By 

Scout (VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warlords IV (CD-ROM)

My first experience with the Warlords series goes back to Warlords II. Ancient as it was (had to jury rig it to run in Win 95), it was a good game then and remains one in its latest incarnation.

Warlords IV retains all of the old charm from its early editions and adds features such as a 'campaign scenario' that takes the hero through a series of quest adventures and a story line. It permits the player to retain built up heroes for subsequent scenarios. The game also gives the various races more distinctive attributes (advantages and disadvantages). The computer players' artificial intelligence is enhanced and can be tough to counter.

Its charm lies in two features. A hotseat mode allows multiple users to participate in the same game, switching the active player as each turn progresses. My only problem is that it no longer scrambles turn order randomly from turn to turn. The other feature is that it is a real strategy game, unlike so many 'build a village' games that are actually real-time tactical exercises that have little to do with real strategy. RTS is anything but truly strategic and is a deceptive misnomer.

For a fun, addictive game that a host of people can enjoy together, try Warlords IV.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disciples II is better, November 24, 2004

By 

Mad Track (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Warlords IV (CD-ROM)

My bottom line is that if you want a more engaging and more appealing turn-based fantasy strategy game, go for Disciples II. The only draw-back of Disciples is that there are only five races (human, undead, demon, dwarves, and elves). Warlords have more.

My biggest gripe about Warlords IV is the animation and the graphic; it's really bad. I suggest you download both demo of Warlords and Disciples and compare the artwork and gameplay. Another problem is that there are no real resource management... no gold to mine and no mana to collect. Also, each race has only 6 units! The human race has the swordman, bowman, knight, siege engine, archon, and a hero. In comparison, the human race in Disciples has almost 20 different battle units, ranging from assassins to white wizards.

Some of the drawbacks of turn-based strategy are evident in Warlords, but the negatives outlined above didn't impress me. If the price is low, I guess then it isn't a big concern.