//CHEATS//WALKTHROUGH//UNITS//
Disciples: Sacred Lands substitutes long-term
strategizing for knee-jerk RTS reactions, and combines map exploration,
spells, combat, visuals, and good enemy AI in a heady, obsessive mix.
Disciples: Sacred Lands substitutes long-term strategizing for knee-jerk RTS
reactions, and combines map exploration, spells, combat, visuals, and good
enemy AI in a heady, obsessive mix.
In this turn-based strategy game, you select one of four races--each with
its own goals and personal enemies. Mortis and her Undead Hordes, for
instance, seek to avenge the death of Mortis' husband at the hands of the
Dwarven Mountain Clans' god. Each of the campaigns (one for each race)
supplies four linked scenarios that let you keep your best heroes and
artifacts from mission to mission. (Also included are 10 stand-alone
scenarios for one-to-four players, playable by modem, serial port or
Internet (including HEAT), and a scenario builder/editor.)
Campaigns in turn-based strategy games like Heroes of Might and Magic III
and Warlords III are typically linear, with a single, screechingly narrow
path to victory by the time you reach the later scenarios. Disciples, by
contrast, makes a virtue of variety, with numerous ways to play and win each
campaign.
The customization starts with the choice of an overlord profession that
never actually appears in the game, but influences your armies. If you
choose to play as a Warrior, your armies begin with more hit points and heal
injuries a bit each day. Become a Mage, and your spells can be cast more
often. The Guildmaster role allows the Thief leaders you subsequently hire
to perform an enhanced range of actions. While Thief leaders can spy, only a
Guildmaster's Thief leaders can attempt assassination of the weakest unit in
an enemy group without fear of retribution.
Each race in Disciples has a selection of leader and army units with
different attributes, such as strength, spell scroll reading, and speed.
Most units are unique to a race, so while Human spellcasters cast Heal on
friendly armies, the spellcasters for the Damned incinerate their foes with
Fire Rain, instead. Although most units gradually gain experience and
levels, their subsequent development in any game depends upon the buildings
you add inside your main town. For example, Cultists of the Undead have
mediocre fire attacks that double in strength when they advance after you
build the Dark Ritual--but if you build the Haunted Woods instead, they grow
into Witches, who can paralyze enemies.
Your forces reveal more of any given map as they explore--and, again, more
choices. While many neutral armies can be found standing about, their
destruction isn't as essential to success as in HOMM III, since the gold and
magical items they frequently guard are correspondingly lower in value. As a
result, you can pick and choose among many lesser conflicts.
Combat is the weak link. Your units cannot move once battle is joined, and
each possesses a single attack. Injured units that enter battle do so with
full initiative and striking power, though their hit points are reduced.
Battle animations are poor, with few frames; though in general, the game's
8-bit color graphics are surprisingly creditable.
But, overall, the game is diverse and extremely well-balanced. Strategy
First's previous credits include developing (for Interactive Magic, as
Micomeq) two very traditional, sci-fi turn-based strategy games, Fallen
Haven and Liberation Day. Both were competent but stodgy. In Disciples the
company's finally gotten the mix right, adding depth, visual flare and
variety to their previous strengths of ease-of-use and good enemy AI. Maybe
it took the fantasy theme to fire their imaginations, but whatever the
cause, this time they've got a winner on their hands.