Castles II: Siege and Conquest

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Castles II: Siege and Conquest is a strategic empire simulation computer game developed for the Macintosh, Amiga and Windows by Interplay in 1994, designed and developed by Quicksilver Software. The Macintosh version of the game was published by MacPlay.

[edit] Gameplay

The players takes the role of one of 5 different nobles (Albion, Valois, Anjou, Aragon, or Burgundy), fighting for the title of King of Bretagne. In addition, 3 territories are controlled by the Pope. Depending on which noble is picked, the player can start at any of 5 general areas of the map. Initially he is provided with one territory of a specific type: Gold, Timber, Iron, or Food. Having more of one kind of resource territory increases the total amount that the player can harvest per turn (also dependent on the total amount of "points" allocated).

At first he can perform one task each of three types at once: green (resources and castles), red (army and policing), and blue (scouting, diplomacy). The more is used, the more points are gained (to a limit of 9 per type), and the ability to perform two tasks of each type (green first, then red, then blue).

Gameplay include scout out unknown territories, conquer them, build castles to prevent revolts and line defenses, raise an army, feed and pay them, and eventually make a claim for the title of King. Depending on how strong the human player or the other four AI-engined nobles are, the Pope will decide whether or not to endorse the claim. Therefore, attacking someone that claims the title can prevent them from getting it. Using diplomacy also allows the player to maintain high relationships with the other nobles and with the Pope, a useful feature to protect yourself from attack.

Alternately, the player can conquer everyone and even the Pope to win by default.

The most unique feature at the time for Castles II: Siege and Conquest was the ability to design and save different castles. Depending on the total number of walls, the castles were assigned point values that determined how much it cost to build and how long. Larger castles also were harder to destroy or capture, which served to keep enemies out of your lands. Large castles are also used to prevent revolts; your people will leave your leadership if there is no nearby castle worth more than 100 points after a certain amount of time.

Armies include Infantry, Archers, and Knights, each costing a different resource to build. Infantry use one Iron and one Gold, Archers require one Timber and one Gold, and Knights use 1 Iron, 1 Food, and 1 Gold to raise. The size of the army that can be raise is dependent upon the number of territories and castles you possess. Every 6 months alternating costs an equivalent amount of Food, then Gold to feed and pay them, respectively.