Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom
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| Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom |
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| Developer(s) | Joymania Entertainment (since changed to Joymania Development) |
| Publisher(s) |  Interactive Magic (NA) TopWare Interactive (EU) |
| Designer(s) | Peter Ohlmann, Adam Sprys |
| Release date(s) | October 1, 1998 (NA) September 18, 1998 (JP) September 18, 1998 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer (IPX, TCP/IP, Modem) |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) ELSPA: 15 USK: 12+ OFLC: 8+ |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, MorphOS, Macintosh |
| Media | CD (1) |
| System requirements | P100 MHz CPU, 24MB RAM, 80-90 MB HD |
| Input | Keyboard, mouse |
Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom (shortened TSK) is a medieval-time based Real-time strategy game. It has been developed by Joymania and published by TopWare Interactive in 1998. You take the role of the captain of the palace guards and lead your soldiers and tell your people what to build where, in order to defeat your enemies. If you enjoy the medieval theme, you'll probably have fun playing the game. The game did not receive a strong critical or popular reception in the UK and the US, but elsewhere it was more popular, consequently a follow up game was released called Knights and Merchants: The Peasants Rebellion. Recently it has also been made available in the US as a value game.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom has a single player campaign that consists of 20 scenarios with scenario length ranging from around 30 minutes up to 7 hours depending on its difficulty. There's also a pair of tutorials. One that teaches you how to build and manage your base and also a battle tutorial which teaches which units you should use to counter each other.
The game is not without its flaws. The road system gets easily congested, leading to deadlocks lasting for several minutes. Unfortunately this usually occurs near resource points meaning porters with critical goods ( food , weapons ) cannot get to their destination on time. In addition, the dragging pace of the game cannot be altered which greatly extends the time spent on the resourcing part of missions.
The game also offers a multiplayer mode by using either IPX, TCP/IP or Modem where up to 6 players can play. There's 10 different scenarios to choose from including a number which focus specifically on the combat element of the game.
[edit] Economy
The economy is very complex in Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom, more so than most other RTS games, with a greater range of resources and a need to combine basic resources in a number of ways to create a functioning economy. For example, in order to get loaves you must build a farm to get corn, then a mill to get flour and a bakery to bake loaves of the flour. The many different resources in the game require a large amount of corresponding buildings and units in order to fully utilize them requiring greater than usual micromanaging for an RTS.
Every citizen and soldier must eat in the game meaning that you need to produce a great deal of food creating a more naturalistic limit on army size. There is no population limit in game, instead population is limited by how much you produce food. If a unit is not fed for a sustained amount of time it will die.
The every day life aspect of this game is considered a notable feature. You can place many different structures, forcing the player to consider where and when to place each structure. However for new players this greater complexity can lead to a process of trial and error but once experience has been gained it becomes an interesting take on RTS economics.
[edit] Sounds & Music
The sounds and music in game is relatively authentic for the medieval period contributing to the atmosphere. Every unit talks when selected and make appropriate sounds in battle or when killed. The soundtrack includes around 20 different tracks.
[edit] Technology
While you are playing the campaign you'll constantly gain knowledge on how to build new buildings. In the first mission you can only create militias because your citizens don't know how to build armory workshops yet, but they gain the knowledge when you advance to the next mission, so you get new buildings over time.
Usually the opponents have better technology than you so you'll have to think a bit how to beat them as they have more powerful units. However the AI is not very intelligent so it shouldn't be any big problem to defeat them.
[edit] Battle
The battle-aspect of this game is not designed really well, the units are controlled rather unhandy. You can for instance not select more than 1 group of units at a time, in battle this can be really disturbing. Also when your units get to a fight you can't retreat as all their commands get disabled. There is not much variation in units either. The lacking battles are what probably made the game so bad rated.
The strongest type of soldiers in the game are the archers, and attacking without them is useless as you will lose more soldiers than your opponent. Infantries and cavalries are mainly used for defending your archers and killing the opponents archers.
[edit] Soldiers
[edit] Archers
| Name | Attack | Defense | Special | Requirements |
| Bowman | 35% | 50% | Ranged | Longbow, Leather Armor, Recruit |
| Crossbowman | 100% | 70% | Ranged, slow attack speed | Crossbow, Iron Armament, Recruit |
[edit] Infantry
| Name | Attack | Defense | Special | Requirements |
| Militia | 35% | 0% | Charge Attack (2x Speed) | Hand Axe, Recruit |
| Axe Fighter | 35% | 50% | Charge Attack (2x Speed) | Hand Axe, Leather Armor, Wooden Shield, Recruit |
| Sword Fighter | 55% | 70% | Charge Attack (2x Speed) | Sword, Long Shield, Iron Armament, Recruit |
| Barbarian | 75% | 50% | Charge Attack (2x Speed) | Can't be trained |
| Lance Carrier | 25% | 50% | Attack bonus vs. cavalry | Lance, Leather Armor, Recruit |
| Pikeman | 35% | 70% | Attack bonus vs. cavalry | Pike, Iron Armament, Recruit |
[edit] Cavalry
| Name | Attack | Defense | Special | Requirements |
| Scout | 35% | 50% | Mounted (2x Speed) | Hand Axe, Wooden Shield, Leather Armor, Horse, Recruit |
| Knight | 55% | 70% | Mounted (2x Speed) | Sword, Iron Armament, Long Shield, Horse, Recruit |
[edit] Buildings
| Name | Requirements | Occupation | Description |
| Storehouse | 6 Timber 5 Stone |
None | Needed to store all of your goods that you produce. One of the most important buildings in the game. (One of the opponents buildings that have to be destroyed to win.) |
| School House | 6 Timber 5 Stone |
None | Needed to train (make) all the different kinds of workers. E.g. serfs, stonemasons, woodcutters, carpenters, farmers, bakers, butchers, blacksmiths, miners, and recruits. All of these are necessary in winning the game. |
| Inn | 6 Timber 5 Stone |
None | Needed to hold your food so citizens may eat and stay alive! |
| Quarry | 3 Timber 2 Stone |
Stonemason | Needed to make stone for building your buildings and for making roads. |
| Woodcutter's | 3 Timber 2 Stone |
Woodcutter | Needed to make timber for eventually making wood for your buildings. |
| Sawmill | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Carpenter | Needed to make wood for your buildings. The carpenter takes the timber from the woodcutter's hut and makes it into wood. |
| Farm | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Farmer | Needed to make corn for your mill to eventually make bread and for the swine farm to eventually make sausage. |
| Mill | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Baker | Needed to make flour for the baker who makes it into bread. |
| Bakery | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Baker | Needed to make bread for the inn to feed your town. |
| Swine Farm | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Animal Breeder | Needed to make pigs for your butchery which will eventually turn into sausage. |
| Butcher's | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Butcher | Needed to make sausage for the inn to feed your town. |
| Tannery | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Butcher | Needed to make leather to eventually be made into armor. |
| Vineyard | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Farmer | Needed to make wine for the inn to feed your town. |
| Coal Mine | 3 Timber 2 Stone |
Miner | Needed to produce coal for the iron smithies to eventually be made into armor and also for the metallurgist shop to be made into gold. |
| Gold Mine | 3 Timber 2 Stone |
Miner | Needed to produce gold ore for the metallurgist shop to eventually be made into gold. |
| Iron Mine | 3 Timber 2 Stone |
Miner | Needed to produce iron ore for the iron smithy to eventually be made into iron. |
| Metallurgist's | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Metallurgist | Makes gold for your school out of gold ore and coal. |
| Iron Smithy | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Metallurgist | Needed to produce iron bars for the armor smithy and weapon smithy to eventually be made into armor and weapons. |
| Weapon Smithy | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Blacksmith | Needed to make iron weapons for the barracks. |
| Armor Smithy | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Blacksmith | Needed to make iron armor and iron shields for the barracks. |
| Weapons Workshop | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Carpenter | Needed to produce weapons for the barracks. |
| Armory Workshop | 4 Timber 3 Stone |
Carpenter | Needed to produce leather armor and wooden shields for the barracks. |
| Barracks | 6 Timber 6 Stone |
Recruits | Needed to produce armies to battle the opponent with. |
| Stables | 6 Timber 5 Stone |
Animal Breeder | Needed to produce horses for the castle with. |
| Watchtower | 3 Timber 2 Stone |
Recruit | Needed to help protect your town from invaders by throwing stones at them. |
[edit] Sequels
Knights and Merchants: The Peasants Rebellion (TPR) (2001)
[edit] External links
- Dutch Fansite
- German Fansite
- English Fansite
- Official website
- Official forum
- Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom at MobyGames
- Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom at Home of the Underdogs
- Developer Joymania Development
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