Lords of the Realm II

Lords of the Realm II (also known as Lords 2) is a computer game published by Sierra On-Line and developed by Impressions Games. It was first released for the PC in 1996, and is the second game in the Lords of the Realm series.

Lords of the Realm II
North American cover art
Developer(s)Impressions Games
Publisher(s)Sierra On-Line
Director(s)Chris Beatrice
Producer(s)Eric Ouellette
Designer(s)David Lester
Chris Beatrice
Simon Bradbury
Eric Ouellette
Programmer(s)Simon Bradbury
Composer(s)Keith Zizza
Platform(s)DOS, Windows, Macintosh
Release
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game takes place in a medieval setting, with rulers of several counties warring for the right to be king of the land. Players grow crops, accumulate resources, manufacture weapons, manage armies, build and lay siege to castles, capture provinces, and ultimately attempt to conquer their enemies.

Gameplay

Lords of the Realm II is very different from many medieval strategy games. There is no magic, and unlike many strategy games, it has no technology tree. Players need to carefully manage food (cows, dairy, grain), population, and happiness levels whilst avoiding Malthusian population meltdowns or other players invading their counties. The game is a combination of a turn-based resource management game, in which players grow crops, accumulate resources, manufacture weapons, manage armies, and build and lay siege to castles; and a real-time strategy game with players controlling units individually or in group formations in battles or during sieges.

Compared to the original, Lords of the Realm II features updated graphics and an improved management system.

Development

Impressions Games general manager David Lester commented during development, "We wanted the game to be more multiplayer friendly, and one way to do that was by adding realtime combat. Besides, when you can bring a castle down by aiming a battering ram or a catapult at it in realtime, it's a lot more satisfying."[2]

Reception

Sales

In the United States, Lords of the Realm II debuted in 16th place on PC Data's computer game sales rankings for December 1996.[3][4] It rose to #9 in January,[4] and it remained in the firm's top 20 for another two months,[5][6] before dropping out in April.[7] Returning to the top 20 in May and June,[8][9] Lords of the Realm II became the 14th-best-selling computer game in the United States during 1997's first half.[10] It exited PC Data's monthly top 20 after a placement of 19th in July.[11][12] By November, global sales of Lords of the Realm II had surpassed 350,000 copies.[13]

Lords of the Realm II went on to be the 19th-biggest computer game seller of 1998, with 245,324 in sales and $2.99 million in revenues.[14] Its total sales ultimately reached 2.5 million copies worldwide.[15]

Critical reviews

Tim Soete of GameSpot called Lords of the Realm II "a challenging and entertaining experience for strategy enthusiasts." However, he opined that the game was overambitious in its real-time combat aspect, with troops that are difficult to maneuver and battlefields that tend to become overcrowded.[16] A Next Generation critic found it "simply an outstanding upgrade and improvement over the already excellent original." He particularly emphasized the realistic economic model, such as the fact that building an army requires drafting peasants from the population, with a resultant drop in village morale, whereas in most such games armies are built from a separate and unlimited stock of potential soldiers. Like Soete, he saw problems in the combat, such as the enemy AI's ineptitude at siege warfare, but deemed them minor issues.[17]

Sequels

Lords of the Realm II: Siege Pack (released June 13, 1997)[18][19] is an expansion pack consisting of new combat scenarios and additional maps. It was followed by a spin-off, Lords of Magic, and a sequel, Lords of the Realm III.

References
  1. "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. Archived from the original on 1997-02-27. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  2. "Lords of the Realm II". Next Generation. No. 18. Imagine Media. June 1996. p. 86.
  3. GamerX (February 3, 1997). "December's 30 best-sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on July 18, 1997. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  4. GamerX (March 17, 1997). "January's 30 best-sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on March 31, 1997. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  5. GamerX (April 15, 1997). "February's 30 best-sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on July 20, 1997. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  6. Lee, Helen (May 1, 1997). "PC Data Releases Monthly Numbers". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 6, 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  7. GamerX (June 4, 1997). "April's 30 best-sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on July 17, 1997. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  8. GamerX (July 10, 1997). "May's 30 best-sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on July 20, 1997. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  9. GamerX (August 5, 1997). "June's 30 Best-Sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on May 17, 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  10. Staff (September 12, 1997). "Game Sales on the Rise". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 7, 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  11. GamerX (August 29, 1997). "July's 30 Best-Sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on February 23, 1999. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  12. GamerX (September 24, 1997). "August's 30 Best-Sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on May 6, 1999. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  13. "Impressions Announces: The Lords Royal Collection" (Press release). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sierra On-Line. November 3, 1997. Archived from the original on February 14, 1998. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  14. Staff (April 1999). "The Numbers Game". PC Gamer US. 6 (4): 50.
  15. "Real Business Case Study: David Lester". 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-06-04.
  16. Soete, Tim (January 7, 1997). "Lords of the Realm II Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  17. "Lords of the Realm II". Next Generation. No. 28. Imagine Media. April 1997. pp. 126, 128.
  18. "News from Sierra". Press Release Information. Sierra On-Line. Archived from the original on 1998-02-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  19. Lee, Helen (June 10, 1997). "Lords of the Realm II Enhanced". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 9, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
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