The mechanized army is steadily moving along the sandy braid. Among the walking bots and tanks now and then, rabid balloons flash-the technique of bucket intakes who like what is more beautiful. In the sky, balloons are soared, carrying bombs that are equanimous pilots-skeletons are ready to dump on the enemy, and from the sea the army is covered by an armored fleet. At the head of this motley army, proudly dissecting the https://sister-site.org/sweety-win/ clouds, the dragon flies … Dragon? But what about steampunk fuckers, armadillo … Ah, everything is in order – he has a jet on his back.

► somewhere there, inside, Preston Redcliffe is nervous ..

Despite the bewilderment that arises at the first view of the world Dragon Commander , It’s easy to get used to the environment, and after a while a mishmash of magic and technology, fantasy races and mechanical soldiers (including a dragon on reactive rod) will stop knocking down with a pantalyk. A little more than a week before the release, and since the end of June, players give access to beta version for pre-order. There is no solitary campaign, which promised to be the most juicy part of the game, but there is its network version – without history, but with the war for the global map and in real time. And who is too lazy to move the chips, he can immediately plunge into the battle.

From the battles and start.

[Videoid_11379]] A serious Dragon Commander with the direct participation of dragons.[[/Videoid_11379]]]

It's time for dragons

The Dragon Commander RTS part went a rather winding path to its current species-once the battles were purely airy, and the dragon was given the role of a permanent participant in the events. A little later, something like building bases appeared in the videos – in the form of mines and turrets on the islands soaring in the air.

► Once the game looked like this … ► And now-like this.

As a result, the developers did not dump the dragon battle simulator (with the support of aviation), but a full -fledged strategy in real time. The soldier plowed, capture the construction sites with them, we beat the enemy and circle its base – brilliantly and simply. But by no means primitive.

► Speak in a heap – strength? Yes, this bunch as asking to drop a bomb on itself!..

The battles are dynamic, and even II can surprise an unprepared player a lot. And the living commanders who managed to gain experience – and even more so. The key in rapid development, expansion and constant replenishment of the army. Immediately begin to stamp the soldiers and let them in to capture the nearest construction sites so that they do not go to the enemy. The only resource is recruits, their “stream” size depends on the number of constructed prefabricated points. That's why the expansion, that’s why a rush – otherwise the enemy will simply crush!

► Base in all its glory. However, the “base” is the concept of extensible, because the sites are scattered throughout the map.

After the first skirmish, the opponents who studied each other move from cheap bots-soldiers to advanced tribulation of troops. Someone is building an aircraft factory or a factory for heavy equipment, someone is trying to rule the seas-it all depends on the tactics and existing technologies. “But what about the dragon?" – you ask. By the way, he is already the time to appear, because three minutes have passed since the beginning of the battle.

In the guise of a winged serpent, you can burn out a small army in a couple of seconds, especially if you experiment with skills. There are different types of spit (namely spit – local dragons do not breathe with fire): acid, therapeutic ,hemal, emanations and an analogue of mineral bullets from the universe Unreal Tournament. There is a large fire ball, there is an strengthening of their troops. To command, simultaneously driving an army and avoiding anti -aircraft weapons (the dragon is especially vulnerable to it) is not easy, but dragon's skills more than compensate for inconvenience.

► Interpat the ship? Easily! ► The dragon is in a hurry to help on a true reactive satchel.

The next stage of the battle is the parish of heavy artillery. Resources are pouring into the piggy bank quickly, and powerful equipment like tanks, bombers and jaggernauts capable of launching the “mother of all missiles”-a local nuclear warhead man appears on the field. With the destruction of the enemy base (or bases), the party will end, but most often the winner will be revealed earlier – the population will end in the province, and the recruits will stop acting to all players. Those who were able to preserve surpluses will be able to receive troops and deliver a new blow, and those who rushed to people, lost a lot and generally played “dirty”, remain with nothing with nothing.

[[Videoid_10956]]

Total-Local war

Battles take from ten minutes to the force of half an hour, but how many impressions! As for the mode of the multiplayer campaign, it resembles a kind of Total War in miniature, with a strong influence of board strategic games. A deliberately simple map, wooden chips, designating troops and buildings, – the design will delight the eye of aesthet. The goal is simple – to defeat all opponents, capturing their metropolitan provinces. The means of achieving the goal – the army, the technological base and map.

► There are not enough spots from coffee and a pencil nearby.

Cards are an interesting find Dragon Commander, which is pretty diverse for the course of the party. They are divided into three groups – strategic support cards, sabotage maps and combat cards (that is, played immediately before the battle). The former make life easier for the player, the latter – spoil it to the enemy, and others allow you to level the conditions of the battle (for example, excess "disposable" troops).

► We did not pick up cards for a long time ..

Despite step by step, the game remains dynamic and in this mode. The moves fly quickly, technologies are being studied one after another, they move from hand to hand – the sensation of protractedness does not arise for a second. Thanks to the card system and various trifles of primitive strategy do not seem to. Someone will decide to gradually grab and not give the territory, the other-by a quick “rash” to run to the enemy capital, since the list of technologies allows you to choose the types of troops, their improvements and, in addition, dragon skills on the planned tactics. A campaign comes to mind from Rise of Nations – Yes, about the same thing here, but with a taste of civilization, but rather Total annihilation.

► Technologies for every taste. It's a pity that not a tree, but a straight list as a rail list. ► Before the battle, you can always see your chances of victory, as well as the composition of the opponent’s army.

There are few complaints about the campaign as a regime, and mostly they go to the list of “the same, but more!" – despite the fact that" more "is expected already in the release. There will be plot and out -of -line events in a single campaign (approximately as in games from Paradox ), their decisions and consequences, politics, diplomacy – and even marriage! There is no certainty that Larian will be able to connect role elements with two types of strategies at the same time. But we will find out soon.

THIS IS AMAZING: Larian left a pleasant gift to those who are fond of fashion building – all AI algorithms are open and edited, only knowledge is required++. So even if the existing electronic opponent is rather weak for you, nothing prevents you from “tightening the nuts” manually. We are waiting for the cards and campaigns editor?

Success factors

Risk factors

• peppy RTS mode;

• campaign in the spirit of a board game;
• branded texts and humor from Larian.

• As a multiplayer will show himself among the people – it is not yet clear;

• Not everyone will arrange regular transitions from RTS to a global strategy, and vice versa.

Stage of development

The game is ready, the release is scheduled for August 6.

We will wait?

"Dragons on jettracks" – a phrase that speaks for itself. Larian combined the classic RTS mechanic with flights on the dragon, global step-by-step and role-playing game. It turned out just a wonderful combination.