Masters of the Broken World Interview, Part Two
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In the second half of my Masters of the Broken World interview, Snowball Studios' Vladimir Tortsov takes us even further into the turn-based strategy/RPG's mechanics. If you haven't yet checked out the first half, hit that up here, then continue below: GB: How many heroes will we be able to build during a typical play-through and how will they ascend in power throughout the game?
Vladimir: The number of heroes on the single shard depends on the size of the map and on the individual playing style. On the tiny shard sometimes hiring a single hero could be enough, on the large one player probably will need to hire all 4 different classes of heroes. The maximum number of heroes on the single shard is 8 and this number could be reached only in rare cases, when the war is going into the trenches.
While progressing in levels, heroes learn new abilities, available for their class. On the level 10 player could choose a second specialization for the hero. For instance, a Warrior could become a Dark Knight if player chooses to add mage specialization as a second class, or he can stay on the same path, becoming Berserk. Each class have it's own unique name and a set of perks. Another set of even more powerful class-depending perks is available for heroes of 20 lvl.
GB: Do heroes take an active role on the battlefield during combat or do they simply affect the power of the armies under their command?
Vladimir: The Heroes always participate in the tactical battles, but their exact role is depending on the class. Warrior can fight in the battle single-handedly; Ranger arranges the fire support for his troops from the rear; Mage casts spells, trying to keep himself from harm and Warlord buffs his troops, occasionally using the magic or the sword.
GB: How does the player's power grow as they conquer land in the game? Are there resources that we'll be trying to gain control of, and if so, what is each resource used for?
Vladimir: Provinces are the main sources of income in the game. The more territories a player controls the more gold he can spend on his army or population needs.
There are 9 rare resources in the game such as mithril or horses. Each rare resource has its unique utilization: for instance, mithril could be used for creation the most powerful artifacts with magical effects and horses are required for constructing some advanced buildings in the city.
GB: In addition to conquering land, our heroes will be able to acquire artifacts while exploring the world. Are these typically stat-boosting items, or will some of them open up additional options during combat or while exploring the overland map? Are the items randomly placed throughout the world on each play-through?
Vladimir: The items (not every item is an artifact!) in the game could be the '˜typically stats-boosting' ones as well as they could provide the owner with some new abilities. Each item have its own '˜rarity' the most simple items could be produced in the citadel, the most powerful is so rare, that the player needs to explore the dungeons or the dragon lairs to find them. Additional, there are limited number of item sets, which grant additional bonuses to the owner.
In most cases the location of these items is random, but some items appearance is tied to the specific quests or events.