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Knights of Honor Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
06/08/2004
Frank Fay reveals all on the forthcoming real-time strategy title…
Knights of Honor is being developed by Bulgarian based Black Sea Studios and represents a new type of strategy game. It sets players in the warring realms of mediaeval Europe, where they are challenged to become rulers of the whole continent. SUNFLOWERS, the German co publisher, is working collaboratively with Black Sea Studios to bring gamers a renewed gaming experience. In addition to strategies like war, diplomacy and the creation of a flourishing infrastructure for civilisation, players can gain the allegiance of knights possessing special abilities, to further grow their kingdoms. In Europe the game will be released exclusively by Electronic Arts. Derek dela Fuente spoke to Frank Fay, Producer from Sunflowers, about Knights of Honor.
TVG: What has Black Sea Studios developed before, and what is your expertise?
Black Sea Studios was founded in 2001 by Vesselin Handjiev, and Knights of Honor is the companyâs first game. However, all members of the team have previously worked on other game projects, among them are TZAR: The Burden of the Crown or Celtic Kings.
TVG: Is Bulgaria a hotbed of untapped talent?
The game industry in Bulgaria is still relatively small but there is a lot of talented people around, as well as many companies specialising in art, sound and programming. Black Sea Studiosâ intention is to become a gathering of the most skilled and talented professionals in the game development industry in Bulgaria.
TVG: What is the foundation â“ i.e. the story and the objectives of the game - and what has inspired it?
The aim of Black Sea Studios was to craft a Civilization-type of game in real-time, set in Medieval Europe and featuring tactical battles led by the player. Also, the game would have a huge map, beautiful graphics and totally dynamic campaigns. The developers at Black Sea Studios are all big fans of the huge strategy games developed by Sid Meyer et al in the 90s. They felt that the time was right for a game like this, with rich gameplay, loads of depth, high replay value â“ simply one that is highly addictive. I truly believe they have accomplished all that with Knights of Honor.
TVG: There are many âEmpireâ RTS games on the market, so what new or innovative ideas do you feel will capture the strategic gamersâ fancy?
Knights of Honor blends a strategic global campaign game with tactical battles, all set in a complete real-time environment. The transition from the strategic to the tactical layer is completely seamless, and both provide equal gameplay depth.
It is also important to point out that the player is not the King, he is the âguiding spiritâ of a kingdom, which means he does not only manage a kingdom but he also makes all-important decisions about the fate of the Dynasty which is ruling over this kingdom. You can marry princesses and princes off to suitable spouses, determine succession orders, seek a wife for your king, etc.
Then there are the knights with their distinct individual personalities. They give bonuses which can be increased by âeducatingâ them, or the player can grant the Marshals new military skills to improve their military abilities. There are 6 types of knight professions and some can perform multiple tasks, for instance a Merchant can govern a city or trade with another kingdom, and the composition of the Royal Court reflects the current style of play.
The espionage feature is really entertaining and truly unique and adds to the medieval âflavourâ. You can send your spy to another kingdom to infiltrate it and let him strike when you feel the time is right. There are really ânastyâ possibilitiesâ¦.fun when you use them⦠and not so good when the AI is doing it.
Religion bore great significance in Medieval times and thus it does in Knights of Honor, too. The Pope and Patriarch are very important - and best of all, the player can get âcontrolâ of them and call for Crusades or instigate excommunications.
There are many more fantastic features - too many to name them all, but maybe it is important to mention that the player can but does not have to focus on all parts of the game. He might never even access the diplomacy window and still win the game, or he may never lead a battle himself and win nonetheless. On the other hand, all parts of the game work together, for instance your spy gets caught, the relationship with the other kingdom declines and he may go to war with you. Or your economic power is very high so other kingdoms want to trade with you, while others may decide that you are a worthy target for a conquest, etc. You will feel as if you live in a real Medieval world.
TVG: How is diplomacy handled in the game? Is it important and what kind of progression is there?
Diplomacy is an integral part of the game and there are many possibilities. The entire diplomacy feature is designed around relationship-building. A good relationship means better deals or a higher chance of success when making proposals. But all you do to other kingdoms or their allies/friends/kin can have an impact. Each king has his own personality formed by 1 â“ 3 personality layers out of 12. For instance: a greedy king is likely to ask for higher tributes than others, while an expansionist is more likely to declare war than others, etc. Via the audience window, you can propose marriages, demand tributes, offer gifts or even invoke your alliances and much more. Also, vassalage plays an important role and sometimes it might be advantageous to be a vassal because you are protected by your overlord. But there are many others, and relationships are interdependent - when I sign a peace treaty with the arch enemy of my best ally, it may make him cancel his agreement, or the AI âremembersâ when I broke a trade agreement and tries to propose a new one, etcâ¦
TVG: What kind of detailed research, if any, has gone into the game?
A lot...and the guys at Black Sea Studios are all fans of all things medieval and already knew a lot about Medieval Europe. However, they studied a lot of books, internet sources, watched movies and played other games. Also, they visited famous places to take pictures. Not to forget our forum, where the fans posted lots of stuff and made suggestions.
TVG: How do you ensure plausibility and a good learning curve?
First of all the kingdom grows in the process of playing. You start with a relatively small game world and conquer province after province. Also, the game-speed is such that the player will never be attacked by 20 armies at the same time. In addition, the player can choose any kingdom - for instance France is big and can achieve diplomacy agreements more easily, has more provinces, a higher income, etc. We have three difficulty levels, where we can âtweakâ the AI and its behaviour towards the player. A comprehensive spoken tutorial helps the player to familiarize himself with the game and the basic mechanics before jumping into the game. But, as mentioned above, the more the kingdom grows, the more complex the game will become.
TVG: What sort of units will be available to the player and can you explain the battle system?
There will be units with swords, axes, crossbows, pole-arms, and mounted units. Also, there will be different siege units. They will be from Western and Eastern Europe, as well as from North Africa and the Middle East. All in all there will be more than 50 units.
In combat you control a group of soldiers called a squad. The battle system is based around the morale and everything that happens on the battlefield affects it. When the morale is low, the squad retreats. There are three different formations available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the unit and the opposing unit. Flanks and rear attacks provide an attack bonus, while protected flanks result in a defense bonus. Terrain plays a role, too, mounted and ranged units will suffer attack/defense penalties in woods. And ranged units can hit more distant targets when located on hills, walls and towers.
The combat behaviour and morale can be improved by skills which you can grant your Marshal who leads the army. More than 20 skills are at the playerâs disposal and can be upgraded. Some are even affecting the enemy units or specific types of battles, for instance âDreadâ is resulting in a morale penalty for the enemy and âAdmiralâ means that your troops will not suffer a morale penalty when on sea.
TVG: What resources will be on offer?
There are local and global resources. Globally, you deal with gold, piety and books, which are provided in the rural areas of the provinces and the structures built in the towns. If you improve your towns, you also improve the resources going into your kingdom treasury. Locally, i.e. in your towns, you deal with workers and food. Workers build your structures, and the more workers you have, the faster you can build new structures. Food is mainly important for surviving sieges but also for recruiting soldiers for your army. Food and the number of workers available can be increased by improvements you make in the towns.
TVG: What multiplayer options are on offer, and is the game one big campaign or divided into individual missions?
In Single Player mode the main game mode is one huge, dynamic campaign without a scripted story. The player can change medieval history. One different move and the outcome will be completely different from previous games. Kingdoms disappear and others arise because a province declares independency or a kingdom is dissolved because no rightful successor has been found. However, for instant gratification there is a Quick Battle Mode which provides the option to play battles on an Open Battlefield or in Town Assaults, where the player can defend or attack a town with a castle.
The Multiplayer Mode is for up to 6 players and offers four modes, focusing mainly on battles. The four modes are: Open Battlefield, Town Assault, Historical Battles and Tower Mode. The Historical Battles are: Nikopol (1396) and Hastings (1066), for example. The Tower Mode is a very unique feature, which introduces some new rules. In a nutshell: In the beginning each player buys an army - there are various different sets he can choose from. They have to conquer towers, and the more towers you have, the more gold you earn. Gold is used to recruit more warriors during the game. Also, each unit can camp and recover from injuries, and ranged units can restock on their arrows.
TVG: Can you give the readers an insight into why you have chosen this period and what unique facets the gamer will be dealing with in terms of this period as well as playable factions and how they may vary?
The chosen period(s) (1000 â“ 1350 AD) are the peak of medieval times and the age of chivalry. Honour and glory defined these times of warfare. There are more than 100 playable factions at the players disposal in Knights of Honor. When playing in 1000 AD, the player can for instance choose Anglia, a small part of todayâs England, while in 1200 there is the Kingdom of England. The periods are defining the level of development and the initial (!) political situation. Each kingdom provides a different gaming experience because the borders and neighbours are different, as well as the enemies. If you play with England you can feel a bit safer because the enemy needs to land with his battleships before he can launch an attack on you, plus you only have one dangerous neighbour, Scotland. Whereas if you choose Germany as your game country, you are surrounded by potential enemies, but you are also powerful and have a higher income. And many of the kingdoms have special units, which only they can recruit or at least can recruit cheaper than others. Also, the kingdomâs religion is preset in the beginning, and each religion provides you with a bonus. For instance, it is impossible for an Orthodox kingdom to recruit a Templar.
TVG: Please sum up the experience in one sentence.
For the first time, Knights of Honor will bring you the excitement of a true Empire Conquering Simulation in Real-Time.
TVG would like to thank Frank Fay for taking the time to answer our questions; weâll have more on Knights of Honor soon.
