King's Bounty: The Legend
Developer(s)Katauri Interactive
Publisher(s)1C Company
Atari(NA)
Nobilis Games
Designer(s)Dmitry Gusarov
Composer(s)Mikhail Kostylev, TriHorn Productions
SeriesKing's Bounty
EngineTheEngine
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
Release
  • RU: April 25, 2008
  • NA: September 23, 2008
  • EU: September 23, 2008
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing[1]
Mode(s)Single-player

King's Bounty: The Legend is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Russian studio Katauri Interactive and published by 1C Company for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in 2008. The game is based upon the King's Bounty property released by New World Computing in 1990, and blends elements of the original game with a modernized interface and gameplay elements. The game's story sees players taking on the role of a special treasure hunter for a king, who soon becomes embroiled on a quest to save their daughter and prevent their world from being destroyed.

In Characterville 2020, Almost 73 years after the murder of Marvin Acme in 1947, Maroon Cartoon Studio (now Maroon Entertainment Studio) has a new boss except in fact it is the cousin of the son of Judge Doom unite with Dick Dastardly, Muttley, The Grand Guignol, Belsnickel and the army of Toon Patrol (Phil Phillips is the new leader except Smartass), Rotten Robots, Nerdlucks. This is the legendary Bikini Armors created by Nisetanaka, merged and ported for Skyrim SE, fixed issues and supported For CBBE and Bodyslide. A recurrent representation of women in fantasy settings, originating in the 1960s, is the female warrior dressed in scanty armor. They feature armor designs which have been described by such terms as ' chainmail bikinis ', largely consisting of small decorative plaques that reveal large portions of the body to the weather and expose vital organs, making them ineffective as protection. Allows you to use Mage Armor perk with TAWoBA. Converts all items into clothing with 0 Armor.

Since its release, the game has received favourable reviews, and received a number of sequels using the same engine. These include King's Bounty: Armored Princess, King's Bounty: Crossworlds, King's Bounty: Warriors of the North, and King's Bounty: Dark Side. In 2019, a sequel, King's Bounty II, was announced, with a new engine and a shift to a grittier, more open-world cinematic experience; it is scheduled for release in summer 2021.[needs update][2][3][4]

Gameplay[edit]

In King's Bounty: The Legend, the player plays as a hero in the world of Endoria, sworn to serve the king of Darion. After a brief 'final exam' tutorial at the School of Knights, the player receives some basic troops and is then set free to pursue whatever quests are desired. The king provides the main story quests, but there are numerous side quests which can be completed as well, in virtually any order.

The player's character cannot directly fight in battles, but rather employs up to five squadrons of allies to do so. These range from the mundane (e.g., peasants or archers) to creatures from high fantasy (e.g., griffins, beholders or ents), and can vary in size from just a single unit all the way up into the hundreds. Troops are recruited from various locations in the game, with a limit on the maximum size of each unit determined by the character's 'Leadership' statistic. In combat, troops are then assisted by the player's character through the use of magic (spells and scrolls), Spirits of Rage and passive bonuses.

While not in combat or visiting a specific location, players move on the overworld map in real-time, although with the ability to pause. Hence, enemy groups shown on the map will move towards the player if close enough, initiating combat if they touch the player's avatar. Otherwise, players are free to move throughout the various game locations while day and night slowly cycle, without any concept of turn-based play. Treasures and other items can be picked up by directing the player's character towards them, and non-hostile characters can be interacted with by similar means, usually to make purchases or as part of a quest.

King's Bounty: The Legend allows players to play as one of three different character classes, from the choices of warrior, paladin, and mage.[5] Each class specializes in one of the three skill trees in the game, although players are allowed to cross-specialize. By allocating runes received as treasure or after gaining a level, players choose which skills to focus on.[6]

Resource management[edit]

The main gameplay challenge in King's Bounty: The Legend is one of finite resource management, with the main resources being gold, troops and magic crystals. If the player does not die, being defeated means a loss of all troops travelling with the player. These can only be replaced by spending significant amounts of gold in order to hire a new army.

Due to the use of randomly generated enemies and treasures, in each location there are often a few very powerful enemy groups. To defeat them and clear the location completely, players generally have to travel to other locations, retrieve any readily available gold, experience, and runes there in order to make the character more powerful, then backtrack to the previous location to complete it. This confused some players and reviewers, as the assumption was that gameplay would be more linear and that each location could be readily completed once accessible.[7]

The different character classes will generally handle resource problems in different ways:

  • The Warrior, due to his combat abilities, fights effectively with almost any army, minimizing casualties. He also has more freedom in using the Spirits of Rage, especially when casualties are high.
  • For a Mage, the type of troops he commands is less relevant, as he relies mainly on his magical power and spells. He can minimize casualties, make any unit more useful, or destroy enemies with magic directly.
  • The Paladin excels in Mind skills and thus receives greater quantities of leadership, gold, and experience, and is often able to recruit a small number of units from the enemy ranks. This makes the Paladin less constrained by most resource problems. He can also upgrade priests into inquisitors, who can help reduce casualties.

Spirits of Rage[edit]

The Spirits of Rage are a group of four powerful creatures trapped in the magical 'Rage Casket' eons ago by ancient sorcerers.[8] Bound to the chest, they are required to obey its master, carrying out his bidding by briefly manifesting in the physical world to smite enemies. The spirits are not available at the beginning of the game, but instead only become available after a certain central quest has been completed. Additionally, the player has to complete a special quest for each spirit in order to obtain its help, and some of these quests will only become available as the plot progresses.

In terms of game mechanics, the Spirits of Rage are, technically, self-upgrading spells. Each spirit possesses four different abilities (spells), becomes more powerful or less expensive to call upon as it grows more experienced, and receives experience from killing enemies. Each spirit gains experience independently, and each ability is upgraded separately.

Using these abilities depletes the character's rage, which can only be increased in combat, by killing enemy units or by taking casualties. Casualties will generate more rage, thus extensive usage of Spirits of Rage is only possible in difficult battles, where a large number of troops wind up perishing. Between battles rage cannot be stored for long, as it slowly depletes over time until reaching zero.

Marriage[edit]

The player's character can be married, and there are several different marriage opportunities in the game. After this occurs, the character's wife follows him everywhere. A wife provides bonuses to a character's primary stats and/or a combat bonus to some types of units. Additionally, each wife offers four additional slots for equipment and artifacts, allowing the character to use more of them at once. The types of slots for weapons, armor, rings, cloaks, and so on are different for each wife.

Lastly, the character and his wife can have children. Each child will permanently occupy one of the wife's slots, but will also provide a bonus. Bonuses are pre-defined for each child, but which children will be born is random. If divorced, a wife will leave with the children, a percentage of the character's gold, and any equipment or artifacts she was wearing.

Plot[edit]

The game's story is about Bill Gilbert who applies to work at the royal palace. After passing a few trial tests, he is introduced to the King Mark as Royal Treasure Searcher. From that point, he starts ascending. First, he chases bandits, collects taxes and does simple delivery tasks.

A plot twist occurs once he is tasked to bring a powerful artifact, known as Rage Chest, from the wizards to the King. While transporting the artifact, he cuts himself by it and gets bound with the spirits, thus making him unable to give the chest to the King, instead allowing him to use it for himself.

Development and release[edit]

Promotion at IgroMir 2007

In 2007, the Russian game publisher 1C Company purchased the property rights to the King's Bounty franchise and attached the name to a title being developed by Katauri Interactive, a small company located in Kaliningrad. Prior to the name change, the game's working title was Battle Lord.[9]

The game uses a modified version of an engine licensed from another Russian company, SkyFallen Entertainment. This engine supports a number of graphical capabilities and techniques, including dynamic colored lighting, realistic dynamic shadows, skeletal animation, detailed models and textures, pixel shaders 2.0 & 3.0 (with a great number of corresponding effects), normal and parallax mapping, shader materials, bloom, blur and particle effects.[10]

The title features a variety of sound effects and music for the different portions of the game. The musical tracks were written by Moscow composer Mikhail Kostylev, along with Katauri's partner company, TriHorn Productions.[10] One goal of the composers was to try and produce different musical pieces for different in-game locations, with a feeling which matched that of the area's inhabitants.[11]

When asked during an interview how Katauri wound up as the developer for King's Bounty: The Legend, lead designer Dmitri Gusarov of Katauri replied, 'Nobody offered us this game to develop. We made the design document for the project that we wanted to create on our own. and showed them to our publisher, 1C Company. They liked the idea of a fantasy adventure in the great tradition of King's Bounty'.[10]

The Polish and Russian versions of the game shipped with StarForce copy protection. The copy protection was removed from the Russian version with release of patch 1.6.0. The US and UK versions of the game ship with SecuROM copy protection.

Reception[edit]

Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings81.88%[12]
Metacritic79/100[13]
Review scores
PublicationScore
GameSpy4.5 out of 5[7]
GameZone8.2 out of 10[14]
IGN8.1 out of 10[15]

The IGN review of King's Bounty: The Legend praised the combat system, noting its depth and the need for players to stay alert. Highlighted negatives included the ostensible lack of balance in the difficulty of fights, with some foes being impossibly difficult to defeat in an area of otherwise relatively weak opponents. Overall, though, the title garnered a score of 8.1/10, and the review concluded, 'While King's Bounty has some issues, there's a lot to like about the game'.[15] The GameSpy review highlighted the larger variety of different troops available in the game, which along with the role-playing customization elements, help the game to feel fresh. As with the IGN review, the GameSpy review noted the unusual distribution of difficult enemies in unexpected areas, and further found that the crowded overworld map made picking out important details difficult. Nonetheless, they felt most of these issues were minor, giving the title a 4.5/5 score and an 'Editor's Choice' award.[7]Rock, Paper, Shotgun has repeatedly highlighted King's Bounty as one of the best PC games of 2008.[16]

Legacy[edit]

A sequel, titled King's Bounty: Armored Princess, was announced in November 2008.[17][18] It features Lizard-based creatures, a continuation of the original storyline, a new playable hero and new bosses. The Russian version was released on April 10, 2009. An English-language version followed on November 20, 2009.[19]

An expansion to “Armored Princess” was released 2010, King's Bounty: Crossworlds, which requires 'King's Bounty: Armored Princess' to play. King's Bounty: Platinum Edition was also released in 2010 with the three first titles (The Legend, Armored Princess and Crossworlds). A second sequel called King's Bounty: Warriors of the North was released in 2012. A card game based on the series was released in 2012.[20] The latest entry in the series, called King's Bounty: Dark Side, was released in August 2014.

References[edit]

  1. ^Brudvig, Erik (July 12, 2007). 'E3 2007: King's Bounty: The Legend First Look'. IGN. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ^Brown, Fraser (15 August 2019). 'King's Bounty 2 takes the tactical RPG in a new direction'. Retrieved 2019-08-16.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ^Wales, Matt (15 August 2019). 'King's Bounty 2 blending classic turn-based tactics and third-person fantasy next year'. Retrieved 2019-08-16.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ^'King's Bounty 2 release set for 2020 on Steam'. PCGamesN. Retrieved 2019-08-16.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ^'Characters - Heroes'. 1C Company. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. ^'Role Playing System - Skills'. 1C Company. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  7. ^ abcRausch, Allen (September 23, 2008). 'GameSpy: King's Bounty: The Legend Review'. GameSpy. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  8. ^'Spirits of Rage'. 1C Company. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  9. ^Goldstein, Hilary (March 28, 2007). 'IGN: King's Bounty Returns'. IGN.
  10. ^ abcAihoshi, Richard (October 3, 2007). 'RPG Vault: King's Bounty: The Legend Interview - Part 2'. RPG Vault. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  11. ^Klimczuk, Andrzej (September 21, 2007). 'King's Bounty: The Legend – wywiad'. Gry komputerowe.
  12. ^'King's Bounty: The Legend reviews on GameRankings'. GameRankings. CBS Corporation. Retrieved October 4, 2014.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  13. ^'King's Bounty: The Legend'. Metacritic. Retrieved April 20, 2009.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  14. ^David, Mike (October 8, 2008). 'King's Bounty: The Legend Review'. GameZone. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  15. ^ abThang, Jimmy (September 30, 2008). 'IGN: King's Bounty: The Legend Review'. IGN. Retrieved October 1, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  16. ^'King's Bounty: The Legend'. Rock, Paper, Shotgun. July 2, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  17. ^'King's Bounty: Armored Princess' Revealed'. WorthPlaying. November 3, 2008. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  18. ^'King's Bounty: Princess in Armor Announced'. GameBanshee. November 7, 2008. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  19. ^'King's Bounty: The Legend official site'. Katauri Interactive. April 25, 2009. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  20. ^'King's Bounty (2012)'. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 21 July 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

External links[edit]

  • Official website(in Russian)
  • King's Bounty: The Legend at 1C Company official website
  • King's Bounty: The Legend at MobyGames
The Legend Of The Bikini Armor Mac OS
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King%27s_Bounty:_The_Legend&oldid=1016896423'

How to fight and play with a set of bikini armor as a DM in your tabletop roleplaying game. It’s a significant part of the gaming culture. So let’s open that can of worms today.

The legend of the bikini armor mac os x

We’re not going to talk about the validityof bikini armor. I think we all knowthat it isn’t the practical set. And tobe honest the vast majority of us will not enter combat dressed in either aChainmail bikini or in a loincloth like Conan.

I think the reason why this is such a hot topic is it’s easy to poke at. For others, they can become quite offended by it. And even more, it’s like seeing the picture that’s tilted on the wall it just makes them itch until they straighten it.

But what happens when your players want to bring their player designed armor or something they found on the Internet into your game? And it looks like a set of bikini armor.

I never saw any problems with it myself. After all, it’s a fantasy game and I treat it exactly like that.

Remember, for the most part, we’re playing a fantasy game.

I do things, say things, and make things that I wouldn’t do in real life. One of which is run around on a battlefield as a bare-chested barbarian swinging a two-handed sword. Oh and by the way I did that in 3.5, not fifth edition.

We see so much of it that it’s fun to fantasize. We are reliving stories that we read about or watched half-naked barbarians charging into battle.

Because that’s what this is, it is a fantasy game. I know some people out there will say ‘but their fantasy is ruining my fantasy.’

And what I have to say to that. Someone else’s fantasy or choices should not interfere with your own goals and fantasies. You can continue to roleplay your character perfectly fine without interference from the person who is wearing bikini armor. Unless of course they really are wearing bikini armor, have an extraordinarily hairy chest and long bushy beard at the table.

Marketing?

Which leads me to the reason for bikini chainmail and plate mail, it’s marketing. Let’s face it when you see a chainmail bikini or plate mail your eyes get sucked right to it. Whether you like it or not, it’s done its job. It drew your eye in a sea of comic books, video game covers or even just art.

Think back, you always hear about the terrible game which had zero gameplay, and boring story and was all based on a warrior wearing bikini chainmail. As if the cover had anything to do with the failings of the game as a whole.

But we’ve seen many other successful franchises do the exact opposite. The reason they succeeded was that they had good gameplay, an entertaining story and a good fun to cost ratio. For some reason, the fact that they relied on bikini marketing never comes up. Other than the odd meme or complaint.

One of the most successful uses of bikini armor is the community-driven content on Skyrim, thousands, even millions of downloads related to body sliders and custom armor. Many of which are bikini armor.

An example of this is on this youtube video by Jindo Skyrim. They don’t get much skimpier than this. Check out his youtube and twitter for your own ideas.

So is bikini armor just the scapegoat? A visual target complainers can swing at? I think the reason we hear so much complaining is that it’s the biggest thing they can complain about that draws attention to their complaining.

Sorry, I’m off-topic.

I am getting drawn off-topic because I wasn’t trying to get into the debate about bikini armor. What I really want to talk about is using it in-game.

Now as for playing it’s just an image,having fun, or joking around.

When I allow it in games I let my playersknow that it provides very little armor.

When you make or allow players to usebikini armor don’t give it a high armor class.

Instead put an aura on it, a magical buff. But stay away from straight-up armor class buff, use your imagination to create something unique.

Use protection from acid or fire, but bevulnerable to cold. Give +3 charisma, butcurse it to weigh 75 pounds.

Add water breathing, strength bonus, combat bonuses in a hot climate, +1 rage per day or the ability to raise undead.

Put it on an exotic creature or monster who has a humanoid body, to add some variety and mystery.

The Legend Of The Bikini Armor Mac Os Download

On a side note, I once gave one of my warlock players a powerful staff that had gender change. At the same time, I gave a +3 charisma women’s thong.

The two items were found in the tomb of a beautiful female necromancer who menaced the region.

The Legend Of The Bikini Armor Mac Os Catalina

The player was so certain it was the +3 thong that changed his gender he never bothered casting detect magic on the staff itself. The funny thing was he even took it off and threw it in the wind.

Later he tried casting remove curse on himself but it didn’t work because he still had the staff.

There are many variations that we can build or do in a traditional pen and paper game. It’s why I love this genre of games.

When your DMing and creating things, remember first and foremost, always ‘give high value to entertainment.’

If my players are laughing because of some silly little side quest or a piece of armor with a comical curse, I’ve done my job.

Often the players are entertained by the journey and the little things you had fun with than the main quest. Bikini armor has the opportunity to provide such entertainment.

The Legend Of The Bikini Armor Mac Os 11

In the end, it’s a fantasy game and as a creative writer, I hate putting stipulations on someone else’s creative enjoyment. If they want to enjoy playing with this type of armor and designing it, I say let them.

If you want a little more realistic gameplay in your fantasy game… check out these links for medieval armor, women may have worn.

The Legend Of The Bikini Armor Mac Os X

Shadiversity covers these two topics very well if you haven’t found him on youtube yet, I recommend checking out his channel for great ideas.

Whats you take on bikini armor in your games?

Leave a comment below, or share your own pictures on your own armor you’ve designed. We would love to see them or discuss creations and your player’s reactions. Perhaps you played a trick on a player and gave it an illusion, to him its full plate to everyone else it’s a chainmail bikini.

Special thanks to Ellephant Studios, you can find her work here on Deviantart @ellephantstudio or Fiverr if you have any custom art you would like to see come to life.