SpiritWars™
Product Description:
SpiritWars™ blends a variety of design concepts into an engaging on-line playing experience that transcends traditional product categories and genres. With unlimited strategic options, low bandwidth requirements and a gallery of elegant classical art,SpiritWars provides a refreshing counterpoint to the current generation of action-oriented games offered on the Internet.
The fundamental interface and playing mechanics are reminiscent of chess, the most time-proven strategy game in history. The dynamic population of varied playing pieces introduces a captivating and evolving strategic element previously found only in collectable trading card games.
Developed by Kellogg Creek Software, SpiritWars is the result of a three-year design and development effort headed by award-winning designer Randy Chase. The game is offered in two versions, a free version that allows unlimited free play and an enhanced member (pay to play) version. SpiritWars was first released for online public play on Dec. 20, 1998 and has logged over 250,000 games played to date. Both versions are supported by the Kellogg Creek Software game servers.
SpiritWars, designed exclusively for on-line play, offers an enjoyable and rewarding playingexperience even within the realistic bandwidth of consumers using 14.4 baud modems (and faster). With the commitment to support only on-line play between human players, the design team was free to explore strategic complications that would have been prohibitive if artificial intelligence for computer playing opponents had been required.
SpiritWars is a turn-based game, pitting two players against one another in a battle to destroy each other’s castle. The game’s fundamentals are easy to learn, involving putting pieces into play on a terrain-based game board and moving them into position to destroy the opponent’s castle. A widely varied population of playing pieces and magical spells, however, create infinitely diverse playing opportunities as each player defines a unique playing style and philosophy. The game can be learned in minutes, but the game’s expanding design and population will deliver years of challenging play.
While the addictive challenge of mastering SpiritWars provides enough strategic options to engage the most dedicated players, even casual gamers can easily master the basic mechanics of play. The playing world offers a rich visual and literary world to illustrate the mythical theme of the game. The game seamlessly integrates a stunning collection oftimeless classical art and literary prose into the unique gaming experience.
SpiritWars transports the player to the fictional world of Valhalla to battle other players in a strategic game of battle and conquest. The players draw from hundreds of varied spirits residing in their kingdom to develop successful playing strategies around unique combinations of magical spirits.
The hybrid design of SpiritWars will attract players from a variety of familiar gaming categories. SpiritWars will have immediate playing appeal to fans of strategy games (both board and computer based) and traditional war games. The expanding population of playing pieces, dynamically changing as players win and lose games, will feel enticingly familiar to players of the various popular collectable trading card games.
With a heavy reliance on traditional mythology and folklore, SpiritWars offers a natural appeal to the fantasy gamers. The game’s stylish look, anchored by an art gallery representing history’sgreatest painters, and its colorful literary prose clearly position SpiritWars as an attractive alternative for players looking for a more cerebral playing experience.
The familiar board game design will offer a friendly reference point for casual players not comfortable with the action-oriented games currently dominating the Internet.
SpiritWars was designed to expand and grow over time, with new spirits being introduced into the playing population every few weeks, creating an ever-changing world of evolving strategic options and playing opportunities.