Conquest of Elysium II Now A Free Download!

[Mindi]

Witness The Birth Of A Classic Series!
Conquest of Elysium II Now Available As A Free Download!
Hampstead, NC, 30 May, 2007
It's 1997. You're in Sweden, where the women may be hot but the winters are cold, and you have some free time on your hands. Do you:

(a) Participate in historical reenactments of the Thirty Years War? (b) Drink beer until your blackouts last weeks at a time? (c) Form a new black metal band based on the teachings of Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg calling it "Swedenborgasmic Satanas"? (d) Create a highly addictive turn-based computer fantasy strategy game that signals the beginning of the greatest fantasy game on a computer?

Well, if you're Illwinter Game Design your choice would have to be (d), although in all honesty they may have chosen (a) through (c) at some point too, maybe all at once. From what we hear drunk Swedish black metallers in period costume were all the rage in 1997.

In 1997 Illwinter Game Design, best known for their award-winning series, Dominions, released on an unsuspecting world Conquest of Elysium II. The direct descendent of Dominions 3: The Awakening, Conquest of Elysium II is where the addiction originated. Unfortunately, for fans wanting to see how their favorite fantasy series began, acquiring a copy has been difficult, at least until now.

Illwinter Game Design and Shrapnel Games have just made Conquest of Elysium II available to the world as a FREE download. This is the full game, no strings attached. Download and play it forever!

Available for all the major operating systems (Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux - sorry, Sinclair ZX81 users!), Conquest of Elysium II allows gamers to step back in time and discover a true strategy gem that emphasizes gameplay over glitz, and rewards players with a rich tapestry of carefully woven fun. Dominions players will instantly recognize the themes and options explored in the game, although at a smaller scale than they are used to.

Just as Dominions is about choices, so is Conquest of Elysium II. A game of warfare, players can choose from twenty different character classes to represent their faction in the gameworld. Each class differs in traits and powers, with some influencing the battlefield and others controlling vast wells of magic. There are five different societies to play in, akin to the different ages in Dominions, and the world map is generated anew for each game. Besides battling other opponents, neutral creatures are scattered throughout the world. There are over three hundred types of critters, and over one hundred special abilities possessed by them.

Conquest of Elysium II supports up to eight players, although unfortunately it does not support multplayer outside of hotseat play. It is also not moddable, although with the random world generation, the score of characters, various societies, and the Monster Manual worth of denizens, Conquest of Elysium II is a game that can be discovered fresh for years.

Discover it for yourself by downloading the full, FREE game here:

http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Illwinter/CoE2/1.htm

For more information on Conquest of Elysium II, or the latest Illwinter Game Design title, the almighty Dominions 3: The Awakening, please visit us at www.shrapnelgames.com, which is home to a discriminating collection of the best independent strategy gaming on your computer. Besides plenty of demos to download, we also feature two other absolutely FREE games, winSPWW2 and winSPMBT.

For press related information please contact Scott R. Krol at: skrol@shrapnelgames.com

To visit our company blog go to www.shrapnelcommunity.com/blog/.

[Endoperez]

It's a fantastic game. Example:

I start with Non-Human nation King of the Deeps (Agartha/Pale Ones). I conquer a nearby Temple, killing a Spirit (more like a medium-sized Horror) guarding it. I acquire two magic items, a magic sword and a ring. Nabelring and One of the Nine...

Speaking of special rings, if you happen to find a curious party that seems to be missing the ninth member, try clicking on empty squares. You can examine invisible creatures if you click on the right place...

[tka]

Found CoE demo when dom 1 came out. Been playing the demo once in a while ever since. Another excellent game from Illwinter. Thank you so much for this free download.

[Daynarr]

Endoperez said:
Speaking of special rings, if you happen to find a curious party that seems to be missing the ninth member, try clicking on empty squares. You can examine invisible creatures if you click on the right place...

Ah, so one is invisible! I was wondering if devs forgot to add one hoburg in that party.

It's nice touch to add 'them' (no spoilers ) to the game.

[Morkilus]

Very cool. Thanks, Illwinter and Shrapnel!

[capnq]

Mindi said: The direct descendent of Dominions 3: The Awakening, Conquest of Elysium II is where the addiction originated.

Unless Illwinter once had an accident involving a contraceptive and a time machine, CoE2 is an ancestor of Dom3.

Dom3 is already on my "to buy" list as soon as I have a computer with high enough specs to run it, but playing with CoE2 inspired me to reinstall Dom2 while I'm waiting. (The only reason Dom2 got uninstalled was that I had to format my harddrive for a clean reinstall of Windows.)

[Taqwus]

A bit intensely random with a Necromancer due to the importance of finding a graveyard or battle site before any rival finds you -- sort of like Civ-style wacky randomness.

Interesting combat system. Need to mix melee and missile troops, certain commanders and units can cause huge losses, and so forth.

I also find the notion of rampaging hordes of deer (or moose?) to be strangely amusing.

[S.R. Krol]

capnq said:
Unless Illwinter once had an accident involving a contraceptive and a time machine, CoE2 is an ancestor of Dom3.

I was using it in the sense of being a relative of a later generation (can also be spelled descendant if so inclined) but in retrospect it could have been better phrased.

-Scott

[Fate]

Anyone seen Sir Robin yet? Nice touch. I like it.

I don't think I could let him see battle. Too precious.

[ElectricEel]

Endoperez said:
Speaking of special rings, if you happen to find a curious party that seems to be missing the ninth member, try clicking on empty squares. You can examine invisible creatures if you click on the right place...

I found that party. Can anyone tell me what is strange about the two attached pictures? (spoilers)

Edit: The forum refuses to attach them properly. I uploaded the pictures to Photobucket instead:

First picture

Second picture