Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty

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Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty

Developer(s)	New World Computing
Publisher(s)	The 3DO Company
Release date(s)	1997
Genre(s)	Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: K-A
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows

The Price of Loyalty, sometimes called POL or HOMM 2: POL is the expansion pack for Heroes of Might and Magic II, the 2nd in the series of turn-based strategy games in the Heroes of Might and Magic series, which in turn were based on the Might and Magic roleplaying series. The Price of Loyalty was developed by Cyberlore Studios and published by New World Computing in 1997. This was the first expansion pack for any Heroes of Might and Magic game, something which every subsequent Heroes of Might and Magic title has contained.

1 Story
- 1.1 Campaigns
2 Popularity
3 New Campaign Games
4 New aspects of the game
5 Criticisms of the Expansion Pack
6 External links

[edit] Story

[edit] Campaigns

[edit] Price of Loyalty

Uprising
Island of Chaos
Arrow's Flight
The Abyss
The Giant's Pass
Aurora Borealis
Betrayal's End
Coruption's Heart

[edit] Voyage Home

Stranded
Pirate's Isles
King and Country
Blood is Thicker

[edit] Descendants

Conquer and Unify
Border Towns
The Wayward Son
Crazy Uncle Ivan
The Southern War
Ivory Gates
The Elven Lands
The Epic Battle

[edit] Wizard's Isle

The Shrouded Isles
The Ethernal Scrolls
Power's End
Fount of Wizardry

[edit] Popularity

The first instalment of Heroes of Might and Magic was relatively successful, but the improved graphics and game balance for Heroes of Might and Magic II made the game perhaps as much as 10 times as popular, and in parts of Russia and Europe it was the number 1 selling game for over 12 months. The Price of Loyalty expansion pack increased the popularity again, as the additions made the game several times easier to play, and many people cite The Price of Loyalty as the reason why the Heroes of Might and Magic series prospered for so long. The Price of Loyalty, and subsequent Heroes of Might and Magic games in many ways helped 3DO and New World Computing to stay afloat, in spite of the relative unpopularity in the once popular Might and Magic series. Unfortunately, when they embarked on new games to spark more interest, such as Crusaders of Might and Magic they were mighty flops, and hence in 2003 they were forced to declare bankruptcy.

In spite of the popularity that HOMM 2: POL had in Europe and Russia, it was never particularly popular in USA, Australia or other western countries, and was not as popular as the likes of Quake. While POL did briefly enter top 10 lists in these countries, and hence was the most popular of all of the HOMM titles, it was never widely regarded.

[edit] New Campaign Games

Heroes of Might and Magic II had a number of scenario games (and an easy to use scenario editor) but had just two relatively similar campaign games, to restore the throne. The Price of Loyalty came complete with 4 new campaigns to complete, that were equally as complicated as the main campaign. Whilst the scenarios for many were hard enough, for the hard core user, being able to say that you had completed all of the campaigns was a big achievement, and the Price of Loyalty allowed this.

[edit] New aspects of the game

Other than a few minor bug fixes, the Price of Loyalty introduced a few new artifacts and types of creature that did not exist in the original game. Whilst the changes were relatively minor, hard core fans enjoyed this element.

[edit] Criticisms of the Expansion Pack

Many people refused to buy the Price of Loyalty expansion pack, citing that it cost 1/2 as much (and sometimes more) as the original game, yet, other than the 4 new campaigns, introduced very little to the game. One argument was that people could make their own scenarios to look like campaigns and hence not need to buy it at all. The other side to this sometimes heated argument was that having just two similar campaign games in the original release was far too little, and that, while the improvements were relatively minor, they were nonetheless very useful and exciting, and that if improvements are needed they don't need to be big.

Another complaint was the inclusion in the expansion of a recruit building (Barrow Mounds) for the neutral creature ghost. Since all units killed by ghosts themselves become ghosts, players were able to quickly gain invincible armies of ghosts that destroyed the game balance. The unit was not included in the sequel at all, but made a comeback in the mod "Wake of Gods"

Whatever the argument, the Price of Loyalty expansion pack was far more popular than the original was prior to its release, and this is the most successful expansion pack in the series.