Black & White II Impressions

We sat down with veteran game designer Peter Molyneux for a firsthand demonstration of Black & White II. According the Molyneux, the version we saw featured a "mix of technologies," and we were able to see several of the sequel's new features in action, though the version on display used older art assets to display the game's cities. Nevertheless, we were still able to get a good idea of what Lionhead has planned for the game.

As the developer has previously stated, Black & White II will put much more emphasis on large-scale wars than the previous game did. Though you'll still play as a god, the sequel will put more emphasis on your ability to affect the lives of the puny humans under your control and the way your actions and alignment will affect your domain and the gigantic animal ward under your control. As we saw, playing as an evil, abusive god will cause your lands to become barren--the leaves will fall off the trees, and the trees themselves will blacken and wilt. Playing as a good-aligned god, on the other hand, will cause your lands to flourish and even sprout flower beds. Likewise, your actions as a god and your treatment of your animal guardian will cause it to change in appearance. We watched a brief demonstration of how customizable your creature's appearance and abilities will be. We watched as Molyneux began with the default ape creature and made it taller, shorter, fatter, thinner, hairier, and balder. He also made its skin and facial expressions darker to indicate what the evil version will look like.

In addition to enhancing creatures, the sequel will let you build larger, more-developed 3D cities with distinctive buildings and structures that will boost your worshippers' economy. You'll also be able to build protective walls to enclose the city and decorative fixtures, such as flower gardens and gazebos, that will make your townspeople happy. If you happen to build an exceptionally beautiful city, the inhabitants of a nearby town may pack up their belongings and seek to join your city. In effect, you'll be able to increase the size of your empire without having to leave it. In the meantime, you'll be able to quickly and easily recruit armies by clicking and dragging flag icons around your city. Dropping a flag icon will automatically create a military building, like a barrack, which can produce soldiers such as archers and swordsmen. These companies of units can be "linked" together, as well as to objects that you'll be able to pick up with your god's hand. This functionality will allow for plenty of interesting tactical considerations. Molyneux demonstrated laying siege to a city by "attaching" a company of swordsmen to a boulder with his god's hand and then smashing through the wall with the boulder, after which, the swordsmen, seeing that the boulder had opened a path through the wall, charged into the city.

Molyneux then went on to show an example of one of Black & White II's eight "epic miracles." We watched the "siren" miracle, an effect that summons a gigantic blue-skinned spirit with flowing hair that will beckon all living creatures to herself. As Molyneux explained, he himself has used this ability in play-test sessions to lure enemy soldiers into a single location, which then allows him to build a wall around them to entrap them. Molyneux explained that these and other strategies will be vital in the sequel's multiplayer component, in which players will be able to bring their own customized creature and armies into play with one of five races of worshippers.