Triumph Studios has announced that Age of Wonders 3 will have randomly generated maps and an archdruid class.
Accompanying the pair of announcements is 18 minutes of new gameplay in the video below.
Detailing the random map feature, Triumph says: "The RMG gives you the experience of truly exploring and conquering varied uncharted worlds; both in single and multiplayer games."
There will be quite a bit of variety with land locked maps, Island Maps, and Underground Maps, among others available.
"We've worked hard to fix the predictable nature of randomly generated maps from the previous games in the series, so that each map feels new and interesting. Good flow and balance; e.g. ensuring that player’s don’t start right next to hostile high level structures like a Dragon’s Peak with raiding dragons"
The features includes support for random AI players so you never know who'll you be fighting, a quick start option which allows players to tweak core settings like map size, advanced options with filters, and Triumph says they're working to ensure that everything looks natural.
As for the archdruid, Triumph comments:
"Age of Wonders 3 introduces RPG-style, class-based character building to the strategy genre. The leader persona of the players, consisting of a main class, race, and specializations, forms the heart of their realm. RPG style skills are extrapolated to affect a whole empire. Leader characters range from Elven Princesses, to Machiavellian Rogues and ruthless Warlords."
Age of Wonders 3 is set for release on PC next month. Lennart Sas, Triumph Studios' director, says that the game is being made to appeal to players who can afford to invest large amounts of time to the game and those who can only play in short bursts.