Iron Grip: Warlord
Encyclopedia
Iron Grip: Warlord is the first commercial release from independent computer game developer ISOTX. It is a first-person shooter
combined with many real-time strategy
elements. It uses the id Tech 3 game engine and is set in the fictional universe
of Iron Grip.
Warlord focuses on Kathos, a frigid region to the northeast resembling Eastern Europe
. Kathos is divided into two large
military powers and a handful of neutral countries. To the north is the Sovereign Republic of Rahmos, possessing the world's most powerful airship fleet and a technologically advanced military. Their territory includes a number of client states in addition to their home island. The country of Fahrong (known as the Confederation of Nallum) is the other major power. With uneven and mountainous terrain, the Confederates employ mechanized walkers
known as 'Arachs' along with the largest standing army. Central to the game is Atelia, a medium-sized country known for its abundant resources and many different ethnic and tribal groups. At the time of the game, Atelia is a country traditionally divided into city-states and nomads. Its lands are contested by the two Kathos military powers and the remaining scraps of the country are ruled by Warlords.
Atelia itself is a fractured, anarchic country, with divided loyalties. It was Warlord
Sahrab who realized that this large scale invasion cannot be resisted until the whole of Atelia unites, and so he engages in this deadly
guerrilla warfare, designed to provoke the Confederation into bombarding entire cities, thus losing them popular support.
As a Warlord, you must use all of your skill to defend the city against the Confederate attacks until they are forced to level the city with artillery. In an innovative blend of RTS and FPS genre's, advancing the "Art of Defense" gameplay, you will employ urban guerrilla tactics to fight off the hordes. You must protect your
city at all costs, by building defense structures, setting traps, and taking the enemy on yourself.
On December 22, 2008, ISOTX released a major update, marketed as a "free expansion" entitled The Winter Offensive. It contains new units, a new level, and many other fixes.
Generals
and Iron Grip: The Oppression
, a total conversion mod for Half-Life 2
(HL2). Both are still available on the
developers' site at www.isotx.com. A sequel to the MidEast Crisis mod called MidEast Crisis 2
is in development for "Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
", and ISOTX are currently working on the free to play strategy game Iron Grip: Marauders.
Iron Grip: Warlord was released on November 5, 2008.
gave the game a 4.5/10, with the headline "Lay down your weapons – this one's not worth fighting for." Much of the criticism from IGN was centered on the game's execution, particularly the lack of balance in the RTS mode, as well as the AI and unsatisfactory pathfinding.
Smaller resources, like Games Abyss, found the game much more satisfactory, offering praise for the unique concept and the execution from an independent gaming company's first commercial title. Andreas Asimakis of Games Abyss said of the game, “If Iron Grip: Warlord is any indication, Isotx should be considered a creative force to be reckoned with. Delivering the best aspects of first person shooters and blending the experience with RTS elements has made for an amazing combination. Iron Grip is nothing but simple fun and players wanting a distraction from those prettier and more expensive titles should make it a point to purchase Iron Grip.”
Similar praise and commentary came from Gamers Daily News, which rated the game with a 9.0 overall. “The Iron Grip series may bring about some change in the gaming community that, for the better, will introduce a new type of game that caters, not only to the people who want to run and gun, but to those gamers who want something with a little more meat than your average first person shooter.”
Destructoid gave the game a 6.0, saying that while the single-player mode was "more of a chore than any kind of fun," the multiplayer mode "is really quite solid."
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
combined with many real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
elements. It uses the id Tech 3 game engine and is set in the fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of Iron Grip.
Setting
Iron Grip: Warlord is set in a dieselpunk world with a society that can be described as a blend of Napoleonic era politics and World War II technology. The Iron Grip world is home to many different landmasses, butWarlord focuses on Kathos, a frigid region to the northeast resembling Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Kathos is divided into two large
military powers and a handful of neutral countries. To the north is the Sovereign Republic of Rahmos, possessing the world's most powerful airship fleet and a technologically advanced military. Their territory includes a number of client states in addition to their home island. The country of Fahrong (known as the Confederation of Nallum) is the other major power. With uneven and mountainous terrain, the Confederates employ mechanized walkers
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
known as 'Arachs' along with the largest standing army. Central to the game is Atelia, a medium-sized country known for its abundant resources and many different ethnic and tribal groups. At the time of the game, Atelia is a country traditionally divided into city-states and nomads. Its lands are contested by the two Kathos military powers and the remaining scraps of the country are ruled by Warlords.
Backstory
You play as one of the savagely independent Atelian warriors of Warlord Sahrab's army. Atelia has been invaded by the Confederation, which has prepared the way for its invasion by sending in missionaries to convert the Atelians to the Confederate cause.Atelia itself is a fractured, anarchic country, with divided loyalties. It was Warlord
Sahrab who realized that this large scale invasion cannot be resisted until the whole of Atelia unites, and so he engages in this deadly
guerrilla warfare, designed to provoke the Confederation into bombarding entire cities, thus losing them popular support.
As a Warlord, you must use all of your skill to defend the city against the Confederate attacks until they are forced to level the city with artillery. In an innovative blend of RTS and FPS genre's, advancing the "Art of Defense" gameplay, you will employ urban guerrilla tactics to fight off the hordes. You must protect your
city at all costs, by building defense structures, setting traps, and taking the enemy on yourself.
Factions
The warring factions in the game are the Atelian Militia and the Confederation of Nallum. The Atelians are making their last stand in the city-states which the Confederates strive to take control of at any cost.Atelian Militia
The Atelian Militia is a mixture of armed citizens, organized resistance and allied nomadic warriors. Their primary objective is to slow the march of the Confederate armies by any means possible while reducing their public support and encouraging Atelian civilian resistance.The Confederation of Nallum
The Confederation consists of modern armies with millions of troops and nearly unlimited resources. However, there is something to say for quality over quantity; individually, the soldiers are poorly trained and minimally equipped. Their strength is primarily in sheer numbers and a fanatic zeal on the part of certain elite warriors.Gameplay
The gameplay revolves around fighting off large invading armies with a small elite group in an urban setting. Players must deploy defenses via an overhead construction interface and ensure their stronghold survives wave after wave of AI-controlled enemy soldiers without being overwhelmed. This scale of battle is achieved by combining real-time strategy construction with first-person combat to create the ultimate defense game. What makes Iron Grip: Warlord unique is that it mixes equal amounts of first-person shooting and real-time strategy elements. It uses a variety of weapons from the musket to flamethrowers to heavy machine guns.Distribution
Iron Grip: Warlord is available through an independent distribution platform at ISOTX's online web-store. It is also available on Direct2Drive, GamersGate, Valve's Steam and Stardock's Impulse digital distribution platform.On December 22, 2008, ISOTX released a major update, marketed as a "free expansion" entitled The Winter Offensive. It contains new units, a new level, and many other fixes.
Development
The game is developed by ISOTX, previously known for their “MidEast Crisis” mod for C&CGenerals
Command & Conquer: Generals
Command & Conquer: Generals is a real-time strategy game in the Command & Conquer series. Generals utilizes SAGE...
and Iron Grip: The Oppression
Iron Grip: The Oppression
Iron Grip: The Oppression is a total conversion mod for Half-Life 2 . The game is set in the Iron Grip universe and focuses on guerrilla warfare, combining elements from both first-person shooter and real-time strategy games. A player can choose one of two sides in this game — the Rahmos military...
, a total conversion mod for Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
(HL2). Both are still available on the
developers' site at www.isotx.com. A sequel to the MidEast Crisis mod called MidEast Crisis 2
Mideast Crisis 2
MidEast Crisis 2 is a total conversion modification for "Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars" and sequel to the "Command and Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour" mod "MidEast Crisis"...
is in development for "Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts for the Windows, Mac OS X and Xbox 360 platforms, and released internationally in March 2007...
", and ISOTX are currently working on the free to play strategy game Iron Grip: Marauders.
Iron Grip: Warlord was released on November 5, 2008.
Reception
Iron Grip: Warlord was released to generally mixed reviews currently holding an aggregate score of 59% based on 4 reviews at Metacritic. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 4.5/10, with the headline "Lay down your weapons – this one's not worth fighting for." Much of the criticism from IGN was centered on the game's execution, particularly the lack of balance in the RTS mode, as well as the AI and unsatisfactory pathfinding.
Smaller resources, like Games Abyss, found the game much more satisfactory, offering praise for the unique concept and the execution from an independent gaming company's first commercial title. Andreas Asimakis of Games Abyss said of the game, “If Iron Grip: Warlord is any indication, Isotx should be considered a creative force to be reckoned with. Delivering the best aspects of first person shooters and blending the experience with RTS elements has made for an amazing combination. Iron Grip is nothing but simple fun and players wanting a distraction from those prettier and more expensive titles should make it a point to purchase Iron Grip.”
Similar praise and commentary came from Gamers Daily News, which rated the game with a 9.0 overall. “The Iron Grip series may bring about some change in the gaming community that, for the better, will introduce a new type of game that caters, not only to the people who want to run and gun, but to those gamers who want something with a little more meat than your average first person shooter.”
Destructoid gave the game a 6.0, saying that while the single-player mode was "more of a chore than any kind of fun," the multiplayer mode "is really quite solid."