<s>
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Ubisoft	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
,	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
released	O
two	O
DLC	B-Protocol
packs	O
;	O
The	O
Alchemist	O
and	O
The	O
Beastmaster	O
,	O
featuring	O
new	O
characters	O
and	O
buildings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
intended	O
for	O
a	O
2014	O
release	O
as	O
the	O
eighth	O
entry	O
in	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
series	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
announced	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
:	I-Application
Kingdoms	I-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Championed	O
by	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
and	O
Ubisoft	O
as	O
the	O
most	O
innovative	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
date	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
set	O
to	O
feature	O
a	O
mixture	O
of	O
city-building	B-Application
,	O
economic	O
micromangement	O
,	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
,	O
and	O
action-role	O
playing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nothing	O
more	O
was	O
heard	O
of	O
it	O
until	O
2016	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
re-emerged	O
as	O
a	O
new	O
property	O
entirely	O
,	O
unrelated	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
series	O
and	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Keeping	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
art	O
assets	O
and	O
maintaining	O
the	O
tone	O
and	O
broad	O
storyline	O
of	O
Kingdoms	O
,	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
had	O
completely	O
reworked	O
the	O
gameplay	O
by	O
removing	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
city-building	B-Application
and	O
economic	O
elements	O
and	O
focusing	O
instead	O
on	O
the	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
combat	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	O
,	O
voice	O
acting	O
,	O
and	O
humour	O
were	O
generally	O
praised	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
critics	O
found	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
city-building	B-Application
and	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
well	O
handled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
criticised	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
being	O
neither	O
one	O
thing	O
nor	O
the	O
other	O
,	O
with	O
both	O
the	O
city-building	B-Application
and	O
the	O
combat	O
lacking	O
sufficient	O
depth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
critics	O
were	O
also	O
unimpressed	O
with	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
,	O
especially	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
pathfinding	B-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
general	O
consensus	O
that	O
the	O
combat	O
missions	O
were	O
unacceptably	O
repetitive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
is	O
made	O
up	O
of	O
three	O
main	O
gameplay	O
components	O
-	O
world	O
map	O
,	O
city	O
base	O
,	O
and	O
combat	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Alchemist	O
DLC	B-Protocol
added	O
an	O
additional	O
one-off	O
building	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Foundry	O
of	O
Affinities	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
brew	O
five	O
types	O
of	O
new	O
hybrid	O
potions	O
using	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
DLC	B-Protocol
packs	O
added	O
two	O
additional	O
champions	O
-	O
Tarn	O
,	O
a	O
brawler	O
skilled	O
with	O
both	O
metal	O
and	O
nature	O
,	O
and	O
Weissle	O
,	O
a	O
mage	O
who	O
can	O
combine	O
any	O
three	O
of	O
the	O
five	O
elements	O
into	O
a	O
hybrid	O
magic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
announced	O
in	O
June	O
2014	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
:	I-Application
Kingdoms	I-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
,	O
the	O
eight	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
city-building	B-Application
and	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
franchise	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blue	O
Byte	O
's	O
Director	O
of	O
Product	O
Development	O
,	O
Christopher	O
Schmitz	O
,	O
said	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
"	O
by	O
reinventing	O
our	O
approach	O
to	O
the	O
franchise	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
:	I-Application
Kingdoms	I-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
offers	O
players	O
a	O
brand	O
new	O
experience	O
full	O
of	O
new	O
possibilities	O
to	O
explore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
released	O
the	O
first	O
screenshots	O
and	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
city-building	B-Application
and	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
combat	O
sections	O
likened	O
to	O
the	O
Diablo	B-Application
series	I-Application
or	O
a	O
MOBA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
this	O
stage	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
supply	O
and	O
demand-based	O
city-building	B-Application
gameplay	O
was	O
similar	O
to	O
previous	O
Settlers	O
titles	O
,	O
involving	O
economic	O
micromangement	O
,	O
constructing	O
and	O
upgrading	O
buildings	O
,	O
researching	O
new	O
technologies	O
,	O
and	O
gathering	O
resources	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
building	O
up	O
a	O
robust	O
economic	O
model	O
,	O
managing	O
daisy-chain	O
economic	O
processes	O
,	O
navigating	O
technology	O
trees	O
,	O
and	O
improving	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
settlement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
proved	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
controversial	O
announcement	O
,	O
with	O
fans	O
and	O
journalists	O
referring	O
to	O
Ubisoft	O
's	O
disastrous	O
rollout	O
of	O
their	O
2010	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
Online	O
Services	O
Platform	O
,	O
which	O
rendered	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
7	I-Application
:	I-Application
Paths	I-Application
to	I-Application
a	I-Application
Kingdom	I-Application
unplayable	O
for	O
thousands	O
of	O
players	O
across	O
the	O
globe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Discussing	O
the	O
differentiation	O
between	O
combat	O
missions	O
and	O
city-building	B-Application
,	O
Schmidt	O
said	O
the	O
designers	O
were	O
acting	O
on	O
feedback	O
from	O
fans	O
,	O
who	O
disliked	O
being	O
under	O
pressure	O
whilst	O
they	O
tried	O
to	O
build	O
up	O
their	O
city	O
,	O
as	O
that	O
city	O
could	O
be	O
attacked	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
this	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
decided	O
to	O
completely	O
divorce	O
combat	O
from	O
city-building	B-Application
,	O
structuring	O
the	O
combat	O
more	O
in	O
the	O
vein	O
of	O
a	O
dungeon	O
crawler	O
than	O
the	O
kind	O
of	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
combat	O
seen	O
in	O
previous	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
found	O
the	O
combat	O
gameplay	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
Diablo	B-Application
games	O
,	O
and	O
criticised	O
the	O
repetitiveness	O
of	O
the	O
missions	O
,	O
the	O
necessity	O
for	O
grinding	B-Application
,	O
the	O
high	O
difficulty	O
level	O
,	O
an	O
unclear	O
tutorial	O
,	O
chaotic	O
fights	O
,	O
non-rotatable	O
camera	O
,	O
and	O
poor	O
AI	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
PC	O
Games	O
interview	O
in	O
October	O
,	O
Schmidt	O
said	O
that	O
based	O
on	O
feedback	O
received	O
during	O
the	O
beta	O
,	O
the	O
combat	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
originally	O
made	O
up	O
roughly	O
75%	O
of	O
gameplay	O
would	O
be	O
scaled	O
back	O
to	O
around	O
50%	O
;	O
players	O
would	O
level	O
up	O
faster	O
,	O
giving	O
them	O
access	O
to	O
more	O
buildings	O
and	O
abilities	O
earlier	O
in	O
a	O
playthrough	O
;	O
the	O
default	O
difficulty	O
level	O
would	O
be	O
lowered	O
;	O
AI	B-Application
would	O
be	O
improved	O
;	O
and	O
the	O
tutorial	O
would	O
be	O
expanded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
published	O
an	O
open	O
letter	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
forum	O
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
page	O
explaining	O
that	O
Kingdoms	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
,	O
albeit	O
no	O
longer	O
as	O
a	O
Settlers	O
title	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
name	O
of	O
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
,	O
and	O
with	O
redesigned	O
gameplay	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
talk	O
about	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
how	O
it	O
differed	O
from	O
titles	O
in	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
series	O
:	O
"	O
With	O
a	O
renewed	O
focus	O
on	O
story	O
,	O
the	O
economic	O
and	O
logistic	O
features	O
are	O
revised	O
and	O
are	O
handled	O
via	O
a	O
homebase	O
management	O
system	O
where	O
you	O
can	O
craft	O
items	O
for	O
your	O
Champions	O
and	O
unlock	O
new	O
abilities	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
stated	O
,	O
"	O
for	O
those	O
who	O
are	O
wondering	O
about	O
the	O
classic	O
Settlers	O
series	O
,	O
rest	O
assured	O
that	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
is	I-Application
alive	O
and	O
kicking	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
negative	O
criticism	O
of	O
the	O
closed	O
beta	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
had	O
restructured	O
the	O
game	O
entirely	O
,	O
all	O
but	O
removing	O
city-building	B-Application
and	O
economic	O
micromanagement	O
,	O
whilst	O
streamlining	O
the	O
game	O
into	O
a	O
single-player	O
only	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
67	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
twenty	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN.its	O
Francesco	O
Destri	O
scored	O
the	O
game	O
7.8	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
"	O
almost	O
perfect	O
alternation	O
between	O
the	O
action-RPG	B-Application
and	O
the	O
more	O
reflective	O
management-style	O
sections	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
he	O
criticised	O
the	O
repetitiveness	O
of	O
the	O
combat	O
missions	O
and	O
the	O
dearth	O
of	O
any	O
degree	O
of	O
stealth	O
gameplay	O
,	O
he	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
has	O
managed	O
to	O
combine	O
management	O
,	O
RTS	O
and	O
role	O
play	O
à	O
la	O
Diablo	B-Application
in	O
a	O
convincing	O
way	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
4playerss	O
Dieter	O
Schmidt	O
scored	O
it	O
77%	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
graphics	O
,	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
and	O
city-building	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
Active	O
Pause	O
Mode	O
,	O
and	O
calling	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
addictive	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
terms	O
of	O
criticisms	O
,	O
he	O
found	O
the	O
combat	O
missions	O
repetitive	O
and	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
's	O
pathfinding	B-Algorithm
poorly	O
implemented	O
and	O
occasionally	O
buggy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
he	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
at	O
its	O
core	O
,	O
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
does	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
things	O
right	O
,	O
it	O
knows	O
how	O
to	O
entertain	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
evokes	O
memories	O
of	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
he	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
n't	O
especially	O
original	O
,	O
he	O
enjoyed	O
playing	O
it	O
,	O
concluding	O
,	O
"	O
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
manages	O
to	O
bring	O
together	O
various	O
genres	O
and	O
revive	O
the	O
essence	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Settlers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
also	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
limited	O
variety	O
of	O
enemies	O
,	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
AI	B-Application
tactics	O
,	O
poor	O
AI	B-Application
pathfinding	B-Algorithm
(	O
"	O
the	O
champions	O
 '	O
insane	O
routes	O
are	O
among	O
the	O
worst	O
I	O
've	O
seen	O
since	O
Command	B-Application
&	I-Application
Conquer	I-Application
"	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
Active	O
Pause	O
Mode	O
(	O
"	O
often	O
the	O
champions	O
"	O
forget	O
"	O
their	O
orders	O
and	O
simply	O
stand	O
still	O
-	O
even	O
if	O
they	O
are	O
attacked	O
)	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
he	O
enjoyed	O
the	O
city-building	B-Application
sections	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
he	O
found	O
they	O
did	O
n't	O
alleviate	O
the	O
boredom	O
of	O
the	O
combat	O
missions	O
,	O
opining	O
that	O
"	O
you	O
could	O
completely	O
throw	O
the	O
combat	O
out	O
and	O
make	O
the	O
building	O
sections	O
a	O
decent	O
Settlers	O
title	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
also	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
city-building	B-Application
,	O
finding	O
it	O
"	O
so	O
diluted	O
that	O
it	O
has	O
completely	O
lost	O
its	O
effectiveness	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Champions	B-Application
of	I-Application
Anteria	I-Application
received	O
two	O
DLC	B-Protocol
packs	O
,	O
both	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
