<s>
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ascension	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
a	O
4X	B-Application
turn-based	O
,	O
computer	B-Application
strategy	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
14	O
,	O
2003	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
and	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ascension	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
was	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Dominions	B-Application
:	I-Application
Priests	I-Application
,	I-Application
Prophets	I-Application
and	I-Application
Pretenders	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Dominions	B-Application
3	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Awakening	I-Application
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ascension	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
is	O
a	O
4X	B-Application
turn-based	O
,	O
computer	B-Application
strategy	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
players	O
play	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
the	O
god	O
of	O
one	O
out	O
of	O
17	O
different	O
nations	O
and	O
battle	O
each	O
other	O
for	O
the	O
dominance	O
of	O
a	O
fantasy	B-Application
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
most	O
basic	O
level	O
,	O
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
similar	O
to	O
Risk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
similar	O
to	O
Civilization	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
players	O
and	O
game	O
host	B-Application
(	O
who	O
may	O
also	O
play	O
)	O
find	O
each	O
other	O
through	O
out-of-game	O
channels	O
and	O
decide	O
on	O
game	O
setup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
each	O
send	O
the	O
file	O
with	O
their	O
pretender	O
design	O
to	O
the	O
host	B-Application
,	O
who	O
starts	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
all	O
orders	O
are	O
set	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
sends	O
his	O
turn-file	O
by	O
email	O
or	O
by	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
-connection	O
to	O
the	O
host-computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
host-computer	O
calculates	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
all	O
battles	O
and	O
random	O
events	O
simultaneously	O
and	O
sends	O
the	O
result-files	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
also	O
includes	O
AI	B-Application
for	O
single	O
player	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
customizable	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
a	O
simple	O
text	B-Application
editor	I-Application
and	O
paint	B-Application
program	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
make	O
some	O
tactical	O
decisions	O
for	O
your	O
units	O
in	O
battle	O
,	O
by	O
setting	O
the	O
combat	O
behaviour	O
of	O
each	O
of	O
their	O
combat	O
units	O
ahead	O
of	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
nation	O
very	O
loosely	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Atlanteans	B-Application
described	O
by	O
Plato	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atlantis	B-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
nations	O
that	O
may	O
build	O
castles	O
underwater	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
human	O
nation	O
with	O
longbows	B-Application
,	O
knights	O
,	O
witches	B-Device
and	O
rabble-rousing	O
bards	B-Application
,	O
loosely	O
based	O
on	O
Celtic	O
mythology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
ancient	O
civilization	B-Application
of	O
lizardmen	O
combining	O
elements	O
from	O
both	O
ancient	O
Egypt	O
and	O
Robert	O
E	O
.	O
Howard	O
's	O
Stygia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
C'tis	O
boasts	O
powerful	O
mages	O
of	O
death	O
and	O
nature	O
,	O
skeleton-summoning	O
assassins	O
and	O
,	O
under	O
one	O
theme	O
,	O
a	O
dominion	O
that	O
causes	O
disease	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arcos	O
can	O
recruit	O
several	O
variants	O
of	O
spear-wielding	O
hoplites	B-Application
supported	O
by	O
primitive	O
cavalry	O
,	O
war	O
elephants	O
and	O
chariots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vanir	O
commanders	O
can	O
sail	O
with	O
troops	O
across	O
ocean	O
provinces	O
to	O
attack	O
at	O
unexpected	O
coastal	O
regions	O
in	O
keeping	O
with	O
their	O
viking	B-Application
inspired	O
theme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Jotun	O
are	O
a	O
race	O
of	O
frost	O
giants	B-Application
,	O
adept	O
at	O
the	O
magics	O
of	O
blood	O
,	O
nature	O
,	O
and	O
water	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jotunheim	O
's	O
giants	B-Application
are	O
supported	O
by	O
stealthy	O
vættir	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
lyeh	O
's	O
armies	O
consist	O
of	O
powerful	O
astral	O
mages	O
and	O
telepaths	O
,	O
enslaved	O
Atlanteans	B-Application
,	O
half-human	O
hybrids	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
bizarre	O
creatures	O
summoned	O
from	O
"	O
the	O
void	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aztec-like	O
humans	O
with	O
archaic	O
troops	O
but	O
powerful	O
blood	O
magic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Machaka	O
's	O
elite	O
troops	O
ride	O
giant	O
spiders	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Machaka	O
's	O
more	O
powerful	O
sorcerers	O
turn	O
into	O
giant	O
spiders	B-Protocol
when	O
injured	O
,	O
an	O
ability	O
inherited	O
from	O
an	O
ancient	O
,	O
dead	O
god	O
from	O
whom	O
these	O
mages	O
are	O
descended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
flexibility	O
in	O
allowing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
command	O
and	O
customise	O
his	O
armies	O
in	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
ways	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
immersiveness	O
and	O
gameplay	O
detail	O
was	O
also	O
appreciated	O
,	O
noting	O
particular	O
appeal	O
to	O
strong	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
strategy	B-Application
game	I-Application
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
long	O
lifespan	O
of	O
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
also	O
commented	O
on	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
way	O
gameplay	O
concepts	O
are	O
introduced	O
in	O
stages	O
being	O
particularly	O
impressive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
way	O
that	O
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
introduces	O
new	O
gameplay	O
concepts	O
was	O
found	O
to	O
present	O
a	O
steep	O
learning	O
curve	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
,	O
requiring	O
constant	O
reference	O
to	O
a	O
manual	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
named	O
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
the	O
third-best	O
computer	O
game	O
of	O
2003	O
,	O
and	O
presented	O
it	O
with	O
an	O
award	O
for	O
"	O
Best	O
Independent	O
Game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
there	O
's	O
no	O
fantasy	B-Application
game	O
more	O
epic	O
,	O
varied	O
and	O
vivid	O
"	O
than	O
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
of	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
nominated	O
Dominions	B-Application
II	I-Application
for	O
their	O
2003	O
"	O
Strategy	B-Application
Game	I-Application
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Wonders	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
called	O
it	O
the	O
year	O
's	O
best	O
4X	B-Application
title	O
,	O
and	O
wrote	O
that	O
they	O
"	O
found	O
it	O
impossible	O
to	O
ignore	O
the	O
 [ game's ] 	O
almost	O
overwhelming	O
depth	O
of	O
strategy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
