Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim Preview

The Wargamer was able to get their hands on an alpha copy of Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, and used the opportunity to tell us more about the sequel.
Much of what I remember (dimly) from the original game has been faithfully reproduced in the alpha. Players can establish guilds for different classes of heroes (mages, clerics, warriors, rogues, and rangers), sell potions at the market and weapons at the armory, and drop flags which offer rewards for exploration, destruction, protection, etc. The elves and dwarves of Majesty are here too, but their buildings were buggy; whenever I tried to hire anyone the game would crash. Such is to be expected from a game still in development, I'm just sorry I couldn't play test these features. It's also possible to worship the gods by constructing temples, which grant the player bonuses from one deity but enrage others. The enemies your heroes square off against run the gamut from harmless rats that spawn from sewer grates (another carry-over from the original game) to giant fire-breathing dragons who, when the die, convulse wildly and collapse in a gout of flame.