Here's some bits of info on the AoW2 engine, in no particular order:
The terrain is 3D-polygonal.
Structures, units, and scenery are pre-rendered 2D sprites (some are hand-drawn, some are made using 3D software).
The entire game takes advantage of 3D hardware, when available, to GREATLY increase performance.
When no 3D hardware is available, software rendering is used, which looks nearly identical, but needs more CPU power.
Some effects (like real-time lighting effects) require 3D hardware to display. These effects are purely candy, cool-looking, but not required to know what's going on.
The movement of objects, as well as all of the particle effects, are in 3D-space. So arrows arc properly, units walk up and down slopes, particles can move with gravity and depth, etc... AoW1 had a very simple particle system. AoW2 has a much more complex and powerful particle-effect engine, capable of some really spectacular real-time effects. The screenshots only give you a hint of what 1000's of particles animating at 100FPS looks like. ---
So, a compatible 3D card (anything at or above a TNT2 should work) will give you extra effects, and a big performance boost.
I personally, have not been impressed by strategy games which have attempted a full 3D engine, including polygonal units & structures, and adjustable camera angles. IMO these features add nothing of real value to a strategy game, while sacrificing graphic quality AND performance, and adding a lot of complexity to the user interface. Opinions may vary, but I'm satisfied AoW2's engine will offer a great looking game, and won't cripple reasonably powerful systems. Playable and pretty is a good motto, IMHO... :P
Hope that helps... Discuss.
Josh Farley
Programmer
Triumph Studios