Hey guys - I had to respond to this since there are so many wonderful thoughts above.
In defense of ES, I can imagine how difficult it would be for them to include fan developed work in the first release of a game. The only way it would truely work is if the designer worked on site in Dallas and ES could check the work as it went. As great as the fan designers are, ES can't just trust that your stuff is bug-free. They have to thoroughly test it and that takes time.... time that is delaying the release of the product. Besides, it must be very difficult to develop incredible scenarios when the game is so young... Deathshrimp said they make the scenarios at the very end after 99% of the design is complete. It took quite awhile after the release of AoE before quality works graced the pages of the Granary. It just takes a lot of time to learn all the tricks and traps of the editor. Don't forget, ES did custom ai for all of their stuff as well so there's another whole learning curve and it just takes time to learn it all - time that ES probably doesn't have because the publishers are pushing for the product. Remember, they can't just go over to the Granary and Siege Workshops to pick up hints and learn from others like we can. 8^)
Now I'm not saying that the ES scenarios are the best ever because they are not. I do feel that they did the best they could with the time frame and learning curve they had to deal with. You could argue that they shouldn't have a learning curve cause they designed the game but as Imhotep pointed out, just cause you designed it doesn't automatically make you the best at it. I'm sure the fan designers will admit that they are not as pleased with their first work as they are with their latest work. You improve over time and when yours are the first scenarios ever created for a game, let's face it, there is only so good that you can do.
Considering all this, I think Gordon Farrell hit the nail on the head when he said to have an ES sponsored expansion pack exclusively made up of fan designed scenarios. It's been mentioned many times before that only 10% of the people that purchased AoE have access to and actively seek out additional stuff on the web. The rest are single player folks who know nothing about AoE other than what comes in the box. That sounds crazy to us but rest assured, it's the truth.
The way I see it, everyone wins with a quality x-pack. The designers win since they get to see their work on a cd and perhaps receive some compensation. ES wins because more people will purchase AoE, even if they don't profit directly from the x-pack itself. The 90% non-internet gaming crowd wins since they get a great package with a huge variety of scenario types for a cheap price - $20 at most.
Now I'm sure there is another whole set of legal crud that makes this proposal difficult but I see it as much more plausible than having fan work in the original game.
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I put in a seperator cause I'm on a different topic now... reviews 8^)
Being the head reviewer and having done the most reviews, I can tell you what goes through my head when I check out people's work. Some of you perceive the reviewers as giving favored treatment to the puzzle style games or other such things and I'll admit, I prefer those types of games but on the other hand, if there is a great build up and destroy game, I have no problem giving it a great rating.
Here's the deal though - I've seen tons of build and destroy style scens. They are the easiest to create and the Granary is loaded with them. The problem is that there are only so many ways of doing that style of game without it seeming repetitive. Sure, if you play AoE once a month, they are great but if you play 5 scenarios a night, it gets old pretty quickly.
There are two main problems that plague many of these scens. First, conquest is a lousy victory condition unless you can prevent that one last stupid villager from wandering across the map so you don't have to spend all day looking for him on a gigantic map. Second, the building up process must be hampered in some way either by constant attacks from the computer or a lack of available natural resources. If you avoid those two "sins", you will have a great build and destroy mission.
Maybe just by saying that, I'm giving away the kind of scenarios I like and some of you will feel I'm unfair in my reviewing because of it. Maybe people love to build unrestricted and blow the living *****out of everything - however, I don't find it challenging and therefore, don't receive high marks from me.
The thing that really draws me to the more strategy oriented scenarios is the whole "WOW" factor. New tricks and neat effects are emphasized much more when you are forced to play through them. I also feel that these types of scenarios take a heck of a lot more work to create than the typical build and destroy game and I like to give extra points if I can tell the designer really worked their butt off on a scenario.
I've reviewed over 300 scenarios and I'm sure my scores aren't perfect and I'm sure they are slanted to what I like but nonetheless, the text review is always there to read and that helps if you are looking for a particular style. I do my best to be fair to all styles but I am human and what turns me off may seem great to someone else. Unfortunately, I didn't rate Egg's Last Frontier so I can't say anything specific to that campaign.
In summary... sorry for another rambling post (like this thread needed another one), but in my book, most of the ES's scenarios I have played rate in the range between 3.8 and 4.6 which puts most of them up there with the Best of the Granary. They aren't as good as the elite but they are quality works nonetheless. It's not easy to put out a software product and I want to thank ES for the great job they did with AoE. Hey, at least they gave us the editor right? A lot of games don't even bother doing that much...
Lastly, give us a shot at an ES sanctioned RoR scenario pack... we won't disappoint you 8^)
[This message has been edited by Angel SpineMan (edited 12-09-98).]