Rug_Might |
Posted on 12/10/05 @ 09:24 AM
The odd title for this single-scenario campaign can be rather deceiving. It surpassed my initial expectations by far.
Playability: 4.5
Everything in this campaign worked great. From the start to the finish, everything went very smoothly. Even in narrow areas, such as the river, rarely had traffic congestion with boats and other various units. Possessed simple fun, which I haven't seen a lot as of late.
Balance: 4.5
For me, there was great balance in almost all parts of the campaign. I had to restart twice from not using tactics suited for the situation. This and some other things had to make you think a little to try and turn problems to favor you.
Creativity: 4.1
From defending the city of an empire to infiltrating the attackers', many interesting things were utilized, even by accident, to keep the scenario interesting. Before you can do anything, you need to rid the city of invaders, for if you don't, they will eventually destroy a town center, which is a loss condition. When sailing the river, towers would fire at you. About two towers claimed half of your hitpoints so it was crucial to repair constantly. After searching and dodging towers, you could find a sorely needed heavy catapult and not only make travel safe but make a safer path to the enemy. At first, it seems that the only way in is to take a transport passed two mirror towers and some guard towers, only to meet about ten cataphracts and four armored elephants. The heavy catapult can be used to create a discrete entrance. All military buildings were disabled, so you had to use what you could find, which added much challenge.
Map Design: 2.8
Sadly, this area was pretty weak. The place where you start is nearly symmetrical, surrounded by pine forest terrain. The forests could have looked much nicer if mixed brushes were used. The river, even if it was bare, was nice with natural, jagged, and sometimes, nice shallows that made up modest shores and the positioning of docks and towers made it even nicer. In the right corner of the map was a mountain-type formation. I wonder why more cliffs weren’t used in places that were intended to be traveled.
Story/Instructions: 3.9
I found the story interesting, but on the short side. It’s a shame because I’d have like to know more of what was going on and what would happen next after being victorious. When I clicked on hints, I was greeted by no more than an ICQ #.
Additional Comments:
This was quite a nice campaign. I wish there was more story to follow though. Some may like this, others may not. I recommend a download anyway
[Edited on 12/11/05 @ 11:46 AM]
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