In this scenario you play a bunch of Vikings on the rampage. It differs from usual AoE scenarii in the fact that you don't have to build a base and are somewhat limited in the units you can build. Still, you DO have villagers and will have to pay real attention to your resource management. In fact, resource management, exploration and careful tactics are the key here. Don't expect to land huge waves of attackers at your opponents until they yield. You are raiders : build temporary camps and remember that your resources come from plunder... Multiplayer also : ; ; ; No
Playability: 4.5
The first of Feyd's many works, "Viking Raiders" is a scenario that invents it's own genre---a 'raiding' scenario. The goal is to collect 3000 gold. You start off with a limited space of land with your neccesities on it---Your town center, barracks, and docks. You cannot build ANY buildings besides pits, homes and farms. The only way to get food is from hunting, and the majority of the gazelles are in your enemy's villages. The same applies for gold as well. This how the gameplay works. You attack a village, and as you attack the village, riders from the 'Castle' come in to flush you out. This entire enemy army is controlled by a seperate player than the villages and it moves all at once. So obviously, there's a certain way to go about doing this---and I'll leave the rest for you to find out. And as always with Feyd's scenarios, exploration is always rewarded. You're going to have fun with this one. The only real drawbacks here are the tediousness of the game itself... It's very easy to get stuck in a lull. This game is more of an acquired taste.
Balance: 4.8
The balance here is great, and I haven't played a scenario that was this consistent. The 'raiding' is no easy feat to pull off effectively, and even the most skilled players will have a hard time with this one. To be completely honest, it was a bit too hard, and if the given options to win the scenario were varying a bit more in difficulty and strategy, I'd give this a 5. As of right now, it's a very difficult scenario.
Creativity: 4.8
The 'raiding' gameplay is a hoot and I haven't seen anything like it---the way the AIs work together is remarkable, and the map setup is fairly interesting. The only thing that this truly lacks is a story.
Map Design: 3.8
The map works great for the scenario and has a few interesting spots. It could have been quite a bit better, even for the time period, but I'm giving it props since it's custom made and very unique looking.
Story/Instructions: 2
Like many being submitted at the time, this scenario is bare bones when it comes to this. Everything that needs to be given is given, but on the lowest level. It's clear and creative, but certainly does not add much to the scenario.
Additional Comments: Great. Fantastic. I haven't seen too many scenarios like it, so I'm certain you haven't either. I would highly reccomend this one to someone who is looking for a very different sort of AoE game.