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Underhand Dealings From The Hatti Archive
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Author |
File Description |
Andrea Rosa |
Posted on 04/26/04 @ 12:00 AM (updated 12/18/08)
File Details |
Number of Scenarios: |
6 |
Difficulty: |
Mod-Hard |
Centered in Asia Minor, the Hatti Kingdom existed from 1900 to 1810 BC. Although the extent of this lost civilization was rediscovered only within the last hundred years, the Hittites are one of the ancient cultures we best know, nowadays. Archaeological excavations at the site of the Hatti capital, Hattusas, have yielded thousands of clay cuniform tablets: the discovery of the Hatti Archive and the decipherment of these tablets revealed that the Hittites were a world power at one time, and also cast doubt on many items of information gathered from other sources. Roaring into history from mysterious origins, the Hittites would rule a great empire that stretched from Asia Minor to Mesopotamia. From terrible wars to peaceful and prosperous trade, the Babylonians, the Assyrians and the Egyptians learned to respect them.
This campaign features 6 scenarios. Carefully read "Readme.txt" for detailed informations about game settings, suggested difficulty level, etc.
Andrea Rosa
Cittiglio, Italy |
Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Ingo Van Thiel |
Posted on 11/30/-1 @ 12:00 AM
Very, very good campaign. "Underhand Dealings from the Hatti Archive" really brings the rise and fall of the Hittites to life.
Map Design: All maps have been designed with a lot of attention to detail and are a feast for the eye: Get ready for naturally blending terrain, swamps, overlapping trees, lovely river dales, natural-feeling deserts, overgrown Gaia cities, and well-crafted towns. 5+
Balance: The balance is tough, but always manageable. I lost several times, but the game always left me with a desire to go back and try again, and try a different tactic. The battles are almost always murderously tough. Only in "The Pharaoh, the King and the Princess" do you get to choose between an easy and a tough option: Do you take the easy way and come to your king's aid with your Qadesh army, or do you try to do with the king's small force of guards? The first way gives you some time to breathe and recover for the challenges of the last, numbingly hard scenario; the second way is more challenging and risky, but fun if you like to beat superior forces with good micromanagement. 5
Playability: The gameplay kept me on my toes throughout. You will have six epic scenarios to fight yourself through, so put some time aside for this one. There are few campaigns where you just can't stop playing to see the next scenario, and this one belongs to them. 5
Creativity: There was a very creative use of history, map design techniques such as dried out river beds, the timed arrival of the caravan, and a variety of tasks and objectives; a lot of thinking, ideas and effort seem to have been put into virtually every corner of every map. 5
Story/Instructions: The instructions were well-written. In some cases, the language almost seemed to flow. Very impressive, especially when you consider that English is not the Author's native language. Only a few spelling mistakes in some instructions were there, but they were minor ("princes" instead of "princess") and not enough to take away one point. The introduction screens also provided an appealing bitmap and also provides a detailed section about the history of the Hittites. 5-
All in all, I would consider "Underhand Dealings from the Hatti Archive" a late classic of AoE. It is tough and surely not for beginners, but a must play for any fan of the game who likes a good challenge.[Edited on 12/24/04 @ 06:58 AM]
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masked_pretender (id: Masked_Pretender) |
Posted on 08/27/14 @ 02:22 AM
Playability: 5
I love playing this campaign over and over! It just never gets old! I'm in love with mission 1, rock at mission 2,love even more mission 3 ,hate but enjoy mission 4,over think at mission 5 and enjoy my heart at mission 6. It's just too good to be true. This is a masterpiece!
Balance: 5
Nothin' to say here. Everything is perfectly balanced, thou I would like to say that in Danger on the River, the Mittani have a bit too many towers. Nothing more.
Creativity: 5
I feel like I'm living in the scenario; they're so real! You're very skilled with VC, ''triggers'' and such. Very good work.
Map Design: 5
I feel like I'm living in the scenario; they're
so real! I even borrowed some of your ideas in my upcoming campaign, like swamps, from The Pharaoh and the Princess I was amazed at the TerrainCrack mix, used very good on cliffs, you know.
Story/Instructions: 5
I never read the story actually, but when I read the goals and watch places that look like in the bitmap, I guess it should be worth a five or more.
Additional Comments:
Second review. Played this on moderate. Played all day and had fun; this got me addicted to AoE once more :D |
barbara_gds |
Posted on 03/02/21 @ 11:41 AM
i don't know what is happening, but i can't upgrade the phalanx to the centurion in the campaign "Danger on the River". I've already researched Aristocracy in the government center. without this upgrade i can't conclude the game.[Edited on 03/03/21 @ 02:49 PM]
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Fisk (id: Fruktfisk)
Staff |
Posted on 03/03/21 @ 02:54 PM
Hey barbara, think you meant to leave that as a coment and not a review. This is apparently a known issue if you playy the campaign in AoE:DE (or the Upatch balance mod), due to a change to the Hittite Tech Tree from the original game. Unfortunately there isn't much to do about it at the time.
Also @Volume and @KnightOfNorway, notice that your reviews have been retracted since you didn't write any review text. [Edited on 03/03/21 @ 02:57 PM]
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PartizanLegis |
Posted on 01/01/23 @ 06:30 AM
After many years of having downloaded the campaign and having left it at the second mission due to "intimidation" of Andrea's campaigns' supposed difficulty, I finally completed it, and it was really an awesome experience.
Playability: 5
The versatility of Andrea's missions makes for a very enjoyable ride, and you can try different approaches to each sceanrio, so there is a lot of replayability. They present a serious challenge, and may drive you to frustration if you are careless. It requires of you skillfull micromanagement and quick reflexes, as the action is almost constant.
Balance: 4.4
Andrea Rosa is famed for his challenging campaigns, and it really shows. The AI is sometimes brutal, but if you are prepared, you will overcome. Only at the mission "Danger on the River" I became irritated by the number of green units, but with patience and a more defensive approach it is winnable.
Creativity: 5
This is where the campaign really shines! Presenting the history of this Bronze Age culture with sometimes mythical (and even Lovecraftian!) approach is something Andrea Rosa is a master at. From the first mission you are sure that you will play a very clever campaign. I was particularly impressed by and really enjoyed the scenario "The Pharaoh, the King and the Princess", where the mission is split in two parts with a very clever "trigger effect".
Map Design: 5
Once again, Andrea shows us what a gifted artist he is when it comes to designing. Every detail is carefully crafted, the sheer amount of time spent on designing the maps and placing eye candy is unbelievable. The streams and the rivers on the second mission were simply beautiful, the deserts, plains, canyons and forests overall were really well made and the resource placement at times is tricky, but rewarding and well balanced.
The scenario that really struck out and amazed me though was "They Came From the Sea". The realistic and so detailed design of the Eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia, with Crete flooded from the tidal wave, the mountains around Hattusas, the Egyptian breadbasket, the Assyrian desert and the ruined Mitanni city were truly a work of art and a masterpiece in designing.
Story/Instructions: 5
It really is quite immersive the way Andrea narrates the story, with the personal tone, the king's dialogues with his servants and generals, the feeling of reading a novel, the detail and clarity of explaining complex victory and loss conditions, the excerpts of ancient poems, you will certainly appreciate the effort. The scenario instructions maps were also a jewel.
Additional Comments:
I played the campaign on ROR and apparently, the tech tree for the Hittites is changed and you can no longer research Irrigation, thus making the last mission impossible to complete without cheating, and it's a pity. Nonetheless, it was a really good experience. Whether you like Bronze Age history or not, this campaign is must have for every AOE fan. Time well spent.
[Edited on 01/01/23 @ 11:07 AM]
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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5.0 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 5.0 | Balance | 4.8 | Creativity | 5.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 9,121 |
Favorites: [] | 2 |
Size: | 1.04 MB |
Added: | 04/26/04 |
Updated: | 12/18/08 |
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