Mr Spartacus |
Posted on 06/24/11 @ 04:51 PM
I was surprised to see that among all the other campaigns, here was one which, despite its interesting title, hasn't gotten any reviews or comments at all. So I decided to give it a try. Seeing as the description here is very short I did have a bad feeling about the file, but I got more than I expected. However, the campaign is far from perfect.
Playability: 3
Well, overall I had a fun time playing while I played. The scenarios are all build & destroy, and there aren't any really unique ones among them (in fact, they are quite repetitive). However, combat can be really fun at times since from scenario 3 onwards you'll often have to fight constantly. I'll elaborate on the problems more in Balance, although there is one thing that I have to mention. In scenario 1 the player begins walled off behind a forest. While it is clear that this is how it was intended to be designed I find this a bad move: the forest is too thick to get out of easily when needed, there is VERY little space inside the enclosure and it is impossible to get any gold until you get out (and even then, there are pathfinding and crowding problems).
Balance: 2
Unfortunately this is a weak point of the scenario. The first two scenarios are rather easy for any experienced player, although I imagine that a newer player might have some trouble with them on Hard or above. After that, however, the scenarios get ridiculously hard. I managed to complete scenario 3 and then, I have to admit, I "home run"-d through the rest. Not that I didn't try, but I didn't manage to get very far in ANY of the further scenarios. In scenario 3, you have to fight 3 Persian enemies with a Roman ally who gets wiped out in a few minutes. Each enemy has a gigantic army to start with (armored elephants, centurions, helepolii), and villagers to replenish losses later on. I only managed to complete it with a combo of armored elephants of my own, heavy cavalry and LOTS of priests to convert with. And this was only because I had some time to build up thanks to my ally. In all further scenarios, I got attacked very early on (sometimes instantly) and then the onslaught commenced, leaving me with zero chance to do anything. It might be possible to beat some of these scenarios, but I doubt it. Not on Moderate or above, anyway.
Creativity: 2.5
There was some creativity in the campaign, yes. The goals were slightly varied (kill X, artifact capturing, total conquest), and there were some interesting perks in the maps. Unfortunately these disappeared for the most part as the campaign progressed. What I liked was how the story was partially tied into the game itself - the option to trade with allied merchants and the Roman Guard units that were in your base in one scenario to represent that you're being watched. (Although they did no harm until provoked so they were rather pointless as far as gameplay was concerned.)
Map Design: 3
The maps looked like tweaked random maps to me. There wasn't any real eye candy or such in any of the maps, but some work was put into it and at one point elevation was used as well to further gameplay.
Story/Instructions: 4.5
The story was well-written, with few spelling or grammar mistakes. There was also a bitmap of the Middle East included, although it didn't have any specific details on it bar a few city names.
Additional Comments:
It's alright for a first try. It's nothing special otherwise but someone who really wants to play with the Palmyrans for a change can give it a download if he doesn't have very high expectations. Masochists may try it as well. |