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Author |
File Description |
Feyd |
Posted on 10/04/99 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Difficulty: |
Hard |
In this scenario you play a disgraced lord sent to conquer and administrate a newly discovered territory. The first 30 minutes are crucial : start in the intended way and you should do it easily. Start in the expected way, and you should do it... painfully. Remember to explore the map : when the front door is closed... The original idea for this scenario came from a friend who complained of a lack of scenarii where trade was of paramount importance. Serves him right, he never won this one. But it can be done : at least two persons have. Multiplayer also : ; ; ; No |
Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Dean McCullough |
Posted on 06/16/08 @ 02:17 PM
Playability: 4
"Trade Outpost" is a very tricky and intuitve B&D. The game kicks off with one of the most confusing starts I've ever witnessed. you start off with a few vils and soldiers in the tool age, cramped on a small island that's surrounded by an enormous desert country. The country is really quite barren, and you have to find a spot to settle down quite quickly before the Empire starts asking for tribute. You're going to have to reload quite a few times here... Finding the right place is no easy task---the key here is taking advantage of how your opponents start out. To understand that though, you're going to have to play through it a few times. So anyway, after you settle down, you've got the task of building three government centers down on each enemy base. Thanks to a number of towers, it can't exactly be done off the bat. You have build up and keep things steady, and then start booming.
Frankly, I've never seen a more interesting map setup. The map allows for a lot of different strategy, and thanks to tech limitations you're going to need it. Your strategy had better be quick though, as the AI will ask you for some 1200 gold every 20 minutes or so... It's a timed run. Overall, this is one of the most frantic, odd, and addictive B&Ds I've ever played. May be a bit too confusing and irritating but very fun to play.
Balance: 4
At first this seems unimaginably difficult. You have three strong enemies pounding you while some jerk rips 1200 gold off you every 20 minutes or so. Then you realize that the AI doesn't have too much behind their towers at the start of the match... All of the sudden things become easier. You'll see how this works out in the game, but if you play your cards right at the beginning of the game, you should be able to chug along fairly smoothly for the rest of the game. Certain tech limitations, tribute, the civ you're given, and the units your adversaries make are the main annoyances throughout the game. This is really quite a challenge and I don't think there are too many beginners who could handle this one for too long. A great challenge for intermediate-advanced players, and an even better one to the casual player. Grat balance here.
Creativity: 4.4
The gameplay style, B&D, is one that's repeated quite a bit but this author does it brilliantly. What I noticed here was how each enemy civ had it's own distinctive unit combo. The stone eaters, for example, used slingers and elephants. Don't see too much of that. What really makes this interesting, however, is how the name of each one applies so well to it's unit combo. Great stuff. The map's shape is interesting, and while their isn't much eye candy there are some interesting spots. On top of all this, there's a "hidden city" that fires on you when you try to capture their academies. That is, unless you tribute the hidden city. Lastly, the story is short but sweet---and has a great ending ;) I'll leave it to the player to find out.
Map Design: 3.5
While there were better maps being made at the time, this one is cetainly a cut above average with it's distinctive shape and some gaia objects plastered on some parts of the map. What I liked best about the map was how each enemy civ's home terrain had a different look to it. Overall, above average for the time and certainly no eyesore.
Story/Instructions: 4
The story is great, although a bit short. Easy to read and digest, makes sense and gives you a good first impression. The instructions are clear as a bell, and the hints are handy as well. The only thing really missing here is a bitmap...
Additional Comments: Excellent, I'd highly reccomend for download. You don't often see sceanrios as good as this that haven't been reviewed, and I'm proud to say that I've uncovered another jewel...
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.0 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.0 | Balance | 4.0 | Creativity | 4.4 | Map Design | 3.5 | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 264 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 73.00 Bytes |
Added: | 10/04/99 |
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