First Impression

[06 Maestro]

As a not too satisfied owner of the original Making History, I still wanted to see what was new. I downloaded the demo from M.L. and played a bit.

My biggest problem with the original game was in a far too over simplified battle routine and loss of strength methodology. In Making History II this has been considerably improved. The strength is reduced rather than whole formations just vanishing.

The economics was a strong point in the old game. I have just given this a quick look over so far. However, it is clear that economics, research, diplomacy and trade have also been improved and expanded. This should result in a very good grand strategy game.

I am tempted to pick this up. I will have to toy with the demo a bit more.

In the Matrix store the game turn is described as monthly-it is not. The turns are actually weekly-as it was in the old game.

[LarryP]

MH2 Review

[Erik Rutins]

Larry,

Please note that review was of the original release, which had issues. The updated version which we are selling is IMHO significantly improved. We would not have sold it without the updates.

Regards,

- Erik

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: 06 Maestro
In the Matrix store the game turn is described as monthly-it is not. The turns are actually weekly-as it was in the old game.

Fixed, thanks for the heads up.

[LarryP]

Thank goodness, because I played the demo the Muzzy Lane site had of MH2 and I was more than not impressed. I was the one that talked 06Maestro into buying the first version of Making History and he was not too happy with it, so I felt a bit guilty about it. [:(]

[Erik Rutins]

We'll have an updated demo up soon, feel free to give that a try as well.

Regards,

- Erik

[LarryP]

Good, I will try it as soon as it is available. I really want to like this game, but so far it has been a clickfest with economics for me.

[06 Maestro]

ORIGINAL: LarryP

I was the one that talked 06Maestro into buying the first version of Making History and he was not too happy with it, so I felt a bit guilty about it. [:(]

No big deal Larry-I based my decision to buy on the demo. What it did cover showed a great game in nation management-too bad it ended before the crazy stuff started. That was not your fault.

This new version looks much, much better. I off to give it another whirl.

[LarryP]

Is the demo from Muzzy Lane the same as what Matrix will release?

[Erik Rutins]

I'm not actually sure which version they have on their site right now, but if it's completely up to date then it should be basically the same.

[LarryP]

How long until your demo will be here Erik?

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Larry,

Might be over the weekend, latest Monday I'd say.

Regards,

- Erik

[vonRocko]

That review is not very flattering. Aside from fixing bugs and crashes, was anything else tweaked, like the AI or the diplomacy? Will America respond to german attacks on poland by invading chile? I have to admit, I have not heard much good about this game, and would need some convincing before I would buy it.
Not much posting here yet, but I would like to hear from previous owners about this game.
Thanks
Will matrix have a box version later?

[Rosseau]

If and when an editor is released, I will buy it from Matrix. Right now, MH Gold has an excellent editor and works fine for me. I tried Muzzy Lane's demo (prior to 1.2) and it did nothing for me personally.

[Schnaufer]

I own the version from Steam.
Not a very good game in my opinion. The manual is very sparse as to how things work exactly, and the parameters for winning are vague.
As stated above the combat is rather simplistic, and political decisions are often wierd. Countries break away, heck even your own territories break away.
Every game I tried, as different countries, the economy always goes into massive defecit if you are trying to build any troops or military vehicles.
Definately follows the trend of not much manual, and you are expected to learn things from gleaning forums. Developers charge full price for the software, but leave most information out. [&:]

I am no grognard, but I do try to get some entertainment from these things. And this game is simply not enjoyable to me.
Before any flames are incoming, remember it is just one persons opinion.
Have a good one [8D]

[06 Maestro]

ORIGINAL: Schnaufer
As stated above the combat is rather simplistic, and political decisions are often wierd. Countries break away, heck even your own territories break away.

I have not really gotten into the combat part of the game yet-hopefully there is a way to control the events through proper management. It may be, but it will take some digging to find out.

Every game I tried, as different countries, the economy always goes into massive defecit if you are trying to build any troops or military vehicles.

It is all too easy to run big deficits. Playing as Italy I was able to balance the budget and run a healthy surplus-while building. However, it has become clear that if you are going to have enough of "stuff"-including universities and a military-it is not possible to have a balanced budget. This is historical, but I wonder to what extreme it can be taken without negative reactions. There really should be a limit before inflation-or something starts.

Definately follows the trend of not much manual, and you are expected to learn things from gleaning forums. Developers charge full price for the software, but leave most information out. [&:]

The manual is...rather on the lite side. I also went to the website to pick up some more info. There are some useful threads there. It is clear they are aware that the manual is short on info.

It can be figured out-it will just take a little longer. I put in a couple hours yesterday and have gotten the trade and research figured out. Improving cities and regions seems simple enough. Next up is diplomacy. I really hope that the ai is not as crazy as the old game (I had the Calm & the Strom).

On the positive side the base economical model seems to be rational-and very interesting. I am hoping to see some downside to massive debts though. If there are not any, then the real constraints to national power is in the starting industry and manpower points-and the ability to trade to get what you need.

[olperfessor]

The version should not matter. Every time you play the game, your computer connects with Muzzy Lane, and any updates or patches are done automatically.

[MuzzyDev]

Hi All,

Erik suggested I check out this forum and view your discussion.

First, as has already been pointed out, the game that Matrix is selling is way different than the game released in June and reviewed by Gamespot and a few others. It's true we bent to retail pressure and released a game in very rocky shape. We discussed this at length with Troy Goodfellow in an interview posted on Flash of Steel here: http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2010/ ... ngs-clear/

The fact that the game has continued to change and improve since then is the major reason for the lack of proper documentation. I wrote a detailed manual and most of it was cut because of changes to the game before it went to press.

AFA the economy putting you in debt early in the game, it's kind of the way things happened back then, and there are several ways to turn it around and get your economy under control. Getting more resources through trade and creating textiles and appliances instead of goods, selling excess food, and slowly growing your cities so you can produce more.

We are working on improving player notification and continuing to streamline the UI. The 1.20 update improved the AI, and that is also a continued focus.

We think the core game has the potential to be something very special and we're continuing to try to make it into the game we imagined it would be.

So give it a try and let us know what you think of its present state. I'm not sure if the demo is up here yet, but feel free to get the one from our site. Just come back here to buy it .

Thanks,

Chris--

[TPM]

Don't mean to pile on here, but I haven't heard anyone mention the look of this game. I tried the demo, and this kind of pseudo 3D thing with giant men standing on parcels of land looks kind of goofy in my opinion...and the way the map is tilted seems to serve no purpose in my opinion. If you like this look, that's fine, but is there anyone out there who is turned off by this? I played the demo for 5 minutes and turned it off because of this...

[LarryP]

MuzzyDev;

It means a lot to every gamer that comes here for you to post here with us. Thank you very much for your post and information, and above all your honesty about the early version of the game and the manual.

I am one of the gamers that always got stuck in a loop with the economy. I own the original and the Gold edition, and it was always the same. Economy woes. Too much like real life to enjoy doing it too in a game. [;)] I will keep your advice in mind should I play the demo from Matrix.

One question... any hope for a future manual? [&:]

Thanks again for your post. [&o]