No Need to Stay on the Fence
Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 6:52 pm
I was on the fence for a while over this game. I felt the game wasn't adequately described, and frankly, I thought the screenshots were downright ugly.
However, being a fan of miniatures games, turn-based computer games, and the time period, I caved.
I was blown away. This is a game that actually fits the cliche, "easy to pick up, but hard to master." I was playing, without reading the manual, but I was not doing that well.
I read through the manual, realized it was slightly more complex than I thought, and began to enjoy the ruleset, and the elegantly simple interface. The rules are deep enough for you to have to think, but not so absurdely complex that you have to flip through dozens of appendices before making choices. Moreover, the outcomes of good (or bad) decisions just "felt" right.
I was also pleased with the graphics. The screenshots just do not do the game justice. The miniatures are well painted, and the landscapes are beautifully rendered. I felt, if anything, the game "board" looked too realistic for a miniatures based game. However, the stands bring you back to the feel of a table-top game. My only gripe about the graphics was the fog of war. It would look great on a "realistic" backdrop, but kind of muddies the table-top image. I wish you could either activate a shroud, or simply not have have the clouds visible (but still have the hidden unit dynamic).
This game has been a very pleasant suprise. I hope Koios makes a series of games using a similar engine.
Thanks for the great game.
However, being a fan of miniatures games, turn-based computer games, and the time period, I caved.
I was blown away. This is a game that actually fits the cliche, "easy to pick up, but hard to master." I was playing, without reading the manual, but I was not doing that well.
I read through the manual, realized it was slightly more complex than I thought, and began to enjoy the ruleset, and the elegantly simple interface. The rules are deep enough for you to have to think, but not so absurdely complex that you have to flip through dozens of appendices before making choices. Moreover, the outcomes of good (or bad) decisions just "felt" right.
I was also pleased with the graphics. The screenshots just do not do the game justice. The miniatures are well painted, and the landscapes are beautifully rendered. I felt, if anything, the game "board" looked too realistic for a miniatures based game. However, the stands bring you back to the feel of a table-top game. My only gripe about the graphics was the fog of war. It would look great on a "realistic" backdrop, but kind of muddies the table-top image. I wish you could either activate a shroud, or simply not have have the clouds visible (but still have the hidden unit dynamic).
This game has been a very pleasant suprise. I hope Koios makes a series of games using a similar engine.
Thanks for the great game.