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| Author |
File Description |
| AdamKinnell |
Posted on 07/21/09 @ 10:48 PM (updated 08/06/09)
| File Details |
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| Game Version: |
AoE3+TWC+TAD |
You are Spanish explorer Cabeza De Vaca returning from a 10 year journey only to find your town in ruins, you have to make an army to fend off russian attacks and then destroy their base, there are 2 slightly different paths you can take but i won't reveal them.
I would have included a picture however the best image I can make in 50kb in the minimap but that would be slight spoilers
Please rate and comment and report any problems or bugs
I have updated this scenario a second time, it includes a new objective, fixes some balance issues (Hopefully) and adds some small things (messages and removes the wall piece)
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| Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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| Teutonic Twit |
Posted on 07/28/09 @ 12:31 AM
Playability: 4
This is a fun little scenario, it starts out slow, but comes at you pretty fast and if you don't have strategy you are "hamburger"... AdamKinnell gives you "hints" in the beginning as well as others through the game, but be prepared to be skunked. After you're second reload, which will probably be required, you should have a plan and from their you can develop a game winning strategy (won it on the second load). From that point on the enemy isn't hard charging but they do have a substantial force.
Good job AdamKinnell, not outstanding (very good though) but definitely not bad...the beginning requires some thinking "out-of-the-box" to resolve and defeat...I like to take on a challenge, this was a pretty good one.
Balance: 4
Balance is way in favor of the enemy in the beginning, you need a plan to turn it into your favor.
AdamKinnell, your hint to find another way to attack the enemy, was to obvious to me, but I've played too many AOE scenarios in my life, so I was able to figure that one quickly. The fixed guns create a challenge, but I got around that one, to some degree. What created a challenge was getting to the "targets" without getting slathered...
Creativity: 4
This is quite a good creativity scenario, no glaring problems, but there are still things that can be improved in this category. I liked it but felt somewhat "not" fulfilled/cheated, maybe because it was kinda short and sweet and because it hasn't quite reached the "near perfection" (and I what you to stretch to greater things because you pretty good) Additionally, I will said you have a very "interesting" and surprising conclusion. Good stuff.
Map Design: 4
This is not a random map, and according to the guidelines, any thing above a random map is a 4. But this map could use alot more "creativity", to move it up a couple of notches. More involvement with the "other" island, maybe a few more "other" islands" to lengthen game play, requiring some more exploration, to acquire some items, such as buildings (to obtain artillery units), upgrades, etc. Just an idea...
Story/Instructions: 4
Good solid story and instruction input. can't complain. Just wished there was a little more..my bad...still banging on you AdamKinnell.
Additional Comments:
I wanted to "knock" this scenario down in "any" category to drop it under a "4". Just couldn't justify it...
AdamKinnell,your stuff is good, I'm impressed. I'm a little hard on you but I want more out of you...I didn't see "2 slightly different paths you can take" but after playing it, I now think I could have won it a different way, would have involved Calvary...
"Good scenario"
[Edited on 07/28/09 @ 03:03 PM]
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AdamKinnell
File Author |
Posted on 07/28/09 @ 03:17 AM
*SPOILERS*
when you choose to either make a fixed gun with the artillery wagon or sell it, if you sell it it makes the base assault harder but the final attack easier and vice versa
but the easiest way to beat it is too make the fixed gun, drop off cavalry at the rear of the enemy's base and sent them to take out the musketeers guarding the fixed guns, then use the fixed guns to destroy the gate and start bringing in lancers and cannons to kill the troops and fort/town centre.
and just before you destroy the fort built an army of lancers and send them behind your base to defend from the attack.
*/SPOILERS*
I would have added more islands but the only place I could have put them was on the other side of the walkway so you would have to go behind the enemy base, but thinking about that now maybe I should add another island. |
| Teutonic Twit |
Posted on 07/28/09 @ 05:34 AM
As I said, good scenario; just played it a third time, with a friend watching... had a ball with it...
I guess I missed the "second way to play", but preferred my way...pretty much easier my way, once you figured out how to stop/destroy the massive forces you sent in the first few waves.
Cannons, mortars, skirmishers and some Calvary took out the enemy stronghold. third time, was prepared for the final attack and handled it easily.
As far as additional islands, you had the whole West out of fixed gun range. You could have put in a beach area to the west of your area, to build a dock, to explore additional items...and you could have done more with objectives on the island you do have...just some input from from an old fart...use it as you may...good designing... |
| Darthcast |
Posted on 08/03/09 @ 03:14 PM
I really liked the start of the scenario, returning home, finding the town and then defending it. The balance at the beginning (defending) was also good.
Some small things I would have changed are:
-It would have been nicer if the dead bodies etc. wouldn't stay in the town forever and instead vanished after a short while.
-I would have used a broken cannon or something for the cannon you can build instead of a wall.
-It would have been nice to see what you get for selling the cannon.
I didn't like the second part of the scenario because you really have to go to the base with ships. I would have liked it more if it would have been possible to attack the fort normally (even if it would have been more difficult). |
AdamKinnell
File Author |
Posted on 08/03/09 @ 08:18 PM
I couldn't use a broken cannon instead of the wall because you can't select it during gameplay.
How would I make the dead bodies and cannons disappear, I'm quite sure that you can't select the bodies to use them in a trigger.
What do you mean by
"It would have been nice to see what you get for selling the cannon"
If you sell the cannon you get 5000 gold and the enemy gets a fixed gun around the back of their base which makes attacking from the rear near impossible. |
| Darthcast |
Posted on 08/03/09 @ 09:51 PM
Also, I didn't mean that the second part of the scenario was bad or anything, it just wasn't to my liking I guess...
=================AdamKinell wrote=================
I couldn't use a broken cannon instead of the wall
because you can't select it during gameplay.
==================================================
You could use a normal cannon owned by a neutral player, and then convert the cannon to Player 1.
=================AdamKinell wrote=================
How would I make the dead bodies and cannons
disappear, I'm quite sure that you can't select
the bodies to use them in a trigger.
==================================================
IIRC, there are some dead bodies you can select and some that you can't select. SPCCasualties and ypPropsJapaneseCasualties should be selectable, for instance.
=================AdamKinell wrote=================
What do you mean by
"It would have been nice to see what you get for
selling the cannon"
==================================================
I didn't know what I would get if I sell the cannon. You could state that when you find the wagon. |
| Teutonic Twit |
Posted on 08/03/09 @ 10:21 PM
Just finished playing you revised version of "Returning Home". I was prepared to edit my review accordingly.
What I found is it is better than the first version in creativity and map design for the additional tasks,land extension/island. But on the other hand, I found it to be easier in balance from the 1st version.
Because of this I'll maintain my previous review (change a 4/4 to a 5/3, why?).
I think now you can too easily defeat the Russian base, with the pirate's sale and the native's involvement, (it's too much for too little involvement). Their great creative additions, but maybe just too much for a small investment. Would have liked to see you require something more from the player to obtain theses benefits.
Maybe require the main player to find some object, treasure for pirate/natives hidden somewhere on islands, main base area, or even liberated areas of the Russian base.
Darthcast,
As far as your concerns, here's my input...leave them out or build structures over them (they disappear then)...
The fence section, not the best, not the worse solution...maybe a tower instead, I don't know what could be use instead...no big issue in the overall (I know you're lookiing at the "polished" part of it...
As far as selling the cannon, I agree that there should have been some input to explain the options available...[Edited on 08/03/09 @ 10:21 PM]
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| Shireling |
Posted on 08/23/09 @ 10:38 AM
Let's get something out in the open right now "Returning Home" by AdamKinnell is fun. You're never at a loss as to what to do and things to do. Objectives are not to hard find and not to tedious to complete.
The only trouble I had was that I didn't wait long enough for a trigger to... trigger.
Balance: 3
This scenario is not difficult. Sometimes dipping into to easy. This scenario is at it's best toward the beginning; when you have to scramble to build a town and defend it from timed waves of invaders.
Sadly this fun and challenging segment is short lived. After that the enemies stop attacking. Meaning you have as much or as little time as you want to complete the scenario. You could advance to the 5th age and have the best army possible before attacking the enemies.
Some simple fixes to this would have been: More enemies and more constricting upgrade limits.
Creativity: 4
This scenario didn't reinvent the wheel. But it was certainly complete.
The one problem with the scenario as a whole is that it expects you to play is as though it were one of the scenarios Blood Ice and Steel (which had many constraints to force you into a more on-your-toes play-style)
But the fact is that it doesn't have constraints. For example there is an objective that when completed grants you gold. By the time I completed it I was already in the 3rd age and had a plantation going. Thus I didn't even bother to collect it.
Not that laid back is bad. It just didn't serve this scenario very well.
Map Design: 4
This map was... unmythical? Not in a bad way. It just always looked somewhat generic. But if he was going for a "Old South" look, then he certainly nailed it
It was well put-together and the layout was great. It was just missing that "Sheen" that makes you stop just to look at it.
Story/Instructions: 5
He keeps it simple. Just the way I like it.
I've always thought that AOE3 was a lousy medium for telling a story.
Even if the story is well written, you only get to read it for a few seconds. And if you don't get the gist in those few seconds... you won't know what to do next.
Thankfully this wasn't the case. He kept it simple and had the objectives screen well laid out as well, just in case you didn't know what to do
Additional Comments:
This what the first contest entry I completed in one sitting. Albeit a long one as sittings go though |
AdamKinnell
File Author |
Posted on 08/24/09 @ 02:15 AM
One thing I don't understand in your review is that you said:
"The one problem with the scenario as a whole is that it expects you to play is as though it were one of the scenarios Blood Ice and Steel (which had many constraints to force you into a more on-your-toes play-style)"
but then you said:
"But the fact is that it doesn't have constraints." |
 
HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.1 | | Breakdown |
|---|
| Playability | 4.5 | | Balance | 3.5 | | Creativity | 4.0 | | Map Design | 4.0 | | Story/Instructions | 4.5 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 2,392 |
| Favorites: [] | 0 |
| Size: | 351.52 KB |
| Added: | 07/21/09 |
| Updated: | 08/06/09 |
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