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MGC07 - Death on the Nile
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| Author |
File Description |
Jatayu
(id: Sword_of_STORM) |
Posted on 05/16/07 @ 01:00 PM (updated 06/29/07)
| File Details |
|---|
| Version: |
The Conquerors 1.0c |
| Style: |
Fixed Force |
Death on the Nile
This game is made on a small (25 x25) map and uses the Rennaissance expansion. I tried to see if it was possible to make an ancient times battle in Aok and I hope it has worked well. I have also tried to represent boarding ships and fighting (at least I haven't seen a real boarding ships battle as yet)
History
In 50 BC, Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII were appointed co-rulers of Egypt. However Cleopatra started to increase her status as Queen.Her face appeared on minted coins, for example, while Ptolemy XIII's name was omitted on official documents. Ptolemy intended to become sole ruler, with his regent Pothinus acting as the power behind the throne. They managed to make her flee to Syria but she soon organized her own army and a civil war began in Egypt.
At this point defeated Roman general Pompey came to Egypt seeking refuge from his pursuing rival Julius Caesar. Initially, Ptolemy XIII and Pothinus pretended to have accepted his request, but on September 29, 48 BC, Pothinus himself murdered the general, in hopes of winning favor with Caesar when the victorious general arrived. When Caesar did arrive he was presented with the head of his deceased rival and former ally, but reportedly, instead of being pleased, reacted with disgust and ordered that Pompey's body be located and given a proper Roman funeral. Cleopatra VII proved more successful in winning Caesar's favor and became his lover.
The combined alliance of Cleopatra's and Caesar's forces were able to defeat Ptolemy at Alexandria. Ptolemy himself was probably drowned while trying to cross the nile.
Now YOU have a chance to change history! (the rest is mostly fiction)
The scenario
Ptolemy, on his royal barge could see from afar the great fleet gathering. He tried to reverse course and flee, but his enormous barge was not very manoeuverable and crashed on a rock. Although it did not sink, the barge could not be pulled out, thus trapping Ptolemy and his small army until reinforcements could arrive from Karnak.
-Play as the forces of Pharoah Ptolemy XIII and defeat the forces of Caesar and Cleopatra.
-You will be fighting on the decks of the enormous royal barge, until reinforcements can come to your rescue.
-Get slaves below the deck to fight for you by paying them gold (see hints)
-Gameplay should be about 5 min, but it'll be the best 5 min you have played.
-Play on normal or slow speed.
There are three difficulty levels, easy (standard), moderate and hard.
Note regarding difficulty:
Easy - for people new to Aok
Moderate - harder than easy
Hard - Best difficulty to play on
Installation
Put the sound files (mp3) into sound/scenario folder and the cpx file into the campaign folder. The Rennaissance data file that I used is included and is named empires2_x1_renn . Rename it to empires2_x1_p1 or empires2_x1 depending on whether or not you have the c patch and put it in your data folder (having backed up your original file of course). I really hope there won't be any installation troubles because this scenario uses Rennaissance to its strengths.
Hope you enjoy playing this scenario and please leave comments. Reviews would be most welcome.
Update
-Scenario is a great deal harder
-The dogs problem has been removed
-Moderate difficulty is now less hard |
| Pages: [1] 2 » Last » | | Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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| good guy |
Posted on 05/20/07 @ 10:31 AM |
| woutersmits |
Posted on 05/20/07 @ 03:19 PM
death on the nile i have done what you typed but it's not helping engh |
| Dantares IV |
Posted on 05/20/07 @ 04:46 PM
Well, though I was able to defeat the enemy navy, I was confused on what those Mastiffs were doing there, but this time they did not affect the game play. However, on hard, it is nearly impossible to win. I don't think hard should be THAT hard. The way you made it was meant for veteran players! All in all, however, I was able to successfully complete the game.
~Balance~ 4+
This game is not as easy as it used to be. It is quite challenging! But I still say five minutes was far too short. I'd recomend making it more like ten to fifteen minutes long. Also, Caesar's flagship was still reletavely easy to destroy. With concentrating the catapult, archers, and scorpions on it, I sank it very fast. The special troops that Caesar's ship landed, Tutonic Knighs, were justharder to kill this time, but I still held the high ground, had my archers and Scorpions shooting away at them, and my monk finishing one off, and I probably had that "tree" advantage too. The fire ships and demolition ships did not do me much damage. They were either destroyed by my catapult, or killed by my monk. However, the enemy troops became more difficult to defeat this time.
~Creativity~ 4-
I must say that in creativity you did a good job. I liked the idea about the slaves coming out of the "hatches" and fighting, even though that is not historically realistic, they would have been on the Roman side that way they would have freedom, but I'm not judging that aspect. I liked the "oars" sticking out of the sides of the ship. Those were great! But some of the things I did not like was those mastiffs cornered up in the corner of the map. The "farms" that you used for "planking" were going in completely the wrong direction, and in some areas there was nothing but sand. Planking goes lengthwise down the ship, not sideways! Also, the middle of the ship being elevated, that made no sence? Ships do not have elevation on them. I liked almost the entire river, except for that muck stuff, I don't exactly know how to describe it, the stuff that's grey, purple, and green. That looked ugly!
Overall, there was stuff that needed to be fixed, but it wouldn't be hard to fix. You did not change much. I have changed the score to a four!
~Map Design~ 4
This map was MUCH better than a random map, but yet, since you only had to decorate a 25X25 map, and not a ordinary AoE size, I can't give this a 5. Also, it had a few flaws that I mentioned before in the creativity section. I do not believe in giving map design a 5 since this was done on such a small map. It does not take as much time and effort as a Enormous map like Ulio does.
Good work here
~Story/Instructions~ 4
According to the rules, this must be a 4. It has OKish instructions, Okish history, and good hints. So this gets a four.
~Additional Comments~
Well, this is my honest opinion of the game. If people have the time, as it was a big file, I would recomend downloading it.
Good work. ;)
[Edited on 10/30/07 @ 08:24 PM]
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Impeached
(id: MeGaIdIoT) |
Posted on 05/21/07 @ 02:40 AM
The reinforcements do nothing.
Good concept though, I love the music; In all a very chaotic map. |
Jatayu
(id: Sword_of_STORM)
Official Reviewer
File Author |
Posted on 05/21/07 @ 03:26 AM
@woutersmits
I hoped this wouldn't happen. Download Oliver's Rennaissance expansion from here
http://aok.heavengames.com/blacksmith/showfile.php?fileid=8365
Follow the instructions and try to play the campaign 'The Rennaissance man'
If it crashes, you got a problem
Otherwise this scenario should work fine |
| UnnamedPlayer |
Posted on 05/21/07 @ 06:38 PM
Playability: 4
I found all five minutes of the game entertaining and glitch-free. However, a few things prevented this game from being superb. The only real strategy was the choice between plumed archers and pikemen. Everything else was just micromanagement, which was difficult because the ship was so crowded. Another detractor is the method of getting more troops. While you select a mining camp, you cannot micromanage the rest of your forces. Also, at times the units would get stuck and there would be no room for more to be created. Though all this may duplicate the frenzy of commanding an army on a crowded ship under attack, these minor issues make the game less fun to play.
Balance: 5
The game was well-balanced with the appropriate difficulty. On moderate, I died once and then won, which I think is fine for a five minute game. I didn't note what the exact differences were, but hard was significantly tougher than moderate. None of the deaths were frustrating as they could be avoided with mostly predictable and appropriate maneuvers. The armies were balanced with the player's skill making up for the enemies' power.
Creativity: 4
Although the idea of holding out for some time is nothing new, the designer creatively goes outside what AoC is designed for and simulates the environment of being on a large boat. Additionally, units accessed by Renaissance are used. However, there was not much other creativity showcased probably due to the fact that the game simply didn't last very long.
Map Design: 4
This map was a great attempt to create the atmosphere of being on a large ship. However, there were also a few problems that I'm not even sure you can fix, such as oars on the inside of the boat and the fact that there was really nothing on the ship except two sails which are on piles of water. The outsides of the ship are on ground level and the insides are elevated. Such problems may be unavoidable (and necessary for proper gameplay) because you're trying to do something this game wasn't designed for, but I can only evaluate how the map design ends up looking.
Additionally, in this very tiny map, ships sometimes just appeared out of nowhere insteading of travelling in from the edge of the map. The small map isn't inherently bad, but it may have been the cause of some of the crowding issues.
Story/Instructions: 4
The instructions are clear and concise, and there is an apt story to set up the game along with a picture and some historical information. Nevertheless, the story isn't excellent or a motivation to play this game. Granted, nothing elaborate or profound is needed to set up five minutes of gameplay, but I still have to give an independent score to the story.
Additional Comments: A fun five minutes. I would recommend it, but note that you'll probably spend more time setting it up and reading instructions/hints than actually playing the game. |
Lord Basse
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 05/22/07 @ 02:46 PM
PLAYABILITY: 4+
I love scenarios that you can play a hundred times and always have a good time playing. This is one of these scenarios. You start with some soldiers on a giant ship and you’re under heavy attack from all sides. You must hold off for five minutes. Piece of cake you think. Well that’s definately not a good description of this game. I know from before that Sword_of_Storm loves games on the Hard difficulty and the games he make are always suited best for that difficulty. The only problem I found in this game was that the Standard difficulty was extremly easy, and the step to the Moderate difficulty was a giant one. I never won on Moderate, but it was piece of cake on Standard. I could almost let the game go by itself and I would win with no problems. That’s the only thing that brings Playability down slightly, else this is a superb game, though very short.
BALANCE: 4
For hardcore players, or guys like SoS himself who love restarting the game ;), this can be a really entertaining game. The standard difficulty is extremly easy, most suited for newbies or players that want an easy game. Moderate is a huge step above and I never managed to win it there. I never played on Hard, but I assume it’s much harder than moderate since the authour, SoS, has made it as a special difficulty. What brings this down is that there is no real difficulty for medium players, like myself. Moderate is too hard and standard is by far too easy. For players that are better than me, this can sure be a lot of fun, and even if I found it very enjoyable, I’d prefer to play on a difficulty that is more suited for medium players.
CREATIVITY: 5
What can I say? A very small map has been used to create this scenario and the overall theme is new. Sea battles aren’t, but the theme with boarding a giant ship is, to my knowledge, new for AoK. The map isn’t filled with tricks and stuff, but it uses certain simple combinations to lighten up the player’s day. The units added with the Rennaisance expansion have been used wisely to give a better atmosphere and more realistic look. The only thing I could complain about would be to make the water deeper, since ships dont often go to shallow waters in these masses. But apart from this it’s a very creative scenario.
MAP DESIGN: 4+
Since half the map is onboard a ship, it’s hard to make it look realistic. The authour has probably made it as good as it can be with railings, defenses and entrances to the lower part of the ship. The sea, or river, is the weaker part, since it’s a shallow sea filled with ships. If it was deeper it would look more realistic. But apart from this, the map is probably as good as it can become.
STORY & INSTRUCTIONS: 5
A detailed story, historical charactors, atmospheric music, a history section filled. This is a great example of how a mini scenario can be pushed to the limits of the story and iunstructions part. The story may not bee very deep, but it’s detailed and actionpacked. The instructions come in loads and it’s very easy to understand what you need to do. I never got lost, everything was clear. I can only give a 5.
OVERALL: Challenging
IN DETAIL: Really something for hardcore players. A detailed and actionpacked game you can play a hundred times without getting tired of it.[Edited on 06/09/07 @ 11:03 AM]
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| Shadow667 |
Posted on 05/26/07 @ 02:43 PM
Playability: 4
Starting out with a good amount of soldiers, you find yourself on a large boat, defending yourself against various pending invaders. Your men are set to destroy the invading ships while you alone are to command them. You are given a specific set of gold so that you may tame slaves, which can also help defend your ship. Prevent your enemies from taking hold and you'll find yourself winning in no time at all.
I much enjoyed the concept, as I cannot remember the last time it was done (if it was ever done at all), and it was executed quite well. Although I found myself winning quite easily on Standard and Moderate, I had loads of fun when I found myself getting a REAL challenge on Hard. It was this difficulty that I found myself playing again and again. Even so, there were just a couple of spots that I felt were lacking, especially when my enemy resigned before I could take out their ships, forcing me to go after them instead of defend myself. Even so, I'm rating playability a 4.
Balance: 5
As mentioned in the "Playability" section, I found the Hard difficulty very enjoyable compared to the likes of the others, and so have based my review on that. However, I believe Moderate players will find themselves in for a real treat, too. And Easy is well - easy! Therefore, I can find nothing wrong here, and will therefore give a grade of 5 for balance.
Creativity: 5
What can I say? This idea is highly original and executed very well. One large boat and a couple of allies vs. various, historically-based armies - genius! I appropriately give it a 5.
Map Design: 3
I know the entire point was to make the map small, but even a 35x35 might have been more fitting so that you may have at least some room to move around. However, the design itself made up for it, as it did give the feel it was taking place on the Nile. While the music quality was poor, I found the relative *static* fitting with the atmosphere. Overall, with a couple of fixes here and there, you'd be on your way to a 4 in this section, but for now, I'm rating it a 3.
Story/Instructions: 4
Loads of history, hints, instructions, etc - especially for such a small and simple map. I found myself taking the time to read it, however, and it greatly helped me take care of my enemies. I can see you took the time to type all of that, and so I give you a 4, because it was also very helpful.
Additional Comments:
It's a MUST download and has all the features I like to see in a "Defend the Spot"-type of scenario. The original idea of having one large "boat" was executed well, and the Egyptian AoE touch just tops it all off.
All in all, well done, and I hope to see more from you in the future.
Regards,
Shadow667 |
| Shadow667 |
Posted on 05/26/07 @ 02:44 PM |
| tyler_t_rocks |
Posted on 06/06/07 @ 08:30 PM |
| Pages: [1] 2 » Last » |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
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| 4.4 | | Breakdown |
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| Playability | 4.2 | | Balance | 4.6 | | Creativity | 4.6 | | Map Design | 4.0 | | Story/Instructions | 4.4 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 1,138 |
| Favorites: [] | 0 |
| Size: | 4.73 MB |
| Added: | 05/16/07 |
| Updated: | 06/29/07 |
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