1st
Scenario #2 - Baron Lopi'sP – 4 – This map was quite fun, although it may dishearten more casual gamers. I became frustrated with it after playing it non-stop for about 45 minutes, but I am a very casual gamer. This is not what made it lose points. The missions were genuinely fun, but the time spent trying to find where they were located was not a joy ride. There was a lot of walking, and while I understand that RPGs require more walking time, there was a lot of walking time that could have been cut short by highlighting the areas of the map where the mission was being held. I enjoyed the mission variety nonetheless. Points were also lost because a trigger did not fire properly during the escort mission. I am sure, however, that had that been fixed, the gameplay would have been fun from there on out as well.
B – 4 – The balance was well done, except for one major factor. You are not informed that you are able to upgrade your weapons and armor, so I was trying some of the tougher missions with just my dagger and leather armor, which made the missions very hard. Had I known to upgrade my weapons and armor, the mission, I feel, would have played well. After I did upgrade, the missions were balanced nicely, if not a little hard. Overall though, good balance to keep the average gamer in the game.
Cr – 5 – This map was very creative. It did not play like a regular map and had many innovative ideas. I have not seen the escort caravan mission used before, which unfortunately I could not play. The story-line was very original and you could tell it was not thought up in one night. You’ll be able to get great inspirations from this scenario.
M – 4 – The map itself was very aesthetically pleasing. The fences at the home village (blue) were very unique and a wonderful idea. The map had good elevation and terrain mixing and a good amount of ambient objects. Maps are not just about looks though, they are also about functionality. I felt that the cities, while it was a good idea to have people walking around, were far too crowded and often resulted in my character getting stuck in traffic for a few seconds. Other than that, more rock sprites could have been used, but that was minor.
S/I – 4 – The story was very creative and deserved a five in my eyes. It was original and had a good plot line. The instructions, however, were much different. First off, I was not informed that I could upgrade my weapons or armor, and if I was, such a major element as that should have been more announced as to capture my attention. The map was also not highlighted, so I spent countless minutes wandering around looking for the spot. The dialogue was well written though, and there were few spelling mistakes.
Cine – 5 – Cinematics were well used and not very common as to disrupt gameplay. The opening cinematic was good, but not good enough as to want to watch it several times, so a skip intro or abort intro would have been nice.
Overall: Fun scenario, and if the author fixes up the bugs, it will be a great game! Total = 86.5% (.5 because I chose it as my winner.)
2nd
Scenario #4 - Rasher'sP – 4 – This scenario was very fun to play. It was a great mix of RPG and B&D. Byz, enjoying a B&D game? Go on! No really… The game ran smoothly and had some very creative aspects that added well to the gameplay. I found some areas very tedious though, such as those blasted hyenas. I can’t tell you how many times I died there. It was also impossible to save since if you load a game, the triggers do not fire properly (not the author’s fault.) Now, when I heard “build a town center,” I thought, oh great, another boring B&D scenario. If I wanted to play B&D, I’d play a random map. But this was not the case! First off, the gold comes from an outside source which added a unique element to the gameplay. The best part of it though is while you are building, the author sends your man Thomas on a mission RPG style, so you aren’t just watching your villagers chop wood and farm food. This was a very, very good aspect. The final battle was clever and had a fun cinematic to boot. Fix up the beginning, and this playability gets a 5!
B – 5 – This game was excellently balanced, except for one area. The hyenas were quite annoying, but all of the other aspects were just so much fun, you could tell the author spent a long time on them, so I rounded up. This is an excellent scenario for players of all styles and abilities.
Cr – 5 – The new gaming aspects for B&D that this scenario brings to the table were so good that I actually enjoyed playing a B&D. I commend the author on that almost impossible feat. The final battle was also very creative and original. While the storyline wasn’t at all anything original, I rounded up again.
M – 4 – The map was pretty good, but it had a few flaws. Elevation was missing in some areas and I felt more varied ambients would have served well. I was also confused as to why there were palm trees in England. Overall though, the map functioned well and looked decent.
S/I – 4 – While the instructions were clear, the storyline was quite unoriginal. Village and family die from some evil spirit and you must avenge them. I’ve heard that one before.
Cine – 4 – The cinematics were pretty good, but the opening cinematic had a very long camera angle that just stared at the sky for a while. There were also no ground breaking angles or cinematic usages.
Overall: Excellent scenario, and will certainly be a “Best of” if fixed up. Total = 86%
3rd
Scenario #7 - Eazy Ben'sP – 3 – If Shilmista and Heroes of Avalon had a mutated child, this would be it. When I began, I felt like I was back in the world of Shilmista, and even some of the missions, like the wood fetching, used the exact same wording (Wood obtained) as Shilmista. The whole buying units and heading on a trail and slaying creatures was very reminiscent of Heroes of Avalon and did not feel very original. Also, it would have been nice if the hero of the scenario could actually kill the bad guy of the scenario than a bunch of rag tag archers and manticores. The game kept my interested for the most part though, even if it was somewhat faulty.
B – 4 – While the units you could buy were enough to win, it was basically a run through the trail and kill creatures. Some areas with fewer creatures were very easy while some areas with more were very hard. This inconsistency proved trying for a more reserved player such as myself. The ending boss was also very hard as my hero could not attack him.
Cr – 3 – This map was semi-creative, and had some ingenious aspects here and there, but nothing above average. You play the beginning of Shilmista and end playing Heroes of Avalon. If there was a main-stream scenario, this would be it. The author saw what worked, and put it into his scenario without altering it very much.
M – 4 – The map was decent, but it was very cluttered in some areas and did not allow for ample troop movement. The terrain mixing was nothing to brag about, but the author made good use of ambient objects.
S/I – 2 – Ouch, this was not a highlight at all. Some of the dialogue disappeared too fast for one thing. Secondly, there was very little background (even after the character’s memory was refreshed) of what this place was and what was going on. The villager commentary was sub-par and the storyline was average at best. No, this was not a very “literate” scenario.
Cine – 4 – The cinematics were respectable, but there were no ground-breaking ideas here. There were also no major faults. They played well but did not add much.
Overall: Eh, I’d only recommend this to a die-hard RPS fan. The gameplay was non-linear and the story was poor. Total = 66%
Scenario #3 - Hessu's
P – 3 – The missions in this scenario were overwhelmingly easy and did not allow for much creativity or genuine fun. While it was not unbearable, the gameplay was only average. There was little variety in missions. The car riding was not a bad idea, even if executed without purpose.
B – 2 – Three words: Way too easy. If you want a challenge, avoid this one. There was perhaps one mission remotely losable.
Cr – 3 – The idea to put this into the GTA era was okay, but not very original. The idea for different guns was a nice addition, but there was few innovative or inspiration aspects. I did not feel intrigued while playing this.
M – 3 – The map was pretty clever, actually. I have never seen anything like it before, and would have received a higher score if the following were corrected: First, a more generic and realistic look would have made this map much more enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. This could be accomplished by adding elevation more randomly and not having so many squares. Secondly, the lack of ambient objects I was not fond of, and more could have been added for a more realistic look.
S/I – 2 – The storyline was horrible and sounded like a six-year-old wrote it to boot. It was non-linear and very mundane. The instructions were clear though, and I was never lost.
Cine – 3 – Not very ground-breaking, and there were a few flawed camera angles. They were not horrible and added a nice touch, but again, nothing extraordinary.
Overall: Creative, but poorly executed. Total = 53%
Scenario #1
I refuse to spend more time on a review than the author did on the scenario. Had there been no disqualifications, this would have been in last place, I’m sure. The cinematics were faulty, the map was atrocious, and the scenario was almost unbeatable. Horrible.
P – 1
B – 1
Cr – 1
M – 1
S – 2
Cine – 1
Overall: You’ll have more fun reading this review than playing the scenario. Total = 23%
Scenarios 5 and 6 were either impossible or did not function (stuck in cinematic mode) and therefore disqualified. Sorry authors, but you need to playtest to prevent this.
ByzTsunami Studios"People are born to succeed, not fail." - Henry David Thoreau[This message has been edited by Byz (edited 12-06-2004 @ 06:57 AM).]
posted 06 December 2004 04:37 AM EDT (US)
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