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Scenarios » Battles of Creation - The Blackened Mire
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Battles of Creation - The Blackened Mire
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| Author |
File Description |
| jamieJME |
Posted on 01/25/04 @ 06:07 PM (updated 01/28/04)
| File Details |
|---|
| Ruleset: |
AoW: SM - TS Standard Rules |
| Map Size: |
M |
| Levels: |
2 |
| Single Player?: |
Yes |
| Co-Op vs. AI?: |
No |
| PBEM/Hotseat?: |
No |
| Multiplayer Online?: |
No |
| # of Wizards: |
3 |
| # of players: |
1 |
| Skill Level: |
Advanced |
| Password Protected: |
No |
Welcome to the incredible land of Erithnia
In a prequel to the most popular single player map for Age of Wonders 2, The Blackened Mire brings a whole new level to single player maps for Shadow Magic.
In this purely single player map, all decisions carry consequences: will your word be iron, will you be fair, protect the weak, reward the loyal. The choice will be yours....
Pushing the editor to its limits with almost 500 events and never seen before FX events, the combined efforts of the story, game play and graphics will give single player fans the most intense experience with Shadow Magic to date.
It is a time when innocents suffer
A time when frostlings flee
It is a time when evil roams at will
A time when orcs are marching
It is a time when purity is being corrupted
A time when snow is turning black
It is a time when a champion is needed against the tides of death
A time when a wizard is needed to combat the deathly threat
It is the time to prepare to play the prequel for 'The Battle Of Creation', the map that has had over 5000 downloads and overwhelmingly positive reviews
It is the time when you will return to the famed world of 'The Battle Of Creation'
The time when single player for Shadow Magic shall truly come of age.
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| Pages: [1] 2 » Last » | | Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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| Horza666 |
Posted on 01/26/04 @ 02:59 PM
Balance: 4
Creativity: 5
Map Design: 5
Story/Instructions: 5
Additional Comments:
At first: playablilty and balance are judged 4 due to the experiance a player need to succesfully survive the map. For sure the master-players will give it a 5 ! (but it's getting harder as you play along the map !)
This map is the editor pushed to the limits and sometimes beyond.
This map is the best single-player map i played since i have AoW (and i have played all of the series).
Beautiful landscape along with a mindthrilling story ! Everything fits perfect, the events work, and the player will see the result of every decision later in the game !
I'm not finished at all with my testplay, so this review will get an update.
To the devs ! Place this one along with the 1.3 patch !
Cheers
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Swolte
Staff |
Posted on 01/26/04 @ 04:38 PM
I also gave a million tips and taught him everything you see here.
Playability: 5
Map played very well for me. It was tense and I remember exactly what happened. I usually dont play Single Player maps but I must admit this one got me addicted. I tried playing it 'ironman' and had to reload twice! It was a lot of fun, especially as I thought I had lost but carefully fought back.
Balance: 5
Well, its sp so adjust the settings if you think it's too hard/easy. As a start I wouldnt recommend it to a new player for sure! (unless you love reloads).
Creativity: 5
This map will (hopefully) change the future of mapmaking. As far as I know, this map is a masterpiece in all respects; terrain tricks as well as events!
Please get inspired while playing! This shows there is SOOO MUCH life beyond the random map generator!
Map Design: 5
Map has been tested to death (also by me). Additions made after testing proved to be very interesting. A nice example is the use of boats (by the AI..).
Story/Instructions: 5
This was my biggest concern in the beta version. I didnt get the story and names followed up real quick! A lot has improved since. I still havent played the new version. But I strongly believe this masterpice has to stand out so thats why I think it deserves 5 points as an average!
Additional Comments:
(The part about that I gave a million tips and taught him all was a lie, unfortunately.. ;() |
| Minstrel |
Posted on 02/09/04 @ 07:02 AM
Not a map for the fainthearted. I played the map only once and I must confess several reloads. Beware for the evil armies of bone dragons, warlords and canons.
Balance: 5
Always on the edge but progressively the balance will shift in your favour (well, may be).
Creativity: 5
An nice adventure like map with event triggered decisions, combined with the all the classical features of AoW.
Map Design: 5
Very nice landscape and AoW SM events used to their full extent. A textbook for apprentice designers.
Story/Instructions: 5
Good story telling through the end of the scenario.
Additional Comments:
You will be hooked to your computer until the game is over. The drawback is that it is hard to play the standard single player maps after this one. Again an excellent map by jamieJME (IMO better than Battle of Creation) and instantly a classic. |
| BlackRose |
Posted on 02/09/04 @ 05:52 PM
This is traditionally not my style of map, I prefer the larger maneuvering and space, but for what it is it cannot get any better. You'll keenly feel the loss of every unit and even the smallest bit of help will have you fervently thanking your computer, (or the designer!).
Balance: 5
This category is misleading, the scenario is not meant to be balanced, its meant to be hard. So a five is what suits it.
Creativity: 5
Hard to get any more creative, a totally original story (?) with characters and script. Never mind the effort that went into designing the map and events!
Map Design: 5
Best of its kind out there, its different than Athendore which I also gave a five, but there is nothing of the kind to compare it too (not really, its a brand new step!). It plays beautifully and looks it.
Story/Instructions: 5
The most well documented scenario to date, tonnes of work and time went into this and it shows. The effects bring real life to the text and it gets very involving!
Additional Comments:
Bravo!
(Keep the Rankings coming, a good scenario deserves our support!)
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| Tom Bombadil |
Posted on 02/18/04 @ 12:55 AM
I must say that JME exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable here. The events were excellent! The map itself was designed in such a way as to necessitate the player to make very difficult decisions as to resource allocation and troop construction. This was not just a simple "build and charge" map.
I must say that this is the first single player map that I've played with AOW II or SM with the exception to the II campaign. I didn't expect to be hooked on my computer until dawn. Very well done JME!
Balance: 5
Balance was excellent. Unfortunately, the ai in aow leaves a little to be desired, but the overwhelming construction capacity of the ai in this senerio made the battles intense, an experience that I don't often have against the ai.
I always hated the glutton as a troop, but I must say that I can't wait to try them mp again. I've never seen so many knights get gulped up!
Creativity: 5
I saw things in this senerio that I didn't even know you could do. The rising and lowering of the march, the terrain change to go to the fire dude, all very well done. I give JME another round of applause.
Map Design: 5
As near as I can tell, this was flawless. The ai was moving against me with flyers and gluttons, so there was no defend one city really well and keep the ai away.
Story/Instructions: 5
The story was great. As a matter of fact, I've chosen frosties/air specialist in a number of games since, lol. The events were great! Unfortunately, I let that little hobbit live, but I never got another message from him :(. I also let the dwarves get killed :(. I triggered the event that must allow the evil guys through on accident. Sorry buddies!
Additional Comments:
This was a great map. If you haven't played it, give it a shot. I think that you'll be amazed with the amount of detail that JME used. Further, I think that you'll see things that you've never seen before in a game of aow. All in all, great job JME!
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| Timelord |
Posted on 02/23/04 @ 03:58 AM
This map offers various options while playing that we can play it in different ways but ultimately, the units and over-all strategy don't change much (unlike the Battle of Creations :) )
Balance: 4
My personal opinion is that Balance in an SP map should not be considered as a category...but Jamie, you've manouevered the AI into some strong positions using the terrain and the AI is quite a challenge.
Creativity: 5
The use of FX events was an eye-opener...for me, atleast. That sphere around Iceina alone makes this map deserving of a 5. (And initially when you posted the screenshot, I had thought you must have dabbled in photoshop).
Map Design: 5
Great work in transitioning from one terrain into another. And also, making the map so as to make the AI challenging is not a small feat.
Story/Instructions: 5
The most important aspect of an SP map is the story and it has been beautifully wrought in this map...you cannot help but doing certain thing just because your character in the story is like that...like helping the beggar first time around. A story that makes you feel deserves the best.
Additional Comments:
One of the best SP map so far in SM (though Battle of Creation was better IMO)...absolutely immersing storyline and the events take hold of you, never allowing you to go into a lull. And getting a chance to try out different choices and having those choices affect your game is a first of its kind.
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| zeta |
Posted on 02/24/04 @ 12:36 PM
Very enjoyable. What makes it great is that it is challenging. Although it is initally frustrating to have several stacks of balck dragons swoop down on you, it makes me want to come back and try again. I frequently had to do the quick-move-your-units-when-the-turn-starts-before-the-AI-does thing.
Balance: 5
Going by the SP definition, it's great for experienced players.
Creativity: 5
Neat stuff.
Map Design: 5
It works well, and prevents you from just takeing over the enemy's only tower before you have fully explored the scenario.
Story/Instructions: 5
There were a couple confusing spots early on that hung me and a lot of people up; I might tweak the instructions a little bit on those. I also got stuck on the final map/plot device.
But these complaints are not enough to down-grade an excellent SP map.
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| Ola |
Posted on 03/07/04 @ 01:30 PM
Excellent! Very challenging, yet really enjoyable!
Balance: 5
Just what I need from an SP map.
Creativity: 5
"Amazing" is the first word that comes to mind, actually!
Map Design: 5
Really beautiful drawn map, IMO.
Story/Instructions: 5
Just superb!!!
Additional Comments:
Well, it's definitely the best SP map I've ever seen (by far)! BTW, the second best was the sequel :-) Jamie - you're just GOOD!!! I salute you!
However, a few (minor) issues:
--warning - spoilers!--
1) There are lots of events with Enter Area trigger where Stop Movement was by mistake left to True, which can become annoying (just stops you in the middle and does nothing).
2) I managed to reproduce a crash in two cases: one, when you put a guard in the razed city with tower, and then the event rebuilds it when Iceina comes to it - the game crashes (probably not your bug); two: when the yetis offer their gift, and you try to take both their gift and the ice pillar... don't remember which one first, but it crashed (not sure this one is reproducible)
3) The FX of the sphere that traps Iceina dissapears if you save & reload.
4) The real trouble: in the fire skull with the two nodes, the berserkers are supposed (as I understood) to spawn each turn when you own one of the nodes, but haven't entered the skull. Well, they continue to spawn after you enter the skull, too. I think I know what the bug is: in the conditions of the event, you put AND FLAGGED node1 OR FLAGGED node2 AND NOT entered skull. So, since both nodes are flagged, it turns out true! The conditions should be:
AND NOT entered skull AND FLAGGED node1 OR FLAGGED node2. The order is crucial!
I haven't finished it yet, I'll write more if I find some other issues (if you prefer it by email, tell me (yuri-r@actcom.co.il)).
Again, thanks for the great map![Edited on 03/07/04 @ 01:31 PM]
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| Sid Amazing |
Posted on 03/07/04 @ 07:07 PM
Playability: 5
Very playable I couldn't stop coming back to completed it. It has that "ok one more turn before I go to bed feeling", excellent!!!!
Balance: 4
At the beginning it is just about right. Its nice to have items that give you a negative effect, I feel this is very important to map as it makes you choose the item that is best suited to the battle before it begins. Midphase if you don't play it right you will be overwhelmed by the AI. With his bone horrors and black dragons. By the endgame I found it just about right.
Creativity: 5
Well do I need to say anymore, top map, story and effects the flaming pentagram was excellent.
Map Design: 4
The map was excellent, I just wish there was more going on in the bottom middle-left hand corner near the goblin city. It seemed to spaced out down there, especially once you have kill the dragons off. I think a heavily defended city would have been nice. Apart from that the map is well designed. This is just my own opinion.
Story/Instructions: 5
The story is excellent, Its nice to see the creation of Bruuk (since I’m playing “THE BATTLE OF CREATION-gold edition” at the moment). The other comment once I completed it there was no end story as such saying what happened to Icenia etc. I suppose this is an editor issue (or did I miss something).
Additional Comments:
This is a long map. which is fine for me. Just be careful if you're looking for a 3 hour map, this isn’t it. It took me 163 turns and over a week (my computer needs more ram), BUT IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!!! There are couple bugs I notice
1. If you have a unit in the raze city before Icenia turns up. Then during the city creation the game crashes.
2. I had my hero on the place where the harp needs to be placed. If I have a stack of 8 knights going through this location they will get stuck and run on the spot. Thus I had nine units in this location. The only way I could move my knights was to move them manually to the next square.
These are minor points, My last comment is below:
Jamie kept up the good work and I look forward to next Battle of creation. Sweet!! |
| Galahad_2nd |
Posted on 03/17/04 @ 07:07 PM
This moves right along with the plot and is fun throughout,and avoids the Bigger-is-Better trap that many maps fall into.
Balance: 4
The only problem with this is that it is a little too hard. Not impossible but it could be frustrating for some players. Specifically:
a. Gold is very tight early in the game before you free your wizard; it is very hard to pay maintenance for your Yetis long enough for them to do their job. Even in the mid-game after you have a couple of towns, you still won't really be able to do any building until you research Survivalist and Merchant. I would give the player more access to resources, or start the player out with Survivalist, or at least give hints that it is really important to research it.
b. You are hit with wave after wave of Gluttons and Orc Chieftains, which is fun for awhile but it gets frustrating after awhile and requires many reloads. I would cut back on the enemy production a bit.
Creativity: 5
This is one of the most creative maps I've ever played.
Map Design: 5
Actually, it isn't perfect, there are a couple of minor issues late in the game. I think that the intent was to have the black dragons spawn first, then you get Bruuk after defeating them, then start that quest, then you have the tools to cross the shadow void. But I tried to attack the enemy capital first, read in the message boards that I need to attack the dragons, got Bruuk and did his quest. But I didn't notice the teleporter gate to get the harp; you need to center the view on it. I'm still giving it a 5 despite these minor things, because this map has so many cool events that work fine and it has a great story. It is much better to try to make an interesting map with a couple of very minor issues like this than to make a boring one that has no problems because it is simple.
Story/Instructions: 5
Awesome! I wish I could give it a 10 but the scale only goes up to 5. I love the way this map uses events and messages to give clues and force the players to make moral choices that have consequences later on.
Additional Comments:
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| Pages: [1] 2 » Last » |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.6 | | Breakdown |
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| Playability | 4.5 | | Balance | 4.4 | | Creativity | 4.8 | | Map Design | 4.7 | | Story/Instructions | 4.7 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 13,446 |
| Favorites: [] | 0 |
| Size: | 181.06 KB |
| Added: | 01/25/04 |
| Updated: | 01/28/04 |
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