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| Author |
File Description |
| Duke of York |
Posted on 10/11/03 @ 12:00 AM
| File Details |
|---|
| Map Size: |
400x400 (Large) |
| Difficulty: |
Normal |
Minimap:
 |
ALWYNE VALLEY
Her Grace, Alwyne Constance, the Grand Duchess of Mauldin has recently came into possession of this land by order of his Imperial Majesty. This valley borders the lands belonging to Lord Steven, Earl of Startanburg (the Snake) of neighboring Darlington District. He also claims ownership of this valley as it has belonged to his family for generations. “The Emperor has no right or reason to give away his ancestral lands,” he snorted!
Meanwhile, his Majesty is preparing a grand gala and request game and fruit be provided from your newly acquired lands. He has also demanded you send a shipment of weapons to the imperial garrison in Effingham. His Majesty knows that the Snake of Spartanburg will try to interfere with his plans and may supply you with a few troops as reinforcements.
With few meager supplies, establish a fortified outpost and fulfill the emperor’s demands. Lord Steven has lost his cool and plans to take drastic measures, you must be prepared to stop him. Pray and have your peasants pray that God will be with you and grant you success in this endeavor.
Victory Requirements
4000 Gold
100 Meat
100 Fruit
40 Swords
40 Metal Armor
Time limit of 30 game years
This scenario allows you as the blue player the freedom to place your own starting keep. Study the terrain and carefully choose your starting location, each place has its own unique advantages and disadvantages – your success will depend on it!
I hope you enjoy playing this scenario as much as I have enjoyed creating it. As always, I look forward to constructive comments and player feedback. Please feel free to contact me at RON@TRINITYHSG.COM.
Happy Gaming!
James,
Duke of York
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| Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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| Jalis |
Posted on 10/16/03 @ 12:00 AM
Well, it’s a very enjoyable map. I had no dead time playing it, that compensate, military challenge never scared me. Duke of York here didn’t have restricted wood to much. You can even buy or sold it. That mean ambitious and active player have always sometime to do, without too much dead time waiting for raw. More, ability to place your keep where you want, make you free of your decision… It also make you 100% responsible in case of failure. Of course you start from nothing, and with few raws. Well in summary, you have no time for yawn, and it’s you, and only you which will decide of victory or defeat.
Balance : 5
well hard to say, I would have think 3, but more likely 4, but really, and I’am scared, I think I will give a 5 for the first time since I review map.
Well start with time out : Don’t be frightened by the time out, and don’t let it stress you more than necessary. You have 30 years, and really, I think DoY here is more than generous, or more likely, kind with beginners. I played the map twice, first at normal and second at hard. Both game where completed in 18 years. Here I have to point a quality of the map, which is, imo, addictive to balance and playability. You don’t have to wait for the last invasion to win. Once ecogoal are filled, you claim victory. I would have been angry, achieving mission eco goal in 18 years to wait 12 more years with nothing to do.
For me military side was not a problem, and enemies suffered crushing defeat. I don’t know what could have happened at very hard, but I doubt it would have change lot of thing.
First thing I though was :
“don’t be too hard, like you are mostly, Jalis, with balance matter. It’s a map where player is free to place his keep where he want. This kind of map is hard to balance, because there is too much unpredictable factors”
Really thinking deeper, thing are more clear. DoY said you are free to choose your location with various advantage and disadvantage. However I didn’t hesitate a long time to choose mine. I think it was a good choice, even too good. That also means all locations, even with various advantage/disadvantage are not equal, just my opinion. but it's not a problem.
Here the weakness of a map where you can choose the location for your keep become a strength. Players thinking the map is too easy have a solution, and no reason to complain about relative lack of challenge. THEY CAN CHOOSE THE WORST LOCATION for the keep and run for the challenge.
In summary, we have here a map which could be play from easy for beginner to very hard for veteran. I think everybody will find shoes sized for his feet. + if time out exist you are not bound to wait to this time out to win. You will just win at various date, and enjoy victory without long boring time. Add to this different location for the keep offer both different challenge and ton of replayability.
Map design : 5
Well, all DoY maps are beautiful, this one is not an exception. It a very fine and realistic landscape. Pfff how boring to always said the same things about DoY maps. Next time I will review one off his map, I will make a copy paste from comments of previous map. I will gain time ;)
Originality : 5
It’s an ultra classical fan map, in spirit of players especially early when Stronghold was released. Type invasion, size large, place your keep where you want, start from nothing, build an empire and defeat your enemies. How classical…Here extreme rarity of such fan maps to download oppose a strong denial to so called ultra classicism. Perhaps too much mapmakers, me included, try to make original maps, or never see features, and buy this way forgot happiness of simplicity.
It’s not the main originality of the map however. You cant build fletchers, nor buy bow or xbowmen, so you cant hire archers and xbowmen. It’s quite new, I don’t remember to have see a long invasion with such features. Of course some green archers will probably join you, but not enough, imo, to allow you to trust only missiles troops for your defence. In about all invasion maps players rely on archers and xbowmen, and fight see enemies storming your walls and players “welcoming” them under a rain of arrows. This map is the exception. About all fight I did on this map were furious open field hand to hand combat. Result was fighting require at little more tactic than with standard static defence. It also make combat to turn in spectacular violent melee. To offer a rare kind of map, with a novelty in matter to manage your defence it well deserve an other 5 in originality and creativity.
Story : 4
well it’s a well wrote story, realist, and rather good to introduce the scenario. However it’s not so original despite his quality. In summary a good story eligible for a 4, but not so amazing to deserve a 5.
Don’t say me you loosed your time to read all my review ? Hurry up, stop waste your time and download the map :)
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.8 | | Breakdown |
|---|
| Playability | 5.0 | | Balance | 5.0 | | Creativity | 5.0 | | Map Design | 5.0 | | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 2,753 |
| Favorites: [] | 1 |
| Size: | 849.03 KB |
| Added: | 10/11/03 |
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