Updated version from#19 : NO bandits BUG !!
Updated version from#75 : More invasions at the end !
In this one, you have to build a good defensive in order to defend your fertile lands against three enemy lords planning on invading your land. You start with a functionning fort and economy. Some easy attacks in the beginning, but don't let you be fooled ! You'll have to face a great attack in 1620 !
By the way, the stockpile is away from the castle and your village is lightly protected, but you need to establish good weapon production as soon as possible.
..maybe putting your armory elsewhere could hepl...
I enjoyed this map. It was quite a long game. I was able to build a complex fortification despite the large invasions on VHard difficulty.
Playability 5: Lots of options on this interesting ground.
Balance 4: I played it on Normal and then on Very Hard and was not having to panic very often. The final invasions are very large.
Creativity 3: Nothing stuck out as being that special aside from the interesting terrain and starting position, which I have credited in Map Design.
Map Design 4: The map was great fun to play with its web of streams making the reading of the invasion routes an interesting guessing game the first time around. The placing of the stockpile and granary outside the fort was, presumably, an effort to add a challenge to the map. However, I felt they would be too vulnerable and I relocated them inside the fort later in my first game and right at the start of my second game.
Story/Instructions 3: Quite brief, both on the site description and in-map. A handy hint was given about the size of the final invasions. Sadly, no mini-map on the site.
In Summary
Quite a long map allowing a large economy and fortification to be built up. Well worth downloading. Thanks are due to the author for a really good map!
Bismuth
Posted on 01/03/05 @ 12:00 AM
Rating
3.8
Breakdown
Playability
4.0
Balance
4.0
Creativity
4.0
Map Design
4.0
Story/Instructions
3.0
“Garrison the Fort” presents an interesting and complex opening position. Some fortifications are already in place around the keep and also in a remote part of the map (Are these a good design? Should I work with these or rebuild in another way?). Production units are also in place in various parts of the map (Can I defend these? Are they efficiently positioned? Will the starting economy produce enough food for the starting population?). The terrain also challenging, especially due to the water features, as it is not immediately clear which paths are open and which are blocked by water.
I enjoyed this uncertain opening and the chance to tweak, modify, and build up the economy and the defense. As the previous reviewer has noted, the structures on the map are fairly standard but the challenging opening pushes the creativity score up. Creativity – 4
Game play was tough. Even the early “smaller” invasions were nothing to be ignored if you were not prepared for them - especially when the Macemen and Pikemen began to appear in numbers. But the final series of invasions can be just overwhelming. First time I played I was completely wiped out. Second time I repositioned many of my key assets (including the stockpile and the granary) to safer locations then concentrated all I could to build thick stone walls and towers and produce quantities of archers and crossbowmen.
At the end the AI began to fail and sent the enemy knights only 3 or 4 at a time. In fact, I had to lure them in for the kill by building woodcutters near the walls. Oddly, though I got the Victory sign, my population was only 4 or 5 souls - nowhere near the in-game win requirement of 60. Playability – 4, Balance – 4
Text on the description page was well written but short. The story in the map itself gives a bit of background but also mentioned bandit attacks which never happened in the game. Story – 3
As mentioned above, the layout of the map was interesting and challenging. But the terrain could have used more use of intermediate levels and rounding to produce a realistic effect. Also the combination of “ocean” and “river” water features looked odd when they came together. Map Design – 3.5
Overall, a good contribution by a new designer. Keep up the good work and welcome to Stronghold Heaven!