Playability: 3
Some troops are locked in their towers and some of the areas of the map are unreachable. Also the goals are high (25000 gold is just one).
Balance: 3
Played this map for a long time, and its ok. You start with almost 100 shines all bunched together in a garden area with water. Plenty of trees for wood, you need alot of wood in this to make the goals. The market has a limited selection (they buy pitch only). You have a long set of goals. Since there is no description or story, I will list them all here:
Population: 130 (no prob)
Gold: 25,000 (alot, sell weapons)
Bread: 190
Fruit: 85
Cheese: 85 (three food goals?)
Drinking Ale: 100%
Fear factor: 5 (not hard because of shrines)
Creativity: 4
This is the highest rating I gave this because the map shows hard imaginative work.
Map Design: 3
What you get: Waterfalls that come out of nowhere. A huge castle. Two walled compounds, one that holds water pots? Its a good map (worth a 3). Just seems like it could be better.
Story/Instructions: 1
Complete lack of anything in this department.
Additional Comments:
Play this if you like economic maps that have high goals where you get to work with a limited market and loads of waterfalls splashing out everyplace.
peter2008
Posted on 03/05/09 @ 01:05 PM
Suddenly I was defeated. There is a special loose condition, "Troops killed: 30" nobody tells you about. Defiantly I started anew, but to my rules. Bought in the food types I could not buy at the market. Smashed the inner circle of walls and set up a huge economy, processing wheat and iron. Had double rations and -24 taxes :). All my melee troops I let retreat onto the gates and my outpost I abandoned. The invasions did not bother me any longer. Waited until the necessary amount of gold was achieved.
In general, this map (which answers to the name "Heaven in the desert") is easy. Beginners may have fun and may profit playing it. It's the restrictions at the market that make the mission somewhat interesting. You cannot buy or sell away the wood and thus must household with the stockpile tiles.