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Helm's Deep -the invasion
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Author |
File Description |
LadyVamp |
Posted on 04/08/02 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Map Size: |
400x400 (Large) |
Difficulty: |
Normal |
Helm's Deep is one of the great battle scenes from the second book of Lord of the Rings. Here I have tryed to build a scenario that re-creates the battle as far as possible within the constraints of Stronghold. The map features all sorts of eye candy and tricks I've picked up from the people here at Stronghold Heaven. I'm particularly pleased with the secret entrance to the caverns hidden in the waterfall.
Do take a good look around and figure out where everything is. It will help you a great deal in trying to win this mission. Also please note that the Citadel contains no less than 6 gatehouses, four small stone, one large stone and one wooden, so if you are having trouble moving about the Citadel make sure the gates you need to use are open.
I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I did building it. |
Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Sulis |
Posted on 04/10/02 @ 12:00 AM
Playability: Okay, so I have played this map loads of times and I still have yet to beat it, but on this occasion I really don't think it matters. This map intrigues me and I will keep playing this over and over again until I succeed!!! I found it damned hard, but I think I am nearly there (he says, naively)
Balance: With such large invasions to cope with the game leans heavily on the attacker, i.e. the invading hordes. See point made above about having yet to win. Very good, though.
Creativity: Simply brilliant. My knowledge of Lord Of The Rings is limited but it is clear that a tremendous amount of thought has gone into this. Can't really fault it, so I won't.
Map Design: Stunning, absolutely stunning! Anybody who can put as much time into creating a map like this wins my admiration. I LOVE some of the little aspects of design here such as the gulleys and sand effects around the inner hall. There are few maps that I have played that immediately give you a sense of atmosphere like this does. Oh, can't miss out the little torches on columns representing illumination through the gulleys. This has given me loads of ideas myself and this can only be a good thing.
Story/Instructions: Very good, sufficient detail is here to let you know what you need to do (not very original bearing in mind the few maps I have managed to review so far, apologies).
OVERALL: Whilst I am neither the world's biggest Tolkien fan (only due to lack of effort to read his works on my part) or fantasy buff, I don't think it matters here. This map is fun to play, intriguing, mystical and without doubt beautifully crafted. LadyVamp, I take my hat off to thee! Please play this map, I am sure that there are elements in this that will appeal to most people.
I think I like it, don't I?!
Sulis |
aubergine |
Posted on 04/17/02 @ 12:00 AM
You simply must play this map. 'Nuff said!!
Playability: 4
Let me get the single bad point out of the way first - you can't build towers in this map (other than wooden platforms). I'm a tower fetishist! Especially the big sexy ones you can put siege equipment in!
Having said that, this was an awesome map to play. Decent sized attacking armies (would be better if they were a bit bigger and more frequent). Watching your troops run round all the little nooks and crannies in the map was great. Plenty of tactical warfare going on in this one! I enjoyed the challenge of feeding 400 workers with the limited farmland and loved the struggle to get workers to the trees on the high-plain (which was initially inaccessible).
Balance: 3
The dyke was far too easy to defend and I won this map first time. With all the attacks, the enemy didn't even get chance to fill in the moat and the closest they came to the dyke was a single maceman who managed to bash the wooden wall once before being turned in to a pin cushion by my archers. There were far too many blue troops to start with and after working out how to rapidly "harvest" wood in great quantities (plus having 400 workers to earn lots of taxes) my archer/crossbow count ended up at something like 400 (along the rebuilt dyke) by the end of the game.
As mentioned above, I feel it would have been better to start the attacks earlier and reduce the gap between attacks. From what I can see of the map design, once the dyke falls this map will be very difficult indeed.
Creativity: 5
Ok, I know this is described in some detail by Tolkien, but so much imagination, time and effort has gone in to this map! When you first look at the map, you can't quite work out where everything is or how to move troops around. The more you look the more little things you spot - little path ways, cunning river crossings, small tunnels, ominous high inaccessible plains, the map name carved in to the map! I loved the placement of the keep (when I eventually realised where it was!!) and this map is full of creative tricks!
Map Design: 5
If I could have given this map 10/5 I would! Awesome. The ability to totally change the characteristic of the map by getting troops and workers up to the high plain really did swing this map for me!
Story / Instructions: 4
Great story by Tolkien but great instructions and engaging map by LadyVamp. If you've seen the first LotR movie, picture the last big battle in the woods - and then play this map... Picture the face of the enemy charging towards you and then see if you have a strange urge to tell your troops to run for their lives?! |
Lord_Ankiset |
Posted on 07/11/02 @ 12:00 AM
ppl you can call me a noob and everithing BUT I LOVED THIS MAP, not just as a tolkien fan, but the beautifull eye candy, and the castle was magnificant , DAM GIRL GOOD JOOB, wen i grow up i wana be just liek you, (i found the last invasion kinda dull) |
Jp Setlak |
Posted on 07/14/02 @ 12:00 AM
This is a superb invasion scenario. My computer froze during the last invasion, so I don’t know how the final battle turned out. I suspect Saruman and the Orcs jammed my video card. Playability 5: It was eminently challenging, with the constant feel of overwhelm mixed with dogged, toe-to-toe fighting. I loved seeing the hordes of enemy archers and having to hold the line with very few troops. Great variety in the crescendo of invasions. Balance 5: On the edge of your greaves. Creativity 5: As a lover of the Tolkien myths, I knew the story. This was a wonderful representation of a great classical battle. But Tolkien or not, it stands on its own. Map-mapping 5: Extremely detailed and beautiful. Great rivers and bridges. Story/instructions 4: Clear and precise. It gave good instructions on how to conduct the battle. |
lord spaz |
Posted on 07/14/02 @ 12:00 AM
this is an awsome map this map could easily beat the siege map for helm's deep i am a lotr fan and ramba angren translation walls of iorn i am makin thangorodrim the fortress that was only taken when the valar unleashed forces of nature but this map is one of the best i have found yet from this site i highly recomend it to all much better than the siege |
Kaoscat |
Posted on 07/15/02 @ 12:00 AM
This is a fantastic map...the detail is incredible...it took me a while to figure out how to get my troops from a to b and also to find those little pockets of hidden men that were scattered across the map. The only thing i could say in the negative is there are to many archers to start off with... but all in all fantastic....... |
TheWabbit |
Posted on 03/20/03 @ 12:00 AM
I liked EVERYTHING about the map except the fact that it was a little to cluddered all of it together in one place. Plus most of the map is already done for you and you dont have to do much.
But it is an extremly fun map!
-The //abbit |
Ome Arie |
Posted on 10/01/03 @ 12:00 AM
I'm heavily impressed by your skill as a map-builder. It is very obvious that there was a lot of effort put in to this and for that one should get credit.
Yours faithfully,
Ome Arie |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.7 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.9 | Balance | 4.3 | Creativity | 5.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 4.3 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 5,190 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 673.01 KB |
Added: | 04/08/02 |
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