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The Siege at Bloody Falls
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Author |
File Description |
Sir Deacon |
Posted on 05/01/02 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Map Size: |
400x400 (Large) |
Difficulty: |
Hard |
Minimap:
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Looking out on the fog laden horizon, from the safety and comfort of the Great Keep of what was formaly known as Castle Three Falls, the Princes mind begins to wander. "Bloody Falls,...the name should strike sheer terror into the hearts of any army thinking of sieging it...why,...rebuilt its twice as strong as in the days when my great grandfather and his army were besieged and slaughtered here!...No one in their right mind would dare attack...hmmm,...but not every person is in their right mind...are they?" The wind starts to pick up as the Prince wraps the woolen blanket tighter around his neck and chin. "Ahhh,..the comfort of a good blanket!" But this one was no ordinary blanket,...this blanket was made by his great grandmother many years before, and he had recieved it as a gift from his mother for overseeing that the crops be put up for the winter, as a young man. Now he snuggles beneath it,..with only one eye looking out over the horizon,...."If my great grandmother hadnt escaped the slaughter," he thinks..."I wouldnt even exist!" His blood begins to boil. "And now the same county who did slay my kin..so many years ago are returning to finish the job,...well,...I dont think they'll have such an easy go of it this time around..." Slowly the Princes eyes, weary from the days preperations, close,...one more night of fitful sleep, with only his wool blanket for comfort, he drifts off to better days, in slumber and awaits the events of the coming day. |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Sulis |
Posted on 01/14/08 @ 07:49 AM
Playability: 4
This is a pretty good attacking siege map. The castle design is quite intricate with numerous gatehouses and areas of wall that could be attacked to gain entry. However, the terrain modelling inside the castle ensures that you aren't gifted with a quick march up to the keep as you have to criss-cross from one side to another. You're constantly under fire as soon as you break through the outer walls and you really can't hang about once inside the castle. The action is quite fast-paced and a decent challenge. But the map has a few problems: the win criteria state that you must kill the enemy lord AND all defending troops when in fact killing the enemy lord, or indeed the 'black' lord hiding just to the east of the castle, will suffice. The pre-built stone bridge crossing the river just north of the small twin waterfalls sometimes allows the AI to become 'trapped' requiring your intervention in order to get them moving again. A good challenge though, plenty of replayability too.
Balance: 4
To be played on hard setting as per the author's instructions (see the brief note contained in the zip file). This setting is sufficient to offer a reasonable challenge to most skill levels. The castle design is, as commented on above, quite intricate and it is clear that Sir Deacon has really tried to make the player work hard for his victory. It is pleasing to see the omission of pitch ditches and killing pits for a change, with the castle layout and the sensible number of defending troops a nice touch.
Creativity: 4
An all-round good effort. The map is around five years old now (this review January 2008) and it is common sense that map making skills will improve over this period. Still, for a relatively old map now this still has a touch of something different and a less than straightforward way to win. In fact, you are spoilt for choice in terms of how you can beat the map. It would have been better, of course, if the event to kill off all enemy units as well as the lord was working properly. This intricate castle design and numerous ways in to the castle is a good idea and not often done these days.
Map Design: 3.5
Not bad at all. The castle looks alive and bustling with activity rather than just an empty shell cluttered with defending troops. The design generally works well enough and the AI doesn't have any problems. A pretty good use of eye candy tricks allows the castle to take on an unusual but quite attractive appearance. The landscape is reasonably well modelled and probably serves the purpose of supporting the castle rather than forming an integral part of the scenario. Pretty good use of the terrain tools, maybe a little bit more fine modelling with the terrain would help to elevate the score.
Story/Instructions: 4
It is pleasing to see a genuine attempt at a storyline even though the map is an all-out siege and designed primarily for one thing only. It reads well enough and has a strange but appealing style. The zip file contains base essential instructions on how to play, but i'm pleased that something has been included here regardless of the limited content. The Download Description page has been used exactly as it is supposed to be with a tempting snippet to entice the player.
Additional Comments:
A reasonably good map from start to finish. This syle of siege map (multiple options to gain entry to the keep) isn't used much these days, which is a shame. Commendable. |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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3.9 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.0 | Balance | 4.0 | Creativity | 4.0 | Map Design | 3.5 | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 2,656 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 751.73 KB |
Added: | 05/01/02 |
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