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Author |
File Description |
ReggieREAL |
Posted on 07/08/02 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Map Size: |
400x400 (Large) |
Difficulty: |
Hard |
This time it looks like it's over for Double Throat Castle, since the king is off to stop the Wolf from attacking his dad, he only left a small force at the castle to defend against, not only that but the reason fire from some kids playing with matches burn down some farms leaving the fort hungry, the Snake and the Wolf is going to destroy that castle at all cost this time. "Boy you guy's must stop them at all if any cost".... "good luck" :-) |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Sulis |
Posted on 07/13/02 @ 12:00 AM
Playability: Following on from Double Throat 2, this is a better map by far, simply because some balance issues have been addressed. This map is now better playability speaking because it is initially harder. Very similar to '2' but a definite improvement. Play Double Throat 2 first, then this map and you will see what I mean. However, there is still the problem of no win/lose conditions set, thereby leaving you waiting after the final invasion to see if there is anything else to expect.
Balance: Better, more invasions and close to being a full-on siege of your castle. The design lends itself to mass invasions and this is clearly the case. I would disable or remove all the weapons from the arsenal to improve this further. Very good effort here.
Creativity: Okay, but maybe a little too similar to Double Throat 2 to warrant a better score.
Map Design: Almost, if not identical to Double Throat 2. Good land modelling, very good castle and effort all round in producing something intimidating and playable.
Story/Instructions: Again, very good. Very dry sense of humour apparent in the description page which I found very funny! Maybe not different enough though.
This is a better map than Deep Throat Castle 2 (was this planned as a new map or an improvement on 2?) but too similar for my liking. The win/lose criteria must be addressed, though. Still, getting better Reggie! Keep at it, these maps do show promise.
NB: Lord Ankiset/Ultima Spock, please read the review guidelines and bear in mind the work that others have done here to both review properly and promote map makers' work before you consider reviewing in the manner you have. Please be fair and judge the WHOLE map AFTER playing it. I echo Ztolk's words, we need constructive criticism and enouragement across all areas of an author's submission. Please review maps, but please do it properly. |
Jalis |
Posted on 07/13/02 @ 12:00 AM
Because two buffons though funny to rate a map without playing it, I feel someone had to make a serious and honnest review. I didn't planned that, at least not today.
Playability is low, mostly because of military lack of balance and civilian problem where there no solutions. Anyway economic side of the game have no importance. I played most time with 0% popularity and dont care about this, because I could do nothing to change this situation ... and I had so much troop that civilian's problem could wait.
I think I had to explain the starting situation.
Story :
The tricky Wolf had dupe the king, making it believe, he was far, so the king launch is troop in this suppose direction and the wolf attack in an other : Double throat castle. Because the king launched his troops far, double throat have only a few troops, the wolf a mighty army (I supposed), and obviously it's to you to defend the castle.
Reality : Double Throat is not reeally a castle but an awesome forteress city. It could be attack only by one side, and no way for the ennemy to go to the 3 others sides. Attack way for the Wolf are narrow and well defended : ford, moats, killing pits, pitch traps and a bunch of pitched engineers.
The poor garrison the king let you to defend double throat is about 300 soldiers which quickly raise to 500 with your amazing war treasury, well fill armory, and goods available at the market place.
But : It miss you hovel for about 250 peoples at start, and your popularity down quickly.
Here I builded hovel, then when I saw my armory I hire as many soldiers as I could. I stabilize about at 320 folks and no hovel requiered anymore... but my popularity always down. I quickly understand : THE GRANARY WAS EMPTY !!! I had to feed 320 peoples with nothing. At this time I decided to dont care about civilian/economic side of the game : wait and see.
Come back to our sheeps. I had a mighty highly defendable castle, saddly I had only 500 soldiers to defend it, and worst, I had for a correct defense to divide my poor garrison in... a single group.
Well stop with joke I send all my troop in the only area where ennemy could attack and after that I was a spectator.
A few words about The Wolf army : despite he is the attacker and had to storm a very powerfull castle, his army was far outnumbered and of poor quality : only light troops.
Result was a slaughter, my outergates had even never take a single hit and were still undamaged when I ended the game.
Bug and mistake : missuse of event messages. Advisor and ennemy speech are sometime strange : your advisor say that you have a few time to send the weapons, snake say you have to give more ale and then he immediatly attack ect ...
Denie of victory : after 1070 no more invasion, no message, nothing. I reorganize my city, and wait until 1078, but always nothing, even a little wheat disease or like. I stopped and edited the map : There is no win nor loose condition.
Overall you have very few actions to do at start and then just see, do mothing and be the spectator of a slaughter.
Playability : 1
Balance : 1 no comment, even at very hard it's impossible to loose. You have lot of troops of good quality garrisonned in an highly defendable castle, and your outnumbered ennemy attack you with archers spearmen sometime macemen and a few knights.
Creativity : 3 nothing really special.
Map Design : 4 a very good looking map and it miss a few to deserve a 5, perhaps did it...
Story : 4 slightly above the average, the author made an effort and traduce the story in the game : we could see the result of the fire which catch the castle one day before the game start.
Overall : The rate of this map have no signification, simply avoid it until the author update it. This map have perhaps a good potentiel but is actually close to unplayable. Unenjoyable would be a more correct word.
Just an addition without real signification : 2.6
A little sad because it's obvious that the author spend a significant time to work on this map, especially at map design. In another hand I'm dubitative about time spend to test the map. It's a too commun default : making a map and send it to download without test. Testing his own map is at least half of the work a mapmaker had to do on his creation.
Last advice for the author : I feel this map in his spirit to be more a siege map to be play as defender than an invasion. Player is immediatly under attack and have no management to do with his production, people, castle, economy ect ... Perhaps could you think about change this map to a siege map.
Jalis |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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3.1 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 2.5 | Balance | 2.5 | Creativity | 3.0 | Map Design | 4.0 | Story/Instructions | 3.5 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 581 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 848.93 KB |
Added: | 07/08/02 |
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