The news is late to reach your ears. By the time you have returned home,
the castle of Darkmoor has fallen to the army of Prince Jon.
A short distance away, your village lies in flames and your family is dead.
As you stand amidst the wreckage, your thoughts turn Northward.
There lies Darkmoor. The prince and his army are still there, getting
fat off the ill-gotten gains of the nearby-destroyed villages, while
the good King's remaining troops lie rotting in Darkmoor's dungeons.
Every ounce of your being cries out for vengeance, but you are only one
man and the Prince's army is massive. You pray to God with all of your might
and a vision forms in the fires of your decimated village; the vision of a White
Cross in the setting sun.
Time is short. The Prince's men will surely return soon. Whatever you decide
to do, you must act quickly…
About:
This map was largely inspired by the "Usurper" campaign by Gordon Farrell and by the
various eye candy tricks discussed on the Stronghold Heaven forums pages. I spent far
too long working and reworking this map. Hopefully, some will find it enjoyable.
This map is meant to be fairly challenging and time consuming. If you're looking for
a large quick battle, than this is likely not the map for you.
Playability: A very playable map, something slightly different to challenge you. It takes time and patience to win on this but thoroughly enjoyable. I played on easy a few times, and managed it once. I have tried it on medium setting and nearly cracked it, but still faltered at the last (something to do with trying a new approach that nearly worked, but not quite).
Balance: Very much in favour of the defender, but this map works. I never thought that having one maceman could amount to a decent level start! You really have to think to achieve victory, which I really enjoyed.
Creativity: Has to be a five, simply because it seems so different to other maps here. A great deal of thought has clearly gone into the design of this. I sat there for five minutes after moving your one unit thinking how on earth do you play this? That'll teach me not to pay enough attention to the title or the finer details of the map (i'm saying no more, but no doubt people will have picked up what is required). Well done!
Map Design: Playing this map makes it clear to understand why I have given it a good score. I was tempted to give it another 5, but if it were possible to rate it a high 4, then I would. A novel landscape, particularly liked the arena (was it meant to be an arena? Apologies if not) with people watching your imprisoned troops.
Story/Instructions: Well presented. I don't think much more could be said by way of introduction.
This is a clever map and I really do recommend it for something new.
Time playing it: 1 1/2 hours (I know, poor, other no doubt will fare better)
Cups of coffee drunk whilst pondering what to do next: 4
Troop loss when successful: 88% (see first point)
Most frequently used phrase: 'How the hell....'
Posted on 04/05/02 @ 12:00 AM (updated 04/06/02)