Other Games

Well the point of this blog isn't just to talk about SOE, Landmark and EQ:Next, but games and game theory. So I'm going to step back and talk for a moment about a couple other games that I just picked up over the holidays and I've been playing a good bit of lately.

I'll start with One Finger Death Punch by Silver Dollar Games. Available on the XBox store and on Steam for the PC. The game is definitely 'easy to learn, hard to master' as game play is limited to 2 buttons (X and B on an XBox controller Right and Left mouse button if you're playing on PC without a controller. Personally I highly recommend a controller, however, as spamming left and right mouse buttons has never been comfortable to me).
 
The game adjusts to player skill to a degree. If you are doing well it will increase the speed of the opponents to give more challenge, if you're getting hit and/or failing it will drop the speed down until it reaches the base speed of the level (100%). There are also different types of opponents that require different combinations. The game does a very good job of increasing the base difficulty and teaching you what you need to know to play it effectively. Gameplay is addictive and fun.
 
Graphics are simple, but that actually helps the game. There's enough happening on screen to be distracting as it is. Sound effects are well done and 'sound' right for the game and the music track is solid. Controls are quick and responsive fitting the face paced gameplay. It's a fun game that you can load up and play a few levels quickly and satisfy the need for something 'action-y'. Be warned, however, the gameplay is addictive enough it can be easy to lose track of time too.
 
Definitely a game that I'd recommend to anyone that's looking for a fun, face-paced, action game.

Now lets slow down a little and talk about Endless Legend. A fantasy (kind of) 4-X strategy game by Amplitude Games. I am really enjoying this game - it's new, it's fun and it has what many 4x games have been lacking in recent years.

Having said that I'm going to start with a couple of things that I DON'T like. First, the graphics. Don't get me wrong they are beautiful, the game has a GREAT look to it. I love a lot of the unit designs and loading screens, it's a beautiful 3d world ... and there's the problem. WHY is it 3d? You can't rotate the map to look at things from different angles, and all of the 3d 'spiffy-ness' that they put into it clutters the map and more often I zoom out to get the simple stylized map, but that doesn't show all the info that I want.

While I'm talking about this in relation to this game specifically, I really feel that it's a problem in the strategy genre over-all. There's a place for graphics like this and, generally speaking, strategy games are NOT it. I need information, not 3d board pieces. It's a hex map and while 3d does play a combat roll, (bonus to troops on higher ground in combat) it's nothing that can't be supplied by a number in the hex or other cleaner indication. As it stands with the 3d map it can sometimes be HARDER to see the elevation change since we can't rotate the map.

It also serves to needlessly slow down the combat because those 3d models have to be animated, and since the developers have taken the time to animate the movement (and attacks and defenses of the units) then we have to see it in the battles and movements. When deploying troops at the start of a battle, for example, to move a unit I have to watch them move to the new starting place ... this is before combat even officially starts. Really I should just click the unit and click where I want it to be ... I understand once combat starts seeing the path that the unit takes, but during deployment it should really just teleport there.

My only other real complaint with it is that some of their descriptions aren't always clear in game. Though given that Amplitude Games is based in Paris some of that may be attributed to translation difference.  Some of it, however, is in the way that the information is presented. For example city district improvement on one screen shows a -10 and a +15 city happiness modifier, but it isn't clear that only the level 2 version has the +15, the base level 1 modifier is -10 so at level 2 (max) the bonus is +5  to happiness.

Really, however, these are minor things in a game that shines. The factions feel and play different, though the AI can be a bit 'samey' and the AI responses while different for each faction, are the same response to any other faction that they meet when really there should be some variation depending on what faction you are when they encounter you. (For example, when you encounter AI of the Vaulter faction their statements are different then if you encounter the Cultists, but are the same no matter what faction you are playing.)

In my limited playing (I'm working on my 3rd game) I'm still learning, but I really get the feeling that each faction is going to require a different strategy and focus to play effectively, and you can't really ignore diplomacy. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the other factions is advised as well, and minor factions can serve an important role as well. The game balance has felt pretty good so far though and my games have been challenging learning experiences. The one match that I was just absolutely steamrolled was a combination of a poor starting location and me playing too conservatively. This game really focuses more on pushing toward your chosen victory right off the bat rather than maintaining a broad focus until the end.

Again this is a game that I recommend if you are a fan of the strategy game genre. It's well executed and balanced and a lot of fun to play. Keep in mind that it is its own game and while a lot of stuff will be familiar to players of the genre, you'll need to look at the strengths of your faction and develop your strategy to move forward as there's a good chance that your 'tried and true' may not be quite as effective.