Flash of Steel reviews FoG
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CharlesRobinson
- Sergeant Major - Armoured Train
- Posts: 551
- Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 3:47 pm
- Location: Hawaii
I left a comment on the page above.
I left a comment on the page above for the review. Here is what I posted:
Charles Robinson // Nov 24, 2009 at 12:29 am
As a miniature wargamer and fan of the Field of Glory table top rules, I was very excited when I heard that Slitherine was publishing a PC version of the ruleset. I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the beta testers and my initial impression was less than stellar, but that soon changed.
First, the things that I do not like – AI needs to be more aggressive – of course I am an experienced gamer so you do have to take into account new gamers; no campaign, and no army builder. Making an AI good is a very hard thing to do, especially for a game like this that will cover everything from the earliest armies of history to the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire. Every army fights differently so it is real hard to reproduce a decent AI that plays all armies well. This is something that the team is working on and one of the constant points brought up by the beta team. Campaign? Do not know if that will happen, it would be a big boost to those who do not want to play multiplayer. Army builder, it is on its way and is in development. This will be the key to keeping this game alive!
Now for what I do like, graphics is just fine – I really like the idea of using actual painted miniatures for the game (just to cool!), the editor is easy to use and you can put together a scenerio quickly and share it with friends. One of the things mentioned in earlier posts is the small army list, but more are coming and what they do not mention is the absolutely awesome convertability built into the game. You can change the stats on any of the game pieces and create your own units for historical games – I have been having a ball playing Maccabean Jews versus Seleucids even though the Maccabean Jews are not one of the armies listed. The figures provided are very flexible and it was easy to find the right pieces to put together the Maccabeans. You can adjust everything, change weapons, unit types, quality of troops, armour, command units, and level of training. Again, absolutely awesome. The last thing I want to talk about is the multiplayer aspect of the game – and boy did it evolve in leaps and bound from it’s origional setup. I love the multiplayer! Yes it is turn based, and if you are both online at the same time the game can go very quickly. If you want to take your time then it reminds me more of chess with carefully thought out and crafted moves. It has a built in chat that helps to create that miniature games feel in that you and your opponent are chatting away with each turn that you send and you develop friendships that you just don’t do with other games (that is part of why I enjoy table top wargaming). The last thing about multiplayer that I want to let you know about is the amount of games you can have going at the same time. Unlike most other PC games you can have up to 20 games going on at the same time! This is wonderful – I have turns to play almost everytime I turn on my computer! Also, because of the way that multiplayer is designed you never have to worry about wether your computer can keep up with your opponents – it is all about you and what skills you bring to the table. I really love the adaptability that this game has, a army builder is on its way, and more armies to boot. Yes this game has some growing to do, but this game will blossom quickly! Thank you.
Charles Robinson // Nov 24, 2009 at 12:29 am
As a miniature wargamer and fan of the Field of Glory table top rules, I was very excited when I heard that Slitherine was publishing a PC version of the ruleset. I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the beta testers and my initial impression was less than stellar, but that soon changed.
First, the things that I do not like – AI needs to be more aggressive – of course I am an experienced gamer so you do have to take into account new gamers; no campaign, and no army builder. Making an AI good is a very hard thing to do, especially for a game like this that will cover everything from the earliest armies of history to the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire. Every army fights differently so it is real hard to reproduce a decent AI that plays all armies well. This is something that the team is working on and one of the constant points brought up by the beta team. Campaign? Do not know if that will happen, it would be a big boost to those who do not want to play multiplayer. Army builder, it is on its way and is in development. This will be the key to keeping this game alive!
Now for what I do like, graphics is just fine – I really like the idea of using actual painted miniatures for the game (just to cool!), the editor is easy to use and you can put together a scenerio quickly and share it with friends. One of the things mentioned in earlier posts is the small army list, but more are coming and what they do not mention is the absolutely awesome convertability built into the game. You can change the stats on any of the game pieces and create your own units for historical games – I have been having a ball playing Maccabean Jews versus Seleucids even though the Maccabean Jews are not one of the armies listed. The figures provided are very flexible and it was easy to find the right pieces to put together the Maccabeans. You can adjust everything, change weapons, unit types, quality of troops, armour, command units, and level of training. Again, absolutely awesome. The last thing I want to talk about is the multiplayer aspect of the game – and boy did it evolve in leaps and bound from it’s origional setup. I love the multiplayer! Yes it is turn based, and if you are both online at the same time the game can go very quickly. If you want to take your time then it reminds me more of chess with carefully thought out and crafted moves. It has a built in chat that helps to create that miniature games feel in that you and your opponent are chatting away with each turn that you send and you develop friendships that you just don’t do with other games (that is part of why I enjoy table top wargaming). The last thing about multiplayer that I want to let you know about is the amount of games you can have going at the same time. Unlike most other PC games you can have up to 20 games going on at the same time! This is wonderful – I have turns to play almost everytime I turn on my computer! Also, because of the way that multiplayer is designed you never have to worry about wether your computer can keep up with your opponents – it is all about you and what skills you bring to the table. I really love the adaptability that this game has, a army builder is on its way, and more armies to boot. Yes this game has some growing to do, but this game will blossom quickly! Thank you.
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CharlesRobinson
- Sergeant Major - Armoured Train
- Posts: 551
- Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 3:47 pm
- Location: Hawaii
I posted this - hope it helps
I posted this on the review site:
Charles Robinson // Nov 27, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Multiplayer Video Tutorial – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41t0ZM2rpxM
Scenario Editor Video Tutorial – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPKmgzQtLvM
Charles Robinson // Nov 27, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Multiplayer Video Tutorial – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41t0ZM2rpxM
Scenario Editor Video Tutorial – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPKmgzQtLvM