I know there's discussion in the FOG thread, but probably going to be a lot of discussion going forward on this one.
Here's the reveal video
I can't get enough of it.
Imagine having the entire forum population playing in the same campaign! :D
Cant watch the vid here at work, but is this another expansion for FoG 2 or a new game?
Quote from: Yskonyn on November 20, 2018, 12:42:27 PM
Cant watch the vid here at work, but is this another expansion for FoG 2 or a new game?
New game that will let you export battles to fight in FoG II.
It's the greatest idea of the last 5 minutes at least.
This is great, can't wait.
I do hope it is expanded beyond the ancient era. Pike and Shot/Renaissance Era would be incredible.
The game engine doesn't appear to be intrinsically tied to FoG so it can go pretty much anywhere. As much as I liked the eras and depth that previous Ageod titles covered, the UI was a drawback. This is much more appealing.
I'd even like to see age of rifles. I think the FOG system could work well with 18th century.
Pike and Shot is the same engine as FoG2 right? So that seems like an obvious next choice. Whoever thought of this is my hero of the day.
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:55:42 PM
Pike and Shot is the same engine as FoG2 right? So that seems like an obvious next choice. Whoever thought of this is my hero of the day.
Different engines, P/S uses the old stub engine, FOG2 uses the new archon engine same as Sanctus Reach. So FOG2 and FOG:Empires use the same engine. The new Close Combat uses the archon engine also, as well as the new Steel Tiger.
Wow I did not know that. Very interesting. I hope linking this new layer to Pike and Shot is not too difficult.
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:55:42 PM
Whoever thought of this is my hero of the day.
Perhaps they should be awarded the Grogheads Order of the Golden Dongle.
(If that's not a thing it should be)
Quote from: SirAndrewD on November 20, 2018, 03:29:25 PM
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:55:42 PM
Whoever thought of this is my hero of the day.
Perhaps they should be Awarded the Grogheads Order of the Golden Dongle.
(If that's not a thing it should be)
That is just so....perfect. O0 O0 O0
Pocus from Ageod about the new game:
"This is still an Ageod game! It is prefixed by Field of Glory, because you can optionally play the best battles in FOG2*, but this remains an option. The game definitively stands on his own and has a lot of AGEOD-esque depth. Plus it's WEGO.
When you will enact the 'Marian reform' historical decision to get better legions so to fight with some chances these annoying Germans who get this problematic woodman ability, then you'll know you are still in an Ageod game."
Ageod game announcement (http://www.ageod-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&p=401691)
Quote from: -budd- on November 20, 2018, 03:13:31 PM
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:55:42 PM
Pike and Shot is the same engine as FoG2 right? So that seems like an obvious next choice. Whoever thought of this is my hero of the day.
Different engines, P/S uses the old stub engine, FOG2 uses the new archon engine same as Sanctus Reach. So FOG2 and FOG:Empires use the same engine. The new Close Combat uses the archon engine also, as well as the new Steel Tiger.
And this new AGEOD game uses the same engine too. The new engine is versatile, can do WEGO. I heard it does real time too (Close Combat). AGEOD turn resolution improved according to Pocus. Now 10 seconds compared to a minute.
Quote from: SirAndrewD on November 20, 2018, 03:29:25 PM
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:55:42 PM
Whoever thought of this is my hero of the day.
Perhaps they should be awarded the Grogheads Order of the Golden Dongle.
(If that's not a thing it should be)
I won't pay extra for a dongle. I just won't. Even if I lost the first one, and this is a replacement. I bought it, fair and square, and I want it replaced!
Quote from: jomni on November 20, 2018, 05:50:36 PM
And this new AGEOD game uses the same engine too. The new engine is versatile, can do WEGO. I heard it does real time too (Close Combat). AGEOD turn resolution improved according to Pocus. Now 10 seconds compared to a minute.
I would salivate to get the turn processing time down 90% for Ageod games like To End All Wars with the new engine.
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:13:17 PM
I do hope it is expanded beyond the ancient era. Pike and Shot/Renaissance Era would be incredible.
What? No, "Ohmergerd! We wantzus sum Whirl'd Waur II !!!1 " demands?
I'm flabbergasted.
Quote from: Nefaro on November 21, 2018, 06:05:21 PM
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:13:17 PM
I do hope it is expanded beyond the ancient era. Pike and Shot/Renaissance Era would be incredible.
What? No, "Ohmergerd! We wantzus sum Whirl'd Waur II !!!1 " demands?
I'm flabbergasted.
With a link to Battle Academy?
Quote from: Nefaro on November 21, 2018, 06:05:21 PM
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:13:17 PM
I do hope it is expanded beyond the ancient era. Pike and Shot/Renaissance Era would be incredible.
What? No, "Ohmergerd! We wantzus sum Whirl'd Waur II !!!1 " demands?
I'm flabbergasted.
I've pretty much given up on AGEOD games myself, but if they were ever to release a WW2 game with the scope of To End All Wars, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Ohmergerd! We wantzus sum Whirl'd Waur II !!!1
Hahaha!!!
Quote from: jomni on November 21, 2018, 08:04:24 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on November 21, 2018, 06:05:21 PM
Quote from: Gusington on November 20, 2018, 02:13:17 PM
I do hope it is expanded beyond the ancient era. Pike and Shot/Renaissance Era would be incredible.
What? No, "Ohmergerd! We wantzus sum Whirl'd Waur II !!!1 " demands?
I'm flabbergasted.
With a link to Battle Academy?
The world isn't enough for 'em. :))
Quote from: Nefaro on November 22, 2018, 12:35:44 PM
The world isn't enough for 'em. :))
Rightfully so. World War 2 is a horribly neglected subject in gaming.
Quote from: SirAndrewD on November 22, 2018, 12:40:25 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on November 22, 2018, 12:35:44 PM
The world isn't enough for 'em. :))
Rightfully so. World War 2 is a horribly neglected subject in gaming.
Tragically underrepresented in wargaming especially.
Game developers should stop wasting our time with all those Pratihara Empire Grand Strategy games and WEGO Boxer Rebellion tacticals so they can concentrate on the woefully neglected air, ground, and naval aspects of WW2's Eastern, Western, and Pacific theaters. I mean do we really need yet another Polynesian War Dugout sim?
If this were ever released: 'WEGO Boxer Rebellion tacticals '...it would probably be my favorite game ever.
ERMAGHERD!!!
Quote from: Staggerwing on November 22, 2018, 09:17:18 PM
Game developers should stop wasting our time with all those Pratihara Empire Grand Strategy games and WEGO Boxer Rebellion tacticals so they can concentrate on the woefully neglected air, ground, and naval aspects of WW2's Eastern, Western, and Pacific theaters. I mean do we really need yet another Polynesian War Dugout sim?
Hrmm.. well. I did pick up
Conquest Of Paradise (https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/15954/conquest-paradise) on GMT's holiday sale for half off. :coolsmiley:
The gaming world is so inundated with that topic. :nerd:
Nerd.
Quote from: Gusington on November 25, 2018, 05:36:40 PM
Nerd.
(https://www.50-best.com/images/funny_nerd_memes/thug_life.jpg)
I thought you were older.
Dev diaries
http://slitherine.com/news/2782/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.?fbclid=IwAR2X4pmHkxx3w6CjGQk4BCMmNFGSdBaa5_6UhwL2gwp-YsRPWJ5WZrHU-aw#1.-.A.Brief.Overview
Want this :)
I like the 'decadence' mechanic and the nation specific buildings!
This is looking fantastic.
Between this and Imperator... that's a lotta Roman Empire goodness coming our way...
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees
For me, Field of Glory II integration is the only reason to get this game. All these civ management features are nice, but I hope they don't lose sight of the FoG II ball.
Well...actually, multiplayer PBEM would be nice as well, particularly if it supports asynch (PBEM).
Quote from: ArizonaTank on February 06, 2019, 09:47:07 PM
For me, Field of Glory II integration is the only reason to get this game. All these civ management features are nice, but I hope they don't lose sight of the FoG II ball.
Well...actually, multiplayer PBEM would be nice as well, particularly if it supports asynch (PBEM).
^ well said!
What is the FoG ball? I love the games but it's difficult for me to put my finger on exactly why.
Do you have to leave FOG empires, and then go int Fog Ii separately? then start up empires and import the battle?
From what I've read the new game has optional battle resolution in FoG2, which is somehow integrated. I don't remember reading that users had to switch between the two games.
Quote from: Gusington on February 07, 2019, 08:04:08 AM
What is the FoG ball?
It's what they built the Coliseum for.
Field of Glory: Empires? This is sounding good but now I might need to save up for FoGII as well. I did read something somewhere that if you wanted to you could switch out from Empires and go into FoGII to fight your battle. Not sure though. I'll have to check.
Now I wonder if you can fill up your generals musou gauge quickly like you can in Dynasty Warriors: EmpiresTM? I'm in the mood for some mindless hack and slash in a Roman setting.
This sounds interesting. Looking forward to more developer diaries.
Deep? Need time to digest this.
http://www.slitherine.com/news/2788/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#2..Region.Management%2C.Population%2C.Loyalty
:)
Digesting...
That's post-digestion.
Not going to try to digest until after I take a Prilosec.
At my age I need all the help I can get.
49?
Quote from: Gusington on February 19, 2019, 03:29:34 PM
49?
No, less than that. However, if you're only as old as you feel I'm going on 70.
Young Whippersnappers!
Damn kids! Get off my digestion! >:(
I turn 45 this year, look 15 and feel 107. I may also die of flu this week as both my daughters have caught it. Pray for me.
Done. Flu is a Major Mother. It's kind of the Jar Jar Binks of the Illness World--- it comes around when you don't want it, it's not funny, it won't go away, it won't kill you but, you wish you were dead to get away from it, and then it comes back next year. "Mesa be back". #:-)
50 but mentally 12
Hahaha Jar Jar Flu!!
It makesa you bery, bery sick.
You know when you really want a game to hurry up, well this is one of those :)
^Agreed!
I'll second that agreement. Just picked up Fields of Glory II during the Steam sale just to whet my appetite until this game comes out.
http://www.slitherine.com/news/2803/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#5..Governments.and.Rulers
This really can't come quick enough :)
Quote from: FlickJax on March 12, 2019, 06:47:10 AM
http://www.slitherine.com/news/2803/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#5..Governments.and.Rulers
This really can't come quick enough :)
Indeed!
Indeed x 2 👍
http://www.slitherine.com/news/2806/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#6.-.Culture.and.Decadence
Thanks to the Fanatical Spring sale i have all dlcs for fields of glory so release the damn game :)
Impatiently waiting...
I hate looking forward to a game so much. Just think...all the things Creative Arts did wrong FIXED! WEGO, realistic battles and more....I hope it is not too good to be true.
Quote from: solops on March 21, 2019, 11:57:31 PM
I hate looking forward to a game so much. Just think...all the things Creative Arts did wrong FIXED! WEGO, realistic battles and more....I hope it is not too good to be true.
Fingers crossed, was gutted I didnt get in the beta for this one
Still no release date though 😓
Quote from: Gusington on March 22, 2019, 08:55:04 AM
Still no release date though 😓
Soon™
Two Weeks™
When it's ready™
:-"
'summer'
And there's more - http://www.slitherine.com/news/2812/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#7..Provinces
The province concept sounds great! Can't wait to try this.
Patiently...waiting...
I love that they are directly competing with Creative Assembly...it will be cool to have a Total War alternative in this type of grand strategy/rts combo type of game.
Quote from: Gusington on March 26, 2019, 09:15:09 AM
I love that they are directly competing with Creative Assembly...it will be cool to have a Total War alternative in this type of grand strategy/rts combo type of game.
Yes. And I would also love to see some competition for Civilization games.
Yes! That too. I really hope they pull it off. The team seems very excited and enthusiastic, from their blog posts. I got good vibes.
Quote from: Anguille on March 26, 2019, 09:28:54 AM
Quote from: Gusington on March 26, 2019, 09:15:09 AM
I love that they are directly competing with Creative Assembly...it will be cool to have a Total War alternative in this type of grand strategy/rts combo type of game.
Yes. And I would also love to see some competition for Civilization games.
This x10000000000000!
Quote from: Anguille on March 26, 2019, 09:28:54 AM
Quote from: Gusington on March 26, 2019, 09:15:09 AM
I love that they are directly competing with Creative Assembly...it will be cool to have a Total War alternative in this type of grand strategy/rts combo type of game.
Yes. And I would also love to see some competition for Civilization games.
And Paradox too.
I was considering looking into Imperator by Paradox to scratch my Rome itch, but once Field of Glory Empires was announced I quickly forgot about it. Unpopular opinion alert but; I'm not a fan of Paradox myself, at least their most recent games. As long as FoGE delivers I'll have no need for the Imperator title. Good news for my wallet at least!
Quote from: IICptMillerII on March 27, 2019, 10:16:03 AM
I was considering looking into Imperator by Paradox to scratch my Rome itch, but once Field of Glory Empires was announced I quickly forgot about it. Unpopular opinion alert but; I'm not a fan of Paradox myself, at least their most recent games. As long as FoGE delivers I'll have no need for the Imperator title. Good news for my wallet at least!
Same for me.
Much like Battlecruiser 3000ad, this is the last thing I'll ever desire.
Quote from: IICptMillerII on March 27, 2019, 10:16:03 AM
I was considering looking into Imperator by Paradox to scratch my Rome itch, but once Field of Glory Empires was announced I quickly forgot about it. Unpopular opinion alert but; I'm not a fan of Paradox myself, at least their most recent games. As long as FoGE delivers I'll have no need for the Imperator title. Good news for my wallet at least!
I agree with you on this. Even when I did not know about Field of Glory Empires I had zero desire to buy Imperator.
Dear Paradox,
I am but one voice of 6 billion plus souls on this planet. I am insignificant to your bottom line. I am however legion. I will not buy any more of your product until you change to turn based strategy. We are burnt out of your real time formula. :P
I'm looking at this one much more than Imperator Rome.
but it's nice to actually see some serious competition.
For my the fact that you can use FoG 2 to run your battles just seals the deal. It will be a gloriously, ridiculously grand strategy tactical game! :D
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=534&t=91138
New update.......Dastactic livestream tomorrow of a specific challenge available in game........ :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
O0
Live now : https://www.twitch.tv/slitherinegroup
Interesting...seems like there is some complexity here. A lot to absorb so far.
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56819171_10205850072327162_8507476141949321216_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=723c9c9106dc7b8288b8ff85532edc88&oe=5D3FD23A)
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56954402_10205850072167158_5063732653476282368_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=5b5df621c71c2de00a1ce817e06ea883&oe=5D3DADFB)
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/57122275_10205850072087156_1293991496445329408_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=99e8450846f0ff54c1909e306d451a6e&oe=5D4EAAC5)
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56542899_10205850072647170_8340703833155960832_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=a1e03286b459f21e82900c684c15e52d&oe=5D3C9690)
Just watched the first half of the Twitch stream referred to by Jarhead above....
First thing to say is "Wow"
Imperator Rome has its combat mechanics seriously embarrassed by the mechanics of those of Field of Glory:Empires.
There are a lot of nuances in the combat even if you choose not to play out all the battles in the Field of Glory 2 tactical battle system and it is anything but the "rock paper scissors" formula of Imperator.
As for the Empire building aspect the numbers and variety of buildings is remarkable and the "Legacy", Culture and Decadence aspects of each Empire are looking to be a fascinating juggling task for every leader.
It was interesting to see that starting buildings and resources will be randomly generated in each province (though specific nations still get their unique buildings) at the start up of each game so replayabilty will be optimised.
Plenty more to see as this stream concentrated on a very small area of a huge map as the challenge dictated but this really does seem like the release of the year for me . :smitten:
Yeah...one of the major games of the year for me too.
I'm not watching the twitch stream. I'm playing the game.
Quote from: devoncop on April 10, 2019, 02:01:03 AM
Just watched the first half of the Twitch stream referred to by Jarhead above....
First thing to say is "Wow"
Imperator Rome has its combat mechanics seriously embarrassed by the mechanics of those of Field of Glory:Empires.
There are a lot of nuances in the combat even if you choose not to play out all the battles in the Field of Glory 2 tactical battle system and it is anything but the "rock paper scissors" formula of Imperator.
As for the Empire building aspect the numbers and variety of buildings is remarkable and the "Legacy", Culture and Decadence aspects of each Empire are looking to be a fascinating juggling task for every leader.
It was interesting to see that starting buildings and resources will be randomly generated in each province (though specific nations still get their unique buildings) at the start up of each game so replayabilty will be optimised.
Plenty more to see as this stream concentrated on a very small area of a huge map as the challenge dictated but this really does seem like the release of the year for me . :smitten:
Glad you liked it. :) To be precise regarding the buildings: the starting buildings are defined by the scenario, what's semi-randomly generated is the buildings avaialble for construction at a given time. By "semi-random" I mean that you always get one option in each main category, and some buildings have a bigger chance to show up as an option in a given region, for various reasons.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on April 10, 2019, 04:08:24 AM
I'm not watching the twitch stream. I'm playing the game.
Lucky man!
@Jarhead0331 is the battle screenshot from Field of Glory 2 integration into FoG Empires? Or is it all from Empires?
Quote from: mbar on April 10, 2019, 07:50:07 AM
@Jarhead0331 is the battle screenshot from Field of Glory 2 integration into FoG Empires? Or is it all from Empires?
That's the Empires version of the battle.
ME WANTS IT
ME NEEEDS IT
Quote from: jomni on April 10, 2019, 08:27:10 AM
Quote from: mbar on April 10, 2019, 07:50:07 AM
@Jarhead0331 is the battle screenshot from Field of Glory 2 integration into FoG Empires? Or is it all from Empires?
That's the Empires version of the battle.
I have a feeling that when you stick with the Empire game you can finish a campaign in a rather short period of time.
If you export every battle in FOG2 you could be in for a long time investment ...
Sieges and naval battles can't be exported (though some players are proposing to export naval battles in to Mare Nostrvm).
I wish there was some game out there to export sieges to.
Quote from: mbar on April 10, 2019, 07:50:07 AM
@Jarhead0331 is the battle screenshot from Field of Glory 2 integration into FoG Empires? Or is it all from Empires?
All from Empires. I have not integrated any battles yet.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on April 10, 2019, 04:08:24 AM
I'm not watching the twitch stream. I'm playing the game.
Ah....thanks for the clarification.
Though knowing someone is already playing the beta is not helping my diminishing reserves of patience 😢
Quote from: Tamas on April 10, 2019, 05:05:21 AM
Quote from: devoncop on April 10, 2019, 02:01:03 AM
Just watched the first half of the Twitch stream referred to by Jarhead above....
First thing to say is "Wow"
Imperator Rome has its combat mechanics seriously embarrassed by the mechanics of those of Field of Glory:Empires.
There are a lot of nuances in the combat even if you choose not to play out all the battles in the Field of Glory 2 tactical battle system and it is anything but the "rock paper scissors" formula of Imperator.
As for the Empire building aspect the numbers and variety of buildings is remarkable and the "Legacy", Culture and Decadence aspects of each Empire are looking to be a fascinating juggling task for every leader.
It was interesting to see that starting buildings and resources will be randomly generated in each province (though specific nations still get their unique buildings) at the start up of each game so replayabilty will be optimised.
Plenty more to see as this stream concentrated on a very small area of a huge map as the challenge dictated but this really does seem like the release of the year for me . :smitten:
Glad you liked it. :) To be precise regarding the buildings: the starting buildings are defined by the scenario, what's semi-randomly generated is the buildings avaialble for construction at a given time. By "semi-random" I mean that you always get one option in each main category, and some buildings have a bigger chance to show up as an option in a given region, for various reasons.
Thanks Tamas.
That makes sense. The point about repeatability stands though. What may be an optimum path one game in terms of development may not be the next as the building choices may not be available at the same time and a commercial hub one game may make more sense as a troop generation hub the next.....
Quote from: devoncop on April 10, 2019, 09:18:33 AM
That makes sense. The point about repeatability stands though. What may be an optimum path one game in terms of development may not be the next as the building choices may not be available at the same time and a commercial hub one game may make more sense as a troop generation hub the next.....
Yes, that's the intention.
Quote from: devoncop on April 10, 2019, 09:11:56 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on April 10, 2019, 04:08:24 AM
I'm not watching the twitch stream. I'm playing the game.
Ah....thanks for the clarification.
Though knowing someone is already playing the beta is not helping my diminishing reserves of patience 😢
its a very limited beta release for press and Slitherine is doing a phased roll-out for previews and coverage. They are releasing the beta in a series of "challenges" with limited scenarios and objectives. The first, and the one I was playing, is Rise of Rome.
Quote from: jomni on April 10, 2019, 08:27:10 AM
Quote from: mbar on April 10, 2019, 07:50:07 AM
@Jarhead0331 is the battle screenshot from Field of Glory 2 integration into FoG Empires? Or is it all from Empires?
That's the Empires version of the battle.
Thank you. Empires is looking great!!!!
Nice battle screens.
Impressive...most impressive.
Me Want.
Game looks great! Can't wait to pick this up.
Do you have any control over the FoG:E battles at all beyond army composition/stance? Or is it pretty much fully automated?
EDIT: Also, I picked up Mare Nostrvm based on the feedback in this thread. Three battles in and I'm f'ing loving it!! What an awesome little gem -- a very unique tactical challenge \m/
http://www.slitherine.com/news/2821/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#8..Legacy
Quote from: al_infierno on April 10, 2019, 05:12:32 PM
Do you have any control over the FoG:E battles at all beyond army composition/stance? Or is it pretty much fully automated?
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/408566742 (same video on YT : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sSomUSZgrs)
Much less control than FOG2. In the video I don't see Das do much more than press the play button during combat. Most battles are finished in a few minutes.
During combat halve the screen is devoted to die rolls what takes away some of the immersion I feel.
Quote from: Pete Dero on April 11, 2019, 03:42:24 AM
Quote from: al_infierno on April 10, 2019, 05:12:32 PM
Do you have any control over the FoG:E battles at all beyond army composition/stance? Or is it pretty much fully automated?
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/408566742 (same video on YT : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sSomUSZgrs)
Much less control than FOG2. In the video I don't see Das do much more than press the play button during combat. Most battles are finished in a few minutes.
During combat halve the screen is devoted to die rolls what takes away some of the immersion I feel.
Yes. It is a downgrade from what Slitherine had in Spartan/Legion/Chariots of War...there wasn't a lot of control but it was for me. In this case, you have to launch FOG2 every time you want to control the battle which i hope won't be too cumbersome.
Was excited about this game as I thought the battles would be like FOG2 but I am just seeing two armies on top of each other? What happened to FOG2 battles?
Quote from: Tanaka on April 18, 2019, 09:02:15 PM
Was excited about this game as I thought the battles would be like FOG2 but I am just seeing two armies on top of each other? What happened to FOG2 battles?
You have an option to play out in FoG2 but not necessary.
The game can be played by itself.
Quote from: jomni on April 18, 2019, 09:18:59 PM
Quote from: Tanaka on April 18, 2019, 09:02:15 PM
Was excited about this game as I thought the battles would be like FOG2 but I am just seeing two armies on top of each other? What happened to FOG2 battles?
You have an option to play out in FoG2 but not necessary.
The game can be played by itself.
How does that work? You go in and out of two different games? Do you need all of the DLC? Where is this explained?
Tons of detail here:
http://www.slitherine.com/products/789/details/Field.of.Glory.Empires
Quote from: Gusington on April 22, 2019, 03:30:20 PM
Tons of detail here:
http://www.slitherine.com/products/789/details/Field.of.Glory.Empires
Thanks will be interesting to see how it all works together and if you need all of the DLC?
Not sure if you need any of the DLC. That was one area not touched on in that link.
The DLC take place at different time periods, so.... probably not? Not unless there are different campaigns (perhaps as......... DLC. >:D )
Only the base game of Field of Glory II is needed to use the converter.
Quote from: Tamas on April 24, 2019, 04:20:10 AM
Only the base game of Field of Glory II is needed to use the converter.
I have the DLC's but that is excellent for those that don't :) well done that man
http://slitherine.com/news/2830/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#9..The.Battle.System
Quote from: FlickJax on April 29, 2019, 10:41:13 AM
http://slitherine.com/news/2830/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#9..The.Battle.System
O0
Quote from: CJReich46 on April 29, 2019, 11:46:51 AM
Quote from: FlickJax on April 29, 2019, 10:41:13 AM
http://slitherine.com/news/2830/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#9..The.Battle.System
O0
Really, really impressive design if this can be pulled off 👏👏👏
I wish they gave more details on sieges, but at least there was a mention of them.
Quote from: Gusington on April 29, 2019, 12:16:08 PM
I wish they gave more details on sieges
Maybe because these can't be exported to FOG2 ?
They do mention sieges in the para that begins 'But without further ado' and discuss a siege with a 'possible assault' but it is not clear how it will be played out.
Quote from: Gusington on April 29, 2019, 01:42:28 PM
They do mention sieges in the para that begins 'But without further ado' and discuss a siege with a 'possible assault' but it is not clear how it will be played out.
If you have a few minutes watch the Dastactic runthrough of the challenge to conquer Italy as Rome as quickly as he can....most of the episodes show a siege of two and it is played out on the strategic map. What is notable is that there are BIG die modifier advantages to defenders where the walls are unbreached and the frontage is reduced to 2 or 3 squares. Generals with siege ability can modify this a bit as can certain troops with a siege ability like Legions but defensive generals do the same.
A big legionnary based army with large numerical advantage was absolutely decimated when Das lost patience and decided to assault an unbreached city down in Tarentum I think.
^Interesting, I will check out the video. Also a little disappointing that sieges will not be represented in the tactical engine :/
Quote from: Gusington on April 29, 2019, 02:28:23 PM
^Interesting, I will check out the video. Also a little disappointing that sieges will not be represented in the tactical engine :/
Well, FOG2 doesn't have sieges/assaults, if that's what you mean, so of course we can't really convert those battles to it.
Empires does resolve assaults like regular battles and you can watch them the same way, too.
So if I have bad generals or other unfavourable circumstances in FOG Empires battle mode, I can load in FOG2 to see if I can win as game mechanics are totally different.
Quote from: jomni on April 29, 2019, 09:27:15 PM
So if I have bad generals or other unfavourable circumstances in FOG Empires battle mode, I can load in FOG2 to see if I can win as game mechanics are totally different.
You can but you will have less Generals on the tactical map (reflecting your inferior commander on the strategic map) and poorer troops/less numbers/ unfavourable terrain to reflect the other problems you were facing on the strategic map.
If you enjoy mini/maxing then if you are very skilled in FoG2 then you may indeed pull off unlikely wins....I intend to restrict myself to only jumping in to help a maximum of one particular army in each year if this proves too much of an advantage as I like the roleplay aspect but others can fight every (non siege) battle out if they want.
dastactic with a new 2 hour video on youtube. playing another challenge :)
Quote from: CptHowdy on May 03, 2019, 11:31:38 PM
dastactic with a new 2 hour video on youtube. playing another challenge :)
I watched the Dastactic attempt and he got himself into serious trouble trying to take Syracuse through not understanding the full depth of the intricate supply system in the game which is really well done.
He was trying to supply his invasion fleet and invading army from Melita (Malta) without ensuring enough food was being produced or was stockpiled there.
The economic system is also in depth it seems and the variable nature of which buildings are available to be built will mean the idea of just working out the best mini/max order of production in each region is redundant.
They do need to make sure when it is released though that the reviewers understand the systems or the game will risk being unjustly criticised.
I am enjoying Imperator Rome (unlike some) but the economic and supply systems in this game are far superior it seems and there is no comparison with the better combat system in Empires already.
^Wow. Empires sounds ready.
Quote from: Gusington on May 04, 2019, 01:04:28 PM
^Wow. Empires sounds ready.
A few of the mechanics maybe need a tooltip or so to explain to the player "WHY" they cannot do something but I agree in looks very polished.
This is the second challenge video for you tubers that Slitherine have done and there seems to be a few planned each demonstrating a different aspect of the game so release may not be imminent.
We have had military in the first challenge and culture, trade and the economy taking the core with Carthage in this one so I would expect maybe a diplomatic one encompassing internal politics or maybe a non focused full campaign game to see how good/aggressive the AI is .....this will be crucial.
Quote from: devoncop on May 04, 2019, 01:22:51 PM
Quote from: Gusington on May 04, 2019, 01:04:28 PM
^Wow. Empires sounds ready.
A few of the mechanics maybe need a tooltip or two to explain to the player "WHY" they cannot do something but I agree it looks very polished.
This is the second challenge video for you tubers that Slitherine have done and there seems to be a few planned .......each demonstrating a different aspect of the game so release may not be imminent.
We have had military in the first challenge and culture, trade and the economy taking the core with Carthage in this one so I would expect maybe a diplomatic one encompassing internal politics or maybe a non focused full campaign game to see how good/aggressive the AI is .....this will be crucial.
Can't wait to play this!
I'm actually holding off from watching much gameplay right now. I'm waiting until they announce a release date (assuming they don't abruptly release it before announcing). That way, once there is a release date and I know when to expect it, I can fill the waiting period by watching gameplay and learning the mechanics. I haven't been this excited for a game like this in a very long time.
Quote from: IICptMillerII on May 05, 2019, 01:09:16 AM
I'm actually holding off from watching much gameplay right now. I'm waiting until they announce a release date (assuming they don't abruptly release it before announcing). That way, once there is a release date and I know when to expect it, I can fill the waiting period by watching gameplay and learning the mechanics. I haven't been this excited for a game like this in a very long time.
Totally agree with the anticipation but my self control is much less than yours !
Self control is easy when it's not out !
I'm not jumping on the hype train either. Will wait for reviews here before spending any time thinking about it.
If the developers can make Empires as solid as FoG2, I will be very happy. Ecstatic, even.
I've tried to jump on the hype train before too, only to fall under and get sliced and diced by its wheels of baloney.
Any release date yet? Matrix product page still says "coming soon".
PLEASE BE SOON.
Quote from: Gusington on May 06, 2019, 11:48:44 AM
PLEASE BE SOON.
Those who want can enter the beta ! (just mentioned on their twitch channel)
http://slitherine.com/beta/cnda.asp?gid=789
Quote from: Gusington on May 06, 2019, 11:48:44 AM
PLEASE BE SOON.
Apparently on the stream today the release is planned for the last week of June .....
(Starts counting pennies in piggy bank......)
Nope ....will just have to mortgage off the wife 😂😂
Last week in June??
SOON!!
Last week of June? I really hope so! Even though I may not be around most of the summer I'm still excited.
I looked into joining the beta a few months ago but the sign up process seemed a bit involved and I didn't think I met their requirements. Maybe this new round of beta testing is a bit less strict on standards? Someone has to set the low bar! ;D
Sooner than I thought.....but of course I will be on vacation then:) Guess I'll get to hear reviews before jumping in, but likely would take a total bust to keep me from buying anyway.
If this is a total bust I don't know how I will handle it.
Quote from: Gusington on May 07, 2019, 06:35:26 AM
If this is a total bust I don't know how I will handle it.
LOL.... things we gamers worry about
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 06, 2019, 07:49:45 PM
Sooner than I thought.....but of course I will be on vacation then:) Guess I'll get to hear reviews before jumping in, but likely would take a total bust to keep me from buying anyway.
That's what laptops are for!
Quote from: solops on May 07, 2019, 07:53:47 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 06, 2019, 07:49:45 PM
Sooner than I thought.....but of course I will be on vacation then:) Guess I'll get to hear reviews before jumping in, but likely would take a total bust to keep me from buying anyway.
That's what laptops are for!
And divorce lawyers I guess....
You can get one with the other and then download Empires. Case closed 😎
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on May 07, 2019, 08:36:09 AM
And divorce lawyers I guess....
That's why I married a gamer.
Quick heads up to all those of you buzzing for Empires like I am.....Dastactic has just started a playthrough of The Grand Campaign playing as the one starting province Arverni in Gaul.....
He is a slow player who explains a lot of the mechanics as he goes which I like so I am sure I will pick up enough from this series that I can jump in without having to do the tutorial when it is released next month...
^ Thanks for the heads up!
http://www.slitherine.com/news/2856/Field.of.Glory.Empires.Dev.Diary.#10..Units.Abilities.and.Modifiers
Does Empires have its own tactical battle engine?
If so whats the added benefit of letting FoG 2 manage it then?
If I am reading the description correctly, FoG2 will be linked to Empires as the battle engine, and fighting battles with FoG2 will be optional.
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 28, 2019, 07:09:38 AM
Does Empires have its own tactical battle engine?
Yes but very limited (based on dice rolls). (check video at minute 32 https://www.twitch.tv/videos/408566742?filter=archives&sort=time)
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 28, 2019, 07:09:38 AM
If so whats the added benefit of letting FoG 2 manage it then?
You don't have to use the very limited battle engine.
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 28, 2019, 07:09:38 AM
Does Empires have its own tactical battle engine?
If so whats the added benefit of letting FoG 2 manage it then?
There is also the speed of play factor. If you are playing out each battle as a FoG 2 game, figure on adding at least 30 minutes per battle to the time to play the game. If you figure at least 1 battle a turn, you are adding significantly to the time needed to play the game. If the game manages the battles, they take about 15 seconds to play out.
Quote from: Tripoli on May 28, 2019, 09:25:16 AM
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 28, 2019, 07:09:38 AM
Does Empires have its own tactical battle engine?
If so whats the added benefit of letting FoG 2 manage it then?
There is also the speed of play factor. If you are playing out each battle as a FoG 2 game, figure on adding at least 30 minutes per battle to the time to play the game. If you figure at least 1 battle a turn, you are adding significantly to the time needed to play the game. If the game manages the battles, they take about 15 seconds to play out.
I have FoG2 and enjoy it, but have no intention of using it to play out the battles in FoG:Empires for just the reason Tripoli points out. Empires appears to be deep, complex strategic game with turns being one year. The ongoing AAR by Das Tactic on YouTube shows the in-game combat, though simplified, has a lot of strategy behind it in the composition of units in your army that greatly impacts your chances of a victory. Playing out each battle in FoG2 would bring the flow of the strategic game to a crawl. At least for me that is...maybe a key battle here and there in FoG2 will work for me. Regardless, I'm looking forward to this one coming out.
Quote from: Rayfer on May 28, 2019, 09:37:52 AM
Playing out each battle in FoG2 would bring the flow of the strategic game to a crawl. At least for me that is...maybe a key battle here and there in FoG2 will work for me.
It is a bit like Total War games : do you play the battle or do you select autoresolve.
As usual, I'd like to object to calling the Empires battle system simplifed, or comparing it to the Total War autoresolve. :)
Apart from the increasing number of videos on Youtube, we have tried to explain the details in writing here:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=547&t=91454
By the way here the battle conversion is explained in detail as well:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=547&t=91525
Quote from: Tamas on May 28, 2019, 09:59:23 AM
As usual, I'd like to object to calling the Empires battle system simplifed, or comparing it to the Total War autoresolve. :)
Apart from the increasing number of videos on Youtube, we have tried to explain the details in writing here:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=547&t=91454
By the way here the battle conversion is explained in detail as well:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=547&t=91525
Don't worry Tamas I think almost all of us are going to buy this :)
Quote from: Pete Dero on May 28, 2019, 09:48:16 AM
Quote from: Rayfer on May 28, 2019, 09:37:52 AM
Playing out each battle in FoG2 would bring the flow of the strategic game to a crawl. At least for me that is...maybe a key battle here and there in FoG2 will work for me.
It is a bit like Total War games : do you play the battle or do you select autoresolve.
Yes, agreed, it is a bit like the TW games. I play some battles but more often than not use auto-resolve.
^Me too.
Thanks chaps!
The option to pick and choose which battles you want to play in detail is a very nice feature indeed, but good point made about the 'flow' of the strategic campaign.
Perhaps thats why I never finished a TW campaign... :P
If I remember correctly from watching the Das Tactics YouTube videos...you export the battle over into FoG2 to play out the battle. You don't play it out in the Empires game. So you have to have both games open and running at the same time. Did I get that right? :o
That I do not know. Not sure how that will work.
It might sound more complicated but actually pretty straightforward:
When you export a battle from Empires it creates a file. It is always the same file at the same location (so, one exported battle at a time, you can't store multiple of them), so FOG2 will know where it is.
Also when exporting is done (a second or two), Empires asks you if you want to close it down and launch FOG2. If you select no, it will go back to its main menu. If yes, it will do just that: quit and launch FOG2 .
In FOG2, you'll find an "Empires battle" button within the "Battles" menu. You press that and it starts up the battle. Once the battle is over you'll get the same dialog as above (quit and launch or not) just from FOG2's perspective of course.
In Empires there's an "import battle result" button right in the main menu.
Although this option to automatically quit one game before launching the other is definitely our recommended one (since we can't really vouch for people's PC setups), the only thing that could potentially prevent you from having the other game left open in the background is your computer's performance. I play with both games open when I am testing/playing exported battles.
Thanks for that. My PC should be able to handle having both open at once as well.
Thanks Tamas. Will having FoG2 on Steam be a problem?
There is code which should allow different SKUs of the games to play each other without issue. E.g. if you have Slitherine FoG2 and Steam Empires it should all just work (tm). The only requirement is that you have run each game at least once before you try and get them to talk to each other.
Cheers
Pip
Thank you Pip and Tamas for visiting us and clearing things up.
I still plan on purchasing Field of Glory: Empires the moment it gets released on Steam. 8)
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 28, 2019, 12:22:25 PM
Thanks chaps!
The option to pick and choose which battles you want to play in detail is a very nice feature indeed, but good point made about the 'flow' of the strategic campaign.
Perhaps thats why I never finished a TW campaign... :P
You can auto resolve TW battles too.
Quote from: W8taminute on May 28, 2019, 03:36:13 PM
Thank you Pip and Tamas for visiting us and clearing things up.
I still plan on purchasing Field of Glory: Empires the moment it gets released on Steam. 8)
+1
+2
I'm not going to lie. I think I need this. I think I need this bad. \m/
:D
This will be the release of the year.
No doubt at all.
Soon.
Soon!!
I refuse to read anything about this game until it's released. Just end up getting myself excited for something I can't play for another month
Shut up with your cold reality and logic.
Or, you could play the game right now. In your mind.... like I'm doing. :uglystupid2: That way I always win.
Just to get everyone even more frustrated/stoked......on the Steam forum yesterday Pocus, lead developer said release date was between 3 and 7 weeks away !!
YEAH BABY.
Hi guys.
7 days after release I am going to start a MP Campaign of Field of Glory Empires with minimum 8-10 players if anyone is interested.
Minimum of 1 turn every 48 hours but hopefully more.
If any reliable players are interested let me know on the Slitherine Empires forum with your choice of starting nation (or on here if you prefer)
I will draw lots if more than one player picks the same.
All the best
Ian
I am interested and will try to be as reliable as possible. Where can I find a list of available nations to play as?
:knuppel2:
Quote from: Gusington on June 02, 2019, 03:09:41 PM
I am interested and will try to be as reliable as possible. Where can I find a list of available nations to play as?
Hi Gus.
The best way to check is to watch a dastactic you tube episode on the campaign game ....you can see all the playable nations in the first episode of his Arverni playthrough .
Let me know and I will pencil you in.
Cheers
Ian
Quote from: devoncop on June 02, 2019, 02:39:36 PM
Hi guys.
7 days after release I am going to start a MP Campaign of Field of Glory Empires with minimum 8-10 players if anyone is interested.
Minimum of 1 turn every 48 hours but hopefully more.
If any reliable players are interested let me know on the Slitherine Empires forum with your choice of starting nation (or on here if you prefer)
I will draw lots if more than one player picks the same.
All the best
Ian
I would be interested. I am currently involved in a MP beta test game, and it is a blast. Can't give any more details than that.
It is obvious from the You Tube footage I have seen this will be a phenomenal game in SP and incredible in MP.
I will reserve you a place and let me know what nation you prefer. Any matches will be drawn for and the losing player asked to pick an alternative from nations remaining.
Cheers
Ian
Players so far :
Geffalrus : Antigonids
Devoncop : Ptolemaic Egypt
Yaitz331 : Judea
Gusington : Bactrians
Tripoli : Nation To be confirmed
Asti. : Samnites
Lokki. : Picts
Jimwinsor : Seleucids
Lecrop. : Happy to play any nation.
Al_infierno : Carthage
,........This post will be kept updated.
Thanks I will take a look at the Das Tactic vid later tonight or tomorrow.
Quote from: devoncop on June 02, 2019, 01:28:37 AM
Just to get everyone even more frustrated/stoked......on the Steam forum yesterday Pocus, lead developer said release date was between 3 and 7 weeks away !!
Damn...doesn't excite me...I was hoping early June. Man, 7 weeks is a long time. I want to play this so badly. I was a beta tester for Wars of Seccesion so I applied to be one for this when they opened it but never heard back. When they closed it, I thought they were closer. I can't even watch videos or read about it because I just get frustrated not being able to play
Been in a huge gaming drought for 3-4 months now and I'm thinking this one will bring me out.
Quote from: mikeck on June 02, 2019, 08:32:29 PM
Quote from: devoncop on June 02, 2019, 01:28:37 AM
Just to get everyone even more frustrated/stoked......on the Steam forum yesterday Pocus, lead developer said release date was between 3 and 7 weeks away !!
Damn...doesn't excite me...I was hoping early June. Man, 7 weeks is a long time. I want to play this so badly. I was a beta tester for Wars of Seccesion so I applied to be one for this when they opened it but never heard back. When they closed it, I thought they were closer. I can't even watch videos or read about it because I just get frustrated not being able to play
Been in a huge gaming drought for 3-4 months now and I'm thinking this one will bring me out.
It could be 3 weeks away (timespan mentioned was 3 to 7 weeks)...........PS I am an eternal optimist :)
Yeah, but even that is triple what I'd hoped. Oh well...
Devoncop: I'll take the Bactrians.
Quote from: Gusington on June 03, 2019, 08:44:19 AM
Devoncop: I'll take the Bactrians.
I heard rumours you liked Camels 😉
Bactrians are yours.
SWEET.
All rumors are true 8)
I hear the camels like him too. Gettin' back to Bactria! This should be fun.
When you put it that way it sounds much than...whatever.
Can I take Carthage? :D
Quote from: al_infierno on June 03, 2019, 10:37:20 PM
Can I take Carthage? :D
I was willing wondering when someone would go for them ! :)
You have Carthage.
I will contact everyone again when the game releases.
Is the big draw for this game that it's a vehicle for the FoG battles to play or that it's a true strategy game on it's own?
Quote from: Sir Slash on June 04, 2019, 10:10:15 AM
Is the big draw for this game that it's a vehicle for the FoG battles to play or that it's a true strategy game on it's own?
Would you mind 'both' as an answer ?
If you have FOG2 than Empires can build a campaign for it.
The current streams can't include exporting battles (as it isn't implemented yet) and still they show a complete strategy game.
Quote from: Sir Slash on June 04, 2019, 10:10:15 AM
Is the big draw for this game that it's a vehicle for the FoG battles to play or that it's a true strategy game on it's own?
It is very much a complete strategy game on its own.
By the way exporting battles from the strategy map into FoG2 is already implemented in single player and has been demonstrated working smoothly in You Tube challenges by Dastactic and also Lionheart did a You Tube this week showing the same.
In "Breaking News"...........Slitherine state the release date for Empires will be announced NEXT WEEK !!! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
Quote from: devoncop on June 04, 2019, 10:53:33 AM
By the way exporting battles from the strategy map into FoG2 is already implemented in single player and has been demonstrated working smoothly in You Tube challenges by Dastactic and also Lionheart did a You Tube this week showing the same.
I didn't know that it was implemented.
Quote from: devoncop on June 04, 2019, 10:53:33 AM
In "Breaking News"...........Slitherine state the release date for Empires will be announced NEXT WEEK !!! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
That's when my anniversary coupon is due :bd:.
O, wait ! The release date will be announced next week but it isn't released next week >:( !?
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 04, 2019, 11:07:29 AM
Quote from: devoncop on June 04, 2019, 10:53:33 AM
By the way exporting battles from the strategy map into FoG2 is already implemented in single player and has been demonstrated working smoothly in You Tube challenges by Dastactic and also Lionheart did a You Tube this week showing the same.
I didn't know that it was implemented.
Quote from: devoncop on June 04, 2019, 10:53:33 AM
In "Breaking News"...........Slitherine state the release date for Empires will be announced NEXT WEEK !!! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
That's when my anniversary coupon is due :bd:.
O, wait ! The release date will be announced next week but it isn't released next week >:( !?
They could always announce they are releasing it the same day 😉
(But I wouldn't count on it !)
GIGGITY GIGGITY...
...GIGGITY, GOO.
Now let's see if anyone takes Rome for me to tussle with ;)
Next week can't come soon enough!
Quote from: al_infierno on June 04, 2019, 12:27:11 PM
Now let's see if anyone takes Rome for me to tussle with ;)
Next week can't come soon enough!
I have a suspicion Rome may have a human player very soon 😉
Does MP work via the same system as FoG2's?
As in, play the turn whenever you can rather than all be online at the same time? If so, chalk me up for a nation!
It does !
The only commitment is to one turn every 48 hours ....
Interested in any particular nation?
Good!
No preference. I'll let myself be surprised.
So, will the combat engine in Empires be derived from the rules in FoG? It bears its name, so I would assume the POA values and battle mechanics are the same, at least at a basic level or perhaps behind the scenes when auto resolving?
Quote from: Yskonyn on June 05, 2019, 11:22:33 AM
So, will the combat engine in Empires be derived from the rules in FoG? It bears its name, so I would assume the POA values and battle mechanics are the same, at least at a basic level or perhaps behind the scenes when auto resolving?
There is a direct link to those values yes but other factors also come into play. Generals assigned by you out of your pool to lead the armies have strengths and weaknesses that add or subtract to the die rolls of the individual combats, as does terrain and the provinces themselves have frontages that restrict the numbers of troops that can fight in front lines.
Cities with fortifications are very difficult to take with a decent garrison as the walls add further to dice rolls and certain troops like Palace Guard get bonuses for defending cities.
In short there are a lot of nuances within the game that mean the biggest army is definitely not always the best 😉
Me likey.
Quote from: devoncop on June 05, 2019, 11:31:21 AM
In short there are a lot of nuances within the game that mean the biggest army is definitely not always the best 😉
Actually, given AGEOD's reputation with their Athena engine based games, that is a frightening statement.
As long as those nuances are well documented and will not require the customer to conduct a full design of experiment with the game to flesh those nuances out I'm ok with this.
Retracting my earlier day one purchase statement until the community has played the game upon release.
Quote from: W8taminute on June 05, 2019, 02:29:45 PM
Quote from: devoncop on June 05, 2019, 11:31:21 AM
In short there are a lot of nuances within the game that mean the biggest army is definitely not always the best 😉
Actually, given AGEOD's reputation with their Athena engine based games, that is a frightening statement.
As long as those nuances are well documented and will not require the customer to conduct a full design of experiment with the game to flesh those nuances out I'm ok with this.
Retracting my earlier day one purchase statement until the community has played the game upon release.
I have tried (and failed) to get my head around the Ageod previous engine on numerous occasions.
This is a very different beast and a totally new engine.
The bonuses etc I mentioned are all clearly laid out in the battle reports in game.
Check out the Dastactic videos on You Tube if you have time.....very clear.
This Developer Diary also briefly describes some of the differences between units and how different unit types and terrain effect combat: http://www.matrixgames.com/news/2856/Field.of.Glory:.Empires.Dev.Diary.#10..Units:.Abilities.and.Modifiers
Devoncop beat me to it...AGEOD has virtually nothing to do with this game.
Yes the engine used is not the same as the old Ageod games.
Good to hear guys. Thanks for the info. :)
I need this game yesterday.
I hope the manual gets pre released so I can prepare!
Quote from: Yskonyn on June 07, 2019, 03:10:24 PM
I hope the manual gets pre released so I can prepare!
Pah........reading the manual........Sooooooooooo last century ........ :)
Having watched the Dastactic You Tube series I am chomping at the bit !
Watched some Let's Plays with the FOG 2 Battle implementation. I think I want to do the Eric Cartman "Freeze myself until release date" strategy.
Quote from: SirAndrewD on June 07, 2019, 04:23:23 PM
Watched some Let's Plays with the FOG 2 Battle implementation. I think I want to do the Eric Cartman "Freeze myself until release date" strategy.
It is well done but funnily enough I doubt I will utilise it much at all as I love the Empires battle resolution model which plays out in game without utilising FoG2.....there are a lot of nuances to it and it allows the strategic game to player out really smoothly from what I have seen.
I imagine I'll only use the FoG2 battles for significant engagements. I really, really like the FoG2 system and am enamored of the idea of having a campaign map overlay for it, but I also want to use the Empires system when I either don't have time, or inclination to fight a full battle.
Quote from: Gusington on June 05, 2019, 05:50:13 PM
Devoncop beat me to it...AGEOD has virtually nothing to do with this game.
Thank God.
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 04, 2019, 10:47:20 AM
Quote from: Sir Slash on June 04, 2019, 10:10:15 AM
Is the big draw for this game that it's a vehicle for the FoG battles to play or that it's a true strategy game on it's own?
Would you mind 'both' as an answer ?
+1. Without the option to play the battles in FoG2 I would not buy it, but I do not plan on using it for all of my battles, perhaps not even most of them.
Quote from: solops on June 07, 2019, 05:56:37 PM
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 04, 2019, 10:47:20 AM
Quote from: Sir Slash on June 04, 2019, 10:10:15 AM
Is the big draw for this game that it's a vehicle for the FoG battles to play or that it's a true strategy game on it's own?
Would you mind 'both' as an answer ?
+1. Without the option to play the battles in FoG2 I would not buy it, but I do not plan on using it for all of my battles, perhaps not even most of them.
Agreed but it's good that we have an option if we want it. I'm happy with that.
I definitely won't use it for all battles either unless it is so novel and great a that I can't resist...which is a possibility 😎
I thought those like me frothing with anticipation may like this :
From the Manual.......(I got a sneak peek !)
There are tons of nation specific events/rules which totally differentiate playing different countries......
As an example :
7.7. Specific Rules for the Diadochi
The Hellenistic successor states (the Diadochi) have particular problems in retaining their regions when they are losing a war. If they become old or decadent, there is a risk that their entire Empire will collapse. Equally border regions may change loyalty to a more dynamic and successful neighbour.
The Seleucids use the Satrapy system which gives a bonus in terms of a free unit for each province and more garrisons in each region. The disadvantage, however, is in terms of reduced income due to the cost of the Satrap.
Macedonia's government age will not increase in any turn in which it grows by at least one region. However, if the number of regions does not expand, then Government Age increase will double for that turn. The Antigonids will see their Government Age increase at double the normal rate in any turn in which they have no wars. If they are currently fighting between three and five wars, then they will not age and if they have six wars at any time they will lose 1 government age for each such turn.
116
The Ptolemies will see their Government Age double in any turn in which their fleet is less than half the combat power of their army. If their navy is larger (in terms of combat power) than their army, they will gain a bonus +5 legacy points per turn (in this case the fleet must be of at least 80 combat power).
All the Diadochi (including the Lysimachids) are vulnerable to crumble when played by the AI depending on their decadence and if they have lost their original national capital.
Rome is the only faction whose Heavy infantry (Legions) can build roads and fortifications in addition to any regional building you may have underway.
Loyalty of populations varies hugely with Egypt for example generating only 2 loyalty per population whilst some states can generate up 6 or 7 or more base loyalty.
These are all in addition to the nation specific traits that you get at the beginning of each game and attached to the rulers that change as each is replaced.
I can only stress the above are just a couple of examples from lots applying to different nations.
Sorry. Double post .😠
Awesome. A lot of thought has clearly been put in these game details and workings.
*prays to gaming gods that it is as good as it sounds*
Been doing a little FOG2 since the latest DLC release.
All it needs is a proper dynamic campaign.
If FOG: Empires doesn't explode or disappear into Nevergame Land, and gets released, I'll squeeze out a man-jewel nugget of gesticulating joy. <:-) Because it'll be superb.
:o
Release date just announced.....
Drumroll........
11th July !!!!
Agony.....another 4 weeks !!!!!
Cool! Now get the manual out early!
:( end of month I was hoping for
Quote from: FlickJax on June 12, 2019, 05:43:02 AM
:( end of month I was hoping for
I was hoping for the end of the day ! 😉
;D yep who knows what is around the corner
Quote from: devoncop on June 12, 2019, 04:14:06 AM
Release date just announced.....
Drumroll........
11th July !!!!
Agony.....another 4 weeks !!!!!
It's my B'day....going to be great!!!!
Quote from: Anguille on June 12, 2019, 06:39:43 AM
Quote from: devoncop on June 12, 2019, 04:14:06 AM
Release date just announced.....
Drumroll........
11th July !!!!
So .............the guilty party has revealed themselves.......
Release delayed to please Anguille !!! :knuppel2: :knuppel2: :knuppel2:
Agony.....another 4 weeks !!!!!
It's my B'day....going to be great!!!!
The precious will be here soon? Well then...
Thread has taken a creepy turn. Well done!
7/11 You say. Makes me think of buying cheap wine when I was 18. <:-) This'll give me time to take a nap before the action starts.
July 11! YAY!!!!! :D
This looks too good to be true! :notworthy: Not to be a glass half full guy, but hopefully it lives up to the hype. I am partly skeptical, just because previous AGEod releases, while also great in concept, have been a little under baked in release and follow up support. I have also found as a player of AGEod games, that most of the challenge comes from the system itself and not necessarily the AI. We already know FOGII is rock solid, but from browsing the numerous dev diaries, I don't see much on how the AI plays the strategic game? Forge of Freedom, another game that mixed the strategic and tactical layer did a pretty good job strategically only to be let down by the tactical side imo. Would love to hear how FOG:Empires plays well strategically against the AI, if so it would be an instant classic. :bd:
Quote from: Zonso on June 12, 2019, 03:40:29 PM
This looks too good to be true! :notworthy: Not to be a glass half full guy, but hopefully it lives up to the hype. I am partly skeptical, just because previous AGEod releases, while also great in concept, have been a little under baked in release and follow up support. I have also found as a player of AGEod games, that most of the challenge comes from the system itself and not necessarily the AI. We already know FOGII is rock solid, but from browsing the numerous dev diaries, I don't see much on how the AI plays the strategic game? Forge of Freedom, another game that mixed the strategic and tactical layer did a pretty good job strategically only to be let down by the tactical side imo. Would love to hear how FOG:Empires plays well strategically against the AI, if so it would be an instant classic. :bd:
This is not an Ageod game in any real sense. It is a totally new engine.
Please do look for the Dastactic plays of the Carthage challenge on you tube....it explains a heck of a lot of the game mechanics and should put your mind to rest.
Speaking online to players of the Beta version they are blown away by the game (as was Dastactic) and the naval AI has just had a big upgrade prior to final release....
Quote from: devoncop on June 12, 2019, 04:26:22 PM
Quote from: Zonso on June 12, 2019, 03:40:29 PM
This looks too good to be true! :notworthy: Not to be a glass half full guy, but hopefully it lives up to the hype. I am partly skeptical, just because previous AGEod releases, while also great in concept, have been a little under baked in release and follow up support. I have also found as a player of AGEod games, that most of the challenge comes from the system itself and not necessarily the AI. We already know FOGII is rock solid, but from browsing the numerous dev diaries, I don't see much on how the AI plays the strategic game? Forge of Freedom, another game that mixed the strategic and tactical layer did a pretty good job strategically only to be let down by the tactical side imo. Would love to hear how FOG:Empires plays well strategically against the AI, if so it would be an instant classic. :bd:
This is not an Ageod game in any real sense. It is a totally new engine.
Please do look for the Dastactic plays of the Carthage challenge on you tube....it explains a heck of a lot of the game mechanics and should put your mind to rest.
Speaking online to players of the Beta version they are blown away by the game (as was Dastactic) and the naval AI has just had a big upgrade prior to final release....
New engine, but same main developer though (Pocus) ? Regardless of the past, I will be buying first day (unless one of those mega expensive Matrix premium titles) like I always do, but with so much hype being generated really hope it doesn't let people down. I truly hope it is as great as people think.
I agree with you there but all signs are positive.
So on the 18th which nation are people intending to play first ?
I will have a few turns practicing as Egypt to prepare for our MP extravaganza on the 18th but the learning game will be as the Britons as they are small and manageable surrounded by independents (until the heathen Picts turn up :hide:)
Epirus and it's Elephants appeal too though 👍
Quote from: devoncop on June 12, 2019, 04:26:22 PM
This is not an Ageod game in any real sense. It is a totally new engine.
Please do look for the Dastactic plays of the Carthage challenge on you tube....it explains a heck of a lot of the game mechanics and should put your mind to rest.
Speaking online to players of the Beta version they are blown away by the game (as was Dastactic) and the naval AI has just had a big upgrade prior to final release....
Not sure I understand the bolded comment. New/old engine, AGEod is still the developer are they not? They are listed as such on the product page.
Anyways have reviewed Dastactic's videos throughout and agree, he does a great job explaining the games various (deep) mechanics; however not seen or aware of much on how the AI plays, handles diplomacy etc. Good to hear re the naval aspect. As always will wait patiently for release and reviews. Thanks.
Quote from: Zonso on June 13, 2019, 07:23:00 AM
Quote from: devoncop on June 12, 2019, 04:26:22 PM
This is not an Ageod game in any real sense. It is a totally new engine.
Please do look for the Dastactic plays of the Carthage challenge on you tube....it explains a heck of a lot of the game mechanics and should put your mind to rest.
Speaking online to players of the Beta version they are blown away by the game (as was Dastactic) and the naval AI has just had a big upgrade prior to final release....
Not sure I understand the bolded comment. New/old engine, AGEod is still the developer are they not? They are listed as such on the product page.
Anyways have reviewed Dastactic's videos throughout and agree, he does a great job explaining the games various (deep) mechanics; however not seen or aware of much on how the AI plays, handles diplomacy etc. Good to hear re the naval aspect. As always will wait patiently for release and reviews. Thanks.
Ageod is SO associated with a single engine that--at least from my perspective--the comment makes perfect sense. I have definite expectations from Ageod, but if it's not that same engine they've already put out about 20 or more games under, then I don't really have any expectations at all beyond "we'll see."
Quote from: glen55 on June 13, 2019, 01:56:16 PM
Quote from: Zonso on June 13, 2019, 07:23:00 AM
Quote from: devoncop on June 12, 2019, 04:26:22 PM
This is not an Ageod game in any real sense. It is a totally new engine.
Please do look for the Dastactic plays of the Carthage challenge on you tube....it explains a heck of a lot of the game mechanics and should put your mind to rest.
Speaking online to players of the Beta version they are blown away by the game (as was Dastactic) and the naval AI has just had a big upgrade prior to final release....
Not sure I understand the bolded comment. New/old engine, AGEod is still the developer are they not? They are listed as such on the product page.
Anyways have reviewed Dastactic's videos throughout and agree, he does a great job explaining the games various (deep) mechanics; however not seen or aware of much on how the AI plays, handles diplomacy etc. Good to hear re the naval aspect. As always will wait patiently for release and reviews. Thanks.
Ageod is SO associated with a single engine that--at least from my perspective--the comment makes perfect sense. I have definite expectations from Ageod, but if it's not that same engine they've already put out about 20 or more games under, then I don't really have any expectations at all beyond "we'll see."
That was EXACTLY the point I was trying to make but perhaps should have phrased it better.
At no stage, despite buying several of their old generation games and watching You Tube advice guides did I ever get to grips with their old engine.
I have watched 8 or so Dastactic You Tube presentations of FoG Empires and I am confident I can pick it up on release and play it without a tutorial.
It has an excellent informative UI and the ledger in game is second to none.
Zonso I was skeptical too about FoG:E when I found it AGEOD was connected to it. See my post a few pages back in this thread.
I'm fairly certain now thanks to the guidance of devoncop and others that this game will not be just another game based off of the decrepit Athena Engine. It is a brand new engine and one that looks very intuitive. 8)
No tutorial, eh?
Quote from: Gusington on June 13, 2019, 04:44:28 PM
No tutorial, eh?
There is a step by step guide to the first 8 or so turns as Rome in the manual 😉
No I mean that you don't need the tutorial? Most impressive!
Manual released:
http://www.matrixgames.com/amazon/PDF/FOGE/FOG%20Empires%20Manual%20Final.pdf (http://www.matrixgames.com/amazon/PDF/FOGE/FOG%20Empires%20Manual%20Final.pdf)
:smitten:
New well explained series as Rome in the Grand Campaign just started for anyone interested .........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuk_l_AY4tU&t=497s
and as the Britons :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDnlXKQSak
and a multiple series as Epirus !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzBhCpHCYNk
Quote from: devoncop on June 25, 2019, 12:20:54 AM
New well explained series as Rome in the Grand Campaign just started for anyone interested .........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuk_l_AY4tU&t=497s
and as the Britons :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmDnlXKQSak
and a multiple series as Epirus !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzBhCpHCYNk
Thanks for the videos. Have this on my wishlist and am leaning towards a purchase. The Steam Summer starts today so hopefully there is a discount on FOG2 of at least 50%
FoG2: Complete is indeed 47% off on Steam right now: or 50% for the main game, and 30 to 20% off on the DLC.
<:-)
Quote from: Gusington on June 26, 2019, 01:06:33 PM
<:-)
So this is the week...Woohoo!!!
<:-) <:-) <:-)
<:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-)
Not sure I could be more excited for this release. Really appreciate the sneak peaks we have gotten from the front page here at Grogheads. Thursday can't come soon enough!
Quote from: IICptMillerII on July 09, 2019, 10:26:52 PM
Not sure I could be more excited for this release. Really appreciate the sneak peaks we have gotten from the front page here at Grogheads. Thursday can't come soon enough!
This is simply the type of game I have been waiting 30 years for.
My Steam hours are going to be frightening to see. :hide:
Anyone privy to what the price is going to be? I am going to wager its 39.99.
Would like to know that too :)
Quote from: devoncop on July 09, 2019, 11:04:22 PM
Quote from: IICptMillerII on July 09, 2019, 10:26:52 PM
Not sure I could be more excited for this release. Really appreciate the sneak peaks we have gotten from the front page here at Grogheads. Thursday can't come soon enough!
This is simply the type of game I have been waiting 30 years for.
My Steam hours are going to be frightening to see. :hide:
Just curious, what do you think this game has that other games haven't had in the last 30 years? What specifically is this going game going to do that is so much better than others? I am genuinely interested to understand what this strategic game will have that other's haven't. Saw this review posted in the last couple of days...seemed generally liked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv4_4ayAYCY
It's good to see all hype and excitement for this game is high and I am looking forward to it myself, but I am being a little more cautious and trying to limit my expectations to it hopefully just being a fun good game they build on over time. Just a little concerned people might be expecting too much from this game but I hope I am wrong in the end and turns out to be the game of the century:)
As for price speculation, I suspect it to be in the $39-$49 range...believe some of Ageod's recent titles started out at $39 so hard to believe it will be less than that. Just hoping it doesn't come out as one of their "premium" titles where it costs $70-$80...truly don't expect this but who knows.
With all that said, absolutely plan to buy tomorrow unless it turns out to be some insane "premium" price:)
I really have no idea what the price will be. Bit the potential here for expansions is pretty much infinite. Empires is really deep when it comes to numbers and systems and the myriad effects they have on your civilization. For numbers lovers, that could be enough...never mind the huge amount of factions, military units, cultures, and history. This game is big, in many ways.
Quote from: Gusington on July 10, 2019, 07:35:23 AM
I really have no idea what the price will be. Bit the potential here for expansions is pretty much infinite. Empires is really deep when it comes to numbers and systems and the myriad effects they have on your civilization. For numbers lovers, that could be enough...never mind the huge amount of factions, military units, cultures, and history. This game is big, in many ways.
100% agree :bd:
The hype is almost too good...
Crossing fingers that the pre-release hype meets reality.... :dreamer:
I hope my previews aren't too hype heavy. Tried to capture as many sides of this release as I could. It's a big game.
Quote from: Gusington on July 10, 2019, 09:31:53 AM
I hope my previews aren't too hype heavy. Tried to capture as many sides of this release as I could. It's a big game.
The preview is great.
What is so impressive is that each nation plays so differently. I saw You Tube run through as Sarmatia this morning ...totally different challenge to Pontus and a nation I never considered playing until I saw its set up.
Something else interesting I have noticed - there is no option to play as Persia in the main campaign. Maybe I missed them listed in that gigantic list, or maybe they are going by some other historical name?
Quote from: Gusington on July 10, 2019, 10:00:07 AM
Something else interesting I have noticed - there is no option to play as Persia in the main campaign. Maybe I missed them listed in that gigantic list, or maybe they are going by some other historical name?
Persia is not on the map at start, that space occupied by the Seleucids. :) Persia can (and often does) appear as a new faction if Seleucids can't hold themselves together.
You can switch to controlling any faction on the map during a (single player) game, so you can take over them once they appear, if you so desire.
Nice write up of the preview.
The loin moistening is strong with this one.
Once you start down the loin moistening path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.
Groggy
^You are too kind. And kind of gross. Well done!!
That makes sense about Persia. Taking over a rump Persia, rising again...that could be epic.
There is a let's play on you tube of Judea, I think by grey hunter, that has a Seleucid civil war in which Persia reappears.
That let's play also has the Blemeyes pop up as well and a bunch of factions in anatolia/mid east when Antigonids go through a bad patch.
I can see myself making a lot of saves when these nations pop up so I can play through as them as well.
According to Steam, it unlocks in approximately 1 hour :smitten: :notworthy: <:-)
Quote from: al_infierno on July 11, 2019, 12:19:01 AM
According to Steam, it unlocks in approximately 1 hour :smitten: :notworthy: <:-)
The F5 button is getting a hammering :-)
Dammit 7 more hours at work why you do this to me. :pullhair:
Quote from: Speedy on July 11, 2019, 01:27:01 AM
Dammit 7 more hours at work why you do this to me. :pullhair:
You got the last laugh here Speedy........now showing 8 bloody hours to release :knuppel2:
Put a price on it already..Dammit!!
Quote from: FlickJax on July 11, 2019, 02:50:38 AM
Put a price on it already..Dammit!!
About £35 or 40 Euros I reckon.
Quote from: devoncop on July 11, 2019, 02:27:00 AM
Quote from: Speedy on July 11, 2019, 01:27:01 AM
Dammit 7 more hours at work why you do this to me. :pullhair:
You got the last laugh here Speedy........now showing 8 bloody hours to release :knuppel2:
Ouch that's got to hurt.
Thank you Slitherine :) I didn't get selected for the beta but they have just sent me a coupon anyway :)
Quote from: FlickJax on July 11, 2019, 04:14:48 AM
Thank you Slitherine :) I didn't get selected for the beta but they have just sent me a coupon anyway :)
Yep, me too.....although it didn't say how much of a discount, but anything greater than zero is more than I expected:) Although looking at the code itself, may imply $10 off.....that's pretty good if that is the case, unless the cost of the game ends up being on the high end to start with:)
Well they seem to want to keep that a secret ;)
Quote from: FlickJax on July 11, 2019, 05:55:24 AM
Well they seem to want to keep that a secret ;)
In roughly 5 hours, we will all know:)
Why are games often released on Pacific time these days.. I dont get it!!!
Quote from: FlickJax on July 11, 2019, 06:28:19 AM
Why are games often released on Pacific time these days.. I dont get it!!!
Is Steam not a West Coast based Company ?
That shouldn't come into it....do it based on time zones :)
Quote from: FlickJax on July 11, 2019, 06:40:44 AM
That shouldn't come into it....do it based on time zones :)
Living in Australia I am all in favour of that idea.
Quote from: FlickJax on July 11, 2019, 06:40:44 AM
That shouldn't come into it....do it based on time zones :)
Living in the UK as I do and sitting here like a junkie waiting for an urgent fix believe me you are preaching to the converted my friend !! :bd:
Is it time?
Saw this posted by Slitherine/Matrix person....
"We will release the game approximately at around 3 pm UK time (BST)"
If my conversion is correct, that is about 10am Eastern.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 07:18:55 AM
Saw this posted by Slitherine/Matrix person....
"We will release the game approximately at around 3 pm UK time (BST)"
If my conversion is correct, that is about 10am Eastern.
So that's about 1.5 hrs from now?
Don't finish work till 5PM, then dinner etc, wife will probably let me go to PC about 8PM ;)
Released...39.99...downloading now.
Looks like it is out now. Now I am waiting for some comments, reviews, etc.
Still waiting............. C'mon people, I can't wait all day! :)
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 09:15:53 AM
Released...39.99...downloading now.
Okay, it has been 5 minutes. How is it?
Purchased cant play till tonight :)
Quote from: MC on July 11, 2019, 09:20:42 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 09:15:53 AM
Released...39.99...downloading now.
Okay, it has been 5 minutes. How is it?
You can try yourself:) Remember on Steam you can try for 2 hours and refund if you don't like:)
If you buy the bundle it's 10 bucks off and you get FOG II with it.
Quote from: Tuna on July 11, 2019, 09:37:38 AM
If you buy the bundle it's 10 bucks off and you get FOG II with it.
Even if you already own FOG2, you'll still get the $10 Off discount by choosing the Bundle option for purchasing FOG:Empires.
<:-)
O0
Yeah.. I don't think they give you an 'extra' FOG II.. just a thankyou for already buying that
Quote from: Tuna on July 11, 2019, 09:44:59 AM
O0
Yeah.. I don't think they give you an 'extra' FOG II.. just a thankyou for already buying that
I'll take a $10 thank you any day.
:-"
Quote from: Nefaro on July 11, 2019, 10:00:01 AM
Quote from: Tuna on July 11, 2019, 09:44:59 AM
O0
Yeah.. I don't think they give you an 'extra' FOG II.. just a thankyou for already buying that
I'll take a $10 thank you any day.
:-"
+1 Just bought it and saved $10.00. Downloading now. :D
A little tip if you plan to use FOG 2 for battles...after you install Empires, you need to run FOG 2 once so it can complete some setup. You don't have to fight a battle, just run it and get to the menu and then exit. Then within Empires you can export battles.
Well guys. Have played 15 turns or so as Judea (for spying purposes😉)
The UI is brilliant and the game runs like a dream.
One thing I didn't realise was that when you manage to form a province you get not only a halving in decadence from the constituent regions but also a free Governors Palace which provides +5 Culture.
Nice :bd:
Let's put it this way. You guys who have been waiting for this game are NOT going to be disappointed.
Setting up our MP game was a breeze by the way . Good job Slitherine.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 09:24:30 AM
Quote from: MC on July 11, 2019, 09:20:42 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 09:15:53 AM
Released...39.99...downloading now.
Okay, it has been 5 minutes. How is it?
You can try yourself:) Remember on Steam you can try for 2 hours and refund if you don't like:)
I can wait a day or two for some comments before purchasing. I just want to make sure it is not a disappointment like "Imperator: Rome" seem to be for some people. I'm still waiting on that to see how it develops from here. However, I have high hopes for Empires.
Quote from: MC on July 11, 2019, 10:40:30 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 09:24:30 AM
Quote from: MC on July 11, 2019, 09:20:42 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 09:15:53 AM
Released...39.99...downloading now.
Okay, it has been 5 minutes. How is it?
You can try yourself:) Remember on Steam you can try for 2 hours and refund if you don't like:)
I can wait a day or two for some comments before purchasing. I just want to make sure it is not a disappointment like "Imperator: Rome" seem to be for some people. I'm still waiting on that to see how it develops from here. However, I have high hopes for Empires.
Sure, seems like a smart plan if your not sure....I think it will take a number of days for people to really form reasonable opinions on a game like this, although initial reactions are good to read, I suspect won't get the full picture for some time until people really dive in and get to later parts of the game. Everyone reacted to "Rome" quickly because they had a lot of ideas already in their head based on past history, with this game that doesn't exist. Personally, I think there will be room on my shelf for both.
Those of you who are retired/in more favorable timezones: Pour one out for the homies stuck at work for the rest of the day :'(
Quote from: al_infierno on July 11, 2019, 12:32:53 PM
Those of you Dwho are retired/in more favorable timezones: Pour one out for the homies stuck at work for the rest of the day :'(
d
Nice bottle of red just been opened for my play session this evening .....I told my wife I was doing it on your orders but it seems she has a negative loyalty modifier😉
I was able to use my anniversary coupon!
25.99 :D
Downloading now, and laughing maniacally. :D
Gaming is much less satisfying without maniacal laughter. Actually most things are.
So 3:30 am and I finally dragged myself away from Empires for a couple of minutes to make myself a cup of tea.
Decided to test out Iberri before signing in to the mp game and oh boy first turn capital province gets hit with plague, next turn they have epidemic outbreaks - this is not looking good.
Now finally after 25 turns I have managed to drag my nation out of the bottom third of the decadence rankings for the first time as we reach the heady heights of CDR rank 46.
At least those pesky Lusitanians are no more.
Oh and was able to use a 38% off anniversary coupon to purchase - thanks Slitherine.
Last night I partied like it was 299bc when my Pontus reached number 22 in the rankings \m/
Quote from: Gusington on July 11, 2019, 01:13:10 PM
Last night I partied like it was 299bc when my Pontus reached number 22 in the rankings \m/
When is the inevitable collapse due ? :DD
Quote from: devoncop on July 11, 2019, 12:36:13 PM
Quote from: al_infierno on July 11, 2019, 12:32:53 PM
Those of you Dwho are retired/in more favorable timezones: Pour one out for the homies stuck at work for the rest of the day :'(
d
Nice bottle of red just been opened for my play session this evening .....I told my wife I was doing it on your orders but it seems she has a negative loyalty modifier😉
;D
Quote from: Speedy on July 11, 2019, 01:05:53 PM
So 3:30 am and I finally dragged myself away from Empires for a couple of minutes to make myself a cup of tea.
Decided to test out Iberri before signing in to the mp game and oh boy first turn capital province gets hit with plague, next turn they have epidemic outbreaks - this is not looking good.
Now finally after 25 turns I have managed to drag my nation out of the bottom third of the decadence rankings for the first time as we reach the heady heights of CDR rank 46.
At least those pesky Lusitanians are no more.
Oh and was able to use a 38% off anniversary coupon to purchase - thanks Slitherine.
To be fair if the almost certainty of catching the plague doesn't deter Carthage from pushing north into your lands I really don't know what will 😱😱😱😱
I was also able to use my anniversary coupon.
$23.59
Thanks Slitherine. :bd:
I won't be able to download the game until tonight.
Happy to read grogs are liking it so far.
Groggy
Just got it, and played the short scenario...
and...got my ass handed to me by Epirus and I mean they marched into Rome and burnt the place down, I got flattened.
I'll say this, AI is no slouch and this was on NORMAL.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 10:29:17 AM
A little tip if you plan to use FOG 2 for battles...after you install Empires, you need to run FOG 2 once so it can complete some setup. You don't have to fight a battle, just run it and get to the menu and then exit. Then within Empires you can export battles.
THIS is an important bit of data that I have not seen anywhere else. It ought to be stickied and it darn sure ought to be on the Matrix forums and its not.
Quote from: solops on July 11, 2019, 02:12:50 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 10:29:17 AM
A little tip if you plan to use FOG 2 for battles...after you install Empires, you need to run FOG 2 once so it can complete some setup. You don't have to fight a battle, just run it and get to the menu and then exit. Then within Empires you can export battles.
THIS is an important bit of data that I have not seen anywhere else. It ought to be stickied and it darn sure ought to be on the Matrix forums and its not.
On steam at least:)
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1011390/discussions/0/1639790664928453892/
I'll admit, the one thing I didn't see coming was all the confusion and complaining about FOG 2 battles not being included directly within Empires. Personally, I always viewed it as a nice optional thing the developers thrown in, but seems people seem very confused and disappointed it requires a separate game for tactical battles (i.e. making people buy another game). I guess I can understand an "outsider" not really understanding that but I can see why developers will be hesitant ever doing this type of thing again....which would be a shame. I absolutely have no issue with it.
I don't know what the issue is...I never thought of using FoGII as anything but optional and on the prompt when a battle is engaged it clearly states that using FoGII is optional. Last night I had a slave revolt and it was the first battle I auto-resolved.
Quote from: Gusington on July 11, 2019, 02:34:54 PM
I don't know what the issue is...I never thought of using FoGII as anything but optional and on the prompt when a battle is engaged it clearly states that using FoGII is optional. Last night I had a slave revolt and it was the first battle I auto-resolved.
I suspect it is mostly from people not familiar with FOG 2 prior to this coming out...which I guess I could understand. They aren't grasping the OPTIONAL nature of it and feeling like content was purposely left out to force people to buy another product.
People are morons.
Quote from: Gusington on July 11, 2019, 02:48:36 PM
People are morons.
Yep, maybe:) But I suspect when the Steam reviews start pouring in, this will be the main thing complained about and drag down the score.
I've had a chance to play a bit today and my initial impression is very good. I haven't run into any bugs or issues, learning to play is quite intuitive due to all the tooltips, and the FoG2 battles have worked without issue for me. So far, this is just as good as I was hoping it would be. As of right now I really can't think of anything I don't like. If forced to give an improvement suggestion, my only one as of right now is expand the timeline to cover all the periods that FoG2 covers with its DLC.
Quote from: IICptMillerII on July 11, 2019, 03:17:12 PM
I've had a chance to play a bit today and my initial impression is very good. I haven't run into any bugs or issues, learning to play is quite intuitive due to all the tooltips, and the FoG2 battles have worked without issue for me. So far, this is just as good as I was hoping it would be. As of right now I really can't think of anything I don't like. If forced to give an improvement suggestion, my only one as of right now is expand the timeline to cover all the periods that FoG2 covers with its DLC.
The only improvement I would like is a few more diplomatic options (which the Devs are aware of and are hoping to add down the line) but you are right....it runs like a dream and has an excellent UI.
2 things rubbed me the wrong way with this game and as a result after only 57 minutes of play I promptly requested and received a refund.
I guess this game wasn't my cup of tea. I'm content to live vicariously through you guys and YouTube.
what were the two things?
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 03:52:22 PM
what were the two things?
A. The fact that I had to find out through a fellow groghead, after I purchased the game, that the game had a deal where you could get 25% off if you own FOG II. Yes I should have read the fine print a little more closely before purchasing the game but if a company resorts to clever little tricks where you must pay close attention to what you're buying then I'm done with that. Steam should have told me automatically that since I own FOG II I am eligible for a discount. Did they really think that the buyer was going to just accept it and move on?
B. The gripe is with the short scenario that is only 15 turns in length. Playing as Rome I immediately got trampled by and unstoppable Epirus. I've watched hours of YouTube videos that supposedly were designed to teach you to play however when actually sitting down with a copy of the game I quickly realized I have no clue what I should be doing each turn. What should I check for each turn? Where are the buttons to address governmental concerns? No quick start guide comes with this game, at least one that I could easily find. In short this game seems to be a 'solve the puzzle quickly or die a horrible death' and that is not what I expected a grand strategy game like this to be.
I agree with point B. Yes, there are tutorials and a manual that tell you what aspects of the game does, but not how to play it. Ideally, a tutorial that shows you what to do for the first few turns would be helpful. Frankly, I find Imperator to be more user-friendly when getting started.
There's no deal for getting 25% off if you own FOG2. There's a bundle that includes FOG2 which is discounted, and it's right there on the front page immediately beneath the normal listing. It just doesn't give you a second version of FOG2 if you already own it. Maybe I'm being a bit pedantic, but I think it's worth pointing out, they weren't exactly hiding a discount from you.
Quote from: al_infierno on July 11, 2019, 04:55:55 PM
There's no deal for getting 25% off if you own FOG2. There's a bundle that includes FOG2 which is discounted, and it's right there on the front page immediately beneath the normal listing. It just doesn't give you a second version of FOG2 if you already own it. Maybe I'm being a bit pedantic, but I think it's worth pointing out, they weren't exactly hiding a discount from you.
actually there is using your fog 2 serial if you buy from slitherine
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=534&t=92708
I dunno...I'm no jenius[tm] but without a tutorial my faction is still doing alright. The game is complex but with some time investment I find it gets immersive and fun, and definitely challenging.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 05:02:12 PM
Quote from: al_infierno on July 11, 2019, 04:55:55 PM
There's no deal for getting 25% off if you own FOG2. There's a bundle that includes FOG2 which is discounted, and it's right there on the front page immediately beneath the normal listing. It just doesn't give you a second version of FOG2 if you already own it. Maybe I'm being a bit pedantic, but I think it's worth pointing out, they weren't exactly hiding a discount from you.
actually there is using your fog 2 serial if you buy from slitherine
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=534&t=92708
No shit? I rescind my snark. Apologies w8 :notworthy:
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 02:38:25 PM
Quote from: Gusington on July 11, 2019, 02:34:54 PM
I don't know what the issue is...I never thought of using FoGII as anything but optional and on the prompt when a battle is engaged it clearly states that using FoGII is optional. Last night I had a slave revolt and it was the first battle I auto-resolved.
I suspect it is mostly from people not familiar with FOG 2 prior to this coming out...which I guess I could understand. They aren't grasping the OPTIONAL nature of it and feeling like content was purposely left out to force people to buy another product.
FoG II battles take ages to complete. Then their campaign will take eons.
Quote from: jomni on July 11, 2019, 06:21:13 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 02:38:25 PM
Quote from: Gusington on July 11, 2019, 02:34:54 PM
I don't know what the issue is...I never thought of using FoGII as anything but optional and on the prompt when a battle is engaged it clearly states that using FoGII is optional. Last night I had a slave revolt and it was the first battle I auto-resolved.
I suspect it is mostly from people not familiar with FOG 2 prior to this coming out...which I guess I could understand. They aren't grasping the OPTIONAL nature of it and feeling like content was purposely left out to force people to buy another product.
FoG II battles take ages to complete. Then their campaign will take eons.
Actually so far in my experience the battles in FoG2 only take 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the armies involved. I'm finding it extremely comparable to the Total War games in that respect. Fighting out the important tactical battles (or just for fun) in FoG2, while using the FoGE battle system to resolve the ones you want to resolve quickly.
This game really feels like a proper successor to Rome Total War. And I mean that in the best possible way. RTW is one of my all time favorite games, and FoGE feels like it, but massively improved.
Quote from: IronX on July 11, 2019, 04:54:51 PM
I agree with point B. Yes, there are tutorials and a manual that tell you what aspects of the game does, but not how to play it. Ideally, a tutorial that shows you what to do for the first few turns would be helpful. Frankly, I find Imperator to be more user-friendly when getting started.
Did you see the MP AAR that I did as Rome, located here:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=534&t=92523
I tried to put a lot of detail in it to help new players
^ I will check it out, thanks.
The Fog2 battles take me about a half hour too, but for me, that is a long time. It does add a considerable amount of time to a campaign.
But...I am still learning wtf is going on. I feel like I don't know about 99% of what is going on. If I keep pressing on, I hope to keep getting better and learn what is happening and play more efficiently.
What I am REALLY hoping for is a Dark Age campaign (5th century - 9th century AD). I know it's coming...I can feel it.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 11, 2019, 05:02:12 PM
actually there is using your fog 2 serial if you buy from slitherine
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=534&t=92708
Thanks for the info! :bd: I was wondering if there was a discount on the Slitherine store.
Quote from: Gusington on July 11, 2019, 08:58:35 PM
The Fog2 battles take me about a half hour too, but for me, that is a long time. It does add a considerable amount of time to a campaign.
But...I am still learning wtf is going on. I feel like I don't know about 99% of what is going on. If I keep pressing on, I hope to keep getting better and learn what is happening and play more efficiently.
What I am REALLY hoping for is a Dark Age campaign (5th century - 9th century AD). I know it's coming...I can feel it.
Yeah Gus I'm in agreement with everything you're saying.
For me the length of the battles in FoG2 isn't as much of an issue, but I can see some people really needing to prioritize for time.
I also feel that some of the gameplay elements are going to take a while to get used to and learn. For example, right now I'm having loyalty problems, even though I have plenty of culture buildings and all that. Trying to figure out what's going on with that. For the most part though, I think the gameplay is smooth and understandable.
I also really want a Dark Ages campaign. I'm really hoping they release DLCs that cover 600BC to 1000AD. Unless this game bombs (which it shouldn't) I think we'll see those expansions.
My first impression is that this game is superb. Very user friendly, not hopelessly convoluted like AGEOD mainline titles (imo). Seems very deep and well thought-out.
My second impression is OH MY GOD MY FIELDS THEY'RE ALL FULL OF SALT #:-)
My third impression is that this will be an awesome platform for DLC/mods and all kinds of different campaigns in different time periods. \m/ Seconding the dark ages hopes!
Quote from: IICptMillerII on July 11, 2019, 09:49:08 PM
For me the length of the battles in FoG2 isn't as much of an issue, but I can see some people really needing to prioritize for time.
Can I assume that Empire battles exported to FoG2 can be saved in the middle of the battle in FoG2?
Quote from: al_infierno on July 11, 2019, 09:50:45 PM
My first impression is that this game is superb. Very user friendly, not hopelessly convoluted like AGEOD mainline titles (imo). Seems very deep and well thought-out.
My second impression is OH MY GOD MY FIELDS THEY'RE ALL FULL OF SALT #:-)
My third impression is that this will be an awesome platform for DLC/mods and all kinds of different campaigns in different time periods. \m/ Seconding the dark ages hopes!
Your fields may be full of salt......Egypt's grow bountious amounts of decadence :hide:
I'm loving the game, the only issue I see is that for anyone that has some experience with FOG 2 the exporting of battles to play in FOG 2 unbalances the campaign pretty severely.
I've had a couple of battles that I would pretty clearly lose due to frontage and troop quality issues in Empires that I exported to FOG 2 and promptly won 70 odd percent to less than 10 percent.
Quote from: mbar on July 11, 2019, 10:51:06 PM
Quote from: IICptMillerII on July 11, 2019, 09:49:08 PM
For me the length of the battles in FoG2 isn't as much of an issue, but I can see some people really needing to prioritize for time.
Can I assume that Empire battles exported to FoG2 can be saved in the middle of the battle in FoG2?
I haven't tried it myself but I can't see a reason why that wouldn't be possible.
^ I tried it and it works fine. Everything about the FOG2 implementation is very smooth. You can even cheese out and replay the battle to your heart's content / not load your results if you lose and try your luck with the autoresolve.
I tried it for empirical reasons, of course :D :D
Quote from: Speedy on July 11, 2019, 11:39:49 PM
I'm loving the game, the only issue I see is that for anyone that has some experience with FOG 2 the exporting of battles to play in FOG 2 unbalances the campaign pretty severely.
I've had a couple of battles that I would pretty clearly lose due to frontage and troop quality issues in Empires that I exported to FOG 2 and promptly won 70 odd percent to less than 10 percent.
I agree 100% with this.
The developers make this clear to be fair that the game is balanced for Empires battle resolution.
I won't be playing out any FoG2 battles for this reason.
I have been playing this morning for another couple of hours as Dacia after exploring Egypt yesterday and what strikes me is the totally different experience of handling the countries but in both cases I was given really tough meaningful choices with regard to running the nation economically, culturally, diplomatically and militarily.
This is such a refreshing change from the "build in this order to win" mechanic that so many strategy games have.
So impressed I joined a public MP game as Dacia starting tomorrow 👍
Quote from: Speedy on July 11, 2019, 11:39:49 PM
I'm loving the game, the only issue I see is that for anyone that has some experience with FOG 2 the exporting of battles to play in FOG 2 unbalances the campaign pretty severely.
I've had a couple of battles that I would pretty clearly lose due to frontage and troop quality issues in Empires that I exported to FOG 2 and promptly won 70 odd percent to less than 10 percent.
This is how Total War is.
I need to watch the Tutorials as didnt find it very user friendly tbh
Quote from: FlickJax on July 12, 2019, 06:00:27 AM
I need to watch the Tutorials as didnt find it very user friendly tbh
I would recommend the Dastactic you tube series for the Carthage mini challenge.
That plus a quick read of the manual did the job for me.
I second reading the manuals I found it did much more to help me understand the game than any tutorial or play through I have seen.
Grognerds guide is also excellent for helping to decide what buildings to build.
Quote from: devoncop on July 12, 2019, 06:20:47 AM
Quote from: FlickJax on July 12, 2019, 06:00:27 AM
I need to watch the Tutorials as didnt find it very user friendly tbh
I would recommend the Dastactic you tube series for the Carthage mini challenge.
That plus a quick read of the manual did the job for me.
Agreed...the Dastactic YouTube series is a must watch as he explains not only what to do during a turn but why he is doing it, he goes out of his way to explain what's going on.
Thanks Guys :)
[bobnewhartvoice]
You...you know...you know there is a...a...manual in the...uh...in the installation directory.
[/bobnewhartvoice]
No printer and I hate PDFs with all my being
I MUST read the manual. I am hoping it makes everything more comprehensive for my lizard brain.
I wish you could make some decisions for the battles, like in Dominions, hopefully in the future.
Quote from: Tuna on July 12, 2019, 08:43:53 AM
I wish you could make some decisions for the battles, like in Dominions, hopefully in the future.
The decisions largely amount to army selection, General selection and choosing whether to engage in a particular terrain.
Dominions style choices for army tactics don't make too much sense in an ancient setting where tactics were pretty standardised.
Quote from: Rayfer on July 12, 2019, 07:03:31 AM
Quote from: devoncop on July 12, 2019, 06:20:47 AM
Quote from: FlickJax on July 12, 2019, 06:00:27 AM
I need to watch the Tutorials as didnt find it very user friendly tbh
I would recommend the Dastactic you tube series for the Carthage mini challenge.
That plus a quick read of the manual did the job for me.
Agreed...the Dastactic YouTube series is a must watch as he explains not only what to do during a turn but why he is doing it, he goes out of his way to explain what's going on.
Dastactic makes great videos in general. He's always very thorough in his explanations. Sometimes a bit too thorough. If he were to create two sets of videos when he goes into explanations about how games work that would be much much better. One set of videos could be the quick and dirty guide whilst the other set can be devoted to the meticulous explanations. I find with his videos that if I'm not grabbed by the game and the quick overview of said game I'm not going to bother watching the long winded explanation.
A bit contrarian I know...but a few hours in and the game has not grabbed me yet. My sizable gut feels that the game is "good" but not "great."
I do love FOG and agree that the FOG battle resolution feature is everything I could want....well maybe I would like some more chrome...in terms of tracking units and generals between the two layers...but that would be picky...
Still the strategic layer just feels "lite" to me. I feel like there is a whole bunch of information being given to me...but not many things I can actually do with it.
Haven't gotten to the "just one more turn" place with it yet.
Sometimes it takes me a while to warm up to a game...and given all of the good feelings everyone else is having...I am guessing I'll get there with more time.
Quote from: ArizonaTank on July 12, 2019, 10:30:12 AM
A bit contrarian I know...but a few hours in and the game has not grabbed me yet. My sizable gut feels that the game is "good" but not "great."
I do love FOG and agree that the FOG battle resolution feature is everything I could want....well maybe I would like some more chrome...in terms of tracking units and generals between the two layers...but that would be picky...
Still the strategic layer just feels "lite" to me. I feel like there is a whole bunch of information being given to me...but not many things I can actually do with it.
Haven't gotten to the "just one more turn" place with it yet.
Sometimes it takes me a while to warm up to a game...and given all of the good feelings everyone else is having...I am guessing I'll get there with more time.
What aspect exactly is the information you are given that you feel you can't do a lot with if you don't mind me asking ?
Are you finding it too easy or are you having problems but are not sure why?
I am doing reasonably well and finding it a bit suspect 😎
Quote from: Gusington on July 12, 2019, 11:48:46 AM
I am doing reasonably well and finding it a bit suspect 😎
Let's talk again after 500 years .... :o
Are you threatening Pontus?
Quote from: Gusington on July 12, 2019, 11:53:05 AM
Are you threatening Pontus?
Too barren to bother with 😉
So last night I read the first bit of the manual and chapter 17 as suggested in the manual and then jumped into the short 15 turn scenario with Rome.
Poked around at all the areas I owned, recruited a few troops, starting build an archery building then hit next turn.
And got stomped just like W8minute about 2 turns later.... hmmmm. Fun? not really.
So start again. Just recruit as much as I can in Rome for 2 turns to get a larger army that my enemy. Crush his army in battle then siege his capital, which turns out was not his capital, then siege and conquer his actual capital and win the scenario on turn 13.... having done nothing else, including just ignoring all the "decisions" that came up. Hmmmm... Fun? not really.
That first short scenario maybe fairly useless and I hope not representative of the game.
Will take a stab at the campaign this weekend as maybe so out of the way nation or tribe so I can play around a bit without getting stomped....
Quote from: Barthheart on July 12, 2019, 12:37:48 PM
So last night I read the first bit of the manual and chapter 17 as suggested in the manual and then jumped into the short 15 turn scenario with Rome.
Poked around at all the areas I owned, recruited a few troops, starting build an archery building then hit next turn.
And got stomped just like W8minute about 2 turns later.... hmmmm. Fun? not really.
So start again. Just recruit as much as I can in Rome for 2 turns to get a larger army that my enemy. Crush his army in battle then siege his capital, which turns out was not his capital, then siege and conquer his actual capital and win the scenario on turn 13.... having done nothing else, including just ignoring all the "decisions" that came up. Hmmmm... Fun? not really.
That first short scenario maybe fairly useless and I hope not representative of the game.
Will take a stab at the campaign this weekend as maybe so out of the way nation or tribe so I can play around a bit without getting stomped....
That scenario is deliberately one dimensional to get folks familiar with the battles side of things.
In a 15 turn scenario buildings are irrelevant as is culture and Decadence....two of the core concepts of the game....as is the economy and trade.
Note to self: if Saba takes over the inhabited world in 15 turns, then I don't have to worry about that other crap like a sustainable economy or whatever. (See also: Lenin post-Great War strategy. ;) )
Quote from: JasonPratt on July 12, 2019, 01:19:30 PM
Note to self: if Saba takes over the inhabited world in 15 turns, then I don't have to worry about that other crap like a sustainable economy or whatever. (See also: Lenin post-Great War strategy. ;) )
I feel the March of the Sabatean proletariat may take a little longer than 15 years sadly.....
Having said that I was scouting out your culture starting buildings and the Dam Wonder......nice...👍
Don't tell the Judeans about it....Yaitz has big plans for Judea !!😉
Quote from: devoncop on July 12, 2019, 01:12:36 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on July 12, 2019, 12:37:48 PM
So last night I read the first bit of the manual and chapter 17 as suggested in the manual and then jumped into the short 15 turn scenario with Rome.
Poked around at all the areas I owned, recruited a few troops, starting build an archery building then hit next turn.
And got stomped just like W8minute about 2 turns later.... hmmmm. Fun? not really.
So start again. Just recruit as much as I can in Rome for 2 turns to get a larger army that my enemy. Crush his army in battle then siege his capital, which turns out was not his capital, then siege and conquer his actual capital and win the scenario on turn 13.... having done nothing else, including just ignoring all the "decisions" that came up. Hmmmm... Fun? not really.
That first short scenario maybe fairly useless and I hope not representative of the game.
Will take a stab at the campaign this weekend as maybe so out of the way nation or tribe so I can play around a bit without getting stomped....
That scenario is deliberately one dimensional to get folks familiar with the battles side of things.
In a 15 turn scenario buildings are irrelevant as is culture and Decadence....two of the core concepts of the game....as is the economy and trade.
Alright, good to know, thanks. Maybe they should say that in the scenario description... unless I missed it which is quite possible in my tired state last night.
Until I get acclimated to FoGE I have to remind myself that it is NOT TW-Rome2 and that I did not WANT an RTW2 clone. I suspect that once I master the game system I will find a game deeper and better than the TW system.
I am hoping for the same.
It's amazing how the Slitherine Archon engine can do both grand strategy and turn-based miniatures / squad-level games. This is an engine that evolved around Battle Academy. Can it do RTS too?
Sorry is this was posted earlier but I just discovered a detailed, step by step campaign tutorial in the manual, pages 172-196, taking you through 14 turns of a Rome campaign. Helps a lot in what to do and why you're doing it.
Whaaat? Good find!
Quote from: jomni on July 12, 2019, 08:52:27 PM
It's amazing how the Slitherine Archon engine can do both grand strategy and turn-based miniatures / squad-level games. This is an engine that evolved around Battle Academy. Can it do RTS too?
Slitherine did that as early as 2003 with Chariots of War. Not even sure that was the first. Of course the tactical mini-game in CoW was crude compared to FOG2, but
OTOH it only took about a minute for a battle, which obviously didn't encompass grog-type realism, but OTOH very short battles work great with a huge strategy game in the TW/FOG genre, which is what it was, and there was even a little bit of tactics and unit differentiation involved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariots_of_War
http://www.slitherine.com/products/341/details/Chariots.of.War
I had a great time with Chariots of War. Unfortunately it only runs now on XP.
Quote from: glen55 on July 13, 2019, 01:39:30 PM
Quote from: jomni on July 12, 2019, 08:52:27 PM
It's amazing how the Slitherine Archon engine can do both grand strategy and turn-based miniatures / squad-level games. This is an engine that evolved around Battle Academy. Can it do RTS too?
Slitherine did that as early as 2003 with Chariots of War. Not even sure that was the first. Of course the tactical mini-game in CoW was crude compared to FOG2, but
OTOH it only took about a minute for a battle, which obviously didn't encompass grog-type realism, but OTOH very short battles work great with a huge strategy game in the TW/FOG genre, which is what it was, and there was even a little bit of tactics and unit differentiation involved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariots_of_War
http://www.slitherine.com/products/341/details/Chariots.of.War
I had a great time with Chariots of War. Unfortunately it only runs now on XP.
Ok the new Close Combat is also Archon engine.
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/04/24/close-combat-the-bloody-first-preview/
Quote from: ArizonaTank on July 12, 2019, 10:30:12 AM
A bit contrarian I know...but a few hours in and the game has not grabbed me yet. My sizable gut feels that the game is "good" but not "great."
I do love FOG and agree that the FOG battle resolution feature is everything I could want....well maybe I would like some more chrome...in terms of tracking units and generals between the two layers...but that would be picky...
Still the strategic layer just feels "lite" to me. I feel like there is a whole bunch of information being given to me...but not many things I can actually do with it.
Haven't gotten to the "just one more turn" place with it yet.
Sometimes it takes me a while to warm up to a game...and given all of the good feelings everyone else is having...I am guessing I'll get there with more time.
Kind of in the same spot at the moment.....not really feeling it. No doubt part of it is probably my lack of skill in these types of games but just hasn't even been "fun" yet. Too much going on at once, can't even hardly advance a turn without wars being declared all over the place....just feel no sense of "building" stuff up or strategy when constantly dealing with wars. Although all the information might be somewhere within the game, not really connecting with it to make sense of things. I am basically even playing on the "balanced" level which is the second lowest possible level, there a bunch of even higher levels....can't imagine what it would be like on those. Would have thought the lower levels being a bit "easier" and less hectic, which it might be compared to the other levels, but if true, I might as well give up now:) I know there is a ton of resources to try and learn the game (manual, youtube, forums, etc.), but if I have to review all that stuff just to have a good time, likely will lose interest pretty quickly. Not sure if a tutorial would have made a difference or not, maybe.
I am not given up yet, nor do I necessarily regret my purchase, but unless something clicks soon or at least becomes "fun" to me, likely will be put on the shelf for hopeful possible future improvements/enhancements. I know there are others here who are in love with the game, which is totally awesome, I just wanted to provide another perspective for others considering.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 14, 2019, 09:47:44 AM
Quote from: ArizonaTank on July 12, 2019, 10:30:12 AM
A bit contrarian I know...but a few hours in and the game has not grabbed me yet. My sizable gut feels that the game is "good" but not "great."
I do love FOG and agree that the FOG battle resolution feature is everything I could want....well maybe I would like some more chrome...in terms of tracking units and generals between the two layers...but that would be picky...
Still the strategic layer just feels "lite" to me. I feel like there is a whole bunch of information being given to me...but not many things I can actually do with it.
Haven't gotten to the "just one more turn" place with it yet.
Sometimes it takes me a while to warm up to a game...and given all of the good feelings everyone else is having...I am guessing I'll get there with more time.
Kind of in the same spot at the moment.....not really feeling it. No doubt part of it is probably my lack of skill in these types of games but just hasn't even been "fun" yet. Too much going on at once, can't even hardly advance a turn without wars being declared all over the place....just feel no sense of "building" stuff up or strategy when constantly dealing with wars. Although all the information might be somewhere within the game, not really connecting with it to make sense of things. I am basically even playing on the "balanced" level which is the second lowest possible level, there a bunch of even higher levels....can't imagine what it would be like on those. Would have thought the lower levels being a bit "easier" and less hectic, which it might be compared to the other levels, but if true, I might as well give up now:) I know there is a ton of resources to try and learn the game (manual, youtube, forums, etc.), but if I have to review all that stuff just to have a good time, likely will lose interest pretty quickly. Not sure if a tutorial would have made a difference or not, maybe.
I am not given up yet, nor do I necessarily regret my purchase, but unless something clicks soon or at least becomes "fun" to me, likely will be put on the shelf for hopeful possible future improvements/enhancements. I know there are others here who are in love with the game, which is totally awesome, I just wanted to provide another perspective for others considering.
There is a lot to learn with this one. I have the manual open on my laptop next to my gaming PC as I play. It was very busy starting out as Rome on the "balanced" level. I restarted that game three times as I learned lessons the hard way. Then I loaded the Grand Campaign and selected the Briton tribe (I forget the spelling etc.) This was a much slower pace as compared to Rome. It let me explore the building options and generally go at a slower pace while I learned the mechanics. I now have control of almost the entire island and will eventually launch an invasion of Normandy (or whatever it is called in the game). I am having a lot of fun with this and looking forward to the next turn like when I played Civ4 back in the day. I am currently struggling with decadence and earning progress tokens. (I just recently came to understand the importance of those tokens)
But long story, short - I would try a smaller, slower civilization off in the corner of the known world until I got the game mechanics down. Rome starts in the middle of all the sheet at a faster pace. Also, I think you might be able to switch civilizations while playing?? I read that somewhere but have not tried it yet.
If any of you guys learning the ropes are interested I have just set up a very easy going MP game on the server.
It will start Tuesday morning UK time at the latest and is 1 turn every 24 hours as a minimum. If we get 16 before Tuesday morning it starts straight away. If you have to drop out later don't stress about it as the AI then takes over your country so if you want to try out the MP using this vehicle that is cool.
If you do decide to join remember to select your country from the drop down menu on the left as otherwise you get given the country that is on the top of the list (It starts with Rome but you could get some REALLY tough ones otherwise :) )
Cheers
ian
It's already Sunday!?
Well, I've played enough of the game that I think I understand the basic mechanics and concepts. I've had a lot of fun with it so far, even though the Rome start can be a bit frustrating in the beginning. You tend to get ganged up on by all of your neighbors at once. I've found that in order to survive, you need a decent amount of luck regardless of skill.
I think the mid-game is a bit stagnant. Playing as Rome, once you get all of Italy under your control, I've found it really hard to expand much further. The Alps are extremely difficult to pacify, though the nations/tribes that inhabit them have no problem pumping out large armies into northern Italy. Couple this with the frequency of Roman civil wars once you hit the imperial civilization tier, and things get quite difficult. The pace of the game really ramps up as well, and can feel a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with everything. I think part of this may be due to the 1 turn per year. I wonder if 6 months per turn would slow things down a bit?
That said, I still love this game. The amount of replay value alone here is pretty staggering. It is everything I was hoping it would be and I'm really excited to see it supported and developed further into the future. I'm going to start a Seleucid playthrough later this evening for a change of pace. I also want to play as a quiet nation/tribe at some point soon too. Hope everyone else is learning and enjoying it as well.
on my third start as the gothones. expanded to fast in first two tries and the aging tokens killed me. third try is much better as i have limited my military operations to taking one province about every 10 years. got enough tokens to advance to glorious tribal horde but they seemed to come slower than those aging tokens even though it says the chances are the same. i have pushed up to the baltic and have a cooperation agreement with the saxones. good stuff so far!
I have yet to perpetrate any diplomacy at all as Pontus...
Quote from: glen55 on July 13, 2019, 01:39:30 PM
Quote from: jomni on July 12, 2019, 08:52:27 PM
It's amazing how the Slitherine Archon engine can do both grand strategy and turn-based miniatures / squad-level games. This is an engine that evolved around Battle Academy. Can it do RTS too?
Slitherine did that as early as 2003 with Chariots of War. Not even sure that was the first. Of course the tactical mini-game in CoW was crude compared to FOG2, but
OTOH it only took about a minute for a battle, which obviously didn't encompass grog-type realism, but OTOH very short battles work great with a huge strategy game in the TW/FOG genre, which is what it was, and there was even a little bit of tactics and unit differentiation involved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariots_of_War
http://www.slitherine.com/products/341/details/Chariots.of.War
I had a great time with Chariots of War. Unfortunately it only runs now on XP.
They did it even earlier with Legion / Legion Gold, then there was Chariots of War, then Spartan / Gates of Troy all using the same engine. They also had the tactical equivalent to FOG with Legion Arena which was a 3D version of the combat engine allowing for a bit more commander ordering of the troops after the battle had started.
I always thought Legion expanded to the whole of the Roman world with the Legion Arena combat engine would be the "perfect" game, I usually hate the idea of player controlled tactical game within a strategic game (e.g. Total War) as they tend to be more of a "cheat" in effect but Legion / Legion Arena's restrictions in tactical control actually alleviated this and were also probably more representative of ancients command and control. Then again the most celebrated of ancient battles (e.g. Cannae, Alesia, Pharsalus amongst many others) hinged on the unexpected approach or command brilliance which the strategic level can't really account for so does that make the lack of tactical battles more "realistic", I don't know but until an AI can innovate to this level in a game then probably not. When an AI can then we may have a lot more problems on our hands than just playing a game :)
P.S. I have Legion Gold, Chariots of War, Spartan, Gates of Troy and Legion Arena all running fine on Windows 10 - all have fully patched 2016, 2017 or 2018 downloads available on the Matrix site within the Members Club (available for both the Matrix and Slitherine versions).
Worth noting that while Legion Arena has the fantasy expansion, they essentially remade that game with the History Channel as Great Battles of Rome and then turned the engine into more of a proper real-time pause-able tactical game (with the History Channel again) as Great Battles Medieval. Which I think was also their first successful mobile port. Neither of those have a strategic engine, just a series of battles which, iirc for GBM, can be played in a somewhat non-linear order across a map. But if you lose it doesn't matter, you can just retry the fight again with some extra cash to make changes in your force composition with.
They sort of remade the Spart/Got strategy engine, too, tying in with History Channel's "Engineering an Empire", except set in Egypt. I recall getting that for my Playstation Portable! -- but the screen was too cramped and I got sick playing it. I don't recall it having any tactical combat, but I'm also not sure I ever got far enough for fighting.
It's curious why the developer never tied the tactical engine back to the strategic engine again, although I'm sure that was the plan for Legion 2 (which never got made -- we were all surprised when Arena was released instead, and figured it was a way to test the new tactical engine... were there perhaps different developers for both engines and they split the sheets so to speak but both continued working for Matrixlitherine? ???
Quote from: JasonPratt on July 14, 2019, 09:42:22 PM
Worth noting that while Legion Arena has the fantasy expansion, they essentially remade that game with the History Channel as Great Battles of Rome and then turned the engine into more of a proper real-time pause-able tactical game (with the History Channel again) as Great Battles Medieval. Which I think was also their first successful mobile port. Neither of those have a strategic engine, just a series of battles which, iirc for GBM, can be played in a somewhat non-linear order across a map. But if you lose it doesn't matter, you can just retry the fight again with some extra cash to make changes in your force composition with.
They sort of remade the Spart/Got strategy engine, too, tying in with History Channel's "Engineering an Empire", except set in Egypt. I recall getting that for my Playstation Portable! -- but the screen was too cramped and I got sick playing it. I don't recall it having any tactical combat, but I'm also not sure I ever got far enough for fighting.
It's curious why the developer never tied the tactical engine back to the strategic engine again, although I'm sure that was the plan for Legion 2 (which never got made -- we were all surprised when Arena was released instead, and figured it was a way to test the new tactical engine... were there perhaps different developers for both engines and they split the sheets so to speak but both continued working for Matrixlitherine? ???
Legion Arena was meant to be the test before being integrated into Legion II. As far as i know, they didn't have the manpower to do Legion 2 even though they already put a lot of work in it. It's a game i really wanted to have. The battles had more options then what we have now in FoGE (without FoG II). The battles were fast but interesting enough.
I have been getting my butt kicked several times as Rome.
I figured out the beginning phase of the campaign, and that was take down Senones, but the dang Etrusci declared war, so I'm grappling with them (they have a navy so I'm screwed there) and then Tarentum comes a knocking with the Samnites, and to make matters worse money issues and those decadence chips..OUCH.
Quote from: CJReich46 on July 15, 2019, 12:04:26 PM
I have been gDetting my butt kicked several times as Rome.
I figured out the beginning phase of the campaign, and that was take down Senones, but the dang Etrusci declared war, so I'm grappling with them (they have a navy so I'm screwed there) and then Tarentum comes a knocking with the Samnites, and to make matters worse money issues and those decadence chips..OUCH.
So APART from the Sennones, the Samnites, the Etrusci and the Neopolitan yokels from Tarentum all hating you.....how do you find the neighbours ? :DD
I had an event occur where my government seized some merchant ships and turned them into the Pontic Navy...which quickly almost bankrupted me. Had to disband them...ships are pricey to maintain :/
Well i sure got that one more turn feeling yesterday.
After getting stomped in that 15 turn nightmare scenario a couple of times, jumped into playing Rome........got handled pretty quickly.....twice. Of course i didn't really know WTH i was doing, still don't. so decided to play another civ. Sure, play Dacia, it's out of the way, safe start, time to learn some stuff. Messed up my first start so i'm on my second start with Dacia. Yea, it was pretty slow starting for about 20+ turns. I'm doing pretty well, got a couple of provinces built, top 15 in legacy, close to entering the top tier in the CDR....AAAA.. all is right in the world, this ain't so hard.........................Then those Muther Fu**kers from Getae DOW me and start big stacking me, right on through my provinces...assholes >:( . So i'm trying to track those those assholes down, they take a province, i take it back, they keep moving around.......OK, Ok, F, U, ...i'll just go take your capital...asshole. On the exact same turn we swap capital, and they have taken some of my objectives, so my provinces are no more and my capital is captured.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48286100721_0bd4a14faa_h.jpg)
My legacy is still good but i plummet down the CDR....told you they were assholes.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48286203427_2fea8a9a29_h.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48286100551_0ef9ceb0f1_h.jpg)
Of course the Thracians [there assholes too] smell blood in the water and DOW on me. I was down to two regions, nothing left to do but turtle and pray. So i build up a big stack, put everything i have into units. I even spend 100 legacy twice for getting troops i can't afford. Money is gone, troops are deserting, so nothing left to do but take my big stack out to play......go out in a blaze of glory, put some pain on Getae [assholes]. I had payed for not taking a battle or two into FOG2, one i had almost twice the army power and lost[ probably terrain and my lack of diversity of troops] so i go into FOG2 to battle. The decisive difference was those troops i bought with my legacy had a bunch of cavalry which made the difference as it was fought on the plains. I won the two decisive battles, and kept my casualties low so i'm still in the game....barely. I had been playing nice with Galatia, and they started pounding on the Thracians[assholes], but guess who's coming to dinner.... Macedonia....looks like there going to be assholes too :D
Turn 70- see how long i can hang in. Learned a bunch but want to hang in to see Getae take it in the neck....assholes ;D
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48291752116_7b61f66e7b_h.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48291851897_488d5f4d2c_h.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48291752396_9a38b2e5d7_h.jpg)
While we're at it, Dalmatians are ass-holes too. Not the dogs I mean, they're cute. Because no matter where they hide, they're easily.... spotted. :DD
-budd- is my spirit animal
Don't forget the Illyrians.......what a bloody nuisance they are .
They do more raids than a Drugs Squad on performance related pay :tickedoff:
Quote from: CJReich46 on July 15, 2019, 12:04:26 PM
I have been getting my butt kicked several times as Rome.
I figured out the beginning phase of the campaign, and that was take down Senones, but the dang Etrusci declared war, so I'm grappling with them (they have a navy so I'm screwed there) and then Tarentum comes a knocking with the Samnites, and to make matters worse money issues and those decadence chips..OUCH.
I can very much relate to this. I somehow got lucky on my first playthrough and managed to defeat my neighbors in detail, but on subsequent playthroughs I kept getting wiped out. Shamefully, lowering the difficulty to easy does help with the rough start. You can always bump it back up once you get yourself properly established in Italy.
The manual says that the game is very moddable. I looked into it but it doesn't appear that the modding forum on Slitherine is active yet. I would love to see some scenarios that start just prior to the Punic Wars, where Rome is properly established and on the brink of war with Carthage. At the least it would be nice to have a scenario that starts with Rome in control of Italy.
Quote from: Gusington on July 15, 2019, 02:03:48 PM
-budd- is my spirit animal
Hope that doesn't come with any responsibilities ;)
They sure got a lot right with this game is my initial impression. Can't find anything to complain about the UI so far, works really well, and all the tool tips are great. As 4x aren't my favorite genre, and haven't really binged a 4x since Civ 2, it took a bit to grab me but grab me it did [Getae....assholes]. The game just has ...hmmmm....flavor, seems to be the best word to describe it for me. What usually burns me out on these types of games is the mid to late game micro, hopefully the AI does the automation well, but really with the checks and balances i don't see one civ dominating the map so micro shouldn't be so bad. Still working on understanding controlling the decadence, and the resource part of the game. I'd for sure like to see them expand the diplomacy, with some more options. Having the option to try to finance unrest in a region you used to own or one you have your eye on, sabotaging trade, some kind of getting through a region on your way to somewhere else without fighting an army power 2 stack and having to take control of the region. Haven't tried it yet, can you pass through regions without fighting if your on friendly terms? Definitely more cooperation options. i also like a little more input into trade, just not sure what that would look like.
Well time for me to go back in and figure out how i can stick it to Gitae[assholes] and suck up to Macedonia.
I think the kids call it FLAVA.
Uhhh... Have any of you guys seen this Temple to Moloch building? :o
Or is this one of those rare ones I've heard whispers about?
(https://i.imgur.com/DEDP8Uk.png)
Gives a +1.00 (!!!) decadence gain, hidden in this screenshot. This showed up in Carthage on my first turn in a practice campaign.
I've never seen a building with a green border in any of my playthroughs yet.... Just kidding, I guess Monuments have a green border too. Maybe I just need to dig through the manual to figure out what that means...
Quote from: al_infierno on July 15, 2019, 07:12:42 PM
Uhhh... Have any of you guys seen this Temple to Moloch building? :o
Or is this one of those rare ones I've heard whispers about?
(https://i.imgur.com/DEDP8Uk.png)
Gives a +1.00 (!!!) decadence gain, hidden in this screenshot. This showed up in Carthage on my first turn in a practice campaign.
I've never seen a building with a green border in any of my playthroughs yet.... Just kidding, I guess Monuments have a green border too. Maybe I just need to dig through the manual to figure out what that means...
I haven't seen that building, but the green border means that it does not take up a building slot.
Declared my first war tonight...against the Iberii.
Dacia is back in the game :bd:
A rebellion sprung up in Getae territory[assholes], basically my old regions, a new playa in our little part of the world.........lets all welcome Dardarni. They started with one little territory and are giving Getae hell......alright...go get'um. So while i'm taking a couple regions back from those pesky Germanic independents[pain in the asses] i'm watching Dardarni and Getae batter each other and cheering on Dardarni...."way to go, kick some Getae ass" so i figure, hey i'll offer a cooperation treaty to Dardarni, an enemy of my enemy is my friend kinda thing. This whole time i'm gaining and losing regions battling the independents and Getae i'm getting messages from Macedonia basically saying, your a prick, and your getting what you deserve, i'm paraphrasing here. It was kind of amusing, i mean its not like i can insult them back [assholes] they own most of the map in these parts and are on my border in a couple of places. So i'm thinking Dardarni will willing accept my cooperation treaty, nope, turned it down. HMMMM....ok i guess. Two turns later Dardarni DOW's me and attacks [assholes]. Well...OK muther fu**er, so i stack up and go traveling. i attack my old capital....oppps..forgot to put a general in place, so i lose a couple of units and retreat. OK, you fu**ing upstart, i reload with a few more units and a general :) and go back, take my old capital and another region........YEA...Dacia has a province again. Now the question comes up on how will i defend what i have gained. I get a couple of timely decisions and sell off some metal for 500 gold and then some manpower for 300 gold, so my troops get payed, and i Que up some more troops. Now i realize i have some troubles on my east and west borders, so after some careful thought i decide to throw a peace treaty at Dardarni with the full intent of double crossing those assholes.
shot of map after Dardarni accepts peace.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48295104471_51065c73bc_h.jpg)
This comes the same turn as the peace acceptance, this made me laugh hard.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48295104531_47333b79f5_b.jpg)
Turn 100 and i'm still in the fight. i also made peace with Getae after they made the offer, of course i fully intend to stab those assholes in the back when i get the chance. Been working on my economy and planing on clearing out those pesky independents and i'm eyeing that region with the harbor in the east. I've made peace with everyone one but Macedonia, says i have no chance of it being accepted. Galactia got wiped out by Macedonia, good bye good buddies, the only civ in the area that didn't declare war on me.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48295211546_a26e83c3c5_h.jpg)
One thing this game could use is an in game pedia, especially as it would relate to manufactured goods and how to get them.
Love the write up Budd. :clap:
This game is made for epic stories like this.
Many times already I have seen that the situation for a particular faction is not as rosy as it may seem (nor as bleak as it may seem for another faction).....nations really do rise and fall.
FoG:E got its first official patch today. No major changes, but a lot of little improvements:
QuoteVersion 1.0.2 Changelog
GAMEPLAY
• Limited population boom events to regions under 25 pops
• National citizen can never go above 8 unrest each
• Rome special civil war eased up
• Periplus decision twice rarer
• You need to have some legacy to enact the emergency army decision
• Pyrrhus scenario: if playing SP in easy or balanced, extra income per turn
• Dacian provincial HI are converted to heavy warband in FOG2
• Melita town repositioned
• Fix to endless shuffling in a province not building anything
• Fix to losing fifth token the turn you evolve
• Fix to emperor not named in due time
• Show a sea battlefield for naval battles in dual terrain
• Fix to 2 late wonders not proposed at a proper date
• Fix to no pirate raiding possibility under some circumstances
• The Weird Parade is better than before
AI
• Less eager dogpiling on countries already at war
• AI: If under severe threat, AI will be more inclined to disregard the other nation holding some of its objectives
• AI less aggressive in unbreached assaults
• Slightly less aggressive AI overall
UI-QoL
• If Rome can be subject of a civil war, you'll get two advance warnings.
• If the death of your ruler can lead to a Civil War, you'll get an advance warning
• Invasions are preceded with an advance warning
• Added tooltips (English) for visual options, battle export button, message log restore button, multiplayer new game settings.
• Show only a single progress bar during AI processing.
• Various minor edits on text typos
MULTIPLAYER
• Fixed error displaying multiplayer challenge list
MISCELLANEOUS
• Rare audio crash fixed
For someone like me who plays as Rome a lot, this patch is very appreciated. The advanced warnings to the possibility of civil war, as well as the chances of civil war being slightly reduced is really appreciated. I'm also interested to see how the tweaks to the AI behavior affect gameplay.
Glad to see the game being supported like this just after release. Hoping it stays that way and we eventually see some new features added as well!
'The Weird Parade'?
^ Yeah I was wondering about that one, too. :o
How could it possibly be 'better than before?'
Quote from: Gusington on July 18, 2019, 07:02:47 PM
How could it possibly be 'better than before?'
This time BOTH types of camels and a Parade of hot Sabaean Princesses will be present ?
Hmm...ok
I'm OK with that as long as you can tell the difference between the camels and the hot Sabaean princesses. :-"
Some camels just don't lend themselves to a parade.
With that big rotary engine and two machine guns in the nose, the Sopwith camel was seriously out of balance.
Quote from: besilarius on July 19, 2019, 05:34:56 AM
Some camels just don't lend themselves to a parade.
With that big rotary engine and two machine guns in the nose, the Sopwith camel was seriously out of balance.
Though to be fair a flypast would be much less impressive from a camel of the Bactrian variety than a Sopwith one......
That might depend on how the Bactrian camel was flying past. Which might also count points toward a parade being weird.
Quote from: devoncop on July 18, 2019, 08:22:36 PM
Quote from: Gusington on July 18, 2019, 07:02:47 PM
How could it possibly be 'better than before?'
This time BOTH types of camels and a Parade of hot Sabaean Princesses will be present ?
Insert animated Aladdin parade gif here.
Quote from: JasonPratt on July 19, 2019, 06:54:30 AM
That might depend on how the Bactrian camel was flying past. Which might also count points toward a parade being weird.
Quote from: devoncop on July 18, 2019, 08:22:36 PM
Quote from: Gusington on July 18, 2019, 07:02:47 PM
How could it possibly be 'better than before?'
This time BOTH types of camels and a Parade of hot Sabaean Princesses will be present ?
Insert animated Aladdin parade gif here.
:crazy2: :crazy2: :crazy2: :crazy2:
Has anyone figured out a reliable counter-camel tactic? i.e. good units or army comps that will stop an AI's camel stack? I swear those humped bastards are the bane of me, they mop the floor with my heavy infantry and equivalent cavalry.
I also can't believe I'm seriously asking for "counter-camel tactics"... Damn I love this game :2funny:
Camels can be really sneaky.
In Brazen Chariots, a british armoured brigade was going into lager, when they got the message, "Forty enemy tanks approaching from the north."
Naturally, everyone started going nuts, preparing for an Afrika Korps attack, when another radio message came in, "Correct my last, forty enemy camels approaching from the north."
'Spearmen, bruh, spearmen.'
- Alexander the Great
Those smug bastards walk all over my regular infantry and phalanxes. Perhaps Carthage just is not well-equipped to deal with such an advanced weapon of war.
Don't give up yet!
They are sneaky. They like to hide behind the Elephants, then charge when you look the other way. #:-) I used to work with a camel and he taught me this trick.
Just watch out for their toes...
Charlton Heston once told Johnny Carson that in his experience, camels were the most dangerous animal to work with.
They'd smile at you and then try to bite your knee off.
I agree. I rode one in Israel and have teeth like T-Rex and can turn their head around almost 360 degrees. :o Plus, they HATE Hump Day jokes.
I thought they loved hump day jokes...
Quote from: Gusington on July 22, 2019, 08:03:04 PM
I thought they loved humping day jokes...
Fixed your autocorrect error.
Better.
That's just on TV. They also can spit from both ends. They're SO ugly, each one has to be blindfolded in order to breed with each other. Even drunk.
Worse 🤮
Here's a glorious, picturesque moment midway through my latest Carthage campaign. The Allied Camel Corps of Carthage and Nasamones meet and begin a joint siege of a long-held Desertic rebel city! This was quite cathartic after we each spent years playing tireless whack-a-mole with the rebels across the Libyan desert.
(https://i.imgur.com/qbnVIaA.jpg)
A proud (if ultimately meaningless due to the frequency of rebellion in this playthrough) moment in a very strange timeline. After uniting Italy, Rome focused literally all their efforts expanding directly East as far as possible into the Balkans, Greece, and modern-day Austria and Czech Republic, and Thrace. However, they fucked up bad in the first 40 turns or so: the Semones (or whatever their name is) somehow managed to conquer Rome and hold it for an entire turn. Ever since then, despite re-capturing their titular city, the capital of Rome has been Neapolis.... So, I guess they are technically the Neapolitan Empire now? :2funny: So anyways, the glorious Neapolitan Empire has devolved into some crazy six-way civil war that I have no intention of entangling myself in.
Also, hilariously enough, Parisii conquered most of Britain and wiped out all the indigenous tribes (except the Picts, who just sort of collapsed and vanished into obscurity). Didn't see that one coming.
EDIT: Also, as a random side-note, I noticed that rebel factions can fight each other (i.e. Semitic Rebel regions and armies will be allied with each other, but hostile towards Desertic Rebel regions and armies). What an awesome feature. Goddamn I love this game.
Great story. I have yet to fire it up.
Quote from: al_infierno on July 23, 2019, 11:19:06 PM
Here's a glorious, picturesque moment midway through my latest Carthage campaign. The Allied Camel Corps of Carthage and Nasamones meet and begin a joint siege of a long-held Desertic rebel city! This was quite cathartic after we each spent years playing tireless whack-a-mole with the rebels across the Libyan desert.
(https://i.imgur.com/qbnVIaA.jpg)
A proud (if ultimately meaningless due to the frequency of rebellion in this playthrough) moment in a very strange timeline. After uniting Italy, Rome focused literally all their efforts expanding directly East as far as possible into the Balkans, Greece, and modern-day Austria and Czech Republic, and Thrace. However, they fucked up bad in the first 40 turns or so: the Semones (or whatever their name is) somehow managed to conquer Rome and hold it for an entire turn. Ever since then, despite re-capturing their titular city, the capital of Rome has been Neapolis.... So, I guess they are technically the Neapolitan Empire now? :2funny: So anyways, the glorious Neapolitan Empire has devolved into some crazy six-way civil war that I have no intention of entangling myself in.
Also, hilariously enough, Parisii conquered most of Britain and wiped out all the indigenous tribes (except the Picts, who just sort of collapsed and vanished into obscurity). Didn't see that one coming.
EDIT: Also, as a random side-note, I noticed that rebel factions can fight each other (i.e. Semitic Rebel regions and armies will be allied with each other, but hostile towards Desertic Rebel regions and armies). What an awesome feature. Goddamn I love this game.
Almost every game I have played SP and everyone I am engaged in MP has mini dramas like this all over the map.
It is a truly special game.
Another thing I discovered today.
Apparently as a monarchy your leader can get the ol' Robert Barratheon :o
(https://i.imgur.com/V0tbVio.png)
Uh oh. That Philemon guy could be trouble. Does he hunt too? ^-^ Just saying.
Apologies if this has been discussed, and if there is somewhere I can pull the info up please let me know, but:
How does this game compare to the Paradox Rome game (the new one)?
Here are some reviews:
Imperitor: Rome
https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/imperator-rome
https://www.strategygamer.com/reviews/imperator-rome/
https://www.pcinvasion.com/imperator-rome-review/
FoGII-Empires
https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/field-of-glory-empires
https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/field-of-glory-empires-review-526699.shtml
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/07/12/field-of-glory-empires/
https://www.strategygamer.com/reviews/field-of-glory-empires-review/
I have both, but haven't played Imperitor nearly as much. I was a Beta tester for Empires, so I am also a bit biased towards it. IMHO, Empires is more fun, more engaging, than Imperitor. It gives you that "one more turn" feeling that I don't get from Imperitor. If you like FoGII, the ability to resolve your battles is a very nice feature. IMHO, the MP feature in Empires is easier than imperitor. WHile the political system and diplomatic system isn't as developed as Imperitor, it is adequate. If your gaming time is limited, you will get more "bang for your buck" with Empires
Agreed with all phases and clauses in Tripoli's comparison.
Naturally another big difference is that Imperator is pausible continuous, while FogEmp is purely turn based. Imperator looks a lot better, but they have more experience (and probably devs) to work from.
I like them both a lot, but I flit from place to place so if it wasn't for the mp game (which being turn-based FogEmp has a clear advantage on) I don't know that I'd play FogEmp more than the other.
I rather expect that over time, Paradox will do more with Imp, but who knows for sure? Not a lot was done with Victoria 2, and the same specific dev worked on Imperator; and indeed he clarified at one point that he intended to release Imperator feature complete as with Vicky2. (But there were still a few expansions of course.) The impression so far is that Imperator won't have the same expansion-itis as CK2/EU4 or even HOI4.
It occurs to me that I should pick a minor nation available in all three general campaigns -- Imp, FogEmp, and Aggressors -- and play a comparison game between them for a video AAR...
Quote from: JasonPratt on July 29, 2019, 12:57:39 PM
Agreed with all phases and clauses in Tripoli's comparison.
...
I like them both a lot, but I flit from place to place so if it wasn't for the mp game (which being turn-based FogEmp has a clear advantage on) I don't know that I'd play FogEmp more than the other.
I'm playing a game vs. the AI right now, using FoGII to auto-resolve the combat. My last conscious thought last night after I went to bed was trying to decide how to to flank the Etruscans. This game is taking over my life...... :)
You say that like it's a bad thing. :o
The idea of being able to resolve the battles in FOG2 is pretty intriguing.
It's great, lots of fun - but a time sink. Be prepared. I also really like how the battles get played out in MP using the FoG2 engine to make a sort of movie. Hard to explain if you haven't seen it but it is smooth and cool to watch.
Aren't the battles when played out in FoG 2 quite long? Can you save a game while in FoG 2?
Quote from: Sir Slash on July 30, 2019, 09:47:47 AM
Aren't the battles when played out in FoG 2 quite long? Can you save a game while in FoG 2?
They are a maximum of 24 turns.
There is always the ability to save.
Note the ability to play out battles in FoG2 is in single player games of Empires only. It would not be possible to do this in MP as it would hold up the game too long.
As Gus says, the Empires battle system works really well and despite being a huge fan of FoG2 with about 1300 hours in the game I have yet to play out an Empires battle in FoG2 in SP.
I have, it's dope. DOPE
And this man knows Dope.
Quote from: Sir Slash on July 30, 2019, 09:47:47 AM
Aren't the battles when played out in FoG 2 quite long? Can you save a game while in FoG 2?
When I Beta tested FOG-Empires, a turn typically took 5 minutes or so in early game, using the Empires auto-resolve system and watching the generated battle. If you export to FOGII and play the battle vs. the AI, it will add approximately 30 minutes/battle to the turn time. Note, it is not an "all or nothing" battle resolution system. You can chose which battles, if any, you want to resolve using the FoGII system. Right now, for my own amusement I'm trying a game as Rome with all but the minor battles being resolved through FoGII.
That's not too bad at all. O0
I really haven't gone to FOG2 too often.Did not enjoy the army setups.
Another update for Empires, bringing it to version 1.03. A few new buildings and the ability to abandon a province seem to be the highlights. There were also some AI tweaks and balance adjustments. Really glad to see the dev team not only making some tweaks here and there but adding new (free) content as well. I think this is a good sign as to the future of the game. Here is the complete changelog and a link to a page on Steam summarizing the new features:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/?appids=1011390 (https://store.steampowered.com/news/?appids=1011390)
QuoteField of Glory: Empires - 1.0.3 Changelog
We are releasing a new update for Field of Glory: Empires!
This is a massive one: let us know what you think of the changes in the posts below. As usual your feedback is extremely important to us.
Changelog:
GAMEPLAY (improvements and fixes)
- Mercenary decision won't pick slaves as a valid mercenary army
- Cotton Field structure can now be built again (Egypt and India)
- You can abandon a region which has the 'Just conquered'' modifier or is pillaged. It costs one government age per population as a limiter.
- Rebels conversion to a reborn nation won't happen in contested regions (fix some issues)
- Units in neutral territory can be moved away toward closest friendly region (up to 6 regions distance)
- When a region rebels, garrison is mustered, and you keep the walls.
- Slave decimation in case of revolt is one slave pop per 5 units raised (was 10)
- Can import or export up to 24 (each) different trade goods per region
- New Capitol building provided for free at all difficulty levels
- Fix to Judea temple decision could cause a crash
- New buildings and tweaked buildings (geared toward easier crowd control):
+Olympic Games (World Wonder, restricted to Hellenes nation)
+Tabularium (National Wonder, restricted to Italic ethnicity)
+Naumachia (gladiator games on water)
- Pleasure District (National Wonder) loyalty 25>30
- Coliseum, Circus Maximus (World Wonder) loyalty 50>60
- Circus, Racing Track loyalty 30>40
- Prison loyalty 10>15
- Fix to an improper evaluation in the 'Support Science' decision
- A region already defined as the main capital should not move to another region.
- Fix to Provincial units, if different per civilization level not given properly (e.g Galatian Hvy Inf.)
- DOW probability lessened and use extra factors.
- An enemy can't steal anymore a region only defended by an ally
- Provincial capitol will move to the correct region
- Ensure that auto garrisons raise against invasion and post-battles checks
- Fix to 2 late wonders not added properly (again)
- All nations are 'switchable' once they appear on the map
- 2 fleets made only of transports won't attack each other.
- Transported units don't skirmish or evade.
AI
- Will merge more often weak groups
- Allies should loiter less in other territories
- If under severe threat, will favor grouping and defending around capitals
BALANCING
- Master Fletcher can improve skirmisher ranged attack (provided it is not 0) and provides 5 XP
- Slightly bigger bonus for Peace chance from war duration
- Population with 2 or 3 unrest (was 2 only) are green in the region panel
- Heavy Infantry balancing (for non clumsy HI):
- Scots now have +15% "Money Increase cost"
- Rex Custodiae will cost a bit more (Are unique so not exploitable)
- Lin Teata will cost a bit more money but less metal, thematic with their gear (Are unique so not exploitable)
- Britonnic, Goths, Galatians, Pictish, Dacians provincial heavy infantries: They retain their excellent stats, but cost more in manpower and "Money Increase cost" is now 35%, not 25% as others prov. units.
- Brythonic infantry has the besieger effect
- Removed Phalanx from CAR
- Roman Fort and Limes can be disassembled
- Slave Market decision given more often (+50% frequency)
- Carthage initial treasury increased (1500>2500), friendlier neighbors.
- Mauretania hold on most regions removed
- North African nations don't get cameliers until Imperial Level.
- Removed ahistorical phalanx to some nations.
- Rome objectives slightly more spread out (and far reaching)
- Cavalry balancing:
+ Heavy Cavalry and Cataphracts now place themselves between HI and MI and gain +1 hit point
+ War chariots get +1 hit point
+ Companions get +1 effec
+ Castrum Equitatum works for Med Cav too
UI-QOL
- Remappable hotkeys for common panels (K diplomacy | Nation panel | Ledger | Build structure | Unit recruitment | Trade panel)
- Added diplomacy button to UnitPanel, can contact a nation without territory.
- New context and gameplay texts for Rome and Epirus in Pyrrhus scenario
- Move camera to an army location when selecting a faction with no regions in diplomacy panel.
- Show recruitment spending as spent rather than part of the delta on faction bar and military recruitment tab.
- Army display options: Unit Count, Combat Power (as before), Categorized
- Fix to missing title in the 'one of the Civil War Warning' for Rome
- Upgrade buildings show as slot usage zero
- Fixed ambiguous or misleading UI behavior when ordering intercepts.
- Leave Trade Info open when switching Region Panel tabs
- In structure info and construction, moved description to the right; modifiers, unlocks, and misc stats to the left.
- Show Ally Battle option (default off).
Music to my ears! (or poetry to my eyes or... whatever...)
Moisture for your loins.
What was it that Harry Flashman wrote in his memoirs: "This excited him greatly. his eyes were heaving and his chest was burning."
Or something like that.
^YES
It looks like with the latest update, Carthage can actually recruit Skirmishers from Carthage!
Moisture for my loins, indeed. :dreamer:
8)
All that moisture will result in fungal growth.
:buck2:
Quote from: JasonPratt on July 29, 2019, 12:58:37 PM
It occurs to me that I should pick a minor nation available in all three general campaigns -- Imp, FogEmp, and Aggressors -- and play a comparison game between them for a video AAR...
I attempted this, but I just could not feasibly summarize or even introduce Impy.
It's a lot more colorful and high-production, and a LOT more complicated than FoGEmp and Aggy. Moreso than both of them put together even! So by that metric, its playstyle is a lot different, not least because it has direct economy management (like Vicky2 though not as complex), and character management (like CK2 though maybe not as complex). It also has the largest map, with part of Scananavia north of Denmark playable (there but unplayable in FogEmp) and all the way east past India into the arc leading to Indochina (though not quite there). Aside from sheer mapsize, the map also has the most territories (categorized as cities and their surrounding areas.)
Aggressors has by far the smallest (standard) map (no further north than the other side of the Alps, no further south than the Sinai, no further east than the east bank of the Jordan.) But of course there are mod maps, and much more importantly it's the only one of the three games which can generate random maps (and good ones, too). It only has 20 playable factions (in the standard non-modded campaign), although there are independents on the map. But not nearly as many as in the other two games, where every territory or city is its own faction. The turns are IGOWEGO. It's much the simplest game, but there are a lot of subtle things going on under the hood.
FogEMP has WEGO turns, and 77 playable factions in its grand campaign (proportionate to its map size; Impy with its larger map has more). It's far less than half as complex as Impy, but somewhat more than Aggy, and like Aggy it has a lot of subtle things going on under the hood. Like Impy, it's an irregular territory map; Aggy on the other hand is a square-grid map. (Not hexes, but the actual map art on each square usually looks circular.) Like Aggy, the turns are 1 year each, which can get very weird weird, though not quite as weird as in Aggy.
Quote from: JasonPratt on August 08, 2019, 03:10:11 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on July 29, 2019, 12:58:37 PM
It occurs to me that I should pick a minor nation available in all three general campaigns -- Imp, FogEmp, and Aggressors -- and play a comparison game between them for a video AAR...
I attempted this, but I just could not feasibly summarize or even introduce Impy.
It's a lot more colorful and high-production, and a LOT more complicated than FoGEmp and Aggy. Moreso than both of them put together even! So by that metric, its playstyle is a lot different, not least because it has direct economy management (like Vicky2 though not as complex), and character management (like CK2 though maybe not as complex). It also has the largest map, with part of Scananavia north of Denmark playable (there but unplayable in FogEmp) and all the way east past India into the arc leading to Indochina (though not quite there). Aside from sheer mapsize, the map also has the most territories (categorized as cities and their surrounding areas.)
Aggressors has by far the smallest (standard) map (no further north than the other side of the Alps, no further south than the Sinai, no further east than the east bank of the Jordan.) But of course there are mod maps, and much more importantly it's the only one of the three games which can generate random maps (and good ones, too). It only has 20 playable factions (in the standard non-modded campaign), although there are independents on the map. But not nearly as many as in the other two games, where every territory or city is its own faction. The turns are IGOWEGO. It's much the simplest game, but there are a lot of subtle things going on under the hood.
FogEMP has WEGO turns, and 77 playable factions in its grand campaign (proportionate to its map size; Impy with its larger map has more). It's far less than half as complex as Impy, but somewhat more than Aggy, and like Aggy it has a lot of subtle things going on under the hood. Like Impy, it's an irregular territory map; Aggy on the other hand is a square-grid map. (Not hexes, but the actual map art on each square usually looks circular.) Like Aggy, the turns are 1 year each, which can get very weird weird, though not quite as weird as in Aggy.
Interesting comments JP. I only have two of the games, FoG:Empires and Aggressors: Ancient Rome. I find FoG:E far more complex than Aggressors. But I've enjoyed both. Imperator Rome doesn't appeal to me...too complex for my ancient brain to wrap around.
Quote from: Gusington on July 23, 2019, 09:53:51 AM
Worse 🤮
I'm playing Easy Macedon. Its pretty fun. I've never liked playing Macedon, but in this game its fast and fun to be Easy Macedon.
When I'm not skinning my teeth as Saba in the multiplayer game (primarily because I played dumbly at first), I'm trying to work out how to survive and thrive as Rhaetia in singleplayer.
Rhaetia has an interesting challenge. They aren't the absolute dreg of the game -- they start mid-tier, really. Then they plunge instantly into the lower tier, and start picking up aging tokens. Not great, although they do hold one legacy-marker territory.
Presumably that territory is their homeland, but it isn't their capital. That's in the alps, in the main north pass out of the Italian boot. This area has great natural defenses, but it's also hard for any powerful units to defend there. More importantly, it starts with only a Tribal Council (if there's a tier-0 government building this is it), a Training Ground (for heavy infantry I can't afford, much less use effectively in the alps), and a random other culture building (which often comes with decadence attached, and the Rhaeti suck decadence down like a sucky thing already due to other game factors). I usually end up disassembling that immediately.
That's it. The other two territories have literally nothing built at all. At least they all have two workers to start with (some slaves, some citizens), but two workers in the alps don't go for: with raids quickly arriving from the Celticoi and the Boii(s) down south, I need at least fifty years to grow a third worker group -- if I'm lucky and they don't get raided out! My starting army is decent, but not decent enough to take out any of my neighbors in the first couple of turns, and they quickly overwhelm all my food if they're concentrated in one place to strike out somewhere. They can (probably) take a nearby independent, of which I have several options, in the mountains and in the plains to the north, but then I'm stuck defending four crappy territories instead of three, with no more troops and possibly fewer than before!
The good news is that my three territories are nicely placed in a mutually reinforcing triad; and the two north of the Alps are in very decent land where, although I don't have much population and literally nothing on the ground to start, I can bootstrap up in twenty or thirty years to the point where I can afford to build an assault group with enough punch to take over management of a nearby indy (though not necessarily a nearby NPC faction). And I can evenly spread out my starting army to be such as to dissuade outright invasion (and sometimes the occasional random raid. But those often slow me down anyway.)
The game would be significantly easier if I could migrate workers among my territories, so that I could bring workers from the northern fields into my vulnerable "crown" area. I'm also playing with the idea of abandoning my "crown" region altogether and putting the troops I normally guard there to something more useful, so that they aren't eating so much of the meager food (allowing my population to grow faster). But then I'm literally rolling the dice that my capital isn't captured by the Celticas or the Boiis, pretty much at whim.
You really do like the tough choices don't you? :)
Quote from: MengJiao on August 13, 2019, 12:47:41 PM
Quote from: Gusington on July 23, 2019, 09:53:51 AM
Worse 🤮
I'm playing Easy Macedon. Its pretty fun. I've never liked playing Macedon, but in this game its fast and fun to be Easy Macedon.
Things were going well. Macedon was in 4th position on the CDR. Then a mob came and killed the king. Now Macedon is pretty far back on the CDR.
Quote from: MengJiao on August 13, 2019, 03:48:40 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on August 13, 2019, 12:47:41 PM
Quote from: Gusington on July 23, 2019, 09:53:51 AM
Worse 🤮
I'm playing Easy Macedon. Its pretty fun. I've never liked playing Macedon, but in this game its fast and fun to be Easy Macedon.
Things were going well. Macedon was in 4th position on the CDR. Then a mob came and killed the king. Now Macedon is pretty far back on the CDR.
Sometimes its best not to use phrases like " Things are going pretty well" :hide:
My ancestors (Judea) learned that lesson about 5000 years ago. And it's still relevant!
Still going, though!
Thankfully.
Quote from: Gusington on August 13, 2019, 06:47:53 PM
My ancestors (Judea) learned that lesson about 5000 years ago. And it's still relevant!
Mazel tov!
Quote from: devoncop on August 13, 2019, 03:51:31 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on August 13, 2019, 03:48:40 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on August 13, 2019, 12:47:41 PM
Quote from: Gusington on July 23, 2019, 09:53:51 AM
Worse 🤮
I'm playing Easy Macedon. Its pretty fun. I've never liked playing Macedon, but in this game its fast and fun to be Easy Macedon.
Things were going well. Macedon was in 4th position on the CDR. Then a mob came and killed the king. Now Macedon is pretty far back on the CDR.
Sometimes its best not to use phrases like " Things are going pretty well" :hide:
Except in Easy Mode...Macedon is way down on the CDR (and has a completely decadent king for example)...but is still expanding on the ground so to speak. And wow! Athens has everything (once Macedon takes it anyway): mercenaries, ships...uh...and stuff!
Quote from: JasonPratt on August 13, 2019, 07:18:01 PM
Still going, though!
Interesting, that. No other nation has been effectively wiped off the map, not once, but twice, yet is still around after 5000 years. Almost like they have divine protection..... O:-)
Quote from: Tripoli on August 14, 2019, 06:18:09 AM
Quote from: JasonPratt on August 13, 2019, 07:18:01 PM
Still going, though!
Interesting, that. No other nation has been effectively wiped off the map, not once, but twice, yet is still around after 5000 years. Almost like they have divine protection..... O:-)
I can think of some close competitors -- the Gataka (Kiowa Apache), the Navajo (before and after the camp at Bosque Redondo), Poland, Lithuania, various prinipalities in Wales, the Golden Horde (and similar Khanates). Moreover, you could argue that if the Kingdom of Israel is "still around" as Israel, then its the Samaritans (their old capital in Samaria being the old capital of the Kingdom of Israel) that have made a triple come back since the Temple in Samaria was destroyed by the Judeans in 103 BC.
Guess we really are that difficult to wipe out.
Right. If you just can't deal with them where you are, buy them a condo in Miami. O0
OK. This has been out for a while. I have not had time to play it. Is there any verdict on the game yet? Problems? Good stuff? Playability? Glaring patches needed past 1.3? Is it FUN?
Quote from: solops on August 21, 2019, 10:47:45 AM
OK. This has been out for a while. I have not had time to play it. Is there any verdict on the game yet? Problems? Good stuff? Playability? Glaring patches needed past 1.3? Is it FUN?
I have over 250 hours in it....and I wasn't even a beta tester.
Oh boy is it good :-)
Diplomacy needs beefing up and you need to be prepared to read the very well written manual to get your head around the different mechanics for trade, Culture and Decadence and the special rules for different countries but if you do I think you will be very impressed.
Several members of this site are playing a MP game I organised on day 1 with 16 players which is now up to about turn 26 .....so far it has run brilliantly. They may well chip in with their views.
(Field of Glory 2 definitely not essential in my view as you don't play out the battles in FoG2 in MP anyway and even SP I choose not to as I enjoy the flow of the Campaign game with in built battle resolution.)
Worth full cost, if you understand and appreciate what you're getting. Less complex (also less pretty) than Imperator: Rome, but still has a lot going on under the hood. Pretty elegant strategic gameplay, though I haven't had to try to manage a large nation yet. Easy to burn through a lot of turns. UI could still stand some tweaking, particularly on the after-turn reports which are functional but rather a mess. Quite a different game from Aggressors (also quite a lot larger), not as large or overwhelming as Imperator. Being able to export battles to FoG2 (no DLC needed) is definitely a plus. Being able to migrate worker groups from area to area would be handy.
If you like the idea of managing ancient nations in the pre-Imperial time, out to western India, whether well-established or from the dirt up, and you don't want a more civ-type game (which is Aggressors, also worth buying but with quite different gameplay), without going insane managing families and all the glorious minutia of Imperator, then buy with confidence.
Quote from: devoncop on August 21, 2019, 11:34:29 AM
Quote from: solops on August 21, 2019, 10:47:45 AM
OK. This has been out for a while. I have not had time to play it. Is there any verdict on the game yet? Problems? Good stuff? Playability? Glaring patches needed past 1.3? Is it FUN?
I have over 250 hours in it....and I wasn't even a beta tester.
Oh boy is it good :-)
Diplomacy needs beefing up and you need to be prepared to read the very well written manual to get your head around the different mechanics for trade, Culture and Decadence and the special rules for different countries but if you do I think you will be very impressed.
Several members of this site are playing a MP game I organised on day 1 with 16 players which is now up to about turn 26 .....so far it has run brilliantly. They may well chip in with their views.
(Field of Glory 2 definitely not essential in my view as you don't play out the battles in FoG2 in MP anyway and even SP I choose not to as I enjoy the flow of the Campaign game with in built battle resolution.)
Devoncop is this your MP Arverni game? I am having a blast in that one as Antigonids. This is definitely my most played game at the moment. My vote for game of the year. The AI and Diplomacy could use some work but I am really enjoying the MP aspect. In this MP game I am defending against Macedonia-Sparta alliance and Ptolemy and Seleucids all attacking me. Ptolemy asked for peace which I gladly accepted and Carthage came to my aid in an alliance. We now have Macedonia on the ropes and Maurya is chewing up the Seleucid rear as the Seleucids chew up my rear. It does not seem the AI can handle a two front war as it throws all of its forces against me and refuses peace as Maurya engulfs it from the other side. Diplomacy is for all to see in MP so that is kind of funny. You would think there would be a way to send private messages like in Dominions 5.
Hi Tanaka
No It is a different game. The thread for that one is also on this forum. In that I am playing the Ptolemies....
In that the Antigonids are ahead on Legacy and have gone into an unholy alliance with the Seleucids having taken out Macedon, and the Lysimakos and the Seleucids most of Maurya !I
Every game plays out very differently.
Our diplomacy in that one is very involved and is done by PM on both this forum and the Slitherine Games one....
I agree by the way.....unquestionably strategy game of the year.
Oh god I NEED this game! Pity I'm saving this month. But on the 18th September it will be mine! I'll be well up for a multiplayer game too if any happen to be starting around then.
Quote from: devoncop on August 23, 2019, 12:38:08 PM
Hi Tanaka
No It is a different game. The thread for that one is also on this forum. In that I am playing the Ptolemies....
In that the Antigonids are ahead on Legacy and have gone into an unholy alliance with the Seleucids having taken out Macedon, and the Lysimakos and the Seleucids most of Maurya !I
Every game plays out very differently.
Our diplomacy in that one is very involved and is done by PM on both this forum and the Slitherine Games one....
I agree by the way.....unquestionably strategy game of the year.
I take it the Seleucids are being played by a human player? I can't see the AI ever doing that as it just refuses peace with anyone as them. Allying with Seleucids as Antigonids is definitely your best bet to win the game as human players. My game would have gone much differently had I been able to do this. Fighting a four front war is near impossible.
Quote from: Tanaka on August 28, 2019, 02:02:33 PM
Quote from: devoncop on August 23, 2019, 12:38:08 PM
Hi Tanaka
No It is a different game. The thread for that one is also on this forum. In that I am playing the Ptolemies....
In that the Antigonids are ahead on Legacy and have gone into an unholy alliance with the Seleucids having taken out Macedon, and the Lysimakos and the Seleucids most of Maurya !I
Every game plays out very differently.
Our diplomacy in that one is very involved and is done by PM on both this forum and the Slitherine Games one....
I agree by the way.....unquestionably strategy game of the year.
I take it the Seleucids are being played by a human player? I can't see the AI ever doing that as it just refuses peace with anyone as them. Allying with Seleucids as Antigonids is definitely your best bet to win the game as human players. My game would have gone much differently had I been able to do this. Fighting a four front war is near impossible.
Correct. Jim Winsor is playing the Seleucids......it is a question of how long they hang together........sooner or later the Seleucids are going to have to take out the Antigonids or visa versa.......that conflict will provide the rest of us the best chance of getting back to being competitive if we manage to hang in there :)
Except me...
Quote from: Gusington on August 28, 2019, 05:45:45 PM
Except me...
Defeatist ! !
The night is always darkest before the dawn :)
I'm on my way!
I'll be there by... {checking the history books}.... when did the Muslims get there? 900s? 1000s?
Quote from: JasonPratt on August 28, 2019, 09:20:58 PM
I'm on my way!
I'll be there by... {checking the history books}.... when did the Muslims get there? 900s? 1000s?
Tortoise and the hare.....in a couple of hundred years the last citizens of the fragmented shrunken Seleucid Empire will look at each other as sigh..... "Why did we not see the arrival of the invincible Saba coming ?" ;)
I don't know if I can hold out that long. I am actually reading a book on the establishment of the Islamic Empire and IIRC the Muslims got out to Bactria in the 8th century.
Quote from: devoncop on August 23, 2019, 12:38:08 PM
I agree by the way.....unquestionably strategy game of the year.
LOL!
No, really, you guys stop equivocating and tell me what you really think.
I guess I need to fit this one into my learning queue.
https://www.matrixgames.com/news/field-of-glory-empires-persia-550-330-bce-is-coming-soon
Field of Glory: Empires - Persia 550 - 330 BCE new campaign starts 2 centuries before the Empires campaign. It brings players at the time when Athens and Sparta were still vying for supremacy over Hellas world while the Achaemenid Empire is more and more looming on the other side of the Aegean Sea.
Are you eager to see the game in action? DasTactic will be playing Field of Glory: Empires - Persia 550 - 330 BCE today on our official Twitch channel at 6 pm GMT.
:D
:D
OH WOW.
Quote from: Pete Dero on March 17, 2020, 11:00:27 AM
https://www.matrixgames.com/news/field-of-glory-empires-persia-550-330-bce-is-coming-soon
Field of Glory: Empires - Persia 550 - 330 BCE new campaign starts 2 centuries before the Empires campaign. It brings players at the time when Athens and Sparta were still vying for supremacy over Hellas world while the Achaemenid Empire is more and more looming on the other side of the Aegean Sea.
Are you eager to see the game in action? DasTactic will be playing Field of Glory: Empires - Persia 550 - 330 BCE today on our official Twitch channel at 6 pm GMT.
Sweet, wishlisted!
Yeah, I wishlisted instantly.
My only question is whether there's a mega campaign transitioning into the original timeline. :dreamer:
Quote from: JasonPratt on March 18, 2020, 11:47:05 AM
My only question is whether there's a mega campaign transitioning into the original timeline. :dreamer:
I suspect that's too much to hope for. It would be awesome if something like that were implemented, though!
Sorry for the necro: BUT...
WE HAVE A DATE! May 21st! :)
That's just in time for next weekend!
Nooo!! That's when the Greenskin update and the new DLC comes out for Warhammer II! Why must they torture me like this?? :hide:
14.99!
Grabbed, downloaded.
Quote from: CJReich46 on May 21, 2020, 01:31:53 PM
14.99!
Grabbed, downloaded.
Gusington is slaving away on our review!
On it. Let's see if I suck any less at this than I do the standard game.
(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/1027329752981411724/25930FA81F2425F431D0058E7A30486765167271/)
I bought this back in December with my Matrix coupon but never played it. Too many games, too little time. Has it aged well?
I vote for the, 'Insane' level Gus. :hide:
^For the game or for everything else?
Yes, it has aged well.
The pricing model is very weird on Steam, though this seems to be a Steam function. It's impossible to play the DLC without the base game, of course, but there are two ways of buying the game, both of which require the base game to also be bought first.
1.) Buy the DLC separately for $15 on its own page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257440/Field_of_Glory_Empires__Persia_550__330_BCE/
2.) Buy the DLC as part of a package to complete your game on the main page, for $12. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1011390/Field_of_Glory_Empires/
So you can pay $15 or $12, from Steam either way, at literally no difference.
??? :uglystupid2: :DD :bd:
I'll probably go with the base game when I start playing. Never did install it through Steam, just straight from Matrix.
The base game has gotten a big update, too, btw. So the only reason to play the DLC would be out of curiosity for the time period, such as Rome when (per one theory applied in the game) it was a client state of the Etruscans.
Anyone who enjoys playing the Germanics/Celtics will find all those vast tracts of continental European land... arousing... :coolsmiley:
???
(In the base game timeframe, Europe gets crowded fast or starts that way depending on where you are, unless you're the Goths maybe. In the new DLC, Europe north of Italy has few factions with crazy amounts of room to expand, especially if like me you like to play the Rhaeti.)
I noticed that. There's a lot more room. I'm currently playing as Macedonia, and I did pretty well just having some serious cash-flow problems. But I think I'll play the tutorial just to learn what I need to learn, and then start over as the Macedons.
Don't tell me I'm going to have to consider buying this game again. ???
I'm watching DasTactic's latest series now. It has the new DLC but should still give me a pretty good idea of how the base plays. Still trying to decide between this one, or AoW:Planetfall, or Stellaris, or TW:Warhammer II for something to get back into playing along with Aurora C# which I'll restart when 1.10 drops. So many games, so little time.... :o
AOW Planetfall is a pretty sweet game too. Lots of content and replayability.
But that goes for all the games in your list. :D
I broke down and bought both Field of Glory: Empires and AOW Planetfall.
Quote from: Sir Slash on May 21, 2020, 10:09:00 PM
Don't tell me I'm going to have to consider buying this game again. ???
I'm surprised you hadn't already. Now I'm disappointed in you.
Seriously, though, I've watched a few LP's (including DasTactic's), and the Persia DLC is looking pretty sweet.
Quote from: Labbug on May 22, 2020, 04:37:54 PM
I broke down and bought both Field of Glory: Empires and AOW Planetfall.
How are you going to decide which rabbit hole to crawl down, coin flip :)
Quote from: JasonPratt on May 21, 2020, 04:08:37 PM
Yes, it has aged well.
The pricing model is very weird on Steam, though this seems to be a Steam function. It's impossible to play the DLC without the base game, of course, but there are two ways of buying the game, both of which require the base game to also be bought first.
1.) Buy the DLC separately for $15 on its own page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257440/Field_of_Glory_Empires__Persia_550__330_BCE/
2.) Buy the DLC as part of a package to complete your game on the main page, for $12. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1011390/Field_of_Glory_Empires/
So you can pay $15 or $12, from Steam either way, at literally no difference.
??? :uglystupid2: :DD :bd:
I'm not getting the dlc discount on Steam. I suspect the fact I bought the base game from Matrix directly then put it on Steam latter negates the discount on the dlc.
Okay, that makes sense! -- I can't recall if I originally bought on Steam or at Matrix, so that could explain the pricing oddity (i.e. a loyalty discount tracked by Steam).
Just played for a couple of hours as Persia in the new campaign and it is great how the neighboring kingdoms are collapsing to my one mighty stack! Kingdom of Elan (SP?) was crushed and I just smacked around Media and am besieging their capital now. The King wants to take down Babylonia next. I took about 1000 pics for the quick write-up I am doing for The Magical Front Page and will have quick impressions to JH to post tomorrow.
Quote from: Gusington on May 23, 2020, 04:20:23 PM
Just played for a couple of hours as Persia in the new campaign and it is great how the neighboring kingdoms are collapsing to my one mighty stack! Kingdom of Elan (SP?) was crushed and I just smacked around Media and am besieging their capital now. The King wants to take down Babylonia next. I took about 1000 pics for the quick write-up I am doing for The Magical Front Page and will have quick impressions to JH to post tomorrow.
Any quick thoughts, Persia worth it? Finger has been ready to buy all day but I have hesitated...don't have to tell me all the impressions, but worth it? :)
It's Elam, I think. They're the remnants of an early Bronze age group which bothered the Fertile Crescent from over where southern Persia eventually started up.
They also show up in games as a NPC minor empire for the board game Genesis. http://www.grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=21411.0
^I'm reading Persian Fire by Tom Holland now and so far Elam/Elan is not mentioned. In-game is the first time I have heard of that kingdom.
Grim did you like the original? I find the battles in FoGII very fun and in the context of this new campaign moreso.
A lot of the campaign mechanics are still kind of cryptic to me, there's a ton going on.
But being in the role of an ancient war machine in definitely fun. Taking out Media, Babylonia, Assyria...even more fun!
Quote from: Gusington on May 23, 2020, 05:10:45 PM
^I'm reading Persian Fire by Tom Holland now and so far Elam/Elan is not mentioned. In-game is the first time I have heard of that kingdom.
Grim did you like the original? I find the battles in FoGII very fun and in the context of this new campaign moreso.
A lot of the campaign mechanics are still kind of cryptic to me, there's a ton going on.
But being in the role of an ancient war machine in definitely fun. Taking out Media, Babylonia, Assyria...even more fun!
Thanks, I wanted to like it....ancient times should be my thing. But I had hard time understanding things and I probably never put in enough effort. Probably unrealistic for me to think Persia would change things enough for me to better understand, but thought maybe something might have been introduced (or maybe from previous patches that I haven't played yet) which might make it easier...probably a long shot I know. I remember reading people talk about it positively, then I would fire it up and just stare:(
Don't get me wrong, I've done my share of staring today. But I haven't noticed too much of a difference in mechanics of the campaign yet.
Quote from: Gusington on May 23, 2020, 05:10:45 PM
^I'm reading Persian Fire by Tom Holland now and so far Elam/Elan is not mentioned. In-game is the first time I have heard of that kingdom.
Tom Holland is pretty great, but I haven't read that one yet.
I remember reading in some detail about Elam a year or two ago, though I forget where.
Susan Beard Susan Wise Bauer's
History of the Ancient World (https://smile.amazon.com/History-Ancient-World-Earliest-Accounts/dp/039305974X) perhaps. (She covers a LOT of material in her pre-modern global history trilogy.)
Edited to add, haven't confirmed yet, but upon reflection I bet that's where: she covered the rise of the Persians and Medes very extensively, from long before they were an Empire, and Elam played a significant role in that.
^Thanks, I'll check that title out on Amazon.
It took me watching this trade guide twice and couple other vids to 'get it' in Empires. After that, there is a great game in there.
Dream game for me. I always wanted an ancients/Rome grand strategy game that had better battles that Total War.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLmbGn53PC8
Sampstra Games Field of Glory Empires Trade Guide.
Huh. I've pretty much ignored trade and let it do what it wanted (other than sometimes refusing to build a property because I don't have sufficient trade nearby for it.) And I'm doing reasonably well in my games, all things considered.
Here are the protocols I've developed over time, when it comes to region management.
Checklist for managing your regions in FoG:Emp. Note that sometimes other considerations in diplomacy and war will take some precedence; for example you may need to send everyone to make food for a while, at risk of bankruptcy or your properties falling apart, in order to feed your armed forces as they're passing through and attacking your enemy nearby. (Your forces will take food from adjacent friendly areas if necessary, so you should make sure you've got a good springboard for invasion, and/or get the troops back home as soon as feasibly possible.)
Also note that these principles will work for managing provinces (a group of regions) too, but until they're bootstrapped far up you may have to treat the whole province like one big region, focusing all your workers on infrastructure (generally) to finish one property at a time as soon as possible (so that your region and the whole province and your faction generally can benefit from its existence asap). On this theory, you could also occasionally work on multiple properties in a province -- as long as they can all be finished in one turn.
ASSESS YOUR NEEDS
Gather all your workgroups together in the bottom row (for culture) temporarily, to get an idea what you need to work on. (You can skip this step if you're already working on a plan.) You need food to keep your workers alive, and to get more workers (especially more FRIENDLY workers to help with your local morale), and to feed your troops; but you need infrastructure to be able to make things more quickly and to keep properties from falling apart. Gold is important, too, but usually (not always) will take care of itself. Culture is important for advancement (and for winning the game technically), but if you're bootstrapping up an undeveloped or badly developed area then you can't afford to do culture for a while, so you're going to suffer the natural results of that regardless.
Obviously, if you have negative food and/or infrastructure when nobody is working in those rows, then you should focus there first. But you should also aim for achieving three basic goals, with a focus each turn on one of those goals in sequence.
FUNDAMENTALS
Your infrastructure and your food production should EACH equal or surpass your total workgroups even without any workers in those rows.
Except in an absolute food emergency, you should focus on building infrastructure first -- UNLESS you can build food properties that don't have an ongoing infrastructure cost: if you need the food and can do that, then do that first, and go back to infrastructure later. You can have negative food as long as you have reserves to work from (and/or if the province is balancing out food so that your net total is positive, although THIS WILL NOT COUNT MILITARY EATING! -- make sure your military is white or at least orange in the rollover tooltip, not red. Orange means they're eating so much that you aren't working on any new workgroups but everyone still has food.)
Once the baseline infrastructure generation is up to the total of your workgroups, or better -- or once you have to start putting workgroups on food production to keep from going in the hole (and thus starving your workers) -- you should start building food properties. As with infrastructure, your target is to have automatic food generations equal or more than your workgroup total.
Along the way if your new upkeep drops your basic infrastructure below your workgroup total, make more infrastructure.
(Note that you could try reversing this priority: get food up to speed first, then infrastructure. I haven't tested this yet, but it will DEFINITELY take more time to do that because you'll be making properties more slowly all the time.)
Once you've met those two fundamental goals, you have one more third fundamental goal: your blue properties should be equal in number to your green properties. Why? -- because this boosts how effective your green properties will be in generating new workgroups. Without this boost, you'll be generating new workgroups more and more slowly. (The health bonus also helps avoid plagues and reduces their effects, and can sometimes help if you're besieged.)
Once you've met those three fundamental goals, you can focus on properties from the red, yellow, and purple slots. You should consider making such properties that take the least time (because you'll get to benefit from their effects faster); but otherwise you should consider properties that give you the most benefit for the costs you're paying (in infrastructure, cash, etc.) Sometimes those properties will generate infrastructure or food, so strongly consider those! In the final analysis, all other things being equal, take culture (purple) properties. If you're at war with another faction, you should consider focusing on buffing up your red properties because their total number will give global bonuses to your military. ABSOLUTELY AVOID PROPERTIES THAT GENERATE DECADENCE! -- not until the very late game maybe.
FULL PROPERTY SLOTS
If you only have one slot remaining in a region, you should focus on green border properties, because those take up no slots (and a few even give slots back). This is likely to tank your infrastructure (at least) but you'll get proportionately more benefits this way. Be aware that a few zero-slot properties still don't have a green border! -- so click through your list to be sure. (This should be patched over time; there's no reason any of the zero slot properties shouldn't have a green border.)
Once you have full properties, where should you put your workers?
If you're treating a province like one large region, building one property at a time (or multiples if they're all able to be built in one turn), then keep them on infrastructure to help get other regions up to speed.
If any of your first two fundamentals are under strength (infrastructure and food), and maybe even the third (equal blue to green properties), put them on food to get new workgroups and thus new slots asap.
If your infrastructure and food are up to strength (maybe also health properties), put everyone into culture. You won't get new workgroups as fast this way, but you need the culture boost to at least get out of culture penalties for your faction!
TWEAKING PRODUCTION AS YOU GO
You can maximize efficiency by checking just how many workgroups you need in infrastructure to be building your property the fastest. Any groups more than that, should be put on fixing negative net expenses elsewhere; or on food to get more workgroups faster (or to support feeding troops); or on culture.
Once you have the basic workflow down, you'll learn and understand how and when to make adjustments for crisis situations.
Quote from: JasonPratt on May 24, 2020, 11:25:14 AM
Here are the protocols I've developed over time, when it comes to region management.
Thank you. Interesting stuff.
Great post, Jason.