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Author |
File Description |
GadgetDon |
Posted on 04/15/01 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Minimap:
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This adventure does NOT require Poseidon, also deals with Atlantis. Your dreams have been disturbed with the destruction of that great city. Can you prevent the disaster that looms ahead? |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Gweilo2
Staff |
Posted on 10/05/06 @ 09:56 PM
Playability: 2
Quite honestly, this one only provided mediocre fun for me. Probably the biggest reason was sheer disappointment. I downloaded it because of the hints of an engaging storyline. However, the story quickly faded. I was especially annoyed with the misleading episode goal of the Thrinacia colony episode, which (when coupled with the lack of story text explaining what will happen if you don't help Cyme) gives absolutely no warning that you only have 3 years to win the episode. The maps throughout this adventure were all barren and boring. Of special note is the Odessos colony map which has a flaw on the hill; any building you place there cannot trace pathing down into your city. This prevents you from using the hill for anything. Too bad, because it looks like the designer intended it to be a nice location for the temple. Then in the last two episodes back at the parent city, a goal is to build Hephaestus's sanctuary in order to produce bronze. However, the design prohibits you from having more than one sanctuary, so you have to tear down the two you have already built in prior episodes. Not fun. :( Now add to all this a lack of episode goals and a lack of much scripting throughout the episodes and you may understand my below-average rating.
Balance: 3
This adventure is definitely geared towards beginner or maybe intermediate-level players. Even they might find moments of frustration (losing the Thrinacia colony episode without warning). Advanced players will really find little to challenge them, even if playing at Olympian level. For example, some of the later parent city episodes have only one goal which is easily attainable within one game-year. Also, you are never allowed to build elite housing in the parent city (I recall only one episode out of 10 allowed elites).
Creativity: 2
Unfortunately, I found mediocre creativity. The maps are all sparse and barren. The storyline is sparse. The episode goals are few and don't really fit the storyline well. Some of the monster invasions are pointless because you already have Apollo's sanctuary in your city from a previous episode. And in the last episode, you can quickly tear down Hephaesus's sanctuary and replace it with Apollos. If you've pre-positioned marble, wood, and sculptures, you can even complete the sanctuary just before the 3 monsters attack - which means Apollo defeats them automatically. There is a general lack of interesting scripted events. Someone made a comment about a lava event being triggered as a cataclysmic ending event for another 'time limit'-type gimmick, but I never saw it. I was probably finishing the episodes too quickly. When looked at as a whole, the creativity seems like a general mish-mash that doesn't fit together very well.
Map Design: 2
The only map that was even remotely interesting was Odessos, and it has the irritating flaw on its hill. The others were all sparse. It seemed as if the maps had been thrown together with minimal effort. I suppose the maps will appeal to those players who like lots of open space to place their cookie-cutter housing blocks.
Story/Instructions: 2
The opening introduction in the first episode really captured my interest. That's why it was so disappointing when the story quickly faded after that. Also, the remaining few sentences that were presented in each episode sometimes seemed nonsensical to me. The words didn't seem to match what the episode goals were indicating. Finally, the lack of clear instructions in the Thrinacia colony episode is very frustrating.
Additional Comments:
By the time you finish playing this one, you might feel like I did - like I was playing an early 'beta' version, which contained only a skeleton of what the designer had actually planned. Too bad a more fleshed-out version was not released. Can't say I recommend this one to advanced players, but perhaps beginners or intermediate-level players will like it.
[Edited on 10/05/06 @ 11:43 PM]
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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2.2 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 2.0 | Balance | 3.0 | Creativity | 2.0 | Map Design | 2.0 | Story/Instructions | 2.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 4,038 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 673.77 KB |
Added: | 04/15/01 |
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