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Author |
File Description |
Doomsword |
Posted on 02/11/07 @ 07:33 PM (updated 06/05/07)
File Details |
Map Size: |
Large |
Number of Missions: |
0 |
Number of Players: |
6 |
Balance: |
Balanced |
Difficulty: |
Normal |
Minimap:
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Not long ago, the King ruled this land in peace from his castle in the river valley. When the King died without an heir the castle was torn down by the ensuing conflict for the throne. With no clear victor evident, the striving parties have retreated to the highlands to regroup and cast their plans for conquest! |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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gattaca2420 |
Posted on 11/18/08 @ 11:36 PM
Since site about a game designed for 10yr olds acts like these reviews are more sacred than the bible, I see that my previous review was "insufficient." Maybe I felt that all the other reviews had pretty much summed it up.
Anyways, this map deserves the 5 and here it is:
Playability: 5
It plays perfectly with all AI in all positions and no glitches present.
Balance: 5
Everything is perfectly and evenly distributed, yet still provides an ample challenge from all positions.
Creativity: 5
Very creative use of the ruins. The valley is very fun to occupy and attempt to defend. It is a far superior design to any of the other maps with six mountain castles and a valley/gorge in the middle.
Map Design: 5
Excellent use of a majority of the map editor functions. Excellent use of "usable" ruins (can be tough to properly master this aspect of design) Great eye candy and shading techniques.
Story/Instructions: 5
Fine. Its a Kingmaker for christs sake. But you did write something and I refuse to diminish a perfect map based on your ability to write a stupid story. Stories are nice, but not freakin necessary for kingmaker. After all, its the map we play, not the story we read that makes it worth the download.
Additional Comments:
You deserved the 4 perfect scores they so kindly recinded from you. Its great they can take the time to remove all the scores, but cant find time to post the new ones. We'll see if this ever gets posted. |
Sulis |
Posted on 01/08/09 @ 12:11 PM
Playability: 5
Despite only recently playing Stronghold 2 'regularly' a few months ago, it was clear to me that the differences between Stronghold 1 and Crusader were significant and my punitive attempts at the in-game siege maps were a bit embarrassing! I decided to polish up on my skills and tackle a Kingmaker map... and this is the scenario I have been playing almost solidly for about two weeks now. This review is therefore written as a relative newcomer to the game.
This map is really addictive and completely absorbing. The six sites available all have a height advantage and some sites are more easily defensive than others thanks to a varied landscape. I found that simply hiding behind walls and towers didn't really work for me and although defending your castle and attacking others is really good fun, the small estates in the valleys are best controlled, with the resources they generate a valuable source of money at the marketplace. The constant defending and re-taking of these estates is almost a separate game in itself and really added to the enjoyment factor. The gameplay was smooth and the AI didn't appear to be affected by awkward map design or lack of resources.
Balance: 4.5
I have to admit that I struggled at the start to keep the attacking hordes at bay and failed a fair few times at first until I worked out what I should and should not be doing. Establishing a healthy economy was equally taxing. I have awarded a 4.5 score here rather than a 5.0 a little reluctantly but I do feel that this map is more suited to a more experienced player. You could argue that with six sites available, you can fight against anything between 1 and 5 AI 'lords', therefore determining the level of difficulty you wish to face, and this is a fair point to make. That said, the map has flexibility with the option to choose up to five enemies if you so wish and this, to me at least, adds to the overall balance of the map. Not all sites have access to iron and stone in the immediate vicinity of the keep and other sites have more space to build a strong castle. These two points are not a criticism but a recognition that each site offers something new each time you play - again another plus point. It was interesting trying to manage food consumption with only the lower levels able to support wheat and for most of the time these were either quickly destroyed by enemy attacks or targeted by enemy siege equipment. I am somewhat naively assuming that wheat farms and bread production remains the easiest way to generate a good supply of food without taking up a large space (but I stand corrected if this is not true).
Creativity: 5
The strength of this map in terms of creativity lies largely with the six sites being quite easily defendable (making an exception for my still amateurish skills) and having the option to fight over the estates in the valley bottom for additional resources. It seems to me that controlling these estates allows you to control to some degree the activity of the other castles and almost feels as if you are 'pegging back' their advancement. Whether this is intentional or a recognised feature of the game I don't know, but again it was noted as it does add to the creative aspect of the scenario. The valley ruins was a lovely touch and looked very atmospheric, featuring heavily throughout the scenario with regular troop movement and skirmishes to control the estates. The underlying idea by Doomsword in the design of the map is simple but incredibly effective.
Map Design: 5
Having played around with the editor myself a fair bit now, I am beginning to understand the scale, size and potential of the game as well as acknowledging the limitations and the features that don't work all that well. In terms of the map design, I really cannot find fault and it is much more satisfying to praise all that is good about Valley Ruins! I'm a big fan of a well-sculpted landscape with realism preferred to functional maps. The sense of scale involved with this scenario is really impressive and the landscape has been modelled beautifully. The narrow pathways from some of the castle sites are very well done, the use of different colours and textures from the terrain palette very eye-catching and the rivers (something I struggle with and have reservations about) are excellent. The map design is quite breathtaking. Well done!
Story/Instructions: 3
The story element of the scenario is fine. It provides a brief outline of the map and explains a little why the map appears as it does. Linking the story to the valley ruins is a good idea, but purely based on the content I have to review in line with the guidelines and I feel that a 3.0 is more appropriate. The brief story is well written though and I do understand that a story for Kingmaker (as with Skirmish in Crusader) can be difficult to write, as it is much more a secondary feature of the map submission.
Additional Comments:
Quite simply, I love this map! It has taught me a huge amount about the game and opened my eyes to the capabilities and possibilities of Stronghold 2. It plays exceptionally well and has massive replayability. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Valley Ruins has inspired me and may well be the reason for an attempt at designing a few scenarios myself. What else are user-created maps for, if not to inspire and encourage players to have a go themselves?!
Well done Doomsword, and thank you for keeping me happily playing Stronghold 2 for the past fortnight! Really good stuff! |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.8 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 5.0 | Balance | 4.8 | Creativity | 5.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 13,127 |
Favorites: [] | 1 |
Size: | 1.03 MB |
Added: | 02/11/07 |
Updated: | 06/05/07 |
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