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Scenarios » Lord of the Rings in the Third Age - War of the Ring v1.3
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Lord of the Rings in the Third Age - War of the Ring v1.3
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Author |
File Description |
BlackRose |
Posted on 01/18/04 @ 06:39 PM (updated 06/12/04)
File Details |
Ruleset: |
AoW: SM - TS Standard Rules |
Map Size: |
XL |
Levels: |
2 |
Single Player?: |
Yes |
Co-Op vs. AI?: |
Yes |
PBEM/Hotseat?: |
Yes |
Multiplayer Online?: |
Yes |
# of Wizards: |
8 |
# of players: |
5 |
Skill Level: |
Expert |
Password Protected: |
No |
Surface Minimap:
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Cavern Minimap:
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Quick Note v1.31 February 10th 2004
MrFrumpkins pointed out a slight installation error, the LordoftheRingsResource Folder was missing, its been re added (It still works however but to avoid installation difficulties i changed it!)
LordoftheRingsv1.3 Map had one slight error, Orcist was wearable on the head, this was a minor glitch and i'm really not sure how it got there! It has been fixed.
Sorry to have to do another mini update!
Update February 9th 2004
Final Version 1.3
If you've played v1.1 it was but a taste of what this map/mod pack has to offer. Get the definitive version!
If your skeptical about Mod Packs, Installation and Removal is easy, you owe it to yourself to try this. No other LoTR Scenario will offer quite what this one is!
Nearly a 100 Custom LoTR Units with descriptions and
unique abilites and statistics.
*30 More than 1.1*
Almost All Heroes now have Portraits
Brand New and Revitalized Map, very detailed!
1300 Events to make this Scenario unfold very much like the War of The Ring and Beyond. Should Play differently every time!
*More than Double 1.1 versions total events*
120 LoTR Items, More than 1/2 With unique scripted descriptions. (Pick the Item up to find out!)
(You can put it down and pick it back up if you already are in possession of the item!)
*Nearly Triple versions 1.1's Item Count*
5 Playable Sides Difficulty **** is hardest.
Denethor *
Theoden **
Elrond ***
Galadriel ***1/2
Dain Ironfoot ****
All sides are difficult however, this map is very challenging!
Active Cpu controlling Harad.
New Interaction with Sauron and the map (The game will play a little slower at the begining but not nearly as slow in the end game)
A fine and rousing single player experience, and also set up for multi player. The Fellowship is split in such a way as to allow 3 or 4 players to take on Sauron's Alliance. Provides a challenge for even all 5!
This should be the final version unless any bugs are found (its been thoroughly tested) or if an update is needed for AoWSM v1.3.
Remember to support your local Map and Mod Makers by adding ratings and comments (not just for mine!) as feedback makes the process all worthwhile and encourages more maps and mods to be released!
Special Thanks to Beren V, MicahGoodman, ripcarr, PawelS and iceman for all your help!
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Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Last » | Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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MicahGoodman |
Posted on 01/30/04 @ 09:29 PM
Playability: 5
You have the choice of five realms. Each with custom made units! Lord of the Rings Grognards will be burning the midnight candle on this one.
Balance: 3
This scenario was not designed for balance; it was designed for a good challenge. Balance was not meant to be a factor and isn’t.
Creativity: 5
The author inserted loads of events that occurred in the book. For example, if you want the Ents to join your side, then you have to get BOTH Marry and Pippin to Entmoot to activate that event. Gandalf or Gimli won’t do.
Map Design: 4
The map seems a tad bit short on its north south axis to me but its still a very well done map.
Story/Instructions: 5
Game instructions are fantastic, but be warned the installation instructions are a bit confusing. A quick search of the forums clears the problem up so it’s no big deal.
Additional Comments:
This will put all other Lord of the Rings scenarios to shame. While other Lord of the Rings scenarios might have great maps this one has the custom units, spells and events that bring the Books to life more than any other LotR scenario I have ever played. Great Job BlackRose.
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ricparr |
Posted on 02/04/04 @ 06:42 PM
Playability: 5
brilliant, very challenging indeed but never so difficult that it seemed pointless carrying on, or trying different tactics. frequently unexpected discoveries and events add to this feeling, there were plenty of times when bleak moments were filled with hope as i found new allies, or dismay as the enemy found their own.
if i had to pick faults.. it would be nice sometimes to let lose and play with Sauron himself, but you cant have everything!
Balance: 5
exceedingly unbalanced, but perfectly so! this map is based on Lotr and player balance certainly isnt an issue in the book. an added bonus is depending which good race you pick the game difficulty can vary tremendously - but never expect any race to be easy.
Creativity: 4
well the story and all its charactors belong to Tolkien so its a bit hard to score on that front. however the way both the books and the film have been seamlessly intigrated into an AOW map is amazing. So much effort has been put in not just to make this map fun to play, but to provide as accurate representation of the war of the ring as possible. To sum it up i have learnt alot obout lotr just by playing this mod, and the incorporation of the material is so impressive that as a result i have more appreciation of the books themselves. - cant wait for 1.2!
Map Design: 4
Designwise this map is goodlooking, and easily does the job of providing a vision of middle earth. When the map design is good, it really is outstanding - see the central sections of the map, eg Rohan rivendel and Mordor, with special credit going to the area around the Misty mountains. Unfortunetly the extreams of the map, south Gondor and the far North are far less detailed, perhaps reflecting the lack of source material in the books. Despite this issue the AI intereacts very well with the map - just wait till you see the black gate open!
Story/Instructions: 5
the story telling is very good here, with gandalfs frequent commentary really helping mentain a superb, warring atmosphere. to be blunt i've nver been so absorbed in a scenerio - and i know whats supposed to happen.
installation is a little time consuming but well worth it and straightforward enough, had a few problems with the resources section but soon sorted that out. dont let this diswade you!
Additional Comments:
to be honest playing this scenerio has been the most fun i've had playing age of wonders and i highly recommend it to everyone. yes precious. |
sendorange |
Posted on 02/15/04 @ 03:24 PM
Playability: 5
This is all for Version 1.1, although I have downloaded 1.3 and will play that shortly. I did find this scenario very playable indeed, units contrast and complement each other nicely, lots of great tactical battles and exploration.
Balance: 4
Feels pretty much perfect, I did find Morder to be a little underpowered before the opening of the Black Gate and Saruman's offensive forces to be a lot weaker than his tower guard. I also found the Nazgul were revived and back in action within 1 turn, I think after a combat defeat they should be knocked out for slightly longer than that.
Creativity: 5
This feels a lot like Lord of The Rings, but with enough adaptation to fit the game system. Kudos!
Map Design: 5
I'm no Map expert, but I thought this was an excellent one. Perhaps a few too many special things put in the corners and on the edges, but I suppose that's fair enough.
Story/Instructions: 4
I did find some of the event triggering to be quite difficult to get my head around. Like having to go back to the bridge in Moria to find Gandalf. A few more ingame hints would be ok, but possibly that would make it too straightforward.
Additional Comments:
Superb, presentation is excellent, game is exciting and challenging and just essential to play. I'm looking forward to 1.3 which I'm sure will be even better. Many congratulations on a great effort and you deserve all the praise for this. |
JeffJonson |
Posted on 02/15/04 @ 05:38 PM
Playability: 5
This is the most fun i've had playing a lord of the rings type game for Age of Wonders or anything else. There is so much to explore and its very challenging!
Balance: 5
Well I played version 1 and I have to say it was very hard but most of the fight was in mordor. I just took my army (i was galedrial) to Mordor and then hordes of Goblins and Orcs started spewing out of the caves! (This is after a long fight in the rest of the map!) Just at the moment of victory! I've never had so much fun while losing!
Creativity: 5
What can you say, its not original but just look around at what else is out there. The sheer attention to detail is what gets this a 5. Everything is lord of the rings, you dont have to look the other way while playing this map like you do all the others! Everything... phew! I love it!
Map Design: 5
This version is much better than the last. Although i loved the last version as well. You've put so much time and effort into this its amazing. I found lots of new stuff in this version as well. Good Work!
Story/Instructions: 5
This has been covered by the other reviewers but, wow! The number of text events with images and Gandalf's frequent updates realy blend to make this just perfect. Unless i'm mistaken you've added a whole bunch of new events in this version. Ripped right from the pages of the Lord of The Rings!
Additional Comments:
This is my favourite all time map no doubt. Will the maker be making any more? I have to admit i was unsure about downloading a mod, and seeing all the forum comments made me even more afraid. But when i did it it really wasnt that hard, just had to read and do exactly what was written! It was well worth it, i've been playing non stop since it came out and i'm going to start a game with the hopes of winning this time! I think i'll be Gondor!
Make more maps please!!
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Cherusker |
Posted on 02/27/04 @ 10:29 AM
Playability: 5
(Insert Playability analysis here)
It is very playable. A lot of surprises. It is very entertaining (especially for LotR players) but everyone will enjoy this scenario very much. One the one hand, there is enough available at the beginning and on the other, there are a lot more heroes to come and a lot of things to develop during this war.
Balance: 5
(Insert Balance analysis here)
Well balanced. It is not easy but also not impossible to win. Both sides have their advantages and weaknesses.
Creativity: 5
(Insert Creativity analysis here)
The best LotR map I have played so far. The story is known, but Black Rose made a great scenario out of the story of the century. A lot of interesting ideas and I like that you do not have all heroes from the beginning. It is a great feeling ... Yeah, now Arwen joins us. She did not go to the undying lands but joins us. Great motivation and greatly implemented in this scenario. I love all the scanned pictures from the movie. This makes you feel home from the first second.
Map Design: 5
(Insert Map Design analysis here)
Great! Middle earth has been greatly designed here. I felt home from the first minute and I like the map.
Story/Instructions: 5
(Insert Story/Instructions analysis here)
Story is known and implemented excellent.
Additional Comments:
Black Rose, you did a great job with this. Please continue providing the best scenarios which are available for AoW:SM.
Only one thing, the scenario ran slow for me, but with changing from Simulatanous Turns to Classic, it worked fine. |
Celeborn |
Posted on 03/01/04 @ 10:59 PM
Before I get into all of this let me just point a few things out to the Designer and to the people reading this. I am now two days removed fromd downloading Azanulbizar and reading what the author included in the Read Me. At first I did react a little poorly but then I got to thinking about it and the more I thought about it I knew I had to go through the hoops and register an account. You are perfectly right and to be honest If I had not read the read me I would not have bothered showing my face around here. I discussed it with my roomate and both he and I felt that we owed it to the author to leave behind our 'lurker' status and step up. First off I am not a 'huge fan' of the game, I am however a 'huge fan' of The Lord of the Rings. Initially I got into playing the game because of my roomate. He had downloaded and played many so called Lord of the Rings Scenarios that he seemed to find very fun. Well, I use the term so called but I am not going to get into it as I dont want to put out bad vibes. Let us just say that I 'educated' my roomate on what was and was not LoTR. Anyhow we finally settled on the very playable and enjoyable Second Age map. Which I could at least identify with. It was a wee bit difficult for us to play it together as the High-Men are far superior to the Elves, but it is very accurate.
Eventually, as my intrest had long since past for this game, I had moved onto other things. Then one day my roomate approached me exitedly 'You've got to see this, finnally! I think you'll like this, they've been talking about it!!' Anyhow lo and behold yet another 'Lord of the Rings' map. Oh god. Well we got ourselves 1.0 and like the others who got it we got the bugs and the crashes. Yet I must say my curiosity was more than piqued. Here was something that had more than potential, here was something that could actually sate my appetite for things LoTR. Anxiously we, (by this time I was far more into it than my roomate, go figure) awaited the next version. This time I was the one awake when it showed up and... wow. We played through Multi Player and I was engaged from the get go, reliving fond memories, and to my delight, discovering things that I was not aware of. Our home was transformed. Over the coming week we were very heavily into this game. Pondering over strategies at dinner and discussing the advance of Mordor after work. Again, wow. Now as I said my roomate isnt nearly as much a LoTR fanatic as I am, he just loves the game. Now I think he is fully converted. He has borrowed the books and is now busily pouring over them searching for reference and strategies. Very Impressive.
Then 1.3 came out. Talk about dessert after an amazing meal. The icing on the cake. Although I take a bit of issue with the terrain types and doodads in locations where none are mentioned I can't help but admitting the landscape is much improved. I really enjoyed the additional units and more importantly, the plot lines and stories. They may not all be 'cannon' but there is reference on the subject and most importantly they allow the 'War of the Ring' to progress naturally in many different directions.
In short I've been playing this solidly from the begining, I've played every side, I've both Won and Lost, and Loved every minute of it.
And I was not going to comment or review it.
Well I do feel a bit ashamed now, and I feel better that I've done it. I am encouraged actually, my roomate has said that you are getting some response now on the forums (I don't bother with them, sorry). That is great news. I dont have much to say about the other Lord of the Rings maps I've played (other than the second age one, which is now dated) and I am not going to run around and review them all either. As I said I had all but given up the game and this brought me back. I will be back if I see your name on any LoTR type scenarios. I will be reviewing Azanulbizar within the next few days, (I'm on turn 90 now) you've earned my respect with this and its only fair that I show it. So thank you Blackrose, thank you for this wonderful slice of Tolkien's world and keep up the amazing work. I for one will always download them.
Playability: 5
(Insert Playability analysis here)
Balance: 5
(Insert Balance analysis here)
Creativity: 5
(Insert Creativity analysis here)
Map Design: 5
(Insert Map Design analysis here)
Story/Instructions: 5
(Insert Story/Instructions analysis here)
Additional Comments: Well I took up so much time with all my other comments that this is turning into a book. I reviewed the guidelines as I was not sure how the system works. I feel confident giving out all fives as this scenario earned a lot of bonus points with me. There are a few slight (very slight) things that I may have moved a tad or expanded upon but tha would be splitting hairs. I dont want to detract from this work in any way. My roomate will also be reviewing the map later, I hope that is allowed as we share an ISP. He has a lot to say on the game side of things that you may find interesting, if not so much on the LoTR side of things.
Again, Thank you very much. My roomate found your email address so I sent you some detailed feedback about the many amazing things I found and enjoyed within your masterpiece. I did not want to take up any more time here. I hope you continue to get the feedback you deserve.
Celeborn
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A Former Lurker |
Posted on 03/02/04 @ 01:13 AM
Well here I finally am. A little tired to be sure! I just went back and wrote reviews on a number of maps that I've enjoyed over the past year. First off i'd like to say how much I love this game, and a lot of those maps made it all the more enjoyable. I was a little chargrined when I read Blackrose's read me with his latest map (love it by the way). Very true, I had not taken the time to review any of the maps that I had played. It doesnt take that much time either, although saving them all up for one night is not reccomended! (There are still a few more I might rate but i'm getting very tired and I wanted to be somewhat fresh when I rated this one!) (Also i'm sorry that some of my reviews were a bit vague, as it has been a while since I have played some of them, but I still figured a review was better than no review). Ok, you read my roomie's review and you know he's the Tolkien fan and now you know that I'm becoming one! Seeing him so rabidly interested in this map really got me going nevermind the countless events and signs that really got my interest. I'm proud to say that i'm now reading the Trilogy!
Playability: 5
OK, this is the tops for me so far. Nevermind the Lord of the Rings this map is plain addicting. Me and my roomie have played more than a few games from scratch here so we know what we're talking about. This is mapmaking at its finest and all the content gives it high bonus points.
Balance: 5
Well I read the note on this map and I then read the guidlines as well, so it is stated about the difficulty so no points to remove here. My roomie also praised the balance and he really really liked it. The sides appear to be ranked correctly as to difficulty. That is more than enough for me.
Creativity: 5
I'm not only going to talk about the map here, I also really liked what you did with the mod (M has a lot to say about this too, read his email). You've chopped out a lot but you've added and redifined just as much. The game really plays differently and I like a lot of the changes immensly. This map exudes confidence, you really know your stuff and believe me I ate it all up! I read every sign, every bio (some were a bit dry) and all the Item descriptions (very innovative, first time I saw that). There is so much to praise on this point its hard to say what means the most!
Map Design: 5
Myself I preffereed 1.3 over 1.1 (I never got 1.2!?) although I have been told about some of the more creative aspects of the map =) So it may not be totally true to form (just terrain, not placement), it looks and feels better. I also like the reinclusion of the Gold Structures. There is so much to explore and just when you thought you've found it all, you read the little sign in the editor and discover there is more! (Sparking a fresh multi-play start for us!). This map plays hard and fun and never gets boring. I did notice the improvement in turn time in the later game and also I really appreciated all the extra events/attacks in 1.3 tht made all the sides equally fun, but still totally unique! Its funny reading the Fellowship, beacuse of this map I know (for the most part) exactly where they are and can now relate to it AoW graphic detail!
Story/Instructions: 5
This is the best there is. I did give out another 5 to another map in this category but still! I'm not going to lessen the other just because this went so far above and beyond! I liked the new intro and the poems and speeches by the rulers. I never felt lost ( except my first time around I did not know where to find Gandalf until I played Galadriel). Gandalf's updates were brilliant and really added to the feel. The unit descriptions were a bit sparse for the bad guys but I guess you intended it that way. I liked seeing the what Medalling would bring for the forces of the west! Good Idea! (Teleri Healer may be bugged? or the description needs to be updated).
Additional Comments: OK, I'm tired but i'm still going to head over to the forums! I'm just glad that others answered the call in there after you posted your latest map (I still cant pronounce it!). At first it seemed you were being ignored and that really got me going! Glad to see the community rallying around such a fine map maker. Let me add one more thing. When I download a new map the first thing I do is pop it open and take a look at the events to see if the map is any different than the Random Ones I make and modify. Man, was I blown away. How long did this take you! Amazing. There is so much work in here that any little glitches or oddities are more than overcome with all the bonus stuff. You really should have a different scale for marking a map like this. I've played around in the editor and I know how hard it is. Some of the scripts seemed a little redundant and there may be a faster way of doing them, let me know if want any help (not that that changes anything, just might lessen your work load!).
Me and M (umm Celeborn, ok!) are competing with your latest and having a blast, I'm on turn 85 and I love to brag so I think i'm going to win faster than he, if he wins at all! He's retreating on numerous fronts and I think he may have forgotten about the wells, shhhhh! We'll be rating that map to, very soon! But so far its a blast!
Ok, thanks for such a great map and so sorry for not rating it sooner!
Cheers!
C.W.S.
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Wyz_sub10 |
Posted on 03/18/04 @ 02:38 AM
Playability: 5
It's obvious that a lot of love went into this map! There is plenty for the player to do, although playing as some sides will give more to do than others.
Balance: 4
As noted many times, it is unbalanced but wonderfully so. Still, I cannot help but think the magic disparity is a little too much. Playing as Denethor you will have access to some Magic Relay items, but without a tower they really have no value. Making alliances helps alot, but because you will likely be on the offensive early on, you will be "magicless" against foes with lots of magic at their disposal.
Creativity: 5
Some have commented that the creativity is "Tolkien's". Perhaps. But there is vision in this map, and the author uses the AoW engine in very creative ways to mimic many plot turns in the story. I don't want to include spoilers, but let me say that many little details have been given the proper treatment.
Map Design: 4
This is a terrific map, and there are so many times when your reasoning pays off. If you think that doing 'x' will result in 'y', chances are it will. My only complaint with this map is that Isengard, Helm's Deep and Minas T. are too close together. There is tons of unused space while too much is jammed into a small area.
Story/Instructions: 5
Pop ups were great, and the instructions were generally clear. I didn't really get the titan god that would periodically appear to berate you or critize your actions. But the amount of history included on signs, etc. was simply amazing. I have never been so keen on discovering text in a game before!
Additional Comments:
Overall, an excellent map. The most fun AOW map I have even played, and the very best LOTR translation I have seen in any TBS game.
I have a few suggestions, however:
- The entrance to Isengard only allows 1 army width. This means that you will attack with 1 stack and battle with 3 or 4. If you combine this with Saruman's hasted domain, and the fact that the orc grunts get double attacks, the result is a battle where you are watching a lot more than playing! (Due to the AOW rules of not getting an attack if you've defended too many strikes).
After trying it as is, I edited Isengard to allow 2 stacks abreast. This made the battles a little more interactive and, I think, more fun.
- Gollum joins the fellowship a little soon, and it is too easy to quickly get into the caverns below Minas Morgul. It would have been nice to have to travel a bit before meeting Gollum, then taking a while to get to the caverns. (maybe a mountain trek of through some Haradrim territory)
- Once inside the cavern, I was always (in 3 games) quickly followed in by scads of Haradrim or, in one case, 4 Nazgul! Perhaps the entrance should be blocked to the AI and something else done to challenge Frodo, et al. Otherwise you need to take a big army in and this seems...hmmm...wrong somehow.
- Saruman and Theoden don't really seem to notice each other. Playing as Denethor, I noticed that Theoden did not explore, just stayed put at Helm's Deep. Saruman, for his part, never attacked Theoden - never. So I was left to assail Idengard without any support. This is a limitation of the AI, as diplomacy does not provide the option to say "hey, how about you attack Isengard?" I wish there was more going on between AI enemies here.
- I would suggest giving each side one tower. Yes, I know this goes against the spirit of the books, but magic is so integral to the strategy of AOW that it makes a huge difference. It's hard to attack Isengard, being bombarded by magic from 3 opponents and a very powerful army, without being able to cast 'healing'.
- Perhaps drawing the game out a bit would help, as well. Knowing that Sauron was coming at turn 30, I felt compelled to focus solely on Isengard for the first 15-25 turns. The result is that one misses the chance to fully explore this incredible map! I had Aragorn, et al. find some new allies, but when told to go north, I balked. I only had time to get Gandalf (who also had to run some errands) before all hell broke loose. I love exploring and a few extra turns on a map of limited passageways would have been nice.
Fun plot suggestions:
These are just a few things I think might be cool (and I recognize that I might be the only one who thinks they would be cool).
- At Isengard, a trigger that causes a bit of flooding when Treebeard gets to the bridge would be neat. ("Break the dam. Release the river!")
- Maybe another trigger giving a group of Huons when you finally take Isengard? Or just before?
- If Frodo dies, make him available again by reaching or taking...um...the city where he's taken after getting stung by Shelob (forget the name).
- What if you met Tom Bombadil, but true to the story, he can only stay in a certain area of the map? (but provides you with weapons and can be used if something strays into his area)
- One neat thing would be to have to "light the beacons" (have a unit go to a few spread out locations) before either getting an Alliance offer from Rohan or getting some units from Rohan.
Okay - that's it for me!
Let me stress that I loved this map! What an amazing effort and attention to detail by the author. For ever criticism of suggestion here, there are dozens of things I loved about this!
Very, very good work. |
warchilde |
Posted on 03/24/04 @ 03:37 AM
Playability: 5
I've only tried this map playing as Elrond and Galadriel, so I cannot yet comment on the other factions, but the map is very playable from either of these starting positions. It's TOUGH, but extremely rewarding, especially for LotR fans, who will find everything they could ever want to see/read in an AoW map based on Tolkien's works.
Balance: 5
As the author points out this map is not designed to be 'balanced', but his notes on the relative strengths & weaknesses of each of the starting possitions are acurate.
Creativity: 5
As we all know the true creativity belongs to Tolkien's genius. The high rating here is to give kudos to BlackRose for the inventive way he used the AoW engine to implement the War of the Rings.
Map Design: 5
Beautifully done. The scenery is duely grand, and my only problem is that things seem to be a little crammed together in the area of Isengard/Rohan, but this is an easily overlooked 'problem' with an otherwise gorgeous map.
Story/Instructions: 5
Well written, I had no problems at all installing or running the mods.
Additional Comments:
Let me sum up by saying that this was the best AoW map I have ever played. The sheer level of 'historical' detail that that was put into its creation is staggering. The only reason I haven't finished it yet is because I want to read every sign, find every item, and meet every VIP that I can.
I recently downloaded, but have not yet begun to play, the Azanulbizar scenario. As I am still having way too much fun with this scenario it may be some time before I play though that one, but I just want to voice my hope that BlackRose does NOT become discouraged, as I eagerly anticipate his next release, whatever that may be. |
Galahad_2nd |
Posted on 03/29/04 @ 08:19 PM
Playability: 4
The unit density is much too high, so that you have to spend a lot of time dealing with "traffic jams" and fighting huge battles as many sub-battles; and waiting a long time for the AI players to take their turns.
On the hand, this problem is balanced somewhat by the tremendous replayability of the design. At first I thought that it was weird having the Fellowship characters and the Ring as independents, but actually this is very clever because it makes an interesting challenge to play as a single player for any one of the five good sides. Playing as Elrond is quite different from playing as Denethor, but because you can get Fellowship to join you it is still fun either way.
Balance: 5
Actually, the difficulty depends on how willing you are to find creative uses for all your gold. As others have pointed out, the armies of evil vastly outnumber the armies of good, which is consistent with the book. But unlike the book, there is no real stealth -- Frodo, Sam, and Gollum cannot just sneak into Mordor. So the map is extremely tough as a single player if you are going "by the book". The key to victory is the use of diplomacy. First, it is important to exchange all your magic spells with your allies -- Elven Woods in particular is really important and useful. Most importantly, you need to keep Harad and Mordor at war with each other -- when all those armies march out of Minas Morgul, they should be headed south to kill Mumakil, not allied with them to attack Minas Tirith.
Creativity: 5
Putting the War of the Ring into an AoW scenario -- not just having the general geography of Middle Earth for a multi-player map -- is a huge challenge, and Black Rose has used a lot of creativity to find solutions for these problems.
Map Design: 5
This map had such a vast amount of work. Not just the map itself, also all the customized units and portraits, and tuning all the special events. It works!
Story/Instructions: 5
Again, this is a really exceptional map. So much of Lord of the Rings that we all know and love has gotten into this map: the events, the characters, the places, and tons of Middle Earth lore. This is much harder than making an original story.
Additional Comments:
See my previous comments below -- this map is HIGHLY recommended to anybody who has the least bit of interest in LoTR, and displays an expert knowledge of both Tolkien and Age of Wonders. It's one of the best AoW maps ever -- but now I'm playing Black Rose's other map Battle of Azanulzibar and if possible that map is even better.
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.8 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.9 | Balance | 4.6 | Creativity | 4.9 | Map Design | 4.8 | Story/Instructions | 4.9 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 27,623 |
Favorites: [] | 1 |
Size: | 5.02 MB |
Added: | 01/18/04 |
Updated: | 06/12/04 |
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