|
|
Brethren
|
Author |
File Description |
Kor (id: Derfel Cadarn) |
Posted on 01/14/04 @ 11:27 AM
File Details |
Style: |
Fixed Force |
# of Scenarios: |
1 |
Version: |
Empires: Retail Release |
Brethren takes you to Limburg in the late 13th Century, to a small (fictitious) village called Zevenaerden.
The Lord of the castle has just passed away, leaving two sons. The eldest, Koenraad, claims the lands and castle, but the younger son, Willem, is not easily pursuaded to give up his claim.
He takes up the sword and gathers a group of men loyal to his cause. A group of men intent of overthrowing Koenraad and claiming the castle.
Right at that moment, another war for possession is going on; Brabant and Guelders, backed by the Archbishop of Köln, both claim the Duchy of Limburg. Koenraad and Willem get pulled in to this conflict as they will fight on opposing sides; but who will emerge the victor? |
Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
---|
Lord_Uxbridge |
Posted on 01/18/04 @ 06:24 PM
Playability: 4
The playability is decent. It’s not the easiest thing I’ve ever played, but the enemy attacks using the game’s AI ever-brilliant tactic, send in a small handful at a time, and do it constantly. They very rarely engage in a major attack. I didn’t complete the entire game yet, but thus far have not been entangled in a major battle, which would have improved the game play.
Balance: 4
The cinematics are a little….. too concise. I am not a master of cinematography when it comes to Empires, but it does just seem to jump right in and turn a good story with impressive narrative potential and sums it up with sentence fragments.
The abrupt story and movement of tasks gave this a 4, but you did do a good job at what you did, such as it is.
Creativity: 4
The idea of a feud between brothers for the throne is not an uncommon one, (in fact I too am making a campaign along those lines). I can’t say it is the most innovative story-line, but the method of game play was impressive, and it shows that planning and time went into it, so it was creative to a degree.
Map Design: 5
This is where most scenario designers (including me) meet their weak point, but it seems to be one of this campaign’s better aspects. The landscapes are designed very well, with lush forests and coastlines. There is a moderate amount of eye-candy, but overall you pulled off map design extremely well.
Story/Instructions: 4
The story, as said before, is not the most creative I’ve ever heard of. Perhaps it would work a lot better if you spent more time developing a good story and presenting it. The instructions, (which cannot be as detailed as Empire: Earth could be, which is a flaw of the overall game, not just this one) seem at times, a little unclear, because after getting quite a bit into the game I had no idea whether or not I intercepted the mercenaries.
Additional Comments: Excellent campaign, with some room for improvement. Highly recommended.
|
Hank |
Posted on 01/30/04 @ 08:29 PM
Playability: 3
I enjoyed the scenario for the most part, but was (by the end) a little let down. There was talk of a feud between two factions which I never saw. I found Balgrad's(sp?) men who then joined me, but it wasn't any different than finding guys out in the woods like I had been doing. I was expecing, in order to get one of these guys as my ally, to have to take part in this war on one of their sides. But I only found one guy and he automatically gave me some men. I liked the mix of objectives though. While I was out looking for more men, my brother was bringing in reinforcements for himself (That I could intercept if I wanted to) so I was constantly torn between splitting my group to do two things at once or do one or the other. The fight for the castle at the end was anticlimactic, as all I did was lure my brother and his men out of the castle and kill him. I didn't really enjoy running around the map though, so I had to speed up the game to 2.5 as there just wasn't a lot to do.
Balance: 4
The balance seemed about right. I imagine it could have been more difficult had I let my brother continue to reinforce himself, or had mismanaged my own men over the course of the scenario. The fight at the end involved a fair amount of men, but I easily won. The enemy units around the map gave a decent challenge, as they could kill key units if you didn't keep an eye on the battle. So overall I could see how things could have been different at the end of the scenario depending on what you did. Good job on that!
Creativity: 3
Like the previous reviewer mentioned, the squabbling brothers story has been done and seen many times. The gameplay was fun and I liked seeing a cinematic intro and ending. Besides for the nice mix of objectives, I just didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the gameplay. I searched out men to build an army, then attacked my brother's army in a final battle. The best part about it was the fact I had two things to choose from that I could do (Find men, or intercept my brother's mercenaries as they went to his castle). That was interesting, and kept me constantly deciding on what to do next.
Map Design: 4
I thought the design was really well done. It felt like a lush countrside with rivers, towns and bridges. The roads looked nice and the terrain height was varied very well to create a lot of good looking "rolling" hills.
Story/Instructions: 4
Ah, finally a story! Albeit a short and non-orginal one, it was a story nonetheless. The instructions were great, and I really liked the objectives and the info that was given regarding them. The dialogue was fitting for the scenario, and while the cinematics were nothing to behold they did add some personality and touch to the story. The initial shot of the dead father was the best one, while the shot of Willem in the camp was probably my least favorite (Angle was too low and the lighting made everyone look dark). Overall, good stuff!
Additional Comments:
It's not really a campaign as there is only one scenario. I could have seen this turned into a campaign though, as Derfel has put in a story that could have been fleshed out over at least two more scenarios. Regardless of that, this is a solid scenario that everyone should enjoy playing.
|
Andrew Dunn (id: Mechstra) |
Posted on 02/07/04 @ 10:34 AM
Derfel Cadarn's first Empires scenario, Brethren, focuses on the power struggle between two brothers in the fictional Dutch town of Zevenaerden, and places you in command of the younger brother - an outlaw - trying to wrest control of the area from his more powerful elder brother.
Playability: 4
The scenario is bursting with things to do - finding new recruits, finding allies in a greater war, harassing mercenaries, avoiding patrols - and this makes for a varied play experience. Some of the fun is lessened, however, by the somewhat long distances you have to travel without incident, especially if you've cleared the roads of patrols.
Balance: 4
The opening cinematic gives you an impression of just what you're up against, and when you begin, your tiny band of brigands seems impossibly outnumbered - but guerrilla tactics and the scattered reinforcements you can find around the countryside (combined with the convert ability of your vicar) make your job a lot easier. Even so, if you don't split your forces equally (and it's hard to do so if you don't know what to expect) you can end up with a nigh-impossible final battle at the castle.
Creativity: 4
As has been mentioned already, the feuding-brothers story is well-trodden ground, but Derfel Cadarn adds a new spin on it. Here, the brothers are not equal, but are radically opposed in both wealth and status, and you have the addition of joining a higher faction to add to the storyline. Also, small ideas - such as being able to heal at your camp in the woods and being able to disrupt the flow of troops your enemy gets - help to flesh out the scenario.
Map Design: 5
The map is fantastic - the woods and hills and roads and rivers are all believable and detailed, and the villages and around the map are pleasantly laid-out. Also, there are many small details elsewhere, irrelevant to the scenario, but pleasing to find, such as ruined farmsteads off the beaten track.
Story/Instructions: 4
The story is nothing original, but is well-told, and the instructions are clear and concise so that the player is never at a loss as to what to do. The cinematics are workmanlike (but not irritating) for the most part, but some of the shots are nice, such as the opening pan down to the dead father.
Additional Comments:
A quality first scenario that is indeed worth a download! |
Declan Misiewicz |
Posted on 10/11/05 @ 02:31 PM
Playability: 4
Good playability, I liked the knights running around the map, but it would have been nice to have some pitched battles with a mix of units.
Balance: 3
Balance was OK but I failed the mission twice at the end when I didn't have enough men to succeed. But then I realised that you could just lure Konraad out and kill him.
Creativity: 4
As the other reviewers say, the warring brothers story is very common but you put a nice twist on it with one of the brothers leading a band of outlaws and brigands instead of a massive army.
Map Design: 4
Map Design was very good but It didn't have quite the feel of a land wracked by war, perhaps a few more villages would help.
Story/Instructions: 4
As I mentioned the Brothers story is common. if you put some more scenarios into the campaign, It would stand out from all the rest. The instructions were very good but you could include a notification if the mercenaries were intercepted succesfully.
Additional Comments:
Very good campaign, a must-have download for your collections.
|
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
---|
4.0 | Breakdown |
---|
Playability | 3.8 | Balance | 3.8 | Creativity | 3.8 | Map Design | 4.5 | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 1,096 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 884.17 KB |
Added: | 01/14/04 |
|