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Paintball (1.8)
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Author |
File Description |
ZyN |
Posted on 09/21/04 @ 11:31 PM
File Details |
# of Players: |
1-8 |
Version: |
Empires: Retail Release |
Features
-Map randomly generated (except terrain)
-9 Teams of Paintballers
-Recruit additional paintballers at towns
-Score system
-Reinforcements
-Amazing special effects
-Paintballers, Paint launchers, paint mines, paint layers
-about 1000 effects
-Great strategic depth
-Equipment upgrades
-Upgrades to help losing players catch back up
-Very difficult
-Usually requires teamwork to win |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Intrepid (id: iNtRePiD) |
Posted on 10/01/04 @ 02:50 PM
Paintball
Paintball is a deceptively simple game. You have a leader and a team of paintballers as does everyone else. The goal is to eliminate the other player’s leaders in order to win. 2 – 8 players can play the scenario. Note that a computer player will take over for any player that is not filled by a human; the player will not just simply be defunct. This scenario can even be played in single player, though the computer is not very good at playing the scenario.
- Playability –
The scenario works fairly well, but it is not without its problems. I have noticed that sometimes a team does not have a designated leader, or there is no tag indicating who the leader is. The first case can be very troublesome as it allows some player to remain undefeated even though they have lost all their units. The second case is annoying as you have absolutely no idea who your leader is which means that you have no idea who to protect.
The major problem with this scenario lag, in some instances the lag in the scenario can render it unplayable. The lag in this scenario is caused primarily whenever a unit is killed. When a unit is killed there is a fantastic explosion. You can imagine what happens when dozens of units are being killed, the scenario essentially grinds to a halt. These effects look great, but it might be a good idea to add some sort of question dialogue that allows players to turn them off.
Playability Improvements
- Fix the leader related problems
- Create a question dialogue that allows players to turn off the explosion effects
Playability Score: 3
- Balance –
This scenario is fairly well balanced. Each player starts off with the same units and it is possible during the course of the scenario for each player to regain units, either by venturing into towns or at the random instances where new paintballers join your team. The scenario tends to move fairly quickly; in fact some games can be over in less then 5 minutes. This is somewhat annoying as it is fairly difficult to get to multiplayer games going through the lobby. Players receive equipment upgrades as they kill enemy units. Players are also suppose to receive upgrades if they are falling behind according the scenarios description, however I found that if you fall behind in this scenario you are probably dead.
Each player has a paintballer unit, a citizen unit and a mortar unit. Paintballers shoot paintballs out of a rifle, mortar units shoot paintball mortars and citizens can plant paint mines. With variety of units it is possible to devise successful tactics, however the game moves so quickly that it may be difficult for some players to utilize all of their units and employ tactics.
Balance Improvements
- Find a way to make the scenario last a little longer. The scenario is setup in a way that it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to allow players to engage in multiple rounds
Balance Score: 4
- Creativity –
This scenario is a beacon of creativity. Though there have been multiple paintball style scenarios made for Empires already, this one easily does the best job of capturing the players imagination. Probably one of the most creative aspects of the scenario is the random map generation. The author has cleverly designed the scenario so that triggers place all the objects on the map; this means that the map is random every time you play it. The use of multiple paint-oriented units is interesting and to the best of my knowledge has not been implemented before. This scenario also makes use of an assortment of sounds and has an innovative system that chooses the MVP of the match.
Creativity Improvements
- None
Creativity Score: 5
- Map Design –
Despite the fact that the map is randomly generated the map design looks fantastic. Players who are ignorant to the fact that the map has been randomly generated will not notice. My only complaint would be that the towns are a little simple looking. It would be better if the towns had multiple buildings.
Map Design Improvements
- Multiple buildings in the towns
Map Design Score: 5
- Story/Instructions -
This scenario does not have a story as expected, as a paintball scenario with a story would be somewhat ridiculous. The scenarios instructions consist of “kill the other players leader, but don’t let your leader get killed.” Word for word this is not what is said in the scenario, but that is essentially the gist of it. It would be helpful if the scenario told you what units you have and how to properly use them. It would also be helpful to know that there are random mines scattered around the map, as I found that many first time players were fairly confused when their units went over a mine.
Story/Instruction Improvements
- Unit Descriptions
- Some detail about what the players are going face in the scenario, ie mines, upgrades, etc…
Story/Instruction Score: 3
As it stands this scenario is only somewhat playable due the immense amount of lag, however despite the lag the scenario remains highly enjoyable. If the scenario is resubmitted with some changes I would be happy to re evaluate it.
Final Score: 4.0
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.0 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 3.0 | Balance | 4.0 | Creativity | 5.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 3.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 426 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 215.96 KB |
Added: | 09/21/04 |
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