DasTactic 最近的评测

The new Master of Magic is a very faithful remake of the original game from 1994 in all the good ways. The tile system has been replaced by a hex grid which is much better than the 'fat cross' for cities. The movement of units is basically doubled which improves the pacing of the game a lot. The graphics and user interface are so much better. And so while the overall game mechanics still feel very faithful to the original game - the experience as a user feels very modern.

The original game was a gaming classic that many other fantasy 4X games have used as inspiration. And there are some great games in the fantasy 4X genre. The thing I really love about this remake is that the game is on the easy end to start learning but can ramp in ways that can stretch you strategy gamers. I urge you, if you are wanting to see what the AI and gaming challenges are like, to try and find gameplay footage from the middle of the game (around turn 100 onward). The game absolutely shines when opposing armies of experienced units are fighting it out.

I think it is important to mention that this is a 'Master of Magic' remake, not a 'Caster of Magic' remake. If you are used to playing Caster of Magic you may be expecting something quite different here. I would have loved a Caster of Magic remake but that was not the brief to the developers and I think they threaded the line between being faithful to the original, and making it modern, brilliantly. As a remake they can't have the apples fall too far from the tree but from this baseline it will be very exciting to see where the game can now be developed.

My biggest issue with the game is the Surveyor Mode is very much like the original and that would have been a lot better as map overlays. So not really much to complain about overall.

At time of writing this review I've got about 60 hours in the game and I'm still coming back for more. It has such a breadth of gaming experiences. I'm also really looking forward to see where modders take the game as well.

For me, this is one of the most exciting releases of 2022. Loving it.

Cheers

DasTactic

Immortal Tactics: War of the Eternals is one of those surprising games that the more you scratch beneath the surface the more impressive it becomes. It can be considered a casual game that can be picked up to play for 15 minutes if you wish. On the surface the game gives the impression to have scripted levels and limited depth. But the levels are procedurally generated within a themed algorithm. So the game can play quite differently each time but still within limits that maintain a degree of balance.

The units can also be personalised to also add to the replayablity. The game mechanics themselves are deceptively simple but reward considered gameplay. What I mean by that, is you don't need to relearn the game every time you pick it up but it does reward you for thinking through the specific situations you are faced with to get the most out of your units and their all-important upgrades.

The combination of unit selection, specific abilities, and level-up options also adds to the fun.

I was playing the game prior to launch and the only thing I wished for with the game was more content at that time. More maps, more themes and more characters.

I have no hesitation in recommending Immortal Tactics to gamers who like to think a little about their moves without really needing to commit a lot of time. :)

As one of my favourite gaming series (and with 178 hours with the game at time of launch) I thought I would write a review. Before I start, I am an unashamed fan-boi of Distant Worlds and have loved the game since version 1 so many years ago. Distant Worlds was one of the games I launched my YouTube channel with - so I do have a bias in favour of the game.

DW2 will inevitably be compared to Stellaris and I don't think this is fair for either game. Stellaris is designed to work with multiplayer and so must maintain a level of balance. Distant Worlds has so many procedural aspects to the galaxy creation that the events and strategic problems that crop up (not scripted btw) lead to a real sense of story that Stellaris could never really achieve. Distant Worlds is as much a story/simulation with a living galaxy as it is a strategy game. Having said that, if you like Stellaris I think you will also enjoy Distant Worlds.

Distant Worlds 2 may be too slow in places for some gamers who enjoy a fast pace. And if you ramp up the speed you will most likely miss out on many of the small events that may crop up. The game builds - slowly - but when a crisis occurs you will have to really think things through how you can change a situation to work in your favour. And these crises can be diplomatic, military, expansion blocking, espionage, or resource control. What are you willing to do if you find that a friendly neighbour controls a valuable Spice World close to your common border? What will you do if an aggressive neighbour had found a derelict grave-yard and suddenly appears with a ship 10-times more powerful that anything you have? How will you cope with the early pirate menace that is constantly raiding your mining stations and home world? Pretty much anything and everything can happen in this game – and all because of the living breathing galaxy that is completely randomly generated. You may find yourself surrounded by factions with the same beliefs and values as your own and have a very peaceful game – or you may find yourself surrounded by factions that want to eat you for dinner.

The game has a definite early, mid and end game. In the early game you are just trying to survive against pirates and get the tech to start exploring and expanding. In the mid game you will largely have dealt with the pirates but will then be contending with your neighbours. This can be a time of war, subterfuge and intrigue. In the end-game there will be some dominant empires with incredible ships.

One of the great innovations with Distant Worlds is that the numerous resources in the game have to be used at the specific location they are needed. The only global resource is the Credits. Everything else is either at colonies, on ships, or on mining stations. If you need 64 units of polymer to build a Destroyer but only have 62 units at the star-base, then you’d better hope that a freighter is on its way because you aren’t building that Destroyer there without it. Every component you design ships with a specific resource cost. Another innovation is that you only control the state economy but there is also a private sector that runs all the mining operations and freight transport in your empire. Your job is to protect them and to build their ships for them – but you don’t control what they do. Another innovation is the degree of automation you can setup within the game. You can play where you really are just watching from afar, or you can be controlling every little aspect of the empire (which, believe me, is waaaay too much!). You also have your colonies and ships fully automated and then just choose one or two to manually control. There is no other game even close to what Distant Worlds does in this regard.
Take your time with the game and enjoy the ride. Don’t try to push the pace if you can help it. I can see that many of the reviews have been written with only a handful of hours down – that really isn’t enough time to get out of the early game. And the early game can feel frustrating because the pirates will be much more powerful than you are for a time. Stick to your bases and don’t go hunting until you can swarm them with sizable fleets. Hunt down their bases when you have Frigates with strong weaponry and Point Defence protection. If you try to be aggressive in the early game you will be smacked hard. It may be better to allow the pirates to raid your mining stations freely while you try to protect your home-world. And don’t buy too much protection from the pirates – it may bankrupt you (I no longer pay them anything).

The game is going to be actively developed into the future so rest assured there will be constant improvements over the coming months and years. I haven’t had the same crashing issues that I’ve read other have had. When I have had the occasional crash it tends to be when the game is trying to load in new 3D assets because I’ve suddenly zoomed in on something new. What I do now is it I’m zooming and notice a slight stutter is to let it load then continue zooming. It isn’t a fix – but it may stop some of the issues.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what people will do to mod the game into the future.

In terms of negatives, it would be great if there were more factions but the more I play the game I haven’t really missed the others. They will come slowly over time but the 7 factions in DW2 play with much more nuance than they did in DW:U. For example, the hard-points on the ships are different for each faction. Some will be smaller but with broad fields of fire, while some, like the Boskaran (aggressive insectoids) are large and only face forward ‘There will be no retreat!’. If you are playing as other factions and have to deal with Boskarans you may need to find a way to focus on manoeuvrability to get in behind their ships.

Another negative that many viewers miss in the orbiting planets. I missed them as well at the start but am used to it now.

Queuing orders is gone from this version and I do miss that.

There are small QoL things that have been improved a lot prior to launch but there is still a little more to do to bring them along.

I can never play Distant Worlds Universe again after playing Distant Worlds 2. A great addition to a great and innovative franchise – but as I said, I am a fan-boi!

I had this game on my 'watch list of the top games of 2019' on my YouTube channel and I received a copy of the game from the devs about a week before launch. It has been great to play.

Legion War is a very cool little war game with (at time of launch) three playable factions plus recruitable water units and mercenary units. Each faction has a range of units with unique skill sets and abilities so the strategic approach varies depending on units and situations.

Don't be fooled by the cute graphics, the game is brutal and demanding - even on easy. Having said that this is still an entry level war game so it is suitable for beginner gamers looking for a fun game and also suitable for advanced gamers looking for a real challenge. There are a range of game mechanics that work well such as personalising the unit classes with skills and equipment. By the time you reach the middle-game enemy enhanced units present a different range of tactical problems that you need to solve.

This is a game I have no hesitation is highly recommending. :)