|
Best Files » The Successor - Act One: The Renegade Prince (v. 1,1)
|
The Successor - Act One: The Renegade Prince (v. 1,1)
|
Author |
File Description |
panel |
Posted on 09/09/11 @ 08:55 AM (updated 12/23/11)
File Details |
Version: |
The Conquerors 1.0c |
Style: |
Mix |
Number of scenarios: |
3 |
Screenshot:
|
*** This scenario received the award Best Story in the Game of the Year Awards of 2011 ***
The sequel to this game is out! Download The Successor - Act Two >>> HERE <<<
Ravenia is a land without a King, a land plagued by civil war and foreign invaders. And it has been like that for 15 years now, since the death of the old king, Navar the 3rd. Now, there is finally hope... The prophecy is about to be fulfilled. The Renegade Prince is returning home...
INTRODUCTION
This is the first Act of "The Successor" trilogy, which you might be familiar with if you have played my previous cinematic scenario. If not, don't worry! Everything you need to know is right here, in this download, including a revamped version of the prologue cinematic!
This campaign contains two scenarios, the first is playable, while the second is 100% cutscene.
FEATURES:
- An emphasis on the narrative aspect. If you've enjoyed the intense storytelling of campaigns such as Ulio, spiced up with a little bit of humor, you will probably not be disappointed.
- Two epic 15-minute-long cutscenes, at the beginning and the end of the game, as well as many other shorter ones during the game, that will drive the story forward.
- Gameplay diversity: Role-play, Fixed Force, Defend the Spot, even a little bit of Puzzle, plus a couple of suspenseful one-on-one duels. There should be something in here for every gamer out there, except for hardcore b&d-ers.
- Varied and detailed map design, a whole country with different landscapes, one major city and several towns and villages.
- An interesting cast of characters, including a protagonist who does not fit the "prince charming" cliche.
- An epic soundtrack to match the story. The main character even has his own theme song!
- A detailed .pdf guide, containing all you need to know about the game and its background.
- A total of around 800 triggers.
INSTRUCTIONS:
This game is best played on normal speed with a resolution of 1024X768 and music off. To install it, just place the .cpx file in the campaigns folder and the sound files in the sound/scenario folder.
I hope you will have fun with this game, and I urge you to comment, review and give your suggestions and feedback. I need all the feedback I can get if this is to become a trilogy ;)
All credits are in the beginning cutscene and in the .pdf guide. A particular thank you goes to my playtesters, Bf_Tanks, Dtrungle and Popeychops.
V 1.1 - UPDATES SINCE THE PREVIOUS VERSION:
- fixed all detection area bugs that have escaped playtesting and have been brought to my attention after first upload;
- "relic doesn't show" bug from Teophil's quest fixed;
- turkey now always changes ownership to p1 after little girl quest;
- minor spelling mistakes fixed;
- "Super Tarran" bug which I believed to be fixed is still appearing sometimes. Will probably be fixed in a newer version.
- added one bonus non-playable map, as a teaser for the up-coming sequel!
Thank you to everybody who gave their feedback and contributed to identifying bugs.
|
Pages: « First « 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] 8 9 10 » Last » | Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
---|
amampa |
Posted on 07/27/12 @ 06:22 AM
Thanks for the edit link. Edited, hope its ok now.
|
panel
Official Reviewer
File Author |
Posted on 07/28/12 @ 04:20 AM
@ Amampa: thank you for the review, i really appreciate it and am glad you enjoyed the game. There will be two more Acts that will continue the story. |
Raptor II |
Posted on 11/18/12 @ 07:16 AM
Hi panel, great job, I found a few bugs...
At the elevation were Tarran enters "sniper mode", his attack increases by 250, I somehow managed to get him our without loosing his additional attack points, I think I had all my units in the elevated area and when I commanded them all out, the trigger to decrease Tarrans ATK somehow failed, made the game a lot easier, killed most enemies with shot, 1-man show :-)
And in the teaser map about Hansbrook city, when I approach the city a farmer tells me that they have some pigs and turkey to the WEST, I think it should be EAST
Q: WHen are the other Acts finished?
|
panel
Official Reviewer
File Author |
Posted on 11/18/12 @ 11:44 AM
Hello Raptor II and thank you for your comment. Indeed there is still a problem with Tarran's sniper mode, which I believed to be fixed. I will try to update it at a certain point, I am planning to do a revamping of this whole game after I finish the next 2 Acts.
At this moment, I am designing the second Act, it takes a long time because it's much more trigger-loaded and generally complex than the first one. But it will be a lot better.
You can expect to play Act II in a few months :) Until then, I have released a teaser for it in the projects section. Check it out at the following link:
http://aok.heavengames.com/blacksmith/showfile.php?fileid=11520 |
cordite1016 |
Posted on 12/23/12 @ 01:03 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed your campaign. I have more of a design question for you...How in the world did you get a 5MB sound file (the Part 1 theme by Kitaro) to play within the game? I'm working a project and I crash the game with anything over ~1.2 MB. Thanks. |
panel
Official Reviewer
File Author |
Posted on 12/24/12 @ 03:17 AM
@ Cordite: Thanks for the kind words.
Your problem seems to be about the sound file itself rather than its size. Either it is corrupted (it might be the case if you've played it with Windows media player), or it is a wrong format (it should be .wav or .mp3). Or, you might need to lower the bitrate (I don't really remember what the maximum bitrate is for the game not to crash, you can check sound files at the blacksmith such as my own for reference).Hope this helps. |
Possidon
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 01/03/13 @ 11:00 AM
The Successor: Act 1 is the first act in a planned series of scenarios by Panel. The story is set in the country of Ravenia and follows Krall, the renegade prince, as he tries to reclaimed his rightful kingdom after it was taken in an invasion 15 years prior to the events of the scenario.
Playability: 5
In term of playability The Succesor is one of the most enjoyable scenarios I've played. I my own opinion the things that is most important in a scenario to keep me entertain is a decent story and I found that the story of the Successor is one of the best I have seen in an Age of Empires scenario. It is up there with the likes of Ingo van Thiel's Ulio and Lord Basse's Gwyndlegard, my two all-time favourite scenarios. I really enjoyed the main quest and the optional objectives were great fun as well. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the cutscene and the incredible soundtrack gave such an intense effect I felt like I was in the cinema.
I did find a few bugs, the main one being that my soldiers kept trying to kill the Neutral Ravenians meaning I couldn't get additional soldiers for my army sometimes. I resolved this by just allying with this team which didn't really affect and of the gameplay and thus I have not deducted any marks to this score because the scenario is just too much fun.
Balance: 4
The balance is the only thing that prevents this scenario from being perfect. The scenario was very hard and it took a lot of restarting and saving every five minutes in order for me to complete it. The majority of the scenario involves you taking Krall and trying to form as big an army as you can. However there are enemies on almost every corner so as soon as you gain soldiers, you lose them again. I found that the soldiers you gain are a lot weaker than the enemy's soldiers. Where you get Men-at-Arms, Knights and Crossbowmen, the enemy get Mamelukes, Arbalests, Paladins and War Elephants. I understand that I could have saved more units if I used better tactics and quicker manoeuvres, but it is difficult to quickly manoeuvre an army whilst looking out for three different units you have to keep alive at all times. The siege of Kron was also a very difficult part of the scenario. Even with the Siege Ram and Siege Onager I collected, it cost me a lot of units to destroy that Castle.
However, the scenario does include difficulty dynamics you can chose for a harder scenario or an easier one if you're struggling. So I give marks for the inclusion of this. Also the very detailed Hints section gave me some tips that made the game easier. The inclusion of monks to my army just before I entered Kron is a big help because it healed my damaged army and allowed me to convert some useful enemy troops like the War Elephants.
Creativity: 5
A very creative scenario - Superb map design, splendid trigger-tricks and an exciting and incredible story. What more can I say?
Ok fine, you want me to say some more. The Successor was an incredibly creative scenario. As I've stated before I think hat most important part of a scenario is its story. The story of the Successor is fantastic; it is exciting, intense, humours and dark in some places. It when you hear a brief outline of the story at first it sounds like a very unoriginal story. "Oh not again. Let's get another Prince back on his rightful throne". But the Successor is not like this. The scenario's creative trigger tricks and storyline allow the player to do a lot more than liberate am kingdom. You can explore the country and talk to its countrymen; you can rescue prisoners and recruit soldiers. One of the most creative parts of the scenario was when you had to rescue the prisoners using Tarran's sniper mode.
Map Design: 5
The map design is another strength in the scenario. The scenario is set in the country of Ravenia which is spilt into two parts; Donaria and Sylvania; setting between the two is the capital city of Kron. These two lands are very different. Donaria earns is wealth through agriculture and sea trade, so the map is designed showing vast plains and the Tarel Sea to the east. Donaria also includes the city of Gyan, the second largest city in Ravenia, notable for the incredible architecture of the Gyan Palace. To the east of Donaria there is also the dark Donarian Forest, a thick forest with narrow paths leading through to the Badlands, a rocky plain inhabited by outlaws and killers. Unlike Donaria, Sylvania is a mountainous area, it wealth comes from shepherding. The design of Sylvania shows us more hills and mountains, and there are most rocks and trees in Sylvania, rather than flat grassy plains. Inbetween the two we see the city of Kron, the capital of Ravenia. Its thick walls give it a great defence for siege's and it's also famed for its incredible architecture of the Kron Cathedral and Kron Palace.
What I am trying to say here is that the map design in the Successor is very diverse. Panel has shown a range of different design skills all in one map. The ability to design flat grassy plains, rocky plains, dark forests, mountain ranges and huge cities is incredible. All of the different designs in the scenario are perfect. They use a wide range of different blends of terrain mixed together very well. Cliffs are used to add extra detail as well GAIA objects including Mountains. The use of the Map Copy tool to blend buildings together give a great effect in the busy city, which is one of the best looking cities I have seen designed in Age of Empires. Triggers are used to make the map livelier by making units patrol or making villager work on the farms. All in all a beautifully design map.
Story/Instructions: 5
As I have stated many times already the story is the most important part of a scenario, and the Successor does not disappoint. For starters it was given the award for Best Story at the Game of the Year awards 2011, which we host here at AOKH. Panel states that this scenario has a huge emphasis on narrative and compares the story to the likes of Ulio and he is not wrong. There are two 15 minute long cutscene in the scenario, one at the beginning and one at the end. The first cutscene is narrated by a young shepherd boy named Vallar who explains the events of the past 15 years, the assassination of King Navar, the Fanarian invasion and Krall's exile. We then move onto the scenario which follows Krall and his liberation of Donaria and Kron. Finally there is an epilogue which brings back the character of Vallar from the prologue as his uncle return to his village after two years of service with Krall. We are also introduced to Willan's son and see a dream sequence where a young Krall learns who his father is.
The story is very exciting and will grip you to the edge of your seat and make want to keep on playing right through the difficult levels because you just want to know what happens next. There are plot twists and interaction with the people of Ravenia, almost every character on the map talks to you in some way. Most importantly there is growth in the backstory of the characters, especially Krall. The ending of the scenario leaves us with many loose ends which we want to tie up. Who is this boy Vallar? Will he play a part in the liberation of Sylvania? Will Krall be as good a king as everyone thought? Will the Tugai invade Sylvania? Will Willan's son avenge his father's death? All we can do is wait for Act 2 to find out.
In terms of Instructions the Successor gets top marks. There was never a time when I didn't know what I was doing; I always followed the simple instructions. If there was a time when I didn't know how to do a task then all I had to was refer to the Hints section which would give me instructions on how to complete the harder tasks.
Additional Comments:
Overall The Successor is a fantastic campaign and I highly recommend the download. It is one the best scenarios I have played and it certainly does not disappoint. Even though it is a bit on the hard side it is completable with the correct tactics. Well Done Panel!
Thanks a lot for this great scenario
Possidon
Edited for Typos
[Edited on 01/03/13 @ 05:09 PM]
|
Julius999
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 01/03/13 @ 04:49 PM
Playability: 4
The gameplay is reasonably fun but somewhat repetitive, and there are some minor flaws. For the vast majority of the game your task is to micromanage your powerful heroes into taking down innumerable small groups of enemies. Occasionally you need to knock down a building, and once you supplement your hit-and-run with a nice "sniper mode" idea. The highlights of the scenario are when something else happens, such as a couple of boss fights, a couple of times when you have to defend a position from assault, and when the heroes explore a crypt.
Sometimes it's possible to fire triggers out of sequence. For example, I killed the crypt guardian before reading any of the parchments, and was somewhat confused about what was going on (I suspect I finished it in an unintended way). A second slight flaw was the neutral red player, as it's extremely easy to accidentally attack them. This has knock-on effects when units which are supposed to join you don't because they've wandered out of position. A third glitch is that it's possible to switch on sniper mode permanently. A fourth small problem was that in the final fight your opponent has an irritating habit of sometimes not following you and wandering off instead.
Balance: 4
The balance in this scenario is rather odd. It starts off difficult (brutally so on the highest difficulty setting) but if you weather the early storm in decent shape it becomes fairly easy. You have a handful of powerful units that can handle nearly everything with hit-and-run tactics, and you accumulate plenty of cannon fodder for the rare moments when it's needed.
Creativity: 5
Probably the most creative thing, as far as AoK scenarios go, is the story. More on that below. There are two boss fights, and one involving ice was fairly novel. A scene exploring an underground crypt was well executed. The idea of sniper mode was also a good one.
Map Design: 4
In terms of appearance the map design was overall good, with the best parts probably being the beach at the start and the meadows south of Kron. In terms of layout, it was slightly strange that units with a long line of sight could see over thin barriers into unreachable scenes.
Story/Instructions: 5
The story is the focus of the scenario and its greatest feature. The protagonist is among the best developed characters in any AoK scenario, and all without the need for any tediously long sequences of dialogue. It's particularly good how his character and his back story is established naturally as the game progresses, and not all dumped on us at once. Probably my favourite thing about the protagonist was the way he mimicked the attitude of the player. It was refreshing to see a "hero" so breezily indifferent to the concerns of the other characters he meets and so intolerant of their demands, back-chat and inability to do anything themselves. Overall, it's a great contrast to the virtuous heir to the throne with nothing interesting or amusing about him.
The instructions were somewhat weaker, but not enough to justify lowering the rating. I had no clue what was going on inside the crypt, for example. I think it would have been better to inform the player about the parchments straight up rather than only in the 'if-you-get-stuck' section of hints. |
panel
Official Reviewer
File Author |
Posted on 01/04/13 @ 12:19 AM
Thanks a lot for the reviews guys! They're both extremely helpful and motivating at the same time. |
Raptor II |
Posted on 01/10/13 @ 10:42 AM
Hi Panel :-) In the teaser map about Hansbrook city, when I approach the city a farmer tells me that they have some pigs and turkey to the WEST, I think it should be EAST.
What about the second act? :-D |
Pages: « First « 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] 8 9 10 » Last » |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
---|
4.8 | Breakdown |
---|
Playability | 4.7 | Balance | 4.6 | Creativity | 4.9 | Map Design | 4.8 | Story/Instructions | 4.9 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 7,254 |
Favorites: [] | 21 |
Size: | 14.73 MB |
Added: | 09/09/11 |
Updated: | 12/23/11 |
|