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Author |
File Description |
Devious Dev (id: dragonslayermcmx) |
Posted on 12/28/11 @ 11:03 AM (updated 01/06/12)
File Details |
Version: |
The Conquerors 1.0c |
Style: |
Other |
This is my entry to the Halloween Horror Contest, hosted by Scibadi. Its a mix of RPG, puzzle and defend the spot.
I had to drop a lot of parts from this scenario, because i lacked time. But i will soon submit the full version of this scenario, like i wanted it to be. If you have seen the thread for this scenario in the forums - it does not feature everything i said it would, due to my lack of time. Also, there might be quite some bugs, so don't expect a masterpiece. I hope you still enjoy it though )
Features
~A special (modded) game mechanism - The part you are currently playing restarts automaticly if you die.
~Night time gameplay
~300 Triggers, for those who want to know
~23 Custom Sound effects - not that much, but it gives a nice look to the scenario.
Enjoy, and please comment if you have any suggestions, questions, or oponions! |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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panel
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 03/19/12 @ 05:05 AM
"Demon Town" was Devastator's entry to the Halloween Horror competition of 2011, which it won. The scenario tells the story of a man called Siegfried, put in the position of fighting for his life against a mysterious demon that took control of a town and turned its people into zombies.
Playability: 4-
The game was enjoyable mainly because of its uniqueness. Data editing is used here to its full extent, and the resulted effects are more than impressive. However, there are also more than a few bugs, especially in the end of the game, which are really frustrating and without which the game would be indeed great. The worst of these bugs is the final section, where basically everything goes wrong: the screen gets permanently dark, the player gets two siegfrieds and everything stops making any logical sense. Setting aside the ending, the rest of the game was really enjoyable, the few quests were varied and unique, and so were the features made possible through data editing, such as the "auto-save" feature that restarts from the last mission upon the player's death.
Balance: 4
The game had good balance overall. The best part in terms of balance was the first one in my opinion. Both the little puzzle quest and the fight against the creatures were very good in that they required some thought, couldn't be finished upon first try and yet they were still not frustratingly hard. The village part was not necessarily difficult, yet it was a bit frustrating because the game tells you that you need to find a "weapon", yet you end up searching for three different items. The only way to figure it out is the hints tab, but this should have been given as an in-game instruction from the very beginning in order to prevent any misunderstanding. The part with the graveyard is ridiculously easy, the only thing you need to do is move around a bit and then everything is over randomnly, without you having any rational part to play in it. In order for one to feel content upon finishing an objective, he needs to feel that he had an active and intellectual part to play there, "I got lucky" is not good for gameplay.
Creativity: 5
Very good creativity here, this is as unique as a Age of Kings scenario can get, and it's unlikely that you will find it similar to any other. Data Editing skills are mostly to thank for that. Of course, as I already pointed out there are some shortcomings to that under the form of bugs, such as seeing a lot of Siegfrieds running around, especially in the final section. The unique navigation system is not prone to these bugs, but it did get frustrating at some point. I agree that it is original, but at the same time it is very restrictive to be able to watch only a small part of the map at any time and to have the screen moving back everytime you scroll the mouse in one direction. I don't know if I would call it an asset for this game, rather the contrary. Perhaps you should have had the restrictions set only to places you're not allowed to see at a certain point in the game.
Map Design: 5
Good map design skills. There is very little that I would say against the map, as it serves the story very well and is creepy as a AOK map can be. The slight drawback is that much of the town lacks accessibility due to all the overgrowth, and it gets frustrating when you're looking for items.
The high point of the map design was the interior of the church, which was very creatively represented. I also liked the swamp part.
Story/Instructions: 3
The story isn't bad in itself, though it is not really detailed either. The main character looks like he just fell into the city out of nowhere, he has no background and no motives and just feels two-dimensional. His only purpose is to fight the demon, for which he has been conveniently left alive. The demon, as well as Siegfried's benefactor are both just as two-dimensional and little is done to make them interesting. Also, all of the "power generators" and whatnot make it feel a little bit like a sci-fi more than a horror story. The dialogues and instructions are pretty decent though, and there are only few and not importand grammar mistakes.
My main problem with the plot is that at this point, it is left hanging. As I said, the game basically stops making sense close to the ending, and the whole ending cutscene (or whatever it is) just seems rushed and out of place. I think it would've been much better to leave it unfinished and promise an update, than to quickly do an ending like this, just for the sake of it. I do understand why the author did this - he was competing in a contest after all.
I really hope I will see this updated, but until then it is impossible to give a better rating for this category.
Additional Comments:
To sum it up, despite the negatives, we are dealing with one very original and enjoyable game, that sets the bar high with regards to what one can achieve through data editing.
Until an update is made, I still recommend downloaders to try this out, the enjoyment will probably make you forget about the bugs.
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.2 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.0 | Balance | 4.0 | Creativity | 5.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 3.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 888 |
Favorites: [] | 3 |
Size: | 12.93 MB |
Added: | 12/28/11 |
Updated: | 01/06/12 |
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