|
Author |
File Description |
The Downward Spiral |
Posted on 08/17/00 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Version: |
Age of Kings 1.0 |
Style: |
Mix |
Number of scenarios: |
8 |
Features:
8 detailed scenarios
Custom music providing a mood to each scenario
A spine shivering plot
Edge of your seat gameplay
Two cutscene episodes, six playable episodes
Several custom made AI files
Installation:
Download the primary zip first. Once that is done, it is highly advised that you download the Nexus campaign's music pack. Although it is probably about a hefty 20 megs, it is definitely worth it. If you have a fast modem (or you can deal with long downloads), please download this file.
Once these two (or one *sniff*) downloads are complete, extract them into your primary "Age of Empires II" folder. All required files will be automatically placed into their required destination folders. Afterwards, run Age of Kings and select "Single Play >> Custom Campaign." (Duh :-))
Introduction:
It was the year 1281, and chaotic turmoil had extended over the all possessions of Japan. First, a bloodline of profligate unmoral Mongols had been invading faultless villages and raiding military encampments. Although Japan was a hearty nation, the never-ending Mongol attacks began to whither down on the country's defenses. Second, a dire cupidity for power caused profound corruption within the midst of the church. A silence of dark secrecy was hidden completely from all who inhabited Japan except those of superior rank. Lastly, a tattle of archaic immortality, The Nexus, danced across the lands of Japan and continued to be the topic of converse.
About a decade ago, the Emperor of Japan made the determination to win Mongolia. His son, Prince Kushluk, and the mercenary company The Dogs of War led the skirmish. Prince Kushluk hired Siegfried, leader of The Dogs of War, to aid him in assaulting the Mongol capitol city, Ulaanblaatar. The raid was a triumphant victory, and Mongolia was left in a dirt-poor rupture. Since then, the Mongols held a bloodthirsty loathing toward the Japanese. Years later when Mongolia mended itself, petite attack parties were quickly and continuously sent to Japan. Before the Emperor could believe himself, Japan's military had unnerved precariously. Citizens of Japan dispersed throughout the city streets. Some said Japan would be conquered by Mongolia. Some said that all should disappear or go into concealment. Others said that the mythical act of savior, The Nexus, would liberate Japan from the Mongols.
Not only was the occupancy of the ravaging Mongols an immense fear in Japan. A faint wind of corruption swept across the fellowship of Japan. Valued forerunners were committing illegal crimes, striking ghastly lies, and disrespecting their own kin often. The higher ranks were utterly corrupted. There were many theories for the root of this corruption. Gossip and propaganda dispersed inside and out Japan about the causes of corruption as fleet as a comet soaring through the sky. Many thought that the Emperor was just an amoral man. Others thought that the Mongols had threatened the Emperor to do many of the things he had done. However, those who were more innovative thought that there was a "lost belief" of Japan that still existed among the higher ranks of their nation. In reality, this lost belief did exist. Only the armed forces and monks of sovereignty were told of this lost belief. This lost belief claimed many things. It claimed that there were two spellbound currents that ran through everyone and everything. There were luminous currents and unlit currents. Those who could receive luminous currents could use their powers to benefit others. Those who could capture unlit currents could use their powers to harm others. This lost belief was known as "The Transcription." The Transcription stated that only the chosen ones could harness the currents of luminous and unlit powers. There were gathering points sprinkled throughout the world where these currents could be drawn. Many knew of The Transcription, but not many were "chosen" to have the power to harness these currents.
Among the upheaval of the Mongols and The Transcription, one last thing concluded the anarchy of Japan: The Nexus! This legend had been passed down for generations, but there was always one thing that remained. Everyone who made out the words of The Nexus had no concept of what it was, what is was for, what it looked like, or if it even looked like anything. All they did perceive is that it was theorized to hold the capability to attain any devoir anyone ever wanted. To this year, 1281, the legend continues. As the legend continues, defiant souls continue to search for the authentic actuality of The Nexus.
Many characters are soon to embark into quests of dreadful importance. Twin warriors of great respect are soon to reveal hidden words of dark secrecy that will make a complete turning point in their life. A religious leader and the son of a great ruler are soon to face what the least expected. An honorable mercenary is soon to engage in a mission of more importance then he ever expected. Lastly, a religious preacher is soon to cross the eyes of two innocent warriors in search for their destiny. Follow these characters in their question salvation in The Nexus Campaign!
Credits:
First I'd like to thank all of the playtesters for the Nexus Campaign: The Great Alexander, Jan Van Rio, The Loco Snake, Elite Raider, El Cid, Raziel17, SiLg, Dr. AoK, Unworld Man, David, Shadows, MIB Mats, and last but definitely not least, Cat ;-). Thanks guys, everything was greatly appreciated. Now, here is a list of some additional credits:
Ex-T - Fixing a bug in Episode II and finding music for Episode I and II.
Mark Stoker - Fixing a bug in Episode III and letting me use some sound effects from his masterpiece "Tamerlane, Prince of Destruction."
Wild1234 (A special thank to this guy) - Making all of the AIs (except idle ones) for the Nexus campaign.
Magnus - Letting me use his "em1idle" AI.
Strider - Finding me the drum sound effects featured in Episode III.
The Rasher - Helping me with the intro .BMPs for the Nexus Campaign.
Shadows - Bein' there to talk to when I REALLY got bored of the Nexus Campaign ;-)
Cat - Sending me a copy of Episode V when my stupidy drove me to delete it off of my computer :-)
Angel Spineman - Uploading this to the Blacksmith even though its approximately 20 megs ;-)
Well thats it. I hope ya' enjoy the campaign! If you liked the Nexus try some of my other works. Currently, I have one other scenario entitled the Curse here in the Blacksmith. I have two projects planned for the X-pack (AOK: TC) as well. Please send me some feed back here, or simply submit a player comment. Thanks a bunch! |
Pages: « First « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 7 » Last » | Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
---|
reachrishikh |
Posted on 07/08/02 @ 12:00 AM
Hey , Downward Spiral,
Are you a relative of J.K.Rowling ? That's cause you're the second person I know to spin such an exiting and absorbing fantasy tale. Even Enid Blyton lacked that charm. You know the only one drawback of The Nexus and the Harry Potter series? It is that the tales are so absorbing that you can forget food, sleep studies and other chores unless they are finished. Great Job ! I'm eagerly awaiting your next campaign . |
Scorcher |
Posted on 07/28/02 @ 12:00 AM
Playability;
I played this campaign on hard,and found it to be entertaining and interesting.The game play was sometimes easy,but the great story helped the playability.I never encountered any bugs or lag.
Balance:
This was a role playing campaign with strategy,and some build and destroy aspects.The heros and opposition were balanced fairly well in most instances,but I felt as though the A.I. could have been more agressive.The great story did however take up any slack in the balance.
Creativity:
There was alot of good,original triggers,but the story held the most creativity.The many cut-scenes also aided the story.
Map Design:
The map design was not on the same level as the triggers or story.Although a good map,it could have been made better with the use of more textures,additional eye candy and more diverse use of terrain.The trails and roads were sometimes vague.With this said,this is the one catagory which I can deduct a point,and justify myself.
Story/Instructions:
The Nexus was a great,original story with alot of coherent content.There was alot of good dialogue,with good hints and scouting.The only problem i ran into was due to the amount of content,it was sometimes hard to play and keep up with the dialogue.This however did not take away from the campaign.
In closing,I would recommend downloading this campaign. |
ElfTheHunter |
Posted on 09/17/02 @ 12:00 AM
This campaign has been nominated for an Orion Award for Best Campaign. Congratulations!
___________________
This campaign has been nominated for an Orion Award for The Best of the Best of AoK. Congratulations!
***2nd Orion Awards*** |
Admiral Davies |
Posted on 05/23/04 @ 12:00 AM
Mr downward spiral, the fifth scenario (Episode V), is physically impossible. I am at the stage where you have to bring a dead man to life. I have garrisoned in the tower nearest the gather point. And I ungarrison when the Paladin is farthest possible away from me. However, I cannot see more than the text that Minamoto feels a pure flow etc before the Paladin returns. Escape is impossible, because I have several soldiers next to the draw point. And I see the text that I have accumulated lit currents only when I am already attacked! Either greatly increase the amount of time the Paladin take to return (so a skilled player actually has chance), or remove the Paladin because they block the player from continuing. I couldnt figure how to get Kitabake to the Market far earlier, so I got myself to Episode VI with i r winner. And I say: Nexus is the one of the best campaigns ever designed, except a few things, which I will tell you if you want. I hope that you will upload a fixed version soon. I tried E-mailing you, but I got this error:Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable. I guess this means your E-mail adress listed here on the site does not exist anymore. What is your current E-mail adress, if I in the future want to E-mail you instead of submitting a player comment? |
Tanneur99
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 08/26/04 @ 12:00 AM
This great campaign consists of three cut-scenes and five playable scenarios; it is a mix of RPG, RPS and B&D. The Nexus is a classic, one of the best campaigns at the blacksmith; nominated for the Orion Award 2002 as best campaign and the Blacksmith Feature on June 20, 2002.
The campaign plays in 1281 during the second Mongolian attempt by Kublai Khan to invade Japan. In this fiction story, you play two Japanese samurai twins, Minamoto and Kitabatake; send by the Emperor of Japan against the Mongolian invaders. It was the time of profound corruption amongst the higher political and clerical ranks of Japan, caused by a dire cupidity for power; many theories for the root of this corruption were developed. Only for those of superior rank, the armed forces and monks of sovereignty, the "lost belief" of Japan still existed; known as "The Transcription" and was about lit and unlit currents that ran through everyone and everything. Those who could receive lit currents use their powers to benefit others, but those who capture unlit currents use their powers to harm others. The Transcription stated that only the chosen ones could harness the currents. There is a legend passed on for generations, known only the word and that it holds the capability to attain any devoir anyone ever wanted, but not what is was or what is was for, the Nexus!
PLAYABILITY: The Nexus is just awesome, its epic story keeps you interested throughout the campaign, great cut-scenes as prologue, epilogue and to connect the scenarios, as well as many smaller ones which either helped the story or were solely done to entertain the player. There are some playability issues, which will not spoil your fantastic experience if you know how to avoid them. Episode I, save the game before you approach a monk in Port Hakone. After talking to him, Minamoto can retrieve the relic alone, but the scene looks better with both your heroes. If you do not get the relic, it is a random bug, load the saved game, it will most likely work. After you get 200 of gold stockpile for the relic, do not click the second monk/fortune teller outside town again, buy first a boat and visit the fortune teller afterwards, the other way around the harbour man will not sell the boat. Episode II, do not build a harbour, you do not need one and it might hurt game play. Episode IV, the cut-scene has a random bug, when the sheep load, a lumberjack “dances” with a pile of wood, in another try, the sheep block him and the cut-scene would not continue. Episode V, change your diplomacy for North East Hakone to ally. 4
BALANCE: I played the campaign on hard and hardest, and the scenarios were well balanced and challenging. The author joins difficult parts to easy ones; like Episode I, which starts as a puzzle, a RPG with no warfare ends in a B&D where player 1 cannot advance past the feudal age and your enemy has a castle. Episode III and V are excellent, challenging, with reloads and strategically demanding, while Episode VI brought you to the climax of the story, revealed the secrets of the Nexus and the excitement of warfare dramatically replaced by the cut-scene supported story telling. 5
CREATIVITY: The fantastic story, with a surprising twist, is very creative and on the same high level is one of the best music adaptations at the blacksmith. Every scenario has its own music file to give a special atmosphere. The variety spans from “Love of a princess” to “Song Number Two” by Blur, I increased the volume when I heard the later together with the attack of The Dogs of War, hilarious. The author provides some custom made AI files, which could be more aggressive. I spotted new items like a train-station; actually, there were even rails, a palisade gate for a sheep yard, units hiding in a canon, collecting resources by clicking them, time travel, a fearful troll and a side quest where a pack of wolves clears your path. 5+
MAP DESIGN: The maps are above average, towns as well as the landscape are pleasant to look at, without an overuse of Gaia. The maps have many elevations and give a good and realistic feel for the campaign, but especially in episode one and two you have the impression to be on an English lawn or on a golf course as there was a total lack of terrain mix, the author only used grass one. The map design skills of the author improved while making this campaign. The maps for episode three to six have everything you need to score five; I rate the first two with four and the overall score for the six different maps with 5-.
STORY/INSTRUCTIONS: The story, one of the best of AoK, keeps you at the edge of your chair, is interesting, well told and developing in game and between the scenarios. The objectives are clear and the hints helpful. 5
OVERALL: The campaign deserves an overall rating of five after fixing the bugs.
SUGGESTIONS: Episode I, under “Sceneo” 4, trigger "Find Relic" condition 2, the set area for the champion is too small with one tile. He stops slightly to the left, never in the middle, and when he is off the tile, the player cannot retrieve the relic. Same trigger, condition 0 is identical to condition 1, to have both heroes at the scene, change condition 1, with object Kitabatake, same area as condition 0 for Minamoto. Trigger "Talk to champion with gold" condition 0 accumulate attribute player 1 gold stockpile, reduce the amount from 200 to 150 to make the triggers with the boat, the relic and the fortune teller run in all sequences. Episode II, disable harbour for player 1, it spoils the game when the player spots the two clones at the opposite shore and gains control of two Kitabatake and Minamoto as well as Harold Hadraada. Avoid that the player trains an army on the Mongolian side, do not change ownership of the transport to player 1, keep it to the green player and disembark the five units near the flagged, revealed area. Episode IV, the heroes should stand still more to the right, so they do not block the lumberjack. Episode V, change the diplomacy of player 1 to player 2 to ally in the editor. Player 1 has to defeat player 4 including his galleons. Because of the inexact objective to destroy the two enemy camps, Player 1 galleons destroy buildings and units in reach on the opposite shore of North East Hakone including Player 2 who is ally to player 1. The player probably destroyed the market before the objective says to reach it. Finally add more terrain mix to the earlier maps.
OBSERVATIONS: The campaign is not easy to evaluate, it seems to me that episode one and two date of an earlier stage of the author’s design career. The later scenarios improved in all of the above categories. The above is an edit of my review originally posted 2002-10-25.
IN CLOSING: Nobody should miss one of the best campaigns of the blacksmith and I strongly recommend downloading the Nexus with the music files. [Edited on 07/27/08 @ 07:17 AM]
|
Seeker_Dmac |
Posted on 09/12/04 @ 12:00 AM
I have taken both minamoto and kitabatake to the relic and nothing happens :( any ideas?? |
Tanneur99
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 09/14/04 @ 12:00 AM
Ideas, yes, you could read my review. I described the random bug under playability and most of the time it works.
"Episode I, save game before you approach a monk in Port Hakone. After talking to him, Minamoto can retrieve the relic alone, but the scene looks better with both your heroes. If you do not get the relic, it is a random bug, load the saved game, it will most likely work." |
deerie2000 |
Posted on 09/25/05 @ 03:54 PM
This is the best campaign I have ever played!!! |
Joan of Florida |
Posted on 10/14/05 @ 04:21 PM
TDS
...
...
THIS WAS SWEET! |
neonnicko |
Posted on 01/13/06 @ 05:46 PM
coool i'll try it at home(i'm at school) |
Pages: « First « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 7 » Last » |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
---|
4.9 | Breakdown |
---|
Playability | 4.8 | Balance | 5.0 | Creativity | 5.0 | Map Design | 4.8 | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 22,573 |
Favorites: [] | 8 |
Size: | 3.15 MB |
Added: | 08/17/00 |
|