|
|
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
|
Author |
File Description |
Ballard |
Posted on 06/13/01 @ 12:00 AM (updated 08/07/01)
File Details |
Version: |
The Conquerors 1.0c |
Style: |
Mix |
Number of scenarios: |
2 |
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
________________________________
A short summary of the campaign:
The year is 1381, and the peasants of England, having being ravaged by the Black Death, and over-taxed, are in a miserable situation.
They are oppressed by the Clergy, lords, and King's greedy advisors, whose minions travel the English countriside in a never-ending tax-collection run.
From the depths of misery and despair, come two man, a preacher by the name of John Ball; and a leader of men - peasant Wat Tyler. These men are but two of a very few to stand up against the oppression forced upon the commons, and with John Ball's inspirational speeches of righteousness, wrongs, and revolt, and the leadership of Wat Tyler, the peasantry of England are in uproar...
...
Play as the English peasants of the year 1381 in their desperate attempt to rid themselves of the oppression suffered at the hands of the lords, clergy, and opulent folk of England, in this campaign, The Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
________________________________
-Type: B&D/RPS Mix Campaign
-Including 2 scenarios: 1 playable scenario; 1 cut-scene scenario (in that order)
________________________________
-Created by: Ballard (aka Cheesius Maximus)
...Staff member of Woad Creations
-Email: cheesius_maximus@yahoo.com.au
________________________________
With special thanks to:
-The playtesters (in order of feedback speediness): Cian McGuire, Gawain, The Dragon Reborn, Shiva, and Baggy_Brad.
-Matei, who's AI scripts he created specifically for The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 are much appreciated (and improve the campaign tremendously).
________________________________
And the story:
England, 1381...
A icy drop of water forms in the slime-covered stone ceiling, clinging precariously until it can no longer hold onto it's slimey surface, when with graceful submission, it plummets groundwards...
John Ball awakes with a jerk, feeling with sleepy awareness an cold droplet of water track its winding way down his weathered face. Coming to full awareness when another drop of water splashes across his face, John Ball groans and staggers groggily to a relatively dryer spot of his dank confinements. Standing by the barred window he gazes out from the tower into the village of Brentwood...
A man trudges alongside a horse-pulled cart, on which the grisly remains of plague-ridden peasants are heaped. The man, with dreary regularity, calls out his depressing notice. "Bring our yer dead!"
Caked in a mixture of mud and manure, an obviously plague-struck peasant staggers about the dirty streets of Brentwood in his excuse for rags. His swollen face already covered with dark bruise-like blotches, this peasant will not last long.
In the fields surrounding Brentwood peasants toil fruitlessly in the muddied fields.
But this scene is not unique to just Brentwood, all around England such misery, death, and filth is suffered by the English peasants. And John Ball knows it. Imprisoned for the second time for attempting to incite a revolt of the peasants against their oppressors and causes of misery - the opulent folk, the lords and clergy of England.
A sudden pounding on the heavy oak door of the tower brings John Ball from his musings. The door is thrust open, framed in the doorway is the hated Brentwood Sheriff. Wiping his nose on his sleeve, the Sheriff strides into the cell, grabbing John Ball and forcibly flinging him from the tower into the crisp but stench-filled morning air.
"An' if'n I ever 'eres of ye preachin' yer crap about revolts and whatnot and stirrin' up yon peasants, ye'll be gettin' more'n a night in the tower, I tells ye!"
Slumping down on a rotting log, John Ball watches the plump Sheriff swagger off into the distance, no doubt heading for his fine manor for a meal of roasts and wines. When he is sure the Sheriff in indeed gone, John Ball walks to the town square, where he stands solemnly. Eventually a crowd of curious peasants gather to hear what this man has to say...
"My good friends", begins John Ball, "things cannot go on well in England, nor ever will until every thing shall be in common; when there shall be neither vassal nor lord, and all distinctions levelled; when the lords shall be no more masters than ourselves. How ill have they used us! and for what reason do they hold us in bondage? Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? and what can they show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves? except, perhaps, in making us labour and work, for them to spend."
The peasants murmur their agreement...
"They are clothed in velvets and rich stuffs, ornamented with ermine and other furs, while we are forced to wear poor cloth. They have wines, spices, and fine bread, when we have only rye and the refuse of the straw; and if we drink, it must be water. They have handsome seats and manors, when we must brave the wind and rain in our labours in the field; but it is from our labour they have wherewith to support their pomp."
The murmurings become shouts...
"We are called slaves; and if we do not perform our services, we are beaten, and we have not any sovereign to whom we can complain, or who wishes to hear us and do us justice. Let us go to the king, who is young, and remonstrate with him on our servitude, telling him we must have it otherwise, or that we shall find a remedy for it ourselves. If we wait on him in a body, all those who come under the appellation of slaves, or are held in bondage, will follow us, in the hopes of being free. When the king shall see us, we shall obtain a favourable answer, or we must then seek ourselves to amend our condition!"
By now the peasants of Brentwood are in uproar...
________________________________
I hope you enjoy The Peasants' Revolt of 1381, brought to you by Ballard of Woad Creations. |
Pages: [1] 2 » Last » | Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
---|
Knights Templar |
Posted on 06/14/01 @ 12:00 AM
This is a great scenario! Really fun! |
Blaxx |
Posted on 06/15/01 @ 12:00 AM
Incredible map design, wonderful story and excititng game play! The only fault I can find is that the enemy doesn't attack my base often(medium), but I have to check if that changes according to dificulty. But this is definetly Best of AoK material! |
Ballard
File Author |
Posted on 06/15/01 @ 12:00 AM
Greetings patrons,
I would just like to announce that a cut-scene scenario is going to be added to this campaign in a later update (very soon).
So if anyone is considering reviewing this at this moment in time, please abstain until the update is made! :-)
-Ballard |
rokkitman |
Posted on 06/19/01 @ 12:00 AM
And I thought I was doing quite well with Those Who Follow! Even the Description of this thing rocks! Now all I have to do is play it...;) |
penguinman |
Posted on 06/20/01 @ 12:00 AM
Cool campaign, a worthy download |
Ballard
File Author |
Posted on 07/06/01 @ 12:00 AM
Hey,
A belated notice: The advertised update has been made.
Thanks for the comments.
-Ballard |
Angel Jerusalem
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 07/07/01 @ 12:00 AM
Ballard's "The Peasant Revolt of 1381" is by no means underdone or lacking of time or effort. Rather, the cause of the low score seen above is the fact that since so many vital things in the game are disabled, (mainly: gold), the experience of playing this campaign was tedious rather than entertaining and, I regret to say, a great deal of frustration was involved.
The reasons I marked the Playability and Balance areas as 2's are as follows:
- Gold is way too scarce in the map in comparison to the prices of the counter-units the player needs. Luckily, construction of a market is enabled, so swapping resources is allowed. There is only one allied market to trade with.
- All throughout the scenario, the main base is attacked by skirmishers and longswordsmen. Apparantly, it is a looping trigger that tasks newly-created units to the entrance of Brentwood, the main base. In the instance that there are soldiers of mine nearby, they attack them; Otherwise, they just stand there. (Mentionably, most of the scenario is not spent in Brentwood but travelling about the rest of the map). Over time, the number of soldiers that linger there grows to the point that a massive force is needed in order to get them out of the way.
- Upon conquering the town of Essex from the evil oppressors, a town full of precious mills, farms and houses, not one of these is given to the player, even though he gets some villagers.
- As I mentioned, most of the scenario is fought away from the Brentwood. In some parts - Very far away. Construction of a blacksmith is allowed, but barracks, archery ranges, docks, stables, siege workshops, gates, walls, palisaides, outposts, towers are all disabled and I am positive that at least some of these could have been spared. If the author insisted to deny these from the player, then at least the player should have been given more of these buildings in the beginning. Because IMHO the number of these buildings that are granted to the player in the beginning and throughout the scenario is totally unrelated to the size of the map and the sizes of the enemy armies, and, if I may express myself harshly, is completely ridiculous.
Other than that, the playability and balance were alright. Varied victory conditions and interesting dialogues were apparent, and it was nice to have signs all around so you always know where you should head. I did not spot any bugs whatsoever.
The map of "The Peasants' Revolt" was above average. Good mixing of forests and snow made for some pleasant eye-candy, as well as the giant compass in mid ocean. About somewhere between 66% and 75% of the map is represented as land, of which you see the vast majority.
Having varied objectives and an interesting way of matching the hints to the objectives, as well as choosing an interesting story from history (albeit without a happy ending), plus the nice cutscene, I don't see why not give this campaign's creativity a score of 4.
Lastly but not least, I must commend the author for a magnificent introduction text and bitmap. The story and hints are extensive and detailed, and the history sections were a pleasure to read. I could not find anything wrong at all - the whole thing in both the first, main scenario and the following cutscene is brilliant - except the sentence "In the fields surrounding Brentwood peasants toil fruitlessly in the muddied fields." (Should be: 'Peasants toil fruitlessly in the muddied fields surrounding Brentwood'.)
To Ballard - Please, this scenario is begging for an update. Please take this review to notice and make the necessary fixes. Make your effort worthwhile, because the way it is, this scenario is just not fun to play.
To the surfer - Worth a download, if you're up for a great intro, followed by frustrating challenge that will make you pull your hairs out, but only to end in a damn good cut scene. |
King Barbarossa |
Posted on 07/12/01 @ 12:00 AM
I have to say I am pleased to see one of the few historically accurate campaigns amidst all the ''fake rpg's'' and "fake worlds/storylines" in the Blacksmith. The subject matter greatly interested me. I have often read about the Peasant Revolt in England, led by Wat Tyler, and the revolt in France. When one thinks of the "Britons" civ, they think of the Hundred Years War, or the Norman Conquest of England. You did a good job of portraying England. European scenarios are somewhat difficult to make, considering the fact that you can't use all the terrains and eye candy in the map editor as opposed to an Asian campaign, which is much easier to make; due to the fact that you can use almost every type of terrain and eye candy in the map editor.
The campaign itself was well made. I like the style of having a prologue/cut scene, and then having your main scenario. The English villages were nice looking, as well as the cities. What interested me was the characters. This campaign brings them to life. As for playability and balance, I like a good old fashioned Build and Destroy. Most people think they are boring, but I like to sit down, read the story, and play a well made Build and Destroy with lots of action, and some good triggers. The RPG "feel" can add a lot to a B & D. It makes you feel like there is more to the scenario than just building an army and fighting. The maps were good, but not perfect. It is good to make the entire mini map full of terrain, (which you did); instead of using cliffs to fence a player in a specific area, and having blank grass beyond the ''walls.'' (I'm just talking about this because sone scenario designers are too lazy to make an entire map full of terrain.) The forests could have been thicker. (I personally don't like the "forests that you can walk through" feel) But it was good none the less.
As I said earlier, scenario designers should study campaigns like this. Most campaigns you find in the Blacksmith today are usually this ''fantasy world'' RPG style, with and his quest to recover some magic potion to help his people. I hate playing these because they are usually shoddily made, the dialogues and text on them are usually mis - spelled, and have trigger tricks that don't cut it. The maps are usually mediocre also. People who make RPG's like this aren't creative enough with real history, hence, they have to create their own RPG worlds. Now there is not problem with this, it is perfectly valid, but if you are trying to make your own "Swallowed Realms" style RPG, I'm sorry. Shadows was a first, he did an awesone job, but no. Age of Empires II is meant for history, not wizards wealding magical spells. ES would have made that if they felt it. I am not trying to put anybody down, but it is real annoying to have unproffesional campaigns and creations in the Blacksmith. Scenario designers should study campaigns like "The Peasants Revolt of 1381" and see that there are still good, historically sound campaigns out there. While this is not the best campaign I've played, it is good to see that someone is still out there, making campaigns like this. Good job, Ballard. I look forward to your next project. |
Ballard
File Author |
Posted on 08/11/01 @ 12:00 AM
Salutations,
Latest update: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 now has a couple of custom AI, courtesy of Matei. These AI's are intended to bring out the B&D element more - something which was somewhat lacking in previous versions.
Other changes include more map space, and a few trigger adjustments for the better.
Thankyou for the comments.
-Ballard. |
Sheer Ham (id: Baggy_Brad) |
Posted on 09/05/01 @ 12:00 AM
The first time I played the peasants revolt as one of the testers, I came to the conclusion that it was in some aspects a pinnacle of scenario design, and in others, an almost dramatic let down in others. Since then the Peasants Revolt has undergone two massive overhauls, providing an almost brand new experience when playing.
Balance:
The balance in the original was pretty standard, but bugs left it to be desired. The newer version now comes with a custom AI, providing a much more challenging experience and makes for far better battles. Being limited to the Feudal Age was definitly a challenge but most of the enemies you fought were stuck there too, with the exception being some long swordsmans and the ocassional magnoel. The only annoying fighting to be done was taking down buildings with such weak troops. (Destryoing a wonder and a castle with only man at arms is a tad boring) but nonetheless should have no impact on you deciding to download this or not. I'll leave you with one hint, use archers, being Britons the bonus they have makes them by far the most viable choice. A solid Four.
Creativity:
Stretching through the scenario is the unavoidable tangles of a creative vibe. Plenty of ineteractivity can be found among the townsfolk in the Peasants revolt. All with something to add in a delightful ye old English style. The Second scenario, the cutscene is a masterpeice, a cocktail of beautiful map design and trigger work whisped with a dash of humour and stilled on the windowsill of originality. The few side quests add some more to the campaign, but they could have been a little more involved. The Fruit Orchards have to be included into the creativity wrap up as well as the sweet Compass in the ocean. All leading to a deserved 5.
Map Design:
Stunning, absolutely stunning. That is the best way I could describe the Map Design in these levels. The first time I played it, the landscape was heavily forested and cloggy. Back then I had no problem with it because it still looked absolutely fantastic. The newer version has given it up for a more open feel which works just as well. Now the river has far more importance also, and guides the level. Something I encourage wholeheartedly. Set in early Winter the light snow fallen on the ground gives a great feeling. The only way I can really describe the miserable, cold conditions which have been absolutely painted onto the map in these scenarios is to give you these two quotes:
"Oh, but the dank Moe, the dank!" - Karl, The Simpsons
No one can tell you what the Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself" - Morpheus, The Matrix
By far some of the best design I've ever seen. This is one of those occasions where a true Five is given. That is as low as it could possibly have been. The only single problem I found in this map was two little bits of coast missing ice and being jagged. They were hidden behind trees though. The Dank! (the dank, it's just the best word I can think of to describe the immense realism created in this scenario)
Story/Instructions:
From the very beginning you can tell that this is going to be a very story dependent. A beuatiful written prolouge is provided in both the Installation instructions and in the Objectives. Easy to understand commands, impeccable grammar and a great title picture the only thing that could have made it better was to have custom AVI's. Even the hints were crafted in fashion that led to a greater experience. Another 5.
Playability:
The Playability is still where this scenario lets down, and It's infuiriating to know because it is the curse that makes this scenario from outstanding to imperfect. So many issues hurt the playability. Though the Gold is now plentiful, you still find yourself trading 100 food or wood for 14 gold by the end of it. This is mainly because of the pop limit which makes it so that most attacks on towns take two attempts because you simply cant train enough troops. After saving a town, inhabitants pop out of houses. You get a mix of villagers, man at arms, skirms and spearmen. Not only is it difficult to assimilate these soldiers into your attack groups but the extra influx of villagers hurts your pop. even more, and sometimes you'll find yourself deleting the villagers you just saved! Oh, and then theres a tower that is perched atop a cliff right next to a vital river crossing which is also a major pain. Still, it is a major improvement of where it was before, and deserves a 3.
Good Points:
- Stunning Map Design
- Impeccable Story and Instructions
- Great Cutscene
Bad Points:
- Scarce gold
- Low population limit and horrible battle ocassions
Summary:
The Peasants Revolt is well worth the download, as a historically accurate and entertaining tale of a bleak day in the past. The Map design is woth the download and If you have the patience to stick out the struggles you will not be dissapointed at all. Don't let the playability change your mind, save lots and enjoy a great scenario. Total: 4.4
- Brad |
Pages: [1] 2 » Last » |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
---|
3.9 | Breakdown |
---|
Playability | 2.5 | Balance | 3.0 | Creativity | 4.5 | Map Design | 4.5 | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 3,135 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 567.22 KB |
Added: | 06/13/01 |
Updated: | 08/07/01 |
|