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Author |
File Description |
Sceletar |
Posted on 03/23/06 @ 02:45 AM
File Details |
Version: |
The Conquerors 1.0c |
Style: |
Fixed Force |
Number of scenarios: |
2 |
HISTORY
The first Crusade in 1097 marked the beginning of a struggle between the Moslems and the Christians which lasted for centuries and changed forever the way in which the west saw the east. The first of the Crusades was called by Pope Urban II when he addressed a massive crowd at the assembly of Clermont in 1095 urging all Christians to go to the aid of the Christians in the holy land who were being denied pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem, in exchange of this service he claimed that all participants in the holy war shall have their sins forgiven and would receive salvation in death. The effect of Urban's well addressed speech was such that it sent uproar all throughout Europe and people of all ranks, from Knight to peasant took up arms and set out towards Constantinople. The earliest Crusade was known as the people's crusade for no high ranking noble took part in it and was a miserable failure, however the main crusade was much better organized and though the crusaders had many hardships and misfortunes, they marched on gaining one victory after another over the Turks till they finally captured Jerusalem and established a new Christian kingdom in the holy land.
The first Crusade was followed by many other Crusades and the holy land remained a place of religious conflict for centuries after but the fact remains that the first Crusade was the only successful Crusade ever.
The story of the first Crusade is well known to all but very few know the details of the early part of the Crusade. Everybody knows of the great siege of Antioch and about the massacre at Jerusalem but the story of the early half remains greatly unknown and it is this story which I have decided to present in my new campaign -Crusade-~The Beginning~
FEATURES
>Intense and Action packed gameplay
>A mix of various gameplay elements
>New ideas and tricks
>New kinds of objectives
>Over a 1000 triggers
>Lots of sound and music files
>All characters based on historical figures
>High focus on historical accuracy
>Option to choose difficulty
>Lots of cutscenes to move the story forward
Please download this campaign and let me know what you think.
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Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Rangar |
Posted on 03/31/06 @ 06:23 PM
Crusade- ~The Beginning~ is of course based on the crusades, the playable scenario being the seige of Nicea.
Playability: 5
In the opening scenario I watched the long cut-scene it was all good though by the end I was just wishing it to end. In getting to the actual seige I was wishing it to start, and it started with a nice little mission which got you into the feeling of things. The fights were all good fun and action packed, the desert journey was also good. Overall one of the most fun-filled scenario's I have played and does definatly deserve a 5.
Balance: 5
The balance here was very good and what the designer said for the balance was exactly what it said on the tin. I first played on moderate and had to restart a few times, Hard took me ages and I haven't completed it yet and standard was quite easy. So in that sense deserves a perfect rating.
Creativity: 5
This scenario was creative, it developed the FF genre in a way, the layout was effective and how you forfilled your missions was good, the seige tower section of the scenario was creative and good fun.
Map Design: 5-
This map was very well done the desert was just done to perfection with just enough eye-candy and it still looked realistic. The mountainous area and the general countryside was completed to a similar high standard. Though perhaps the only drawback I felt was that the actual city of Nicea for some reason didn't work as well as the other parts hence the minus,yet overall a good map which anyone would be proud of.
Story/Instructions: 5
The instructions were definatly one of the best I have seen, the Objectives were layed out in a effective manner, giving the player what you needed to do and hints for the part of the scenario. The designer uses Historical accuracy as a feature, and I did check up on the History and it is told very accuratly and very well. The cut-scene though long was very good and you got through the story very well.
Additional Comments: This is a great scenario and I recomend this to anyone and I am looking foward to Troy. |
WildCardDoW |
Posted on 04/15/06 @ 01:16 PM
Playability: 5
The scenario plays perfectly well, brilliantly even. The scenario is layed out well and the way it is presented insures a lot of fun and the player (as it happens to me a lot...) will never forget to save as there are breaks between the skirmishes. Very good presentation of the scenario and it is another excellent FF from Sceletar.
Balance: 5
I played on Moderate difficulty and had a lot of restarts. Any semi-experienced AoKer would have little trouble on this style of scenario, they may save it every now and then just in case but they don't always lose. But the way in which the objectives are done mean you are going to have the odd headache, in a good way. The first battle for me was the worst, I had to restart up to 10 times as one unit would get by when I was reaching the end or had trouble getting on to the bridge with my hero. Thanks to clever objectives this scenario can and will test the experienced and newbies can learn a few things.
Creativity: 5
As mentioned in the Balance section I really liked the presentation of the objectives, this is "kill everybody, keep heroes alive," well it is a bit, the objectives will strain your micro skills. The sounds and music are amazing they make the scenario feel so much more epic-like! The opening cut scene, though long, is very nicely done and is a good way of presenting the history as most players would simply skip by reading the history to scenarios. I know I do...
After so many FF style scenarios I felt Sceletar would be hard pushed to make this interesting, but he does. Or is that just the magic of AoK?
Map Design: 5
The map is very nicely done, it’s rare you see desert maps and this one is beautiful. I'm unsure if it’s historically accurate, but it’s good looking. Everything is nicely done and there is nice terrain mixing, and good use of plants.
Story/Instructions: 5
History to the scenario is well presented and the commentary of the soldier adds a nice feel to the scenario. Each objective is offered separate hints which are very well done as well as a general hint section. The cut scenes really move the story along. There’s more I could say, I'm sure, but I'm still boiling it over in my head.
Additional Comments:
Nice work Sceletar, but seriously between this and Troy there must be about 2 hours of cut scenes, :p!
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Mr Wednesday (id: matty12345)
Staff
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 04/21/06 @ 06:33 PM
Playability: 5
This is the only section I would have considered even giving less than 5. There were a few tasks that were a little awkward to manipulate the units for, but these were mostly game flaws rather than campaign flaws:)
Balance: 5
This campaign was awfully hard on the moderate setting so I can't amagine it on the Hardest one! But that being said, I like a campaign to be challenging and make you restart a couple of times. It is really easy on the easy setting so do not play on that unless you are a newer player.
Creativity: 5
Very, VERY, creative! Added a whole new style of campaign play. Easily one of the more creative games recently done!
Map Design: 5
I loved the map! I hate when people put so much junk on the map you can't even play; this map was detailed but spacious and attention grabbing!
Story/Instructions: 5
I am a sucker for cutsenes so I loved that whole part of it. The objectives were laid out as well as any I have seen, and they told you exactly what was asked.
Historically, it was very accurate, but I have studied the crusades exaustively, so naturally, I found a few small inacuracies, but they are really minor and are almost more or less based on personal opinion, so I will not bother to bring them up.
Additional Comments:
I have played a lot of AOK campaigns, including just about all the "famous" ones. THIS IS THE BEST CAMPAIGN EVER MADE FOR AGE OF KINGS. I am a crusades buff so that might help me get to that opinion, but I really believe it.
Please, Please, Please, consider making a sequel to this campaign, maybe the siege and countersiege of Antioch. I am practically begging you :(
Anyway, I really enjoyed the first one, keep up the good work! |
Mash (id: Mashek)
Staff
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 04/29/06 @ 09:48 PM
‘-Crusade- ~The Beginning~’ is a campaign by the author Sceletar complete with a long and powerful cut-scene, a fully action fledged scenario all in FF format with B&D elements. The story is based on the first phase of the Crusades, the Siege of Nicaea -a long era in human history that is perhaps the most bloody. It is a story about the treachery and arrogance of the Byzantine Empire. A story about the doomed attempts by the Crusaders as they try and take the impregnable city that is Nicaea, a city acting as a bulwark in the Anatolian countryside.
Playability: (5.0) +
-Crusade- ~The Beginning~ is a historically accurate and fun, challenging, vast and creative scenario. The atmosphere is simply amazing. The story transfixes the despair of the Crusaders and the arrogance and cautiousness of the Byzantine right into your head. The flow of the music and sounds add really well to the intended emotion of each scene of either the cutscene or playable scenario. The action-sequenced events are well presented and orientated with care that even the most experienced player must use strategy and thoughtfulness to overcome any task. The quests one must do, like crossing a desert riddled with enemy horseman to assaulting the very foundations of Nicaea, are beautifully presented and made. The cut-scene is a joy to watch, detailing the events to how the whole “mistake” begun, to how the Crusaders pulled over the shorelines of Anatolia in all their engrossing numbers. All in all, this scenario is the next big thing to Sceletar’s ‘Troy’, if not better! As such, I did not encounter any apparent bug.
Balance: (5.0) +
The balance in this scenario is enough to test even the most hardcore AOK gamer. I played it on moderate and even then that was enough to test my ability to the maximum. I lost many times in the events of assaulting the city’s gateways, but as impossible as it may seem, it is not, but requires huge amounts of strategy and a bit of luck. The rest of the scenario was a tab easier from there, but still kept the action intense and requiring strategy and thought. On standard, it was a bit too easy. The quality of challenge seemed to fluctuate greatly here, but there is moderate and hard to make up for that. Standard is for the most inexperienced players, but even then they are met with quite a challenge. Hard is, as it seems, nearly impossible and I have not yet completed it. It is enough to test even the most devoted AOK gamer. With three difficulty levels balanced out to test the three groups of quality gamers, this category scores a perfect rating.
Creativity: (5.0)
Creativity doesn’t come by some mindless trigger trick in this presentation. It comes in many guises. The story, the bitmap, the story told from a soldier’s perspective, the siege tower event, the battle against Kilij Arslan and the healing of your units also known as “faith”, all of this is put to perfect effect and really adds to the enjoyment this scenario exceeds greatly with. The music and sounds are superb, and many. The bustling camp scenes are a joy to watch and the characters deeply explored and shown. Sceletar has most obviously put in a lot of effort and deserves a wide applause of appreciation.
Map Design: (5.0)
The Author has used map design to a great effect. There are vast, bustling European camps surrounding the three of four sides of Nicaea. There are mountainous areas, fields of shrub and dirt and desert, with nice terrain mixing and plants used in between to help describe what Anatolia may look like. Everything has been designed to a high standard, but the city of Nicaea is a different story. Though well presented it does not seem to fit in with the rest of the map. As good as it was I didn’t think there was much detail placed in the city or a decent internal structure for that matter, but I cannot mark the rating down for something we hardly get to see any of. In future, I would only recommend to put in full thought and detail for every part of the map that we get to see or even only partly see.
Story/ Instructions: (5.0)
Complete with a brilliant, textured bitmap, the author denotes the history of the first phase of the First Crusade in extreme detail. We are told in lengths about how the war begun to how the Crusaders fell upon Nicaea, as they lay siege in an attempt to take it. We are reminded of the lengths that the Crusaders must take to be victorious. Sceletar makes it seem with ease, the vast troubles the Crusaders must deal with and the futility of the war. We feel the whole world is against them. All in all, the cut-scene and playable scenario alike are very well presented. The journal like dialogue describing each event of the war is brilliant adding to a very atmospheric story and play! The hints and instructions alike are uniquely presented and with detail enough to help even the most hapless player. Sceletar make’s it with ease to the top. There were few spelling mistakes.
Additional Comments:
Sceletar has put in a lot of time effort to offer one of the most compelling historical scenarios the Blacksmith has ever seen! This was a great play and a great scenario and the scores tell it all! Well done Sceletar, I look forward to seeing the next installment of Troy, which will surely be another quality piece of work!
In a word - Gripping.
In conclusion - A must download!
- Mashek
[Edited on 11/06/06 @ 07:12 PM]
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xRossToTheEnthx |
Posted on 07/08/06 @ 06:22 PM
Playability: 4
This was my only Flop. I love cutscenes, But not enough Gametime here. I Like the Fact that I felt like I Was watching a box office-smashing movie, but in the same sense I disliked it. But Dont take any pain in what I'm saying. Its a great Campaign.
Balance: 5
Perfectly fir for novice or veteran players alike.
Creativity: 5
I liked the monks burning idea! :0
Map Design: 5
Must have taken you Hours on end. GReat Work!
Story/Instructions: 5
Anything Based on historical evidence tends to be boring. But when you can make it into a campaign of epic porportions, you can't help but love it!
Additional Comments:
HIGHLY RECCOMENDED! |
juvmonkey |
Posted on 11/25/06 @ 05:36 PM
Playability: 5
The playability of this campaign was amazing. I was at first suprised that it was only 1 scenario for the entire campaign at first, but then I realized I was wrong. It had objectives and the action that 10 scenarios have, all unto one map! It really satisfied me to play in three different roles.
Balance: 5
I loved the balance of this campaign; when it comes to campaigning, Sceletar is the flamingo. This campaign proved to be very difficult and I had to restart and save many times, but it made me feel even better when I finished it. There were parts that seemed impossible that really weren't. Sceletar also made sure that you didn't ruin the campaign by exploring the map. He did these with great set traps.
Creativity: 5
The creativity displayed in this campaign is that equal to Berserker Jerker's! It had a very different, unique interface that most scenarios have that made me really use my head. The hunting part of the scenario was a great idea. Sceletar obviously worked his butt off to make this as I can find 1000's of triggers inside the campaign. The cutscene was freaking amazing! I would never be able to do something like that!
Map Design: 5
The map design was everything that it needed to be. It made sure that the player did not wander too far and skip his objective. It had a great terrain mix that made me really think that I was in Nicaea. There was no spot on the map that was the same.
Story/Instructions: 5
This was a extremely good written story. It was very good and explained what was happening without talking to me like a parent. The instructions helped me find what I needed to do while still making me guess and figure out instead of spoiling the entire secret!
Additional Comments:
You have really outdone yourself this time! This is some of the most amazing work I have ever seen and some day, I hope to make something like this. I am looking forward to seeing more scenarios in the future! |
Possidon
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 03/25/10 @ 03:27 PM
Playability: 5
Crusade – The Beginning is a wonderful campaign based on the First Crusade. It is a very enjoyable and action packed Fixed Force Campaign which can be played over and over again. I played on iut for hours without quitting.
Balance: 5
The campaign is very challenging but not impossible. It takes a lot of saving and restarts but it can still be completed. The campaign suits all difficulty levels. It tests even the greatest players to the maximum. Playing on Moderate you find it almost impossible. I hate to see what Hard is like.
Creativity: 5
The Campaign is very creative. It has a great story and a great map design. It also has a great use of eye-candy and trigger tricks. This is one of the best FF campaigns. I really like the idea of “Faith” - healing the units. It's really clever. I also like the cool bitmap and story told from a soldiers perspective.
Map Design: 5
The Map Design is beautiful. It is full of elevation, cliffs pretty terrain mixing and wonderful eye-candy. There is a great use of GAIA objects which highly improve the map design. The cities too are very well designed. The buildings are well spaced out and look very cool. The whole map looks very realistic and makes me feel like I am really there.
Story/Instructions: 5
The story is fantastic. It is an historical campaign which quite accurate. It is really enjoyable and interesting and it makes the whole campaign over 50% better. The Instructions are clear and easy to understand. If you get stuck all you have to do is look at the long and very helpful hints page.
Additional Comments:
One of the best campaigns in the Blacksmith and a MUST download.
Possidon |
The Davestar (id: The davestar) |
Posted on 04/15/10 @ 07:20 AM
Playability: 5
I really enjoyed this campaign it's really fun and creative, and it's a campaign I'll like to play again. It's also got a good story and map design. I played on this for hours and hours.
Balance: 5
The game is really challenging but you can still complete it in time. It take a lot of saving and a couple of restarts it suits all of the difficulty levels.
Creativity: 5
This map was very creative it has good story and a great map design. It is one of the best campaigns I've ever played. It's got some good eye candy and trigger tricks.
Map Design: 5
The map design used some good terrain mixing and has some good eye candy. The map also has some outstanding uses of GAIA Objects too.
Story/Instructions: 5
The storyline was fun and interesting. It is historically accurate and teaches me a lot of things about the first crusade. The Instructions are clear and I new what to do.
Additional Comments:
One of the best campaigns I have every played! A highly recommended download.
The davestar |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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5.0 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.9 | Balance | 5.0 | Creativity | 5.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 25,261 |
Favorites: [] | 15 |
Size: | 7.97 MB |
Added: | 03/23/06 |
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