Comments on: Vae Victis Developer Diary http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2008/10/07/vae-victis-developer-diary/ The Best Strategy Game Blog in My House Mon, 21 May 2012 20:36:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Troy http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2008/10/07/vae-victis-developer-diary/comment-page-1/#comment-173545 Troy Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:19:08 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2008/10/07/vae-victis-developer-diary/#comment-173545 I'm definitely a fan of the Paradox games - almost all of them. Victoria didn't float my boat, but I understood a lot of what it was trying to do. I've played all of them since the first EU, including the terrible Diplomacy, Two Thrones and Crown of the North. All the EU games have been very enjoyable and Crusader Kings is one of my all time favorites. And this fan found Rome to be average on release and not significantly better since the patch. The "average until patched" problem is a big one for Paradox, especially since it means retooling player skills on an almost constant basis. I've had to reboot how I understand EU3 a ridiculous number of times. Lots of games have many patches; few companies make as many basic changes to balance, play style and game rules as frequently as Paradox. Thank God for the Internet. But even with 1.3, Rome is just not as good as EU 3 or Crusader Kings or Hearts of Iron II were out of the box. There is a lot less to do and much less variety over the course of a game, which is saying something considering HoI2 covers a much smaller time frame with relatively fewer viable powers. VV is touching some pretty basic game mechanics, but the governor thing should have been caught and changed in the beta. It not only flew in the face of sensible game management, there was no historical justification you could use. Maybe the idea was to have more events happen to more characters. I’m definitely a fan of the Paradox games – almost all of them. Victoria didn’t float my boat, but I understood a lot of what it was trying to do. I’ve played all of them since the first EU, including the terrible Diplomacy, Two Thrones and Crown of the North. All the EU games have been very enjoyable and Crusader Kings is one of my all time favorites.

And this fan found Rome to be average on release and not significantly better since the patch.

The “average until patched” problem is a big one for Paradox, especially since it means retooling player skills on an almost constant basis. I’ve had to reboot how I understand EU3 a ridiculous number of times. Lots of games have many patches; few companies make as many basic changes to balance, play style and game rules as frequently as Paradox. Thank God for the Internet.

But even with 1.3, Rome is just not as good as EU 3 or Crusader Kings or Hearts of Iron II were out of the box. There is a lot less to do and much less variety over the course of a game, which is saying something considering HoI2 covers a much smaller time frame with relatively fewer viable powers.

VV is touching some pretty basic game mechanics, but the governor thing should have been caught and changed in the beta. It not only flew in the face of sensible game management, there was no historical justification you could use. Maybe the idea was to have more events happen to more characters.

]]> By: andrei.dumitrescu http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2008/10/07/vae-victis-developer-diary/comment-page-1/#comment-173505 andrei.dumitrescu Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:53:24 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2008/10/07/vae-victis-developer-diary/#comment-173505 Well, Rome is only average if looked upon from a non-fan perspective. I myself love all things historical and, after I began playing Europea Universalis II and then went on to play almost ll the games Paradox released in its grand strategy line (I skipped Diplomacy), I quickly understood that their games, in the first out of the box itteration, are almost always "average", only to become superior products with a lot of bright spots as patches and expansions roll in. Already with 1.3 the game is much more than it was at 1.0 and Vae looks to really deliver a score of new things... Well, Rome is only average if looked upon from a non-fan perspective. I myself love all things historical and, after I began playing Europea Universalis II and then went on to play almost ll the games Paradox released in its grand strategy line (I skipped Diplomacy), I quickly understood that their games, in the first out of the box itteration, are almost always “average”, only to become superior products with a lot of bright spots as patches and expansions roll in. Already with 1.3 the game is much more than it was at 1.0 and Vae looks to really deliver a score of new things…

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