Though we dedicated an entire podcast to the game, you can be sure that there will be a lot more to say about Demigod now that the final version (minus Day Zero patch) is out there.
Some observations:
1. The Pace: It’s not nearly as much a slog as the final beta was, and there seems to be a better relationship between defense strength and tower hitpoints. Games still run between 30 and 45 minutes, but a lot depends on how familiar you are with your particular Demigod and the matchup. There may have been some tweaks to move the game along slightly more quickly without interfering with the general pace.
2 The Armies: If I recall correctly, the armies in the beta would seize the occasional flag for you. They don’t seem to do that in the final build, meaning you have to expose your Demigod a little more. Which means you need to play a little more smartly.
3. The Maps: Each map presents a new challenge for the player. There is a snake map with two extra healing orbs that can be controlled. Some maps have an extra gold mine or two. The Zikurat map has additional portals for armies to stream through. There is a lot of clever stuff here.
4. The AI: If you do play a single player match, the AI is fairly weak. It doesn’t seem to spend its upgrades well. This is clearly a multiplayer game.
5. The Balance: The Rook can quickly mow through defenses and I’m not sure if every other option has a counter to him. No idea what the Cat Lady (Sedna) can do to stop the walking tower of death. And Erebus the Vampire is just nasty. Eventually someone will work out a chart where you learn what each deity should do to defeat another specific deity. For now, we are in the realms of discovery.
6. The Participant: In one game against TMA panelist Tom Chick, I got an award for Participant. Youth soccer lives on at Gas Powered Games.
Once I get some more team play in, I will have a full review.
That’s good that it seems to be better than what was described in the podcast.
The game/manual does not offer suggestions for how to utilize your specific demigod? It seems like from the movies and whatnot that you are given a lot of upgrade paths to follow (health, mana, attack, reinforcements, capturing, etc) through spending experience points and purchasing items. Does this make up for not really having many units to play with? It seems like once you choose a specialization, you are kind of stuck there, so there might be an element of luck in how your opponent(s) have spent their upgrade points.
Overall, the game seems similar to Dawn of War II: offering a more action-heavy version of the strategy game.
Armies could never take flags, but other demigods on your team can (and darn well better!).
I heard they nerfed Rook in the day 0 patch. Pre-nerf the only real counter to him was having two of you to the one of him.
Regarding cat lady, I tend to think her best role while fighting someone like rook is to heal someone else who’s doing the real fighting! That said, the nerf to Rook’s hammer strike should make mobbing him with Yeti a practicable option, too.
Love the game!
The manual does not give Demigod specific tech trees, which would certainly be helpful. The clock doesn’t stop while you suss out which upgrade to choose, and it shouldn’t, but at the very least there should be a way to figure out – outside of the game – what an optimal path would look like.
Thankfully, the AI won’ t press too hard on you, so you can do this in single player.
I will say that I am enjoying this much more than I did the late beta.
Thanks for the clarification on armies. I could have sworn that my armies were seizing flags in earlier games.
Good to hear you’re liking it better Troy. From the podcast I was thinking it would get a round of downward thumbs. I’ll be anxious to hear your conclusions.