Summery
-I am bad at video games.
-I am interested in stories and compelling environments more than “power gamming.”
-I would likely enjoy a 4x game in a fantasy setting if it matched my play styles.
-Those paly styles are the builder/defender style and the forgiving style.
-With the exception ofSim City titles and a few others, I don’t get into one game enough to learn all of its secrets.
-Age of Wonders has a very compelling environment and a story I would like to explore but I don’t think the game is suited to my abilities.
-Is there another game I should try?
-Is there a place to read the complete story behind theAge of Wonders series now published?
Hello All:
I recently purchased the completeAge of Wonders pack offered by Steam which includes the original, Wizard’s Throne, and Shadow Magic. I like 4x games and this series was recommended as a good one. I am more of a science fiction nerd than a fantasy nerd but that is more a consequence of what I have been exposed to rather than what I would be interested in; I discovered Star Trek before I discovered Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately for me while I find the game very compelling, I think that Age of Wonders’ gameplay is not suited to me.
The original won’t play on my machine (Windows 7 with middling to low abilities) even in compatibility mode and I have triedWizard’s Throne but not Shadow Magic yet. I should point out that these programs contain all of the official patches and Wizard’s Throne is at version 1.20.0.300. I am distressed because I want to appreciate the game but I don’t seem to be a good enough player to succeed at it. I should point out that, in general, I am bad a video games. I enjoy an immersive video game immensely but I usually play them at low difficulty levels or they are games that allow someone with low skill to still achieve a bit of success.
One of the major issues is that I have gathered by skimming these forums that the game heavily encourages offensive play. In most 4x games I usually fallow the fallowing strategy: I expand as quickly as I can without much pain and hope to gain an edge over my opponents, then I “turtle” and build defenses, production and research capability, then set up for my end game which can be the culture victory inCivilization IV or a military victory as in Sins of a Solar Empire. I am finding it difficult to fallow this strategy in Age of Wonders.
I should point out that I’m not a serious computer gamer but I like the more involved and expensive games then the cheap or free simple games. With some exceptions, I rarely play a game enough to learn all there is to know about it. I also enjoy games with good stories or engaging environments rather than games where optimization of play is paramount. I like games that are forgiving if the player doesn’t make the best use of his or her resources or learn the stats of everything in the game in order to plan strategy. With many games, I enjoy playing the game on a lower difficulty level or with a limited (or sometimes not so limited) use of cheats in order to help the game fit my interests.
As I have said I enjoy 4x games. I enjoyCivilization III and Civilization IV as well as Alpha Centauri but I don’t enjoy Civilization V. I also enjoy Sins of a Solar Empire and Rome: Total War but I don’t enjoy Empire: Total War. Those two games that I mentioned that I don’t like, I don’t like because they focus more on optimization rather than exploring the environments that they are set in. Also Total War focuses on warfare a lot which is why I like Victoria II much better than Empire: Total War. I have enjoyed Age of Empires II and Age of Mythology. These are not 4x games but they employ some of the same elements. I should point out that while I liked and could win without cheats in the random map games of those two games, I enjoyed the campaigns (with the exception for the campaign for the expansion of Age of Mythology) but used cheats to get through them.
This is another issue that I have withWizard’s Throne: I don’t think the cheats are useful. I suspect and have some evidence that when I enter a cheat for myself that the cheat is applied to all the players which takes away the advantage of cheating. On some games, if I’m not good enough to easily beat the game on my own, I use cheats to win. One option would be if updating the game with the un-official patches, a defense friendly mod, or an effective way of cheating would make the game enjoyable for me. Do these options exist and would they be useful? Is it possible for me to play the game without using a strategy that I am unfamiliar with and wouldn’t likely be able to effectively employ? If I cannot make Age of Wonders work for me, what is a good 4x game in a fantasy environment that I would enjoy? Also, is there a place where the complete story (including the story of the campaigns) of the Age of Wonders series to date is? I would probably enjoy the novelization of the games. Even if it’s not a lengthy as a novel I would enjoy the stories. This site has the set up to the games but not the story developed in the games themselves.
I am sorry if I am asking questions to which there are answers elsewhere. I’m sure it can be frustrating being confronted with the “I’m not good at this game” type of questions over and over. I hope that someone here can put up with my annoying behavior and give me some advice on how to experience a rich fantasy environment in a strategy game that I would find playable. I would also likely enjoy a fantasy adventure (not necessary action/adventure) or single player role playing game if it focuses on storytelling, character building, or exploring an environment rather than stats and game mechanics though I would prefer a strategy game.
I appreciate you’all being patient with me and potentially helping a bad gamer enjoy a good game or find one that he can appreciate.
In Gratitude
Ben Schwab
-I am bad at video games.
-I am interested in stories and compelling environments more than “power gamming.”
-I would likely enjoy a 4x game in a fantasy setting if it matched my play styles.
-Those paly styles are the builder/defender style and the forgiving style.
-With the exception of
-
-Is there another game I should try?
-Is there a place to read the complete story behind the
Hello All:
I recently purchased the complete
The original won’t play on my machine (Windows 7 with middling to low abilities) even in compatibility mode and I have tried
One of the major issues is that I have gathered by skimming these forums that the game heavily encourages offensive play. In most 4x games I usually fallow the fallowing strategy: I expand as quickly as I can without much pain and hope to gain an edge over my opponents, then I “turtle” and build defenses, production and research capability, then set up for my end game which can be the culture victory in
I should point out that I’m not a serious computer gamer but I like the more involved and expensive games then the cheap or free simple games. With some exceptions, I rarely play a game enough to learn all there is to know about it. I also enjoy games with good stories or engaging environments rather than games where optimization of play is paramount. I like games that are forgiving if the player doesn’t make the best use of his or her resources or learn the stats of everything in the game in order to plan strategy. With many games, I enjoy playing the game on a lower difficulty level or with a limited (or sometimes not so limited) use of cheats in order to help the game fit my interests.
As I have said I enjoy 4x games. I enjoy
This is another issue that I have with
I am sorry if I am asking questions to which there are answers elsewhere. I’m sure it can be frustrating being confronted with the “I’m not good at this game” type of questions over and over. I hope that someone here can put up with my annoying behavior and give me some advice on how to experience a rich fantasy environment in a strategy game that I would find playable. I would also likely enjoy a fantasy adventure (not necessary action/adventure) or single player role playing game if it focuses on storytelling, character building, or exploring an environment rather than stats and game mechanics though I would prefer a strategy game.
I appreciate you’all being patient with me and potentially helping a bad gamer enjoy a good game or find one that he can appreciate.
In Gratitude
Ben Schwab