Reviews - vladikus

Having had about two months to play the game and create scenarios, I figured it was time to give my review. I will probably change the numerical rating with patches, which is the first thing I want to remark upon: the devs are absolutely committed to listening to the community, providing updates, and improving an already great game. This is the reason I even bought the game in the first place (as I noticed this commitment in Dominions 3). So the question of the hour is do I have fun and enjoy the game? The answer is sometimes. If you aren't enjoying the game, then you are probably playing on too large of a map, overly difficult or weak AI. I did not have fun with some games where I played against AI with a resource bonus because the battles took forever and were "stack battles" (which I define as huge, long battles that take forever and in which the outcome is based on who has more troops).

The pros: Almost all classes are fun to play, the randomness is such that you never know what to expect as you explore, multiplayer is awesome (unless your opponents are slow turn takers), the music is fantastic, the graphics are appealing (although others say they aren't), the devs are wonderful as is the growing community.

Cons: Defender always has initiative in attacking. I wish that the order of first attacker was determined by an initiative roll (that could be affected perhaps by certain spells or character traits) because this could help avoid some stack battles or result in more interesting risk-taking. Somewhat bland battle screen based on terrain, though I personally can't think of a background that would look good and make troops visible. Battle sounds could use an update.

I have heard some accusations that the game doesn't involve strategy because it is so random. I disagree because there are cases of deciding where to explore, how to balance offense and defense (protecting the citadel while exploring abroad), and how aggressive to be to expand without losing.