My Impressions of the Early Beta

from Elemental Forums

First, let me say that I really like the game so far overall. I really like the art style and the music is great. I think the game is simple in its mechanics (that's a GOOD thing) but still has depth.

I also really like the crafting system. I will admit that I was kind of worried that the crafting system was going to feel like busy work but I think it works very well and I already enjoy finding crafting materials to see what I can make next - great mechanic.

I also think the magic management system is very clever and adjusting the balance of which things your mana is going towards is both interesting and meaningful.

But I have a few quibbles:

1. Can we get a ranged damage penalty based on distance? Maybe this is happening already but if it is, I can't tell. It was one of my pet peeves in FE:LH that archers could do full damage the full length of the map.

2. Personally, I think that if a ranged unit is "engaged" with an enemy unit, it should not be able to fire it's ranged weapon until and unless it can move away first. If that is not possible, perhaps there should be a significant penalty to hit a unit immediately adjacent to a ranged unit.

3. Another FE:LH pet peeve - it takes FOREVER for units to get anywhere on the strategy map. I'm all for movement penalties for rough terrain and so on but units aren't exactly hauling ass over open ground. Just an extra movement point or two would make things a lot better. The other problem is the interaction that limited movement has with the logistics mechanic - since it takes a long time to move your army someplace, it takes just as long to move it back to your territory when you're under attack. And you can't build much of a defensive force for quite some time due to logistics limitations, even with buildings that convert logistics to food. This combination of limited mobility and limitations on unit construction (which I like in general) encourages turtling since you don't want to be far away from your territory when the Sorcerer King's armies come to destroy the few crystal shards that you can actually protect. Also, since mobility is so limited, it is extremely hard to protect any but a very few of the crystal shards on a map. I think the solution to this issue is (somewhat) higher movement points for all military units.

4. I'm not sure how unit deployment is handled at the beginning of tactical combat but it feels somewhat... random. That's not good and can actually be quite frustrating.

5. If you put a Scout on auto-explore, they will never pick up items from a chest. It would be great if they could be programmed to do that since it is no longer necessary (like in FE:LH) for a hero to pop the game's equivalent of a "goodie hut."

13,951 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

4. It is especially bad when you have a settler unit - for some reason they are always close to enemy and get targeted first.... 

 

Reply #2 from SorcererKing Forums Top

Speaking of scouts, their cost should be LESS than that of a settler, not the other way around.

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Reply #3 from SorcererKing Forums Top


3. Another FE:LH pet peeve - it takes FOREVER for units to get anywhere on the strategy map. I'm all for movement penalties for rough terrain and so on but units aren't exactly hauling ass over open ground. Just an extra movement point or two would make things a lot better. The other problem is the interaction that limited movement has with the logistics mechanic - since it takes a long time to move your army someplace, it takes just as long to move it back to your territory when you're under attack. And you can't build much of a defensive force for quite some time due to logistics limitations, even with buildings that convert logistics to food. This combination of limited mobility and limitations on unit construction (which I like in general) encourages turtling since you don't want to be far away from your territory when the Sorcerer King's armies come to destroy the few crystal shards that you can actually protect. Also, since mobility is so limited, it is extremely hard to protect any but a very few of the crystal shards on a map. I think the solution to this issue is (somewhat) higher movement points for all military units.

 

This. It does take forever to explore, and defending feels too expensive early game to bother with. Add in enemy spamming 1 unit armies (that drain a movement point when attacking), and I literally can't move back fast enough to defend. 

Reply #4 from SorcererKing Forums Top

I have found placing outposts to both 1. beat down incoming Sorcerer King zergs and 2. build roads has helped tremendously in terms of movement. The downside of this play-style is that it ends up feeling like pioneer spam, a la constructor spam from GCII. However, in terms of movement, building a road network that has defenses is logical and works.

Reply #5 from SorcererKing Forums Top

Quoting AlLanMandragoran, reply 4

The downside of this play-style is that it ends up feeling like pioneer spam,

BUT there are great strategic choices here: where do I spend my logistics (pioneers building outposts and gathering resources vs spamming units.) And also how do I use my pioneers (more cities, more outposts, or upgraded outposts.) The mechanics are sound, and fun.

Reply #6 from SorcererKing Forums Top

I quite like pioneer spam to get outposts built up. Since roads get built, movement is greatly facilitated.

I do assume that eventually monsters will be allowed to attack outposts and that strategy would need to change.

Also, outposts don't use up any logistics which is a curious decision as you would logically think they would.

 

 

Reply #7 from SorcererKing Forums Top

 

This kind of weird road behavior that's been in this series from the beginning HAS TO BE FIXED, please. It drives me nuts.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Roads are going to get a revisit.

Reply #9 from SorcererKing Forums Top

Thank you!

Reply #10 from SorcererKing Forums Top

Nothing wrong with traffic circles. :P

Reply #11 from SorcererKing Forums Top

Quoting Thormodr, reply 10

Nothing wrong with traffic circles. :P

 

LOL, it IS pretty damn amusing to think of the combatants in this game using roundabouts!

Reply #12 from SorcererKing Forums Top

Quoting Leo, reply 11


Quoting Thormodr,
reply 10

Nothing wrong with traffic circles. :P



 

LOL, it IS pretty damn amusing to think of the combatants in this game using roundabouts!

 

Maybe the army should automatically take damage when moving through one. After all, people seem so incompetent when using them. Lol.

Reply #13 from SorcererKing Forums Top

Quoting Thormodr, reply 12


Quoting Leo in WI,
reply 11






Quoting Thormodr,

reply 10


Nothing wrong with traffic circles. :P



 

LOL, it IS pretty damn amusing to think of the combatants in this game using roundabouts!



 

Maybe the army should automatically take damage when moving through one. After all, people seem so incompetent when using them. Lol.

You're not wrong there. My mother is so frightened of the damn things she'll take a different path to avoid them, lol! I've been trying to tell her to start using them now to get used to them, because there are only going to be more of them turning up.