So who am I trying to kid these days? Last weekend I was feeling a little sorry for myself, and I decided to go out and splurge the few euros I have left over. I purchased the newest computer game called Medieval Total War, probably about the most complicated simulation strategy game I have ever seen in my life. This is an innovative new war simulation where you can reenact amazingly huge medieval battles in full three dimensions. Here's a full description which I am taking the liberty to quote:
"Massive in scope, but intuitive in implementation, Medieval: Total War allows players to take control of one of twelve world powers as they attempt to rewrite history through a mixture of trade, diplomacy, resource management and wars of conquest. Featuring an incredibly powerful 3D engine, the game supports real-time 3D battles of more than 10,000 troops and more than 100 unique unit types, including knights, infantry and siege engines, in terrain as varied as deserts, forest, plains and mountains. Players will utilize authentic battle strategies and tactics as they unleash their forces against medieval castles and mighty fortresses with an arsenal of battle-field weapons including long-bows, muskets, cannons and catapults which can pound castle walls and buildings to rubble."Am I really expected to be able to figure this thing out? Or am I just getting too old for this kind of stuff? Like I have unlimited time, energy and patience to figure out how NOT to have my faction killed off within the first generation (even in "easy" mode). So far all of my battles have resulted in the generals galloping away and most of my peasants getting slaughtered. Very very frustrating at times, if you know what I mean. A number of gaming sites like Avault and Gamers Europe gave great reviews so I could not resist. Something to keep me occupied and still productive for the coming days and weeks. Cannot be expected to be a house father, do fitness, send out job applications, and learn Java with JBuilder all of the time.
Sounds good, but I am often disappointed in games that promise the ability to explore trade and diplomacy and such, only to find that the only real point of the game is the battle. These kind of games do require a pretty substantial time committment, so when they turn out to be disappointing, it's that much more aggravating.
P.S. The CivIII expansion pack comes out this week! Yay!
Actually the great thing about this game is that it provides a unique split between two modes: one taking care of your nation and the other overseeing battles. What's CivIII like? I loved the original Civ way back in the good old days, and gave up when I was so disappointed with the lousy CivII sequel which I found no less than atrocious.
We all need some downtime, even those of us hooked up seemingly forever to the computer. I love good strategic games, so if this one is good, I may invest. I did love CIV I and still play it occasionally, as I do Age of Empires.
Hope the job hunting is going better.
Downtime, downtime, going down anyone? I am getting completely lost in this game, that's for sure. I like to use my mind in a creative way, but sometimes I wonder what it is worth having to study so much detail and trying to understand it all. I mean, after having gone to a university for the second round and actually graduating, I made a promise to myself that I would never pick up another academic book again the rest of my life. Yes, definitely check this game out, you will like it.
CivIII is definitely more like CivII than CivI, but it frustrated a lot of people when it first came out because they couldn't use their time-worn CivII strategies to reach an easy win. It needed several patches to fix some wicked playability problems, but as of the last patch was in pretty good shape. If you weren't a big CivII fan, my guess is that you wouldn't like CivIII. There's a couple more games on the horizon that you might like better: "Galactic Civilizations" and "Rise of Nations"
Thanks for the tips, but I think that for the time being I will restrict my unlimited energy and abilities on just one game at a time. At least, until either I just plain give up and/or get completely absorbed by the million and one possible permutations.