Elemental: Fallen Enchantress

[Tredje]

So, recently I became aware that a strategy game called Elemental: Fallen Enchantress is going to be released on the 23rd of October, and I was wondering if anyone on the forums has knowledge of the game or has participated in the beta? Judging by the information available on the homepage, the game is going to be a blend of 4x and RPG elements, while having combat not too different from what has been done in the Heroes of Might and Magic games.

Before buying it, I'd like to have a little more to go by. Since it is a sequel, I had a look at the previous game, which, judging by reviews, was something between a failure and a work-in-progress. Ordinarily, this would dissuade me from purchasing the sequel, but since I see that Derek Paxton is the lead designer on the game (and wasn't on the prequel), I am considering giving the game a shot. Fall from Heaven was an outstanding mod, and if Paxton has been in control of the development, Fallen Enchantress could be worth checking out.

Is anyone here planning on buying the game?

[Brackard]

I've been watching Stardock and the Elemental debacle since Elemental's inception.

While watching Elemental throughout creation, my thought that was that there hadn't been enough time to balance it all out and I'd take a wait and see approach. I'm not heavy into game design or the like, so if my internals give me a warning, then it was time to pay attention. As you saw from reviews, that was probably the best move.

Stardock has put quite a bit more attention to Fallen Enchantress. Part of that was additional staff (that you've seen) and more beta time. I'm not fully confident in Fallen Enchantress quite yet. There is so much out there to play right now that I'll wait and see how it turns out before picking it up.

Note that outside of the name, Elemental and Elemental: Fallen Enchantress are very, VERY different. Nearly every system from elemental was reworked so comparing the two apples to apples would be difficult.

My gut feeling says that it will be a solid game - eventually. Stardock is good about updates and product support, so I might as well let them get some of the issues out of the way before diving in.

[Sareln]

I have it as a freebie after War of Magic. I'll give it a spin after launch day and I'll let you know. I did some of the early betas but then free time disappeared and I spent a lot more time on CIV, and all of a sudden there wasn't any time .

[Tredje]

Did you pick up your copy of the game, Sareln?

I was much too curious about the game (and in particular Derek Paxton's work) to wait for reviews, and bought the game right after launch. So far I have sunk plenty of hours into the game, and I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. As was the case with Fall from Heaven, I wanted to try different approaches, learn about the different units and spells, and experiment with different combinations. This exploratory part of games is probably my favourite, and probably one of the reasons I like Fallen Enchantress.

Regarding the game's credentials as a strategy game, I haven't made up my mind yet. It is certainly simpler than, say, Civilization, and it seems to me that it serves as more of a background to the "go-out-and-fight-with-your-hero" part of the game (as in, say, Heroes of Might and Magic.) Not that it is a bad thing, mind you, just something to know before deciding to buy the game.

[Sareln]

Did you pick up your copy of the game, Sareln?

I was much too curious about the game (and in particular Derek Paxton's work) to wait for reviews, and bought the game right after launch. So far I have sunk plenty of hours into the game, and I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. As was the case with Fall from Heaven, I wanted to try different approaches, learn about the different units and spells, and experiment with different combinations. This exploratory part of games is probably my favourite, and probably one of the reasons I like Fallen Enchantress.

Regarding the game's credentials as a strategy game, I haven't made up my mind yet. It is certainly simpler than, say, Civilization, and it seems to me that it serves as more of a background to the "go-out-and-fight-with-your-hero" part of the game (as in, say, Heroes of Might and Magic.) Not that it is a bad thing, mind you, just something to know before deciding to buy the game.

I've downloaded it yes, and dropped in a couple of hours. I didn't play any beta since last January or so, so it's mostly new to me. I think it's fun, but it does feel a bit flat right now. I'm certainly not seeing the point of trained units yet...

[Brackard]

I am not impressed after dropping 8-10 hours into it. I'm not sure exactly what it is.

For a game that had prided itself on no city spam, the opponents sure know how to spam cities. It's still missing something unfortunately. I get the same feeling here as I did after I purhcased and played MOO3 for a bit....

[NobleHelium]

Did you pick up your copy of the game, Sareln?

I was much too curious about the game (and in particular Derek Paxton's work) to wait for reviews, and bought the game right after launch. So far I have sunk plenty of hours into the game, and I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. As was the case with Fall from Heaven, I wanted to try different approaches, learn about the different units and spells, and experiment with different combinations. This exploratory part of games is probably my favourite, and probably one of the reasons I like Fallen Enchantress.

Regarding the game's credentials as a strategy game, I haven't made up my mind yet. It is certainly simpler than, say, Civilization, and it seems to me that it serves as more of a background to the "go-out-and-fight-with-your-hero" part of the game (as in, say, Heroes of Might and Magic.) Not that it is a bad thing, mind you, just something to know before deciding to buy the game.

Have you played the older HOMM games (i.e. the ones by New World Computing)? How does it compare to those?

[Tredje]

I am not impressed after dropping 8-10 hours into it. I'm not sure exactly what it is.

For a game that had prided itself on no city spam, the opponents sure know how to spam cities. It's still missing something unfortunately. I get the same feeling here as I did after I purhcased and played MOO3 for a bit....

Yes, there are definitely some issues regarding city spam. ICS seems like it is the ultimate strategy, and the computer pursues it vigorously on the higher difficulty levels. I've had several games where my AI neighbour does nothing but build pioneers for the entire early game. Because of the way the game is designed, spamming cities is the best way to play in all situations. The only drawback is a slightly slower growth rate in your cities, while you enjoy increased income, science and production. As it stands right now empire-management is a simple, and not very interesting, task.

Have you played the older HOMM games (i.e. the ones by New World Computing)? How does it compare to those?

Yes, I have, and I must say that Fallen Enchantress reminds me more of them than Civilization. The area where this is most conspicuous is combat. When you decide to fight you are transported to a quadratic grid much like the one you had in the HoMM games. Added to that is the fact that the essence of the game is that you have a hero (or more) that you move around on the map in order to find monsters you can slay for experience, loot and map control/resources.

However, unlike HoMM you can forego this and focus on expanding your empire and training armies. Your units don't need to be with a hero to move around, and you can send them directly at your AI enemies. While being possible, I'm not sure if anyone would play like this. The game really encourages you to adhere to the RPG elements of levelling and outfitting. Those elements are also what make the game fun in my opinion. As a game of empire-building, the game isn't, in its current state anyway, that enthralling. Like I said, that doesn't bother me too much right now, but I suspect it will once the exploratory phase is over.

One thing when we are on the topic of HoMM. I feel that the game gives you control of some interesting units, but not enough of them. After a while you get a bit bored of moving your 2-move infantry on the grid. One of my most memorable games was with a faction that gets demons for every mana node, and trying to create an all-demon army. I wish that Stardock would have created a larger variety of units and unit abilities, as you have in HoMM.

[Tredje]

I've downloaded it yes, and dropped in a couple of hours. I didn't play any beta since last January or so, so it's mostly new to me. I think it's fun, but it does feel a bit flat right now. I'm certainly not seeing the point of trained units yet...

Are you sure about that? I haven't gotten to the later tier of units, but I find that in the early game having a group of Spearmen or the like drastically improves your hero's ability to handle monsters. Not to mention when you get to Archers and Mages. Those guys do a lot of damage for their low cost. They aren't Magnar's fireballs, but they pack a punch. Later on I also like to have some heavy armored units with me for meatshields, preferably on horseback for the mobility.

[Tasunke]

seems enjoyable enough. Haven't plugged enough hours into it yet though.