Polygons or Bitmap?
Useless .... despite the new dimension of RTS, made up of virtual worlds and 3d hybridization between first and third person in the field of battle, the obsolete isometric view continues to be one of the most functional and used. With Starcraft in many decreed the imminent end of the isometric view. In fact, the title of Blizzard seemed the best that could express this dimension in the time of the first triumphs of accelerated cards. But here is that Microsoft is not at all enchanted by the upcoming suggestions polygonal restyling brought a chart like this, populated worlds with its units proportionate to their environment and improved animations. Also inspired by the success of simulation titles like Sim-City, Populous etc. ... the famous software company also improved the management of resources and units, in addition, with the history books in hand graphics programmers and tried to recreate not the most fantastic environments or futuristic populated by orcs and aliens, but credible historical contexts, with their architectural and social, allowing users to intervene, as in the classic "SIM CITY", the intimate social structure of the population.
The result was a new way of playing the RTS, not only closer to the strategies and the narrow concept of war, but also the credibility of the simulation of a well characterized in a precise historical context; Age of empire was born.
Age of West
Passing through ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, the high and late Middle Ages, the different software houses had fun to offer a product "always different but basically the same" users. Today, Data Becker proposes America!
America is a RTS set in the Wild West of 800. You can find, well blended all the ingredients of the epic American of the 19th century, Indians, Cowboys, Soldiers Blue and Mexican bandits.
Bounty Killer, desperados and gunslingers return to populate the dusty saloon and boundless prairies, and you, with just a few clicks, you can relive the dream of the last frontier! America in fact, at first glance may seem like a boon for those who as a child wanted to revive the feats of Geronimo or General Custer, who, flying with the fantasy, got on a broom and galloped down the hallway of the house with great despair of the mother who had just spread the wax! I said a few simple clicks because actually the GUI, the graphical interface is very simple and intuitive, but proceed with order;
America is not exactly a "AGE OF EMPIRE" set in the wild west and then fans of the genre will find nice the idea of ??controlling whole tribes of Indians, and gunmen without gringos among other extricate more than necessary to understand the dynamics of the game and the management unit. In addition, the graphic impact of America is truly remarkable: although the isometric view and the subsequent use of bitmap, characters and buildings are really well designed and characterized. Only ugliness in graphics, some bug in the Fog of War: the mountains, in fact, as it turns out the map, are the bad "holes blacks" on top, caused by their mismanagement of this function at the end is that you can see "a sort of hole with the mountains around."
The attempt by the developers to remain in a very specific gaming trend is very clear in the painstaking care in the reproduction of the system of play and animation AGE OF EMPIRES: in this game you will drive men and women who will work nell'approviggionamento of wood, care of the fields, farms different (mad cow disease?;-)). Do not hide the fact that I could not help but smile when I saw a perfect replica of the title animations in Microsoft sowing and management fields!
But America still has its own identity, made of saloon and teepees. In this way then, the units appiedate can ride a horse and there is the possibility to cross with ease dense forests, this seems to me an interesting and useful feature, although it can be quite difficult to find in it a few units that regularly gets lost.
4 People, 4 Games
The game then reserve some surprises that whatever you deviate from a simple cloning of the title Microsoft. First, the variety and the different features that make the peoples ... Yeah because America actually tries to break the monotony of the titles that preceded it, where people basically antagonistic changed only in name and design but remained the same in technique and in the upgrade. There are in fact four people with four game modes and graphics are very different and the player will have to adapt to the characteristics of each faction war. When, in the first mission, we will begin to play with indium, we try to accumulate as much wood as possible to build our village, the gold will affect us very little, and we have to produce as much food to increase our tribe and create hordes absurd warriors. In fact, unfortunately, who will buy this title to get back once and for all the Yankees, will come up soon with the dramatic feature of this glorious people: the poor resistance to bullets of the Yankees, Mexicans and bandits, as well as the lack of effectiveness of bows and arrows, make that "the god Manitou" one of the weakest and most vulnerable populations ...
Unfortunately, this imbalance of forces causes in the early missions will attend a real new massacre Indians, perhaps caused by a tiny fortified position, or by four gunmen on a school trip in your camp. In addition, your Indianelli will become Kamikaze before the enemy's guns as in the classic "load movie", where fierce warriors are thrown from their horses in the race Yankee artillery.
The first missions will then be a real purgatory, in fact I noticed that for some unknown reason, programmers have relegated the most difficult missions (including the weakness of units) at the very beginning. Things start to be less frustrating with the Mexicans. Finally, with this people, we immediately guns, plus they are also well characterized, with their white buildings and grannies busy dondolar babies and treat yourself to injury. The gold then begins to have its real importance in the upgrading and construction of units.
The bandits, in my opinion, are the best characterized and most pleasant, although suffering from congenital strabismus (their bullets, in front of a gringo, are not so precise!).
At the base of the food chain of this clan is the liquor, which will be produced in distilleries rickety as in the classic tradition West. You'll have a world to click on these crumbling buildings ..... I assure you;-). In plain view in front of the headquarters of these scoundrels, they proudly displayed two poor hanging from the noose .... in short, are given all the clues to understand the true nature of these missions, made ??of robberies and raids. With the blue jackets the real problem is the chronic shortage of gold, as the more advanced units require large amounts of this mineral. Of course, with the latter faction, the game gives the best of itself, amount and variety of units. Artillery, cavalry, and infantry are your weapons against the bows and arrows of the Indians against the bandits disorganizzatissimi (without a real artillery) and against the most feared Mexicans, perhaps the only ones able to maintain a degree of competitiveness with the "Yankee ".
In my opinion, however, the missions with the U.S. lose in originality with blue blazers you fall in historical canons and film, with a view of the supremacy of justice and Yankees.
A missed opportunity?
Undoubtedly America is a nice game, simple graphics and learning and unpretentious, to recommend to those who love the genre. Unfortunately, in my opinion, lacks credible characters and historical contexts. It would be a good opportunity to take the role of General Custer and Sitting Bull, rebuild epic battles or sieges such as Fort Alamos, in short, have, as in the Age of Empire, the chance to live again, and perhaps to reverse major events historians, whose although young American history has great examples. In addition there is also to say that America has not particularly challenging missions: all that results is a series of missions cold uninteresting and sometimes "very irritating purpose and difficulty" I found it frustrating to reduce it to a simple cowboys and take only a few cows from South to North and suffer the constant raids by bandits.
Certainly a simple mission editor would make the title more durable and attractive, perhaps with missions rescheduled and downloaded directly from the network, but for some unknown reason was not included. The management of the territories is very difficult, in some cases impossible, as there are few systems difesivi (at least for the Indians and for the bandits), then, in most cases fail the "Conquest factor" which is fundamental in the RTS. The AI ??is quite fugitive, especially in the management of the Indian unit, suffering from the usual syndrome "-Pearl Harbour" (Kamikaze). Moreover pursuing the necessary Indian hordes will be very difficult, as you can control just over a dozen units at a time.
One last look
America, after all, has no great pretensions, the goal that had been set up programmers, to create a product that is cute and funny on the success of some RTS was reached. It may not be an innovative title and there will be some gaps, but for those who have spent sleepless nights to play Age of Empire, the old west I think it's a must!
comment
America, after all, has no great pretensions, the goal that had been set up programmers, to create a product that is cute and funny on the success of some RTS was reached. It may not be an innovative title and there will be some gaps, but for those who have spent sleepless nights to play Age of Empire, the old west I think it's a must!
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