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Monday 25 September, 2006
I finished the Japanese campaign and have started on the Mongol. Nothing terribly exciting though the final Japanese mission was extra fun!
I've slowly been reflecting on some of the fundamental differences between this game and Advance Wars. They're both turn-based strategy games but they are quite different to play. The most important difference, to my eyes, has to do with transparency regarding the units.
In Advance Wars, you generally have a good sense of how tough an opponents units are and what the results of a particular encounter (fight) will be. While there are differences from army to army (and CO to CO), altogether, there isn't that much variability between units. Units might take a little more, or a little less damage, but in the end it works out. This makes it easier for a player to learn how to strategize in this game. An advanced player will make use of the actual variability to gain an extra edge, but it isn' really that necesarry.
In Age of Empires, on the other hand, the variability is a LOT higher. There are many more factors involved in determining how a particular fight might go. Not only are there terrain factors, but also special abilities, upgrades that may hae been researched, current age, special powers, etc. In an infantry vs. infantry fight, the results are theoretically all over the place. This makes learning this game a lot harder since a lot of the information is no longer transparent to the player, and may also change throughout a particular scenario. (your opponent may research a certain technology that now gives him a 25% advantage).
I've noticed this difference a lot. The game designers also noticed this and included an advisor who tells you, before a fight, how things may go. He uses phrases that are flowery and metaphorical (we will mow them down like fresh grass), but I still feel that the end result is highly variable.
I've noticed that I have a hard time deciding which units to use when, and where. Some units seem to be really susceptible to certain attacks (when I have them, and I'm attacked) but really tough the other way (when I'm trying to take advantage). I haven't been able to figure out if its because of luck or other factors, but it is rather frustrating!
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