I like them both but to be honest, they're not very similar at all. Not only is this game (generally) more difficult, you won't get anything out of losing and upgrades need to be "won" in a sense that you have to do challenges to get the points to spend on up grades. So like I said, they're different but I like them both. Bloodshow is an easier pick up and play game with many variations on how to play. This game is all about strategy, timing, and perfect unit placement.
I'm stuck at the 4th or 5th mission where I have to build from scratch and defeat 20 units. Should I focus on attacking? Or just have my 9 units at the back defending? Also what are the best units to focus on defense? There is a restriction to how much gold I can mine, I've only managed to place it so they only mine 2 spots (which obviously isn't enough to sustain stronger units..) Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
^ So for that I'd go on the defensive. They're at a disadvantage because they're forced to attack you so you can make your own defensive strategies. You have to get your units to hold the middle of the screen. You can also place your cannon ball strategically and force the enemy into a bottleneck next to the rock. Make sure to always have 1 or 2 units in front of your cannon ball. Have units in reserve in case some die. Also try and create more bottleneck areas where archers are in the back. You can mow the enemy down until there's nothing left.
Total War Battles An Engagingly Animated If Imperfect Strategy Experience Among my favorite movies is Mel Brooks History of the World Part I for its pushing the envelope humor that spoofs key periods of world history. One scene set during the French Revolution involves King Louis XVI using human beings as game pieces on a giant chess board. You can only imagine what happens when a knight takes out a pawn or the King captures the Queen. In any case, the scene came to mind as I played Creative Assemblys Total War Battles, a beautifully designed strategy game that in some instances couldve been even better. For those who dont know, Total War Battles is based on the popular PC-based Total War series. The iOS version is different from that series so my review is based on TWB as a standalone game. The underlying theme in TWB is all about revenge and redemption as the son of a slain warlord seeks to save his clan while in search of vengeance. The rather epic tale is told through a number of dialogue scenes and narrated letters that provide good background and purpose to the different battles. The voice acting involved with reading the letters has a strong emotional tone which helps to establish the mood. TWB incorporates various elements with a bit of RTS and turn-based strategy (TBS) with a pinch of role playing all thrown into essentially a lane-based tower defense game. Visually, the backgrounds are stunning on the iPad, and the actual battles that take place on screen come alive. The battlefield itself consists of a hexagonal grid that is nicely incorporated into some lush environments. Everything from the details on structures to the character animations are a joy to watch. Accompanied by an epic soundtrack and equally impressive sound effects, you do feel the intensity as the battles play out in front of you. From soldiers getting hacked to death to shrines and headquarters gradually being consumed by fire, your soldiers react as you would expect them to react. The game consists of a 23-stage campaign mode each with specific objectives typically involving the defeat of certain enemies or specific units. Included are a number of experience or EXP stages which are side missions and tend to be more puzzle focused (e.g. building and placing structures within limited amount of space). EXP can also be purchased through IAP, but it isnt needed to complete the game. Whats disappointing is the absence of a skirmish mode and an online multiplayer capability which hinders replay value. Core to a game of this type is the ability to build structures and establish a specialized army, and TWB provides a good variety. Youll have the opportunity to build and maintain headquarters and shrines as well as set up lumber and miningl operations. All of this leads to supporting the various soldiers, which run the gamut from archers and riflemen to spearmen and cavalry troops. The somewhat unconventional controls consist of arrow buttons located at the bottom of the screen. Requiring a slight learning curve, the buttons do feel awkward initially because most players inherently will want to tap to select the unit and then tap on the appropriate location. As units are spawned and become available, they appear as tiles which can then be dragged onto any appropriate hexagon. Depending on your expectations, the gameplay in TWB is both engaging and challenging, requiring a good degree strategic planning. Each level begins with your base located on the left-hand side facing your enemies on the right. Initially, the objective is to build structures that take advantage of the local natural resources such as wood, iron ore and water. Once these operations are in full force, these resources can then be used to generate gold. Gold is then used to spawn different units depending on whats available. One of the strengths of TWB is the planning that players are required to do. Each structure type takes up a certain amount of space on the battlefields hex grid which can be challenging because of the limited real estate. But another nuance is that certain structures cannot be located near each other or are link dependent. For example, a trading post which generates gold has to be near headquarters, but not near a shrine. On the other hand, a shrine must be linked to a lumber yard, while a lumber yard must be near trees. This adds a layer of intricacy that is simultaneously welcoming and irritating depending on personal preferences. While you rotate structures before placing them, the process can be somewhat tedious and even frustrating since it can be tough to find the right spot even though space is available. Earlier I mentioned the side missions aimed at building up EXP. I found those missions particularly irksome because most of the time, they were just very difficult to solve. Another reason is that those side missions dont involve battles, and I found they took away from the overall gaming experience with the main campaign. Im not a big fan of IAP, but fortunately, you can bypass it by completing these side missions, which can be like choosing between a rock and hard place. The campaign is where most players will spend their time and as with the placement of structures, there are certain rules to keep in mind. Since TWB is a lane-based tower defense at heart, one important point is that troops cannot move backwards once youve set them forward. I actually found this aspect adds to the strategic planning since you really have to plan attacks while defending your own buildings. Once theyve moved to a hexagon adjacent to an enemy, the soldier units automatically attack so there isnt much else to do but watch. What would be helpful which the units are missing is a health indicator similar to what you would find in other castle and tower defense games. The real-time element comes into play in the deployment of additional soldiers and selecting the right ones based on the enemy at hand. For instance, archers have a longer range of attack, while swordsmen are little more up close and personal. And you have to spawn strategically to replace soldiers who are killed because once an enemy moves to a hexagon, they own that grid until they move or are killed. Another part of TWB that should resonate nicely is the ability to react quickly and making decisive strikes. Once an attack is set in motion, it can have a profound impact on the path of supporting soldiers. And, theres a limit on how many units you can have on the field at any time, which takes away randomly spawning a huge army and turning the battle into a numbers game. For players who enjoy strategy, this adds an element of balance forcing you to choose the most appropriate soldiers and units. TWB does have its share of issues. Not helped by any means from clunky control arrows, the gameplay is slow and deliberate. The units move at a snails pace, and the lack of a fast forward option will easily drag out a level to at least 10 minutes. In addition, the game does not include any directions beyond the basic information about each unit and structure. If youre not familiar with the Total War series, you can feel a little lost in the beginning. The game has Game Center support and achievements which does lessen the blow from the lack of a skirmish mode. But again, online play is sorely missing here. Total War Battles offers an engaging visual gameplay even with its shortcomings. With a focus on the animated battles which really are distinctive and entertaining, this lane-based strategy game delivers an atmospheric experience that most will find worthwhile. Albie Meter: 4 Stars (terrific visuals for a strategy game; campaign mode only and lacks skirmish and online gameplay; good deal of nuances adds to an otherwise strategy-laden game; slow paced with no fast forward option complemented by clunky arrow control buttons; GameCenter support and achievements)
Albie's reviews are always really well written. He might as well send them directly to Toucharcade, Touchgen, IGN or some other site.
Big Albie, How far did you get in the game? I'm thinking not very far at all, based on some inaccurate information in your review. Firstly, resources are not converted into gold which you use to buy units... Each units have a combination of different resources to build them. Gold is simpl one of those resources. The production buildings do not need to be placed near their respective resource, they instead get a boost in production if placed nearby. EXP missions are most certainly NOT combat free. A fair number have plenty of combat. The first two are the only two i recall not having combat. I don't mean to come across as being rude, it is very well written, however, it is not terribly accurate, and seems to make a lot of assumptions about gameplay.
As much as I love Albie's reviews, Ako brought up very valid points... I also think playing the EXP missions are a huge part of the gameplay experience, as they usually help add to your strategic decisions; once completed, almost always showing you ways to expand on where and how you place structures and units, as well as how you move them. I really think going through the game without completing the EXP levels would take just as long as if you stuck with it, figuring them out instead of retrying missions you might end up having a hard time completing. Anywho... Thanks to Albie for the review, and Ako for the info. I really believe TWB is a game that most strategy fans should check out... Hope you do... Also hope they decide to add a skirmish or MP mode... Would be FRIGGIN AWESOME!!
Well they did say look out for updates so imo I think it's either expanded play or.... SKIRMISH. I'm gonna bet on skirmish just because they probably know everyone wants it.
Skirmish is the only reason I'd want to play this game for. The puzzle like campaign and EXP missions bore me. Pretty sure Total War fans would agree with me on this.
I like Total War. I also like both filet mignon and a good tri-tip. Of course, it is a little startling to get one when you're expecting the other.
As a pretty solid fan of Total War, I like Battles. Would I rather have something closer to TW? Sure. But that doesn't mean Battles isn't good or enjoyable.
No, I think a majority of us will disagree with you. It really looks like you play the original TW franchise just for the skirmishes (recruit-attack blindly fingers crossed) and hated all their campaign (strategy). But I have to agree that using the TW name is just misleading marketing. As a TW fan, I think that this is an entertaining game enough with resemblance of Bloodshow and the campaign unit production of TW. Also, the exp missions are tough like a SOB but they do lead you to play better.
Oh whoops I figured that was some unclear expression on my part -_- What I really meant was, I think the majority of the people who played a TW game was for the skirmishes. You know, the free flowing battles. No puzzling elements but just your army against the enemy. Of course, that connected the word skirmish with the skirmish mode, which was implied in my original statement. Sry for the unclear expression. Anyhow, you would agree with me that you'd not like TW on PC (as much) if the campaign was a series of puzzle scenarios right?
Game Impressions I'm halfway through the final ten missions, and it appears so far that each of the mainline missions from this point on offer EXP upon completion. I have to test it some more, but it may be only if you have a three star victory. So it looks more and more like IAP is entirely optional. A note about skirmish mode, any mission can be replayed, and the AI makes use of different units and tactics each time. I suspect there will be a skirmish mode of some kind once the main campaign is completed, and may have something to do with the Sendai Code unlock in the options menu. Also, the campaign is basically a big tutorial introducing ne units and gameplay each step of the way. I'll be back with more info when i get that far, then sum up all my findings about the game. Oh, and ninja units are awesome!
Eww. But I guess they are trying to appeal to the more strategic/puzzle (rts/tbs hybrid) gamers. It'll be a pretty tough thing to live up to if they really did try to bring TW to ios. I've been playing it really slow (busy), and I'm finally at the end of the first island of some sort. Like I said before, the exp levels really do teach you some basic stuff such as figure out your placements before placing your buildings blindly, and if you want more money, then build more of that gold making yellow buildings. On the main campaign side, it has a slightly puzzley kinda feel to it in that you need to plan before placing both buildings and troops, and that it has a certain level of difficulty. But I've had fun with it so far. Couple of questions, what is focusing an order, order duration, sustain, reinforce and rain of steel?
so... I'm finally about to start spending my EXP points (I think...) anyone care to help with what would be the best thing to spend them on? Do all of these (1 per battle) upgrades really help that much?
Question: how "hard" is the game? I like games that aren't super easy, but I oft struggle with RTS games that get really tough. If spending a few extra dollars in IAP will make it significantly easier for people like me, I think I'd be okay with that. This just looks so damn cool that I am dying to hit the buy button.
