glad you guys like it! anyone of you playing on iOS 4.3? It seems there are graphic glitches when AA is activated. would be nice if anyone could confirm this. a scoreboard (GC) will be integrated along with the achievments for finishing the map with 1,2 or 3 stars and special hard/hordes achievments. mission select won't work, because of the linear setup of the game. your heroes would be lvl1 on each map, making the last maps too hard to finish. yeah, map 3 can be tough. have a look at the skills of the enemy commanders before choosing your starting points and beware of Ung Bulmitz. He is on mean bastard. thank you!
Well, here's a few additional thoughts. I am enjoying this game as well, but for those on the fence before the price change... This TBS game is on the hard side, and not quite as accessible as other TBS games. I think a tutorial might help with that. If you're familiar with Heroes of Might and Magic, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, etc. you'll be OK. However, the concepts of heroes and what the strengths are of each unit are not apparent until you play and get wiped out a few times. For instance, the first time one of my heroes got killed, I was dismayed to find out all of its units were also destroyed. This makes a difference in how you play the level, as the same happens to your enemy. Thus, I'm not sure that this one is for the masses as it stands right now. However, if you enjoy TBS games in general, the learning curve is gained after a few levels, and the depth of the game starts to shine. Again, for 99 cents the risk is very low, so if you think you might enjoy it, the time to pick it up is now.
I probably won't be able to play this for awhile, but I grabbed it last night. Looks very promising! Dave
hey drach, I understand your concerns. but exactly this fact is mentioned with the tutorial screen popping up before you place your heroes. An interactive tutorial would have been much better, I agree, but we just didn't had the time to do it. it seems that most people just click away the tutorial screens without reading them. whatever, I'll see to it that an interactive tutorial is integrated ASAP.
Well I found out why I was dying. I was not adding troops. I am finally getting the concept of the game after many tries. The game is deep but man is it hard. For newcomers like me it is almost a turn-off. On the bright side I do enjoy challenging games so will continue to play, but as I have said before, there should have been an interactive tut, at least for the first fight. Thanks for adding devs. So in conclusion, this game appeals to hardcore tbs fans, which based on this thread is quite plenty. However, I doubt it will be getting much new fans.
I am not a hardcore tbs guy and am about as tactically inept as they come. That being said I read the tutorial popups and had no problems so far at all. That's just my experience though, so if your a terrible gamer like me don't be worried this is no where as difficult as titles like ravenmark. That is not to put ravenmark down just putting this in perspective.
.... I cant wait to play this over the weekend, I also found out its alot better if you dont go charging in with your heroes because it's game over if one of them die. So it's better to kind of let your troops wittle them down then send your heroes to mop up so to speak. Anyone else have some good tips?
charging with your heroes is very, I mean VERY, dangerous. always protect them and heal them when they're low on HP and enemies are in range! as I said before: one of the fun things about this game is the balance between whether you should kill enemy heroes quickly or fight high risk battles trying to kill their units, too. you can always try to kill enemy heroes quickly (thus suffering an experience points loss, because of not killing their units) -> it makes your life easier, but your own guys won't level up as quickly. sometimes a tough decision.
Well, I went back to the tutorial again and I read where they did mention that. I guess it didn't make that strong an impression when I first read it. Of course, there are so many screens presented initially when you start playing that it's a lot to take in at once. You just jump into the action and have to learn everything at once, and so I didn't remember it. Once I saw it in action, it DID make a strong impression of course. It's not a strong critique of the game really. I quite enjoy playing it. However, to broaden a game's appeal it usually helps to make a gentle learning curve in the beginning with the important points emphasized for us simpletons. Like I mentioned earlier, this is a game more in the vein of a Battle for Wesnoth which didn't really hold your hand either. I really loved that game, and I have a feeling I'll be playing this one for a while too. I have not played Ravenmark so I can't compare it, but it does feel like Heroes of Might and Magic, which I have played.
.. Smut congrats on the front page article! 4 stars and I dont know if I ever have seen a article that long before LOL
I have no idea how this got past me. I adore TBS games like these. Seems like it is a good ointment for a Fire Emblem itch, hah. I'll be scooping this up once I get home from work. Looks EASILY worth the dollar.
any feedback guys? anyone finished the game yet? if so, on what difficulty level? ah, a great review! a good start into the weekend!
..... Ok so I am at the part where we are in the middle of a road and we are surrounded pretty much, a new boss is here he uses a gun. It's freaking hard to pass this level, I am on the lowest diff setting to! Any tips?
Hmmm Well i restarted the map and looks like i didnt have my guys leveled up and i didnt have some weapons equipped i found. So that might help lol
.... Beat the map! Just remember to equip weapons u find and put skill points in when your guys lv! Double tap there portrait when they lv and u are in a map.
I played a few maps and really enjoying this. I like how you can have the troops controlled manually or have the AI controlled. Hordes mode setting is really fun. The leveling system is a bit tricky, as I now have one hero several levels above the other hero. I wish we could have all of the experience pooled together, so then I can keep my heroes at about the same level (by choosing which hero to leve-up). Btw, I'm having graphical glitches on my iPad2 with the anti-liasing turned on. The banner posts on both the main menu and where the heroes starts have strange polygonal sprites all-round them. When I turn it off, the graphics look fine.
Time of Heroes: 3D Strategy with Looks and Depth One of the common knocks for games in the iTunes store is they tend to be mostly skin deep experiences with minimal depth. While that topic could be an article on its own, one thing is for certain. Smuttlewerk Interactive’s Time of Heroes is among the richest and deepest when it comes to turn-based strategy (TBS) with great 3D animation that should provide hours of challenging and even vast gameplay. It’s safe to say that that Time of Heroes is designed for the advanced gamer in mind, while casual players will enjoy it for the aesthetics and well-developed storyline. Presented through cutscenes, the storyline follows Prince Minos and his team of human heroes Rholtwest, Ariadne, and Ungbar as they seek to conquer the continent of Altland. Along the way, they meet Elven Hero Ryrrmdaar and Dwarven Hero Ultomuk who join in this war between good and evil. With the help of human, elven and dwarf forces, these explorers will do battle with the likes of demons and zombies who display strength, brawn and magical prowess. Sounds exciting right? Fortunately, the gameplay in Time of Heroes more than successfully take advantage of that storyline to create an action-packed experience. The game offers 3 modes of difficulty—easy, normal and hard—along with a setting that allows players to select the volume of enemies—Pack, Throng and Hordes. A nice feature is the 3 save slots so you can try out different strategies. A bit of warning: unless you’re an advanced player in TBS, the game isn’t exactly a walk in the park so it’s recommended that begin in easy and pack modes. As with any strategy game, the challenge and skill in Time of Heroes comes down to selecting and placing the appropriate battle units based on the battle conditions and objectives. The battles take place in a series of distinctive maps each with its own set of objectives that must be met in order to claim victory. There are a number of units for our heroes within the human, elven and dwarven races. Humans rely on Berserker, Axethrower, and Bullrider, while Elvens have Dragonlings. Let’s not forget the Dwarvens with their Guards and Mortar Dwarves. You’ll find each unit has a number of attributes when it comes to strength, power and even environmental preferences. For example, human race Berserkers are known for their skill with battle axes and courage under fire while Mortar Dwarves are heavily armored, highly intelligent beings. This is just touching the surface, but players will have plenty to discover during gameplay. Visually, Time of Heroes sets itself apart in the TBS genre with great 3D graphics and animation. The battle scenes are a treat to watch since they can be both intense and engaging. The game does offer an option to turn off these scenes since they do add significantly to the already slow game pace. Some players will be turned off by the length of time involved, but as mentioned earlier, Time of Heroes isn’t really designed for the casual gamer. The UI in Time of Heroes is rather clunky and even unintuitive at least initially. For example, a unit becomes permanently placed once you select another unit which can be confusing. Another involves being to select exactly where a unit is to move because units tend to be closely lined up together early on. Of course after playing through a few battles and maps, the controls much more usable, but they remain less than user friendly. Because the tutorial is rather basic, the game does require a certain commitment to understanding the nuances. This can be a frustrating and in some cases, an overwhelming experience given the amount of depth. A common approach in other games is including an encyclopedia where players can find information on specific units and background on environments. Time of Heroes would be well served to include such a reference in a future update. As players progress and claim victories, bonus items, powers and spells are awarded which heroes and units can utilize. Items include strength axes, power rings, swords and battle armor among others while spells include fire, vortex and ice rays. The game includes an easily manageable skills tree that where commands and spells can be accessed. The gameplay itself forces players to use their strategic thinking if they’re to succeed. Because of the strengths and weaknesses of units and the variety in the terrain, the game can be difficult. And, players will find out quickly that additional enemy units tend to appear out of the blue as you reach certain checkpoints. This can be both fun and challenging especially since by this time, hero units may have taken a significant amount of damage. Keep in mind that Heroes (not Hero units) can receive health boosts during the game as they level up in attack, defense and skills experience. Time of Heroes has IAPs which provide additional weapons, magic and power boosts bundles. Fortunately, the IAPs are set up so that they aren’t necessary to fully enjoy the game. Time of Heroes is easily one of the deepest strategy games in the iTunes store. While it has a rather clunky UI, the game provides a rich and entertaining experience within a great looking 3D environment and epic storyline. The slower pace may not appeal to casual players, but the Time of Heroes is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for some intelligence in your game. Albie Meter: 4 Stars (a great looking 3D TBS that goes beyond skin deep; strong storyline with depth being the name of the game; clunky UI not as intuitive as it could be; tons of hero and enemy units with plenty of bonus items and powers; ideal for advanced strategy players)
