Alpha Centauri 2

Other Games => Old World/Mohawk Games => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on January 24, 2021, 09:13:15 PM

Title: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 24, 2021, 09:13:15 PM

https://www.mohawkgames.com/oldworld/

Somebody go unpack that for us.  Solver's a little excited...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 24, 2021, 09:32:00 PM

Game looks a good deal like 6.  Some cool stuff at that link if you poke around...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 24, 2021, 09:39:12 PM

I've cropped that shield -'cause it looks cool- and added it to the User Profile avatar gallery in the default stuff as "OldWorld".  Very Geo, I think.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: DrazharLn on January 25, 2021, 04:33:04 AM

This game has a shared action point pool for your whole empire per turn, which is an interesting mechanic also used in boardgames and in "At the gates", another innovative strategy videogame (tho, also a troubled game).

I think that following a dynasty is an interesting change, but I also hope that they don't just have familial dynasties. I'd really like to see different kinds of historical politics represented (Crusader Kings 3 is good for this, apparently, with lots of interesting tribal societies where power isn't just patrilineal.

Really, I'd like to be able to develop a society that is not ruled by divine right or might of arms or the wealthy (and in a game), and it would be nice if some games explored that.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Solver on January 25, 2021, 10:39:57 AM

Quote from: DrazharLn on January 25, 2021, 04:33:04 AM

This game has a shared action point pool for your whole empire per turn, which is an interesting mechanic also used in boardgames and in "At the gates", another innovative strategy videogame (tho, also a troubled game).

The Orders system is probably the best part of the game. That's what makes the game play so very differently.

Quote

I think that following a dynasty is an interesting change, but I also hope that they don't just have familial dynasties. I'd really like to see different kinds of historical politics represented (Crusader Kings 3 is good for this, apparently, with lots of interesting tribal societies where power isn't just patrilineal.

Really, I'd like to be able to develop a society that is not ruled by divine right or might of arms or the wealthy (and in a game), and it would be nice if some games explored that.

Old World doesn't go for the extreme detail of CK2 or CK3 politics, but it does represent politics and such. Different inheritance laws are possible. By marriage to other nations or tribes, your nation could be eventually ruled by someone who's 75% foreign, or by an adopted tribal character for instance.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 25, 2021, 02:52:06 PM

I note with wry amusement that Dale hints he's getting paid as a community manager/admin of a number of Old World related discords/Facebook group...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Solver on January 25, 2021, 03:18:18 PM

Dale and yours truly are on the Mohawk team!

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 25, 2021, 03:27:56 PM

Pimp out yo' project as nasty as you wanna be, good sir.

Heck, I'll let Dale back in here if he'll promise to  --- not even avoid minor squabbling w/ me, just no big malice pushes; we can handle the rest.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Geo on January 25, 2021, 05:48:17 PM

Mmm. Its the same price as for the latest (last?) expansion of Civ6.It reminds (visually) quite a bit to Civ4..

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 26, 2021, 08:31:13 PM

Solver, I assume the website needs updating on the words "Early Access" by now, or soon?

What are we looking at for timeline of full release?  You sound like it's A Finished Game, or close.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 26, 2021, 09:12:51 PM

Noting that everyone approves of Finished Games...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Solver on January 26, 2021, 11:23:17 PM

Early Access is accurate for now - the game entered Early Access last May, and it's still in that stage, with weekly updates. No release date yet, but it is very much a playable game already.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 26, 2021, 11:33:13 PM

No rough characterization when it will be maybe be done?  Perhaps if you double your actual estimate you will not disappoint...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Geo on January 27, 2021, 07:43:02 AM

"A game is never done. It is merely released."

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 23, 2021, 05:31:51 PM

A couple screenies - the leader art style strikes me as laudably less cartoonish than the last four iterations of Civ...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Unorthodox on August 26, 2021, 09:07:00 PM

Well, anyone ever get this thing? 

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Solver on August 26, 2021, 10:52:03 PM

Yes, and it's awesome :D

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 27, 2021, 08:44:53 PM

Tell us more, stranger...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Solver on August 27, 2021, 08:51:56 PM

I can only encourage people to buy it and judge for themselves!

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 27, 2021, 10:38:14 PM

So it's actually finished now?

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Solver on August 27, 2021, 11:00:34 PM

Yes. There will of course be tweaking, balance patching and all that, but it's a complete, released game, and it's really good.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Geo on August 29, 2021, 05:55:31 AM

What's the timeline on this game? Does it play entirely in the old/ancient world? Or does it progress through the ages to modern times?

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Solver on August 29, 2021, 12:08:32 PM

It's all ancient - classical antiquity pretty much. There are, intentionally, no dates in the game but  you could say it begins early in the Iron Age and ends sometime around the fall of Western Rome. Or in Civ terms, the game is Classical Age, with the final techs going a bit into Medieval.

Old World then doesn't have the global feel of Civ, but has a much more focused and in-depth experience for one period.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 25, 2022, 12:27:24 AM

So what's the word on full release?  I heard a rumor that something's close...

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: DrazharLn on April 25, 2022, 08:50:07 AM

It has been released since June 2021 on Epic. They've announced that they're coming to the steam store on 19th May with a new expansion.

https://mohawkgames.com/2022/04/15/old-world-steam-release-may-19/

I don't know where they're at with updates and bug fixes: they still release tweaks and bug fixes every few weeks, but when I played it prerelease it was pretty good so I'd say it is ready to play now.

If you're curious about it, maybe pick it up when it comes to steam and you'll get the expansion for free for a couple of weeks, too.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Rusty Edge on March 15, 2023, 06:57:41 PM

I didn't notice this when it was timely. I haven't been playing games much at all since the pandemic started. More focused on real life, although gaming probably would have prevented me frm grinding my teeth and other stress effects.

Anyway, since Civ IV was my favorite game of all time, and I enjoyed the way Dale and Solver modded it, I figured Old World was a must buy for me. It reminds me of a child of Civ V and Rome Total War, although an improvement over both.
Still in the tutorials and introductory scenarios. Sometimes frustrating, sometimes fun, it's immersive.  I'm learning. It makes time fly. So, it has the makings of a great game, but it's too soon for me to say much else.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Rusty Edge on May 24, 2023, 09:41:13 PM

I'm playing a game, drew Rome. If you don't know, this game has designated city sites. Some open, some held by barbarians, some held by tribes such as the Vandals and Numidians, others held by rival civilizations.  I did a good job of scouting early on, and secured 4 city sies, thwarting Carthage. Trouble was the borders of Carthage swelled and trapped me between them, a mountain range, and the borders of the map, so I might as well have been on the Italian peninsula, and cut off from my 5th secured site, with no way to get there. (I made some wrong choices and Babylon and Assyria declared war on me, but they couldn't reach me. I built up my army. Eventually they asked for peace.) Now Carthage has declared against me.

I love it when a strategy game simulates history. Well, if I take Carthage I'm not raising it. Hopefully I can do it in less than 3 wars!

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Rusty Edge on July 28, 2023, 10:51:13 PM

I'm really enjoying this game. Usually it's on a lower difficulty level so that I have more flexibilty to explore a "what if" I've never tried before (or didn't remember what happened when I did).

I loved the Civics system in Civ IV. It enabled me to "shift gears" as needed, like in times of world war. Hated the tree system in Civ V because it was a maze, and you couldn't change once you made a decision. You were on a path.

Olde World gets it Right!  You can change your laws when nescessary, for a half price sum of gavels. It doesn't matter if it's because you made a poor choice, or circumstances changed, or your strategy did. It lets you adapt.

Enjoying the role-playing dynamics. Do I take a lover/consort in hopes of producing an heir, but risking political consequences, or creating mortal enemies? It seems Biblically epic. When Sarah was childless, Abraham used her slave girl to produce a son, before she eventually had one of her own. When Jacob took a wife, it turned out to be a package deal of two sisters. When the sisters started competing to produce the first son, they got their servants in on the act, eventually resulting in 12 sons, but they didn't get along.
I'd like to see a David event chain in the game, triggered by a slinger unit killing a spear unit, following through with him becoming a member of court, becoming king, adding wives only to have the prince rebel against him , eventually dying and leaving the kingdom to Solomon, with some wars along the way.

 I liked seeing Jonah the prophet. It gives you an ancient world king's perspective of what a pain in the axe an Old Testament prophet could be.

Sure it can be frustrating in the game when your heir elopes, or becomes a useless drunk, or goes insane, but sometimes there's a worthy niece waiting in the wings. I've always been one of those guys that thought being able to improvise creatively after some bad luck or a surprise twist was as much a test of skill as a demonstration of logic, patience, or perserverance.

In a recent game ( I usually play random) the 2nd generation queen was asked to step down, the criticism being that she was no Queen Dido. I decided to roll with it. Abdication turned out to be a wise move, because when I installed the 2nd generation queen as Ambassador, she had a +95 foreign government score, and I was able to win peacefully.

Title: Re: Soren's New Game
Post by: Rusty Edge on August 04, 2023, 08:14:46 PM

I would have posted here more, but the forum was down.

Since l last posted I've been exploring the choose your nation/family/leader, etc. based upon starting position.
The first time I had an elephant in my starting location, so I took the Carthage/Hannibal approach. He died young. I tried a replay and he still died young. By that I mean 30ish.

Next game I drew a desert start and decided to play Egypt. I started with a 16 year-old king. Maybe he was a herbalist, or became one young. HE ruled for over 60 years and became known as "The Great" built about 7 wonders and dominated the board. At age 77 the 16 year old new king of Rome challenged me to a duel. Kinda weird, in that Rome loved me, but he didn't. I figured I was due to get sick and not recover, so why not explore this option? Not much to lose. He must have been too quick for me, because I died. But peace was preserved, and my heir won the game shortly after that.

So 61 years is a personal record for longest reign. I think my oldest monarch was Dido's daughter, who lived to be 82.