Battle for Maelaru v0.97a

[Moderator]

11:18, 22nd May 2009 by bounty hunter2:
Approved with a 2/5 (Lacking) rating.

You can find my full review at post #12.

 

[Zelda.Alex]

Battle for Maelaru v0.95 is an Aos type map. The map's gameplay is interesting me so i am sure to play it again.

The things i have to say about this map:
1.....Don't place change log on the loading screen do it in the quest menu if you want to.
Some explanation of the game story placed here will be much better.
2.....You have placed good instructions inside the game
3.....there is some lag in the game. When i am moving my camera then it moves with slight pauses.
4.....Nice terrain. Can be improved near the city of Maelaru . There is only one tileset there. Try some different too or place some building around it. Kind of empty looking near that.
5.....The tips that kept on appearing. The abilities described are of heroes but they can be useless in case the tips are not about the heroes inside the game. It would become much better if the tips were only about the heroes present in the game.
6.....Spells need some more description from the point of view of their abilities on higher levels.
7.....the way the units are dividing into the 2 paths & the way the high amount of forces are eliminated by one side. This is great.
8......if only an AI had been present for making the computer use the gold it gained to upgrade units it would have been much more interesting.
9......The saving & loading time are quite high. They will spoil the gameplay.
10.....If one of my soldiers is able to break through the towers then he will be able to destroy the town center. Seems odd in case that there is whole lot of army of the side whose town center the soldier is attacking. To solve this some creeps should summon from the town center too.
11.......If one of the town center are destroyed my soldiers still keep on going to that side but instead they should stop going to that side & be diverted to the only other player standing against me.
12.......Only if you had placed some neutral creeps it would have been better.

My Rating: 3/5

 

[BurninRose]

I have tried my best to deal with both the lag and the load time; unfortunately, most of it is nearly impossible to reduce without drastically changing the map.

The tips are intended for new players, so the ones that relate to helpful items or units seem perfectly valid to me; the tips about heroes specifically relate to useful information about fighting that hero. If he has a tricky ultimate, or something happens when he dies, it's tip-worthy, but not all of them are.

I've considered neutral creeps, and I may put in some boss mobs, but I won't through creeps in across the map.

I've also considered putting neutral versions of the shops in the base at the tower of maelaru.

If the forces from one side are diverted it completely destroys the balance. While one side can amass a huge force, when they push into a base they are facing twice as many troops. This is why there are so few towers. If the troops suddenly were evened, There would be close to no defense for the defending base. I know it's kind of an eyesore, but I can't think of anything better to do with those troops.

 

[Zelda.Alex]

I played it in multiplayer this time using Arcanist again
1.....If i use mine before choosing hero then whatever i do i cannot use the choose button to take hero into the game
2.....If i use mine then i can gain control over just any unit whether it is mine or the enemy's unit or hero.
3......The computer players deaths are not shown by the bar that is present
4......Valor's mirror images are too bad. They completely differ in color making it quite easy for me tell which one is true one.
5.......When star knight uses his ability to stun(don't know the name of the ability) then the units of his side are also affected due to this spell.

 

[BurninRose]

The last 4 are intentional. the "Mine" command is only available in Single Player, so it's somewhat of a cheat.

I assume you mean the illusions from the Celestial's Reflection ability, which deal damage anyways, and take less. They are less of a confusion, and more basic support (Not intended to seem like the original hero or unit too much).

The Star Knight's innate is intended that way.

 

[Zelda.Alex]

You should not place cheats in the map. Just my view.

 

[BurninRose]

It's only functions in Single Player, and it's mostly intended for controlling what units the enemy spawns, since they won't choose on their own.

 

[Zelda.Alex]

Due to the mine command there is a problem. Although it helps to decide the units the opponent will spawn but if i use it on an opponent's barracks then the units spawning from it also has the upgrades which i have researched.

 

[BurninRose]

Yeah, they also can't research upgrades or spend their money. Some of the hero spells are intended to scale with creep upgrades, so it's good that it works that way IMO. In any case, the game is primarily Multiplayer

 

[Zelda.Alex]

Where is the Changelog?

 

[BurninRose]

The complete changelog is on the site.

 

[bounty hunter2]

bounty hunter2's Review on Battle for Maelaru v0.97a

Battle for Maelaru v0.97a is a three way AoS map, where a player takes control of a hero, and with the help of his allies and units must defeat the other factions.

The terrain is average. You shouldn't use Blizzard cliffs, rather the height tool, it is much, much better. More tiles would be better. The idea is somewhat original, however the heroes aren't. The spells are lacking and not so original. The loading time is immense, and lag is present. You require quite some improvements, but the idea, as I said is somewhat original and the map is well, okay to play, not too boring. You should package it up better aswell.

Approved with a 2/5 (Lacking) rating.