Comments on: Thoughts: Rise of Nations Extended Edition

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 19:04:08 +0000

on the combat, fwiw you do double damage if firing into a units flank instead of its front, so imo this game rewards real tactics more than almost any other RTS. Combine that with the attrition and supply mechanics, and you’ve got the makings of a decent wargame

By: Rise of Nations, An Insignia of the RTS Genre - GameSpeak Magazine

Rise of Nations, An Insignia of the RTS Genre - GameSpeak Magazine — Thu, 30 May 2024 19:12:09 +0000

[…] (Image Source) […]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 16:54:49 +0000

I loved RON when it was originally released, and have been thinking recently about the rereleases of AoE2 and RON, and their very differently popularity.

I have been reading reviews of the two games, and playing them, and I believe this is the most insightful review of RON since the game was launched. Back then it got oodles of praise but it never got to AOE2 levels of popularity. ROL, the “sequel”, was a total flop. I have been trying to understand why.

This review is the first I have read that captures the matter – RON is an economic game, not one of conquest, and while it is fun to build your empire at the end of the game you end up feeling like the payoff never came – even if you won.

The various toys you have by endgame – special forces, nukes, etc – all feel a little “meh” in the grand scheme of things because of the way that combat unfolds – which is just a rush of body count really.

Particularly in the endgame, when your cities dont need any more management and your focus is on combat, is when RON really loses steam. Its fun to build an empire, but for what?

The emphasis on action, and the simplicity & interactivity of the economic model (people bitch about having to rebuild farms, but its at least a simple thing to understand and do, and that feels good), is what I believe makes AoE2 a more popular game.

By: Ninja Foodstuff

Ninja Foodstuff — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 20:09:57 +0000

> Posts have been a bit spotty on here recently, which is entirely down to work suddenly rearing its ugly head and leaving me with precious little time to play games, let alone write about them. I shall attempt to rectify the situation this week. STAY TUNED.

You’re going to quit your job?

By: Darren

Darren — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 13:58:29 +0000

I’m glad you pointed out the animations. I always wondered why the units looked kind of janky, especially in Rise of Legends. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing a Rise of Legends re-release, as it’s got some neat ideas as well and some genuinely cool unit designs.

By: Darren

Darren — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 13:42:00 +0000

I prefer a “build everything” approach over something like Starcraft, where you are essentially doomed if you don’t have a precise army composition tailored for the very specific circumstances you find yourself in.

I’ve never been good with spies and commandos, either, but the AI knows how to make use of them, and they are extremely effective.

And yes, 2-3 efficient cities is really all you need.

By: Gap Gen

Gap Gen — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 08:39:46 +0000

The scenario bolts onto the tribute system various triggers, like Finland leaving if you don’t invest enough in it, or buying nukes. There are also events like North Korea offering to become a client state if you play the USSR, or interventions in Vietnam, etc. The missions are also mostly tailor-made with maps of the regions, although they’re often not *that* satisfying and you still have the odd thing of levelling up in the library during an invasion of Brazil. You also have the option of spending 20 tribute a turn on a custom-made espionage mission, which gives you various perks or causes a region to turn to your side. It is a cut-down version of the full game, but there are a lot of new features added. I think it was originally part of the add-on pack for the game, hence the extra attention paid to it.

By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 21:41:34 +0000

Er, this was supposed to be a reply to Gap Gen.

By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 18:22:02 +0000

Actually, there’s a little button at the very top middle of the screen that will let you access the Library at all times. Very handy.

By: Hentzau

Hentzau — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 15:58:08 +0000

It’s definitely not terrible and has some thought put into it, but the army composition seemed to be just a matter of making sure you had a mix of everything — so one barracks building light infantry, another building heavy infantry, another building machine guns etc etc. I must admit I never tried to use spies/commandos, though, since their abilities seemed like they’d be too micro-y in a game that was all about the macro.

The exponentional growth is a good — if gamey — way to prioritise efficiency over simply building more cities. Once I’d figured out what was going on and started maximising the potential of my current cities over building new ones the time it took me to reach the Information Age was cut by around 25%.