Reinhart
Veteran
Hey everyone, it's been a while. I'm back for a while but mostly only to spread the word about another Indie game that's worth mentioning... though I don't think Mount & Blade can ever lose the title of best Indie game ever from in my book.
The game is called The Continuum and it launched about four days ago from a lengthy stay in Beta, similar to what our beloved Mount & Blade is about to do. I'll do this in review format to better explain the game's finer points, it's been a while since I've written one though so bare with me.
The Continuum (http://www.thecontinuum.com/)
Overview
The Continuum is a collectible strategy game with RPG elements and a vivid plan for the future. Developed by 7L (Seven Lights) it is an independent work which is both brilliant and flawed. Imagine the combination of a CCG and Strategy RPG, throw in a comic which is influenced by the game, and influences the game itself along with promised future releases of new sets of characters and a plethora of features and you have an addictive and compelling flavor of game. Currently the devs are offering 15 free characters which function like any others for as long as the player wants. It is pay-to-play in a sense, but it is optional, and there is no monthly fee, more on that later.
Gameplay
This is certainly the meat and potatoes of this title, but there is little meat and potatoes about it. One begins by forming armies and then squads which make up the army which is composed of individual characters. Each squad is composed of up to 20 characters and an army may apparently hold as many squads as the player has the characters for. The customization involved in building squads is quite amazing. You may rename all of your armies, squads and characters to whatever you wish, if you wish. Each character gains experience in battle and levels up, granting it AP (Ability points) which may be spent on a skill tree which may grant the characters increased power and/or new abilities. It is entirely possible to have two characters of the same type and design them to do nearly totally different things. There are also items which can be found on the battle field and each character can use one weapon, one piece of armor and one misc. item.
Battles are handled on grid maps with varying terrain (such as forests, mountains, etc.) which influences the outcome of battles by offering defense bonuses. When two squads meet in battle each squad is displayed on either side of the screen. Then, you issue orders to your characters. Most characters most of the time will simply be attacking but you may issue and target abilities on the enemy characters if they are available. Then, a general command is selected for the squad which acts in a rock-paper-scissors sort of way such as: attack < charge < ranged attack < attack There are also other commands such as: defend, ranged defense, hold the line or retreat. Battle is broken up into three rounds which are all resolved in this fashion, each round is then calculated based on the commands given and then the characters carry out their orders and damage is dealt. If both squads are still standing at the end of the round (which is nearly certain in their first engagement) the screen reverts to the strategy screen where the squads are moved. This continues until the victory conditions are met.
Battles are joined by issuing challenges from the lobby or creating an open challenge, the game setup screen is then presented and the limit on army strength (or PV, point value) may be established, the time alloted to make moves or issue orders, the victory conditions and the battlefield. Then, armies are adjusted to meet the PV limits (if necessary) and the battle begins, no muss, no fuss.
Story
It's there, there are currently three online comics about the story behind the world. Apparently, four different "realities" or worlds are converging and this is causing all sorts of strife and war and unhappiness and the game and comics are all about this struggle. Story isn't the focus of the game from what I can tell, but for an online game that isn't strictly an RPG it has a rather impressive story and while the comics are a bit confusingly drawn sometimes they look mostly professional and have a sort of charm about them. The most intriguing aspect is that the devs promise that the comic will impact the game and the game will impact the comic, so, the players drive the progression of the story and are in turn effected by it. Oh and there is apparently a small group of role players as well.
Payment Plan
The game is technically free to play. Upon signing up for a free account you are given 15 (fixed) characters which may level up, use equipment and function just as non-free characters do. There are no limitations besides this: If you do not invest some actual money and buy starter or boosters packs (think card packs) you will have those 15 characters and just those 15 characters forever. You can purchase 5,000 Element (the in-game currency) for 20 USD. Starter Packs and Booster Packs have "bonus" characters in them for two weeks after launch and you can end up with well over 120 characters for $20 which can build a rather large army of 6+ full squads allowing you to compete in the "full game" so to speak. There is no monthly fee, so, if you wish to just go with $10-$20 in troops you can and you'll never have to pay a dime again.
It should also be noted that while the community is still small, it is devoted, helpful and friendly.
Issues and Gripes
-Bugs are a problem as of this writing. There are several which plague game flow and while pre-release these bugs were nearly non-existent they have returned with the new features implemented (we all know how this goes with M&B ^_^) the devs' are of course working diligently on fixing them.
-USD --> Element --> Characters. I do not understand why you have to convert your money to element and THEN purchase troops. The option to buy packs with straight money is there, but more expensive.
-Tutorials and information are scattered throughout the site. For anyone wanting to read about the game before playing it, you'll have to do a bit of digging. While an official manual exists it does little to explain the nitty gritty of the game play, requiring you to delve into the forums, ask a bunch of questions or get stomped in a few games to understand.
-EXTREMELY steep learning curve. Will drive away players without patience.
-Server problems. Apparently they are new but occasionally there are issues with the server being stressed and performing tasks such as upgrading units or building armies becomes a painful task. Problems also apparently (though rarely) result in wins/losses not being recorded from a game.
-In the end to get the full enjoyment out of the game you have to pay money. It isn't a personal gripe but a lot of people will be turned off by it. A lot of people have, there are threads in the forums about it.
Verdict 8 / 10
Do you like deep strategy games? Do you like CCG's? Do you like Indie games? If you answered yes to all of these questions give The Continuum a shot. I'd give this game a 9 but the bugs drive it down.
The game is called The Continuum and it launched about four days ago from a lengthy stay in Beta, similar to what our beloved Mount & Blade is about to do. I'll do this in review format to better explain the game's finer points, it's been a while since I've written one though so bare with me.
The Continuum (http://www.thecontinuum.com/)
Overview
The Continuum is a collectible strategy game with RPG elements and a vivid plan for the future. Developed by 7L (Seven Lights) it is an independent work which is both brilliant and flawed. Imagine the combination of a CCG and Strategy RPG, throw in a comic which is influenced by the game, and influences the game itself along with promised future releases of new sets of characters and a plethora of features and you have an addictive and compelling flavor of game. Currently the devs are offering 15 free characters which function like any others for as long as the player wants. It is pay-to-play in a sense, but it is optional, and there is no monthly fee, more on that later.
Gameplay
This is certainly the meat and potatoes of this title, but there is little meat and potatoes about it. One begins by forming armies and then squads which make up the army which is composed of individual characters. Each squad is composed of up to 20 characters and an army may apparently hold as many squads as the player has the characters for. The customization involved in building squads is quite amazing. You may rename all of your armies, squads and characters to whatever you wish, if you wish. Each character gains experience in battle and levels up, granting it AP (Ability points) which may be spent on a skill tree which may grant the characters increased power and/or new abilities. It is entirely possible to have two characters of the same type and design them to do nearly totally different things. There are also items which can be found on the battle field and each character can use one weapon, one piece of armor and one misc. item.
Battles are handled on grid maps with varying terrain (such as forests, mountains, etc.) which influences the outcome of battles by offering defense bonuses. When two squads meet in battle each squad is displayed on either side of the screen. Then, you issue orders to your characters. Most characters most of the time will simply be attacking but you may issue and target abilities on the enemy characters if they are available. Then, a general command is selected for the squad which acts in a rock-paper-scissors sort of way such as: attack < charge < ranged attack < attack There are also other commands such as: defend, ranged defense, hold the line or retreat. Battle is broken up into three rounds which are all resolved in this fashion, each round is then calculated based on the commands given and then the characters carry out their orders and damage is dealt. If both squads are still standing at the end of the round (which is nearly certain in their first engagement) the screen reverts to the strategy screen where the squads are moved. This continues until the victory conditions are met.
Battles are joined by issuing challenges from the lobby or creating an open challenge, the game setup screen is then presented and the limit on army strength (or PV, point value) may be established, the time alloted to make moves or issue orders, the victory conditions and the battlefield. Then, armies are adjusted to meet the PV limits (if necessary) and the battle begins, no muss, no fuss.
Story
It's there, there are currently three online comics about the story behind the world. Apparently, four different "realities" or worlds are converging and this is causing all sorts of strife and war and unhappiness and the game and comics are all about this struggle. Story isn't the focus of the game from what I can tell, but for an online game that isn't strictly an RPG it has a rather impressive story and while the comics are a bit confusingly drawn sometimes they look mostly professional and have a sort of charm about them. The most intriguing aspect is that the devs promise that the comic will impact the game and the game will impact the comic, so, the players drive the progression of the story and are in turn effected by it. Oh and there is apparently a small group of role players as well.
Payment Plan
The game is technically free to play. Upon signing up for a free account you are given 15 (fixed) characters which may level up, use equipment and function just as non-free characters do. There are no limitations besides this: If you do not invest some actual money and buy starter or boosters packs (think card packs) you will have those 15 characters and just those 15 characters forever. You can purchase 5,000 Element (the in-game currency) for 20 USD. Starter Packs and Booster Packs have "bonus" characters in them for two weeks after launch and you can end up with well over 120 characters for $20 which can build a rather large army of 6+ full squads allowing you to compete in the "full game" so to speak. There is no monthly fee, so, if you wish to just go with $10-$20 in troops you can and you'll never have to pay a dime again.
It should also be noted that while the community is still small, it is devoted, helpful and friendly.
Issues and Gripes
-Bugs are a problem as of this writing. There are several which plague game flow and while pre-release these bugs were nearly non-existent they have returned with the new features implemented (we all know how this goes with M&B ^_^) the devs' are of course working diligently on fixing them.
-USD --> Element --> Characters. I do not understand why you have to convert your money to element and THEN purchase troops. The option to buy packs with straight money is there, but more expensive.
-Tutorials and information are scattered throughout the site. For anyone wanting to read about the game before playing it, you'll have to do a bit of digging. While an official manual exists it does little to explain the nitty gritty of the game play, requiring you to delve into the forums, ask a bunch of questions or get stomped in a few games to understand.
-EXTREMELY steep learning curve. Will drive away players without patience.
-Server problems. Apparently they are new but occasionally there are issues with the server being stressed and performing tasks such as upgrading units or building armies becomes a painful task. Problems also apparently (though rarely) result in wins/losses not being recorded from a game.
-In the end to get the full enjoyment out of the game you have to pay money. It isn't a personal gripe but a lot of people will be turned off by it. A lot of people have, there are threads in the forums about it.
Verdict 8 / 10
Do you like deep strategy games? Do you like CCG's? Do you like Indie games? If you answered yes to all of these questions give The Continuum a shot. I'd give this game a 9 but the bugs drive it down.
