Age of Wonders 3
Anyone played AoW 3 yet? I've sworn off BG till the BG2EE patch comes out and after a brief stint at TOEE I saw that AoW3 is finally out. Just started and pleasantly surprised. Graphics are more modern but still cute and at least after the first day it's decently challenging. While I was peacefully building my cities with a few tier 1 and 2 units popping treasures I got attacked by a tier 4 AI war machine with my elven pants down 
I'm certain that once I get a better hang of build strategies etc. it will become easy again but at the least the beginning was harder than expected - nice!
One big change from the old games: heroes are much weaker than in the past and gone are the days that you can conquer the map just with a few mobile hero units.
2 weeks after release and the first patch is out btw *hint* *hint*
Technical note: I'm actually running it on an imac with Parallels in 2580x1440 with high graphics setting without having to use Bootcamp - very nice, GOG BG2 couldn't run in Parallels without stuttering graphics.
I'm certain that once I get a better hang of build strategies etc. it will become easy again but at the least the beginning was harder than expected - nice!One big change from the old games: heroes are much weaker than in the past and gone are the days that you can conquer the map just with a few mobile hero units.
2 weeks after release and the first patch is out btw *hint* *hint*
Technical note: I'm actually running it on an imac with Parallels in 2580x1440 with high graphics setting without having to use Bootcamp - very nice, GOG BG2 couldn't run in Parallels without stuttering graphics.
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Comments
*runs to Google*
*scrambles to type Age of Wonders 3*
*pounces*
The last Age of Wonder game I played was Shadow Magic, which was...interesting, to say the least. I still play the first installment to this day. So classy! But I have gotten tired of the same scenario maps... This kind of made my day.
Anywhoes, ask me again tomorrow. xD
I've played up to level 4 of the Commonwealth campaign (then ragequit) and level 2 of the High Elf campaign (then ragequit). I'm planning to go back to either this weekend.
It's a really good game. There's some major differences from AoW1/2/SM, chief among them being the depowering of Heroes. In the other games, if you had a hero with Defense maxed out, he was basicly a god who couldn't be touched. Add in a (self-created) item with Lifestealing, First Strike and Double Strike and he certainly couldn't be killed. Now, Defense isn't as powerful (units always hit, defense lowers the damage with X percent) and increasing defense costs more level-points the more points you put into it. The problem is that almost every level has a "Lose this hero, lose the level" rule and the AI knows this so they'll usually ignore most of your other units to kill that hero. It can be pretty cheap at times.
Anyway, citybuilding is good, tactics are good, the relative power of the units is good (in previous games, T1-2 units were completely pointless once you had T3-4 units, now they're still moderately useful).
The combination of race and hero class is interesting. Your main guy in a level is one of six classes and that class determines what spells and/or abilities he gets. It also determines several special units you can build. For instance, a sorcerer can have a wizard tower in every city that produces apprentices, a dreadnaught can have musketeers, cannons and flamethrowers built, a druid has hunters and shamans, etc. Taking over a Goblin city also means you can produce goblin units, goblin pikemen and warg riders but also the specialty unit of your class. So if you're a sorcerer and you take over a goblin city, you can then produce goblin apprentices. Considering the various races have various strengths and weaknesses (Elves move faster through forests but are weak to Blight damage, dwarves can move through mountains but have less movement overall, etc) you can get really varied units.
It also sometimes leads to very strange units suchs as orcish Angel units (from the Priest class) or dwarven succubi (winged bearded dwarven ladies, awww yeah).
Good game, really recommend it to people.
I've finished two single scenario maps in AoW 1, and am struggling with the first single scenario map in AoW 2.
I'm finding AoW 2 to be strikingly different from AoW 1. So far, I really prefer the AoW 1 system better, where your leader can also be your superhero. I don't mind that he eventually gets so powerful he can handle small armies by himself - it makes the game feel more like D&D.
In AoW 2, I'm still getting used to the idea of the leader being a "wizard" who needs to stay in his tower and lead from afar, and to the whole idea of magical domain influence. I may come to like it better later.
The music is great, especially in AoW 1. I like the artistic style, too. These games are so much like Heroes of Might and Magic, I'm really surprised I missed them when they were originally released.
Anyway, if AoW 3 is in the same spirit as the first two, I'm sure I'll come to love it, too. Plus, I'll have the advantage of having waited until the game is in a high state of polish.
I'm glad to see an AoW topic started here. I've been playing it over about the past three weeks, and I was interested whether other people from the BG forums were into or had been into the AoW franchise.
Waiting for patches now
No Frostlings or Tigrans makes me sad
But overall, I am very pleased with the game thus far. It needs work and I really look forward to future expansions/DLC, but it's solid and enjoyable in single or multiplayer.
Perhaps the Steam Summer Sale will be kind to me in the coming months... *sigh*
In AoW3 as @Drugar has pointed out as well heroes are much much weaker and it feels more like an army game. I'm in the second scenario now hoarding some magic items so they are getting better but I doubt they will ever be as dominating as before.
AoW-SM is much much better in that regard, even though the feature to create customized items doesn't really help to keep the game balanced.
AoW3 sounds very interesting. I'll definitely purchase it once the first patches are out.
I have forgotten what the sun looks like, and how fresh air tastes. And I am fine with that. Which is the worst part, really.
And to think, this is just after 2 days. This might be the last time you all hear from me. Know that I died how I lived; playing video-games.
So that even when you manage to tear yourself away from AoW the ipad invites you to a long list of buildings that finished production and sworn swords that came back from quests. Leaving them idle would be a sin, no? And after they are sent to work again, hell, there is AoW waiting for you and it's only one more turn...
Not that I am admitting to anything, no...
It's a great mod for a great game. I highly recommend it.
It's not vital to the storyline (the story of the commonwealth and high elves is all new and the game itself provides the background) but there are a lot of references to previous games in NPC's and unit descriptions that you might miss.
For example, in Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic, you eventually get an undead hero named Joseph on your team. If you've played the previous Age of Wonders, you recognise him as King Joseph, leader of Men and main antagonist of the original game.
It's not vital to know, but really cool.
The few issues I have with the game (such as the AI dogpiling on the Hero you need to keep alive, just so you lose the combat, for example) are not addressed.
Ultimately, it doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the game, it's minor tweaks but it's clear I'm not the target audience for this patch.
Edit; http://ageofwonders.com/update-v1-2-is-here/
Oh, and new classes--that'll be hot