First Impression of DEMO

[rick334]

This is my opinion and I already know many will disagree with me. I hope I am just missing somthing, does someone know of a listing of what the demo does not include.

1) Is there no speech

2) Units are jerky when moving - not due to FPS, I have 80 throughout the entire demo game, but more like not enough frames were put in the animations and they jerk when they move

3) Where is the speech and music ?

4) Graphics (This one is killing me) they are not very clear and crisp. The edges on the units are blocky and smeared, not crisp and straigh.

**I have all graphics turned up and a good system with Radeon 9700 turned all the way as well @ 32 bit**

In my opinion I was really disappointed with the game. Cancelled my preorder. I hope I find that I was missing somthing the whole time from the Demo that was just not included. The graphics are really what is killing me, they just seem so fake, the units don't look like they belong in the environment. What are you opinions ? Do you know if the Demo is missing some of the features I mentioned above (Especially not clarity of graphics option ?).

[Grandpa Troll]

Me..I rather like the demo..mind you..a DEMO VERSION but..I like it..i played 45 minutes..but no save on the demo...or at least not mine..

I think this game has great potential..I am not being Pompous or arrogant..I just play them..not build 'em..and my thanks to the hardworkers at BHG!

I will reserve my "personal stamp" until the full version reaches Trolldom

But, I do like what I am seeing as of now, I am running WinXP, 1.5 gig Athlon Processor 512 RAM 64 bit Radeon Graphics Card....Runs like a champ.

Graphics could be a little better..maybe more like AOEII:The Conquerors.....but..I can hange in exchange for an empire builder..which is what I enjoy immersing myself in......

So...My vote is a "Passing Grade" and looking forward to fullretail version...20th..I presume?


Peace

Grandpa Troll

[FrostyBoy]

It would be greater if the units were 2D animated, but I guess it takes too much ram? I'm not sure why game designers out there choose this style. I'm glad they kept the 2D buildings and plantlife though, that was a good move.

I do agree that 2D units are much crisper and easier to see than the blocky type that all the new RTS games come out with now days. I remember when AOE first came out, I remember seeing a horse unit that 'glided' on the terrain, beautiful transitions and animation work, I don't understand what was wrong with that? Why have games decided to stop doing that and do this blocky stuff? Can't they see that it is ugly and no one really likes it? (At least I don't think ppl would like it)

[windupmerchant]

In the full game does the quick battle have saving?

[Grandpa Troll]

Well, after several Hours, I am upping my position and so far, am pleased with how the game unfolds..I like the ai attacks and we will see with full version come Tuesday..but..seems like a pretty kewl game

Will..post..tommorrow after i play more....

Peace

Grandpa Troll

[One_Dead_Villy]

i'm of the opinion also that RTS looses nothing in 2D....ive played braveheart where u can rotate the camera and all that...but really after awhile its just easier to keep it at one angle

[Swanny231]

I am happy with the demo, in fact I have not stopped playing it (was up all night the first night :P) . The only things that bother me are the wonder victory, I wish I could shut that feature off, and for the ally's , you try to ally up with another nation and they rip you off that really got me going . I know that the full vers will allow the wonder feature off, and hopefully the AI will be alittle bit better when it comes to alliances. As for the graphics, they are fine, and I patiently waiting for the 20th.

[Trifna]

Incredible depth compared to most RTS. Thrilling.

But it loses of its depth by having techs that are passing one after another too fast and units that don't cost enough I think (espescially if techs would cost more, it'd ask little balancing).

[One_Dead_Villy]

i do agree that it would be good to make the techs costs more to make each age last longer....

but i'll have to play on the slow and expensive setting to see how much that effects it, and maybe thats enough

[windupmerchant]

to ask once again, can you save in a quick battle in the full version?

[One_Dead_Villy]

i dont know...i havent tried it...but i know u can view recorded games

[MxM]

I really prefer 3D units over 2D. I do not like that in 2D all units are looking only in fixed directions, that animations are very limited, that several units at once doing exactly the same animation, that if you increase your screen resolutions units become smaller instead of becoming sharper and so on. 3D gives much more realistic movements ,more animations with randomness and some nice effects that are not accessible in 2D.

[MxM]

As for the first post - try to increase resolution, it helps.

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by windupmerchant
In the full game does the quick battle have saving?

yes.

[wilebill]

The game music, and probably other sound features were left out of the demo to save space.

I spent about three hours with the demo last night and I am even more enthusiastic about the game itself after playing the demo than before. I can hardly wait for the delightsome boxen from Amazon to arrive!

However ... the graphics in the RON demo are ... um ... not as impressive as they might be? Running 2.2 GHZ P-4 / 512 Meg Ram and an Nvidia GeForce Go 440 / 32 Meg Ram I tried resolutions of 1024 x 768 and 2040 x whatever, both 32 bit. Monitor has a true diagonal of 16.1 inches. I tried various zooms. Well, the graphics are impressive, just not as impressive as I expected somehow.

I agree with the post that asked why not use 2D technology and have sharp graphics? With my setup it was easy to confuse workers and military units. At least the scout has a dog at its side to distinguish it from an ordinary worker. Even buildings seemed sort of blurry.

After playing RON demo for about three hours, I played AOE II/C for a few minutes by way of comparison. The 2D graphics in AOE II/C are far sharper, more detailed, more sophisticated, more pleasing to the eye. Fired up AOM for comparison to another contemporary 3D game and, well, RON demo loses that battle instantly and on the spot. Cranked up the sensational C&C Generals and RON loses that confrontation even more quickly. Civ III/PTW is hard to compare directly, perhaps someone else could comment.

The graphics in RON are not bad, not even poor, I do not mean that. Maybe in the context of the game as a whole they make sense. After all, the scope of the game is very large. But all I have at the moment is the first impression made by the demo's graphics and I was not thrilled. Fortunately a game is far more than its graphics and my initial impression of RON is that this is a game that I am going to spend a lot of time playing. Wish the graphics were sharper, though.

I wonder if with a really high-end graphics card and a really big screen, like with a projector, would the graphics look any better?