Any Reviews of Rise of Nation?

CHEMICAL SOLDIER · 05-30-2003, 08:14 PM

Anyone here care to or have reviewed RON ? I know there was another thread but it would help if posts a review .

thanks .

daedalus · 05-30-2003, 09:22 PM

Between this thread on GoneGold and the thread here (search on 'Rise' and 'Nations'), you should be able to get a fair idea.

JasonTobiasIV · 06-01-2003, 07:55 PM

This game sucks. I have 10 beta copies for my shop and it blows goats.

www.rapidfirenetworkcenter.com

Mota · 06-02-2003, 05:25 AM

Fantastic game. It's a combo between Age of Empires and Civ3.

Manages to capture the GOOD stuff from the two games. I'm not big into the RTS type games but I've played this one quite a bit already.

Happy29 · 06-02-2003, 01:55 PM

I must say I was a bit apprehensive buying the game but best 50 bucks Ive ever spent .

Calis · 06-02-2003, 02:35 PM

Great game, I don't feel like going over it more, we've got a big thread or two with everything you need to know in it. I recommend it if you're an RTS fan, or even if you're just lukewarm towards the genre(i.e. me).

Neuqua · 06-02-2003, 03:43 PM

I love this game.

I played the heck out of the trial version and then I went ahead and purchased it from gogamer. Time just flies by when I'm playing.

Franklinnoble · 06-02-2003, 04:50 PM

I'm going to post my usual long-winded review; it's not comprehensive, because I've only just started playing over this past weekend, but here's the highlights from my early impressions of the game:

I bought RON because, well, I believed the hype. The short of it - it's the best PC game I've bought in a while. It's not as ground-breaking as it's been advertised, but it's a great improvement on the real-time strategy genre, and a solid game overall.

The last PC game that I bought and actually spent a considerable amount of time with was Civ3. I don't know if I'll spend as much time on RON, because RTS games don't lend themselves to the constant barrage of home-life interruptions I have to contend with ("Honey, can you flip the steaks?" "The garbage needs to go out..." "I know you're trying to goof off on the weekend and I just can't allow that so here's another menial chore to interrupt the good time you're having..." etc.). Turn-based games allow me to periodically appease the wife without really upsetting what I'm doing with the game. Even if you pause an RTS, you can really lose track of what's going on when you step away for 5-15 minutes at a time.

Everyone said RON was gonna be great because the designer, Brian Reynolds, was the genius behind Civ2, Alpha Centauri, and Gettysburg. Personally, I'd have loved it if he made a TBS game instead, to compete head-to-head with Civ3 (which, by the way, I really enjoy). I've gotten a little burned out on RTS games after I beat the hell out of the AOE/AOK games (and, nowadays, I play my 14yo on "Galactic Battlegrounds" - a shameless ripoff of AOK that basically just has Star Wars civs in place of the AOK ones).

Well, Reynolds still did a good job with the RTS model, and here's the things that really make this a big improvement over the AOE/AOK games:

Borders: Your civ has borders now. This is probably the biggest overall improvement. You can't build outside your borders, and you can't build within enemy borders. This means you can't rush-build a few nice bombard towers right next to an enemy town center and let the massacre ensue. This makes enemy territory harder to capture (even more so, because attrition becomes a factor when you're outside your own borders - although I've yet to see this be a major problem in my early games). This also means that securing resources is a little harder - you can't collect a resource that's not in your own territory. It keeps rivals away from your goods and adds a tactical challenge to the game.

Auto-Transport: This removes one of my biggest peeves in Civ3 and every RTS game I've ever played. In fact, I'd buy RON for this feature alone if it added nothing else to the RTS genre. It works like this: Build a dock. Be sure to research naval improvements as the game goes on. Wanna invade a country on another continent? Well, secure the waterway with your warships. Select the military units you want over there. Right-click the enemy beachhead where you want to land. They walk to the nearest coastline, "transform" into transport vessels, sail over to the landing point you selected, "transform" back, and, presto, your army is now in enemy territory. Which is sweet - because I hated having to build a bunch of transport ships, get the guys loaded, moved, unloaded, etc. This option removes a major tactical headache.

Resource improvements: Resource gathering is simplified - and your resources don't exhaust themselves. If you have a forest, you'll always have timber. The only drawback that I can see here is that you can't clear a forest out of your way. I don't think this is a problem - I got tired of running out of trees/rocks/gold, etc... now, I set up one or more good lumber camps, and I can count on having a reliable timber supply for the duration. Also, the "rare" resources really do something for you - you get real tactical bonuses from them, as oppossed to just making more money or making your people happier.

Customizability: I haven't even started messing with this, but I can see that there's a ton of ways to "mod" this game right out of the box. This sort of thing really extends the replayability of games, and I'm glad to see it.

Support: Big Huge Games posted the first patch basically the same day the game came out, and they're already nearly done with patch 2, and are working on patch 3. Civ3 was buggier than hell out of the box (I played all weekend without the RON patch, and didn't have any trouble), and they were slower patching it.

Cheats: Laugh all you want, but when I start a new game, and I'm getting my ass handed to me because I don't know what I'm doing, I rather like the idea that I can cheat my way out of my mistakes. RON has a ton of really good cheats codes that let you basically mod the game to your liking while you're in the middle of playing it. You can switch Civs, add and remove units, buildings, and resources, and even drop a nuke on an AI civ that happens to be really pissing you off at the moment (nothing calms game-induced high blood pressure like the sight of a mushroom cloud over enemy territory - and the animation for it in RON is kinda cool).

There's other stuff that I haven't really commented on here, but like I said, I'm hardly a veteran of the game at this point. My advice - if you've got $40 to blow, and you'd like to play a better RTS game, go get it. You won't be disappointed.

CHEMICAL SOLDIER · 06-02-2003, 05:26 PM

I bought the game saturday and due to it I am a born again rts player . I like the war wagon and the auto transport feature ....and as the Germans I finally took moscow with the help of a few Panzers and assault troops and of course with 5 nukes paving the way for the invasion .

CHEMICAL SOLDIER · 06-02-2003, 05:36 PM

DOLA: That game ended with the Bantu and my German empire waging a war of attrition that cost many lives and equipment so we also ended up nuking each other towards armaggedon thus having no winner .

Happy29 · 06-02-2003, 07:03 PM

I started a campaign with the Germans also and we got to North America. We were also locked in a fight with the Aztecs who put up a fight similiar to that of the Iraqi Army.

Havok · 06-03-2003, 02:17 PM

dam you guys.... now i don't know what to buy.

Rise Of Nations or Hearts of iron

i love both of these types of games but im not exactly the richest guy on the planet so i can only afford one of them.

I'll probally go with RON because its getting the best reviews i've seen since Grand Theft auto.... i guess HOI will have to wait

CHEMICAL SOLDIER · 06-03-2003, 02:53 PM

Get RON! You wont regret it!

Calis · 06-03-2003, 02:59 PM

Yeah, I love HoI, and it's a much deeper game, but for sheer fun no comparision to RoN. RoN is also much more polished overall than HoI.

I still recommend getting HoI at some point though, great game.

06-01-2003, 07:55 PM	#3
JasonTobiasIV Mascot Join Date: Jan 2001	This game sucks. I have 10 beta copies for my shop and it blows goats. www.rapidfirenetworkcenter.com __________________ Save Our Spaceship! Once a jewel, now a cess pool for fools..

06-02-2003, 03:43 PM	#7
Neuqua Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Chicago, Ill	I love this game. I played the heck out of the trial version and then I went ahead and purchased it from gogamer. Time just flies by when I'm playing. __________________ Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?

06-02-2003, 05:26 PM	#9
CHEMICAL SOLDIER College Starter Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Henderson, Nevada	I bought the game saturday and due to it I am a born again rts player . I like the war wagon and the auto transport feature ....and as the Germans I finally took moscow with the help of a few Panzers and assault troops and of course with 5 nukes paving the way for the invasion . __________________ Toujour Pret

06-02-2003, 05:36 PM	#10
CHEMICAL SOLDIER College Starter Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Henderson, Nevada	DOLA: That game ended with the Bantu and my German empire waging a war of attrition that cost many lives and equipment so we also ended up nuking each other towards armaggedon thus having no winner . __________________ Toujour Pret

06-03-2003, 02:17 PM	#12
Havok College Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Florida	dam you guys.... now i don't know what to buy. Rise Of Nations or Hearts of iron i love both of these types of games but im not exactly the richest guy on the planet so i can only afford one of them. I'll probally go with RON because its getting the best reviews i've seen since Grand Theft auto.... i guess HOI will have to wait __________________ Maniacal Misfitz - We're better than you and we know it! Last edited by Havok : 06-03-2003 at 02:18 PM.

05-30-2003, 09:22 PM	#2
daedalus Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000	Between this thread on GoneGold and the thread here (search on 'Rise' and 'Nations'), you should be able to get a fair idea.

06-02-2003, 05:25 AM	#4
Mota College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jan 2001	Fantastic game. It's a combo between Age of Empires and Civ3. Manages to capture the GOOD stuff from the two games. I'm not big into the RTS type games but I've played this one quite a bit already.

06-02-2003, 01:55 PM	#5
Happy29 In The Penalty Box Join Date: May 2003 Location: To reveal my location, you must decipher a series of traps, each more deadly than the last.	I must say I was a bit apprehensive buying the game but best 50 bucks Ive ever spent .

06-02-2003, 02:35 PM	#6
Calis College Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Kansas	Great game, I don't feel like going over it more, we've got a big thread or two with everything you need to know in it. I recommend it if you're an RTS fan, or even if you're just lukewarm towards the genre(i.e. me).

06-02-2003, 04:50 PM	#8
Franklinnoble Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Placerville, CA	I'm going to post my usual long-winded review; it's not comprehensive, because I've only just started playing over this past weekend, but here's the highlights from my early impressions of the game: I bought RON because, well, I believed the hype. The short of it - it's the best PC game I've bought in a while. It's not as ground-breaking as it's been advertised, but it's a great improvement on the real-time strategy genre, and a solid game overall. The last PC game that I bought and actually spent a considerable amount of time with was Civ3. I don't know if I'll spend as much time on RON, because RTS games don't lend themselves to the constant barrage of home-life interruptions I have to contend with ("Honey, can you flip the steaks?" "The garbage needs to go out..." "I know you're trying to goof off on the weekend and I just can't allow that so here's another menial chore to interrupt the good time you're having..." etc.). Turn-based games allow me to periodically appease the wife without really upsetting what I'm doing with the game. Even if you pause an RTS, you can really lose track of what's going on when you step away for 5-15 minutes at a time. Everyone said RON was gonna be great because the designer, Brian Reynolds, was the genius behind Civ2, Alpha Centauri, and Gettysburg. Personally, I'd have loved it if he made a TBS game instead, to compete head-to-head with Civ3 (which, by the way, I really enjoy). I've gotten a little burned out on RTS games after I beat the hell out of the AOE/AOK games (and, nowadays, I play my 14yo on "Galactic Battlegrounds" - a shameless ripoff of AOK that basically just has Star Wars civs in place of the AOK ones). Well, Reynolds still did a good job with the RTS model, and here's the things that really make this a big improvement over the AOE/AOK games: Borders: Your civ has borders now. This is probably the biggest overall improvement. You can't build outside your borders, and you can't build within enemy borders. This means you can't rush-build a few nice bombard towers right next to an enemy town center and let the massacre ensue. This makes enemy territory harder to capture (even more so, because attrition becomes a factor when you're outside your own borders - although I've yet to see this be a major problem in my early games). This also means that securing resources is a little harder - you can't collect a resource that's not in your own territory. It keeps rivals away from your goods and adds a tactical challenge to the game. Auto-Transport: This removes one of my biggest peeves in Civ3 and every RTS game I've ever played. In fact, I'd buy RON for this feature alone if it added nothing else to the RTS genre. It works like this: Build a dock. Be sure to research naval improvements as the game goes on. Wanna invade a country on another continent? Well, secure the waterway with your warships. Select the military units you want over there. Right-click the enemy beachhead where you want to land. They walk to the nearest coastline, "transform" into transport vessels, sail over to the landing point you selected, "transform" back, and, presto, your army is now in enemy territory. Which is sweet - because I hated having to build a bunch of transport ships, get the guys loaded, moved, unloaded, etc. This option removes a major tactical headache. Resource improvements: Resource gathering is simplified - and your resources don't exhaust themselves. If you have a forest, you'll always have timber. The only drawback that I can see here is that you can't clear a forest out of your way. I don't think this is a problem - I got tired of running out of trees/rocks/gold, etc... now, I set up one or more good lumber camps, and I can count on having a reliable timber supply for the duration. Also, the "rare" resources really do something for you - you get real tactical bonuses from them, as oppossed to just making more money or making your people happier. Customizability: I haven't even started messing with this, but I can see that there's a ton of ways to "mod" this game right out of the box. This sort of thing really extends the replayability of games, and I'm glad to see it. Support: Big Huge Games posted the first patch basically the same day the game came out, and they're already nearly done with patch 2, and are working on patch 3. Civ3 was buggier than hell out of the box (I played all weekend without the RON patch, and didn't have any trouble), and they were slower patching it. Cheats: Laugh all you want, but when I start a new game, and I'm getting my ass handed to me because I don't know what I'm doing, I rather like the idea that I can cheat my way out of my mistakes. RON has a ton of really good cheats codes that let you basically mod the game to your liking while you're in the middle of playing it. You can switch Civs, add and remove units, buildings, and resources, and even drop a nuke on an AI civ that happens to be really pissing you off at the moment (nothing calms game-induced high blood pressure like the sight of a mushroom cloud over enemy territory - and the animation for it in RON is kinda cool). There's other stuff that I haven't really commented on here, but like I said, I'm hardly a veteran of the game at this point. My advice - if you've got $40 to blow, and you'd like to play a better RTS game, go get it. You won't be disappointed.

06-02-2003, 07:03 PM	#11
Happy29 In The Penalty Box Join Date: May 2003 Location: To reveal my location, you must decipher a series of traps, each more deadly than the last.	I started a campaign with the Germans also and we got to North America. We were also locked in a fight with the Aztecs who put up a fight similiar to that of the Iraqi Army.

06-03-2003, 02:53 PM	#13
CHEMICAL SOLDIER College Starter Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Henderson, Nevada	Get RON! You wont regret it! __________________ Toujour Pret

06-03-2003, 02:59 PM	#14
Calis College Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Kansas	Yeah, I love HoI, and it's a much deeper game, but for sheer fun no comparision to RoN. RoN is also much more polished overall than HoI. I still recommend getting HoI at some point though, great game.

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