Civilizations Wars
Whether they're behind museum glass or on a late-night TV special, from the East or the West or anything in between, let's face it: ancient empires fascinate us. They developed brilliant technologies, fostered rich cultures, and invented things like the concept of zero. The concept of zero, people. I still struggle with the concept of things like donuts. And the wars they waged! Oh, how their troops would blot the skies with clouds of arrows, and roaring fireballs would rain down to punish the unworthy. For all of you who don't remember that chapter of the textbook, the fine folk of Cave of Wonders Studios have decided to educate you with a historical, strategical free-for-all of the ages: Civilizations Wars.
Most levels consist of a rustic landscape, replete with uninhabited pieces of ancient real estate, plus an opposing army who feebly stands in your path to conquest. You're usually given a humble fort or two at the start which will generate reinforcements at a constant rate, indicated by a little number above the structure. Click on whichever outpost you'd like to deploy soldiers from, and then drag the cursor to your target and release. Half of that outpost's forces will be sent out to occupy the object of your ire. If the enemy resides within , the numbers will cancel each other out until either the building is successfully defended or your own subjects set up shop. In other words, the bigger number wins the battle, as long as stats (such as strength, defense, etc.) are equal. Mousing over many of your installments at once will result in coordinated attacks, which are often essential for overpowering a well-defended base.
There's more than just forts on every level, though; clever tacticians will make use of watchtowers to snipe at incoming foes, or crystal formations to increase your production of crystals, the mystical resource that powers spellcasting. Magic covers a wide range of uses, from natural disasters that scour the battlefield to enchantments that can protect property or defect enemies' troops to your side. All of these spells are learned via experience that is accrued at the end of every battle, which can be spent on mightier magic, garden-variety stat upgrades, or nifty passive abilities like faster magic cooldown.
The game's adventure spans many, many skirmishes, plus a few boss encounters with colossal creatures that ought to give your hard-trained military a run for their antique currency of choice. And even when you've felled the grandest of beasts, your campaign stretches on, until you'll find yourself pitted against some civilizations that you definitely don't remember from high school history. I won't give away anything else, but know that surprises are in store for the persistent general. To battle!
Analysis: We may have seen this mechanic implemented before, but Civilizations Wars pulls it off with pizazz to spare, plus some new ideas that help keep things fresh. The sorcery adds another dimension of strategy, and with structures that DON'T keep regenerating soldiers (like towers and crystal shrines), a player has to wonder whether sending more men to protect them is necessary or not. There are also multiple playable races; though their differences are mostly cosmetic (aside from slightly shuffled stats), it's little variations like those that add a unique flavor to the game, distancing it from its predecessors.
The difficulty curve, however, could have done with some tweaking. This reviewer staunchly refused to learn a spell other than the starter fireball for the entire game, and was able to steamroll over the opposition just fine on stat upgrades alone. There's really nothing wrong with that, but one wishes that if magic was going to be one of the defining facets of the game, that it would feel a little more vital to the process. I suppose you could call my approach one style of many, but conjured tornadoes and meteor showers just seemed so frilly when I had an army that could cleanly and efficiently reduce the enemy's army to nothing.
This is also a game with a very forgiving level select, which allows you to replay battles you've already trounced for more experience in case you've come up against an insurmountable foe. At certain experience milestones, new self-handicaps are unlocked (such as no spellcasting or poor visibility), and each one adds a healthy multiplier to your experience points at the end for your trouble. This is another mechanic that throws the difficulty curve; once you've become only decently strong, you can beat the first level with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. You can heap on as many inconveniences as you like, and then reap a gigantic experience bonus at the end. Again, this doesn't affect one's enjoyment of the game, but it doesn't give the player much incentive to replay any level for experience other than the first one with a ton of handicaps.
Still, this is a well-made strategy game with some adorable art and very appropriate, "ancient-y" sounding tunes. There's a cartoony charm in the game's world, which is usually (and understandably) absent from games that deal with historical fare. And even if it's not absolutely essential to the success of a campaign, the arsenal of spells is a ton of fun to monkey around with. So be done with your history textbook, because it's time to re-learn world history with a front-row seat.
Walkthrough Guide
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Civilization Wars Spell Guide:
The following is a list of spells that you can choose in the game and general hints on how to use them. They are ranked from R1 (one point in this ability) to R7 (you have maxed out this ability.) Without any pomp or ceremony, here we go!
Fireball - 230 Crystal Energy
Ah, the mage's classic ability... quick casting, quick damage, low cost.
Damage: R1 - 12 Damage, R7 - 24 Damage
Recast: R0 - 6 Seconds, R7 - 2 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal usage: Peppering buildings with 20+ populations to make them softer and easier to capture. Weakening enemy armies to prevent them from taking over / fortifying a building.
Cons: Even if it knocks the population down to 0, the building will still be considered populated by the original inhabitants, and provide it's bonuses accordingly.
Lightning - 520 Crystal Energy
Another mage favorite, calling down devastating lighting. High energy cost, but consider it a DoT that keeps on giving. And giving... in a pretty big AoE, too.
Damage: R1 - 1 Damage, R7 - 2 Damage
Recast: R0 - 10 Seconds, R2 - 4.5 Seconds
Duration: R1 - 28 Bolts, R7 - 51 Bolts
DoT: R1 - 28 Damage, R7 - 102 Damage
Ideal Usage: Destroying low population enemy buildings that are clustered together. Keeping a high population building from sending out any troops for a while. Making a region of the map unpassable for anyone for a short duration.
Cons: Destroys buildings, making them population 0 and unowned by any side. Will slaughter your own troops if they pass through it. Can commit suicide by casting it on your own buildings first thing into a battle (but why would you?)
Meteorite - 640 Crystal Energy
Meet Fireball's big brother. Wider area of effect, more damage, and considerably more expensive.
Damage: R1 - 15 Damage, R7 - 90 Damage
Recast: R0 - 12 Seconds, R7 - 5 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: Destroying heavy troop buildups. Crippling large population locations prior to attacking. Alternatively, crippling several medium population buildings that are close together.
Cons: Long cast timer, slow cast animation - means that by the time the spell gets there, the troops will be gone. Aim ahead whenever possible. Like fireball, does not destroy buildings even if it drops the population below 1.
Twister - 530 Crystal Energy
The ultimate in hindrance, this spell will keep the enemy troops in the cellars - where they belong. Takes a huge chunk of crystal energy though...
Damage: Anything it touches... Bosses ~5/s, Houses ~1/s
Recast: R0 - 20 Seconds, R7 - 6 Seconds
Duration: 20 Seconds
Ideal Usage: Keeping high population areas in stasis, destroying large clumps of troops. Casting multiple in the same area to more effectively block off that region for travel.
Cons: Moves in a clockwise pattern, starting at 12 o'clock, so it's best to use against troops by positioning the circle underneath them. Somewhat tricky. Doesn't damage bosses / buildings as much as it does troops.
Support - 450 Crystal Energy
For when you want to pretend you picked the Chinese race... summons a stack of units to quickly march to the targeted building.
Generates: R1 - 30 Units, R7 - 120 Units
Recast: R0 - 18 Seconds, R7 - 6 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: Abuse this ability. Aim at a building you want, and assuming there aren't 7 towers in the way, that building is yours. And almost always maxed out on population. The new definition of OP.
Cons: Troops march faster than standard, but still slower than a maxed out Speed would allow. Also, if you have the Blasters unlocked, for some reason the summoned troops don't get them on their first march. The moment they take over a building, however...
Hypnoses - 550 Crystal Energy
For when Support isn't enough, this misspelling of Hypnosis will convince enemies to join your forces... if nothing else, than to teach you how to spell the word properly...
Area: R1 - Tiny, R7 - Medium
Effect: All enemies inside of the area are turned into allies.
Recast: R0 - 20 Seconds, R7 - 7 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: When you see a large cluster of enemies, cast this spell and they'll all turn into allies and continue marching towards their previous destination. Upgrading allows you a much larger ring to cast it in. Annoys enemies when you turn their first exploration party into your first exploration party. When used with Support, will make enemies walk away crying and waving a white banner. OP +1.
Cons: The enemy can use it on you as well, and often will wait until you've nearly reached a building to convert you. However, on the plus side, if you convert them, your new troops get instant Blasters if you have that option unlocked, and if they convert back for any reason, they lose the Blasters.
Shield - 170 Crystal Energy
Better protection than bubble wrap, at least. And cheaper.
Defense: R1 - +10% Defense, R7 - +70% Defense
Recast: R0 - 5 Seconds, R7 - 2 Seconds
Duration: 25 Seconds
Ideal Usage: Buildings that have low populations / are surrounded by enemies. Can nearly double the defensive value of the building, making it a favorite of the Chinese for reinforcing their Zergling rushes. When used by Spartans, can get nearly a 10:1 defense ratio.
Cons: If a building that you cast a Shield on is taken over by an enemy, they get to keep the Shield spell until it wears off naturally.
Swamp - 670 Crystal Energy - Incomplete -
This section is not yet complete.
Notes: Swamp is a great spell to cast at an enemy building, as it will slowly erode the building's population and damage / slow any troops that try to leave it. Not sure on exact figures yet.
Golem - 750 Crystal Energy
Why send 120 troops when you could send... 1? Worth 120 troops, I mean...
Damage: R1 - 2 Damage, R7 - 3 Damage
Health: R1 - 88 Health, R7 - 136 Health
Recast: R0 - 15 Seconds, R7 - 5 Seconds
Duration: Instant
Ideal Usage: While they have low attack values, they do attack every second and a half, roughly. Use them on enemy buildings to keep them distracted while you build up a real army. Or create several side by side, and when the enemy comes to attack, it'll reverse-follow them back to their original town and keep them busy for a while. They definitely do more damage as a roadblock than as a city attacker, despite their attack behavior. At least they don't attack your own buildings...
Cons: Doesn't deal enough damage for it's high cost. Technically not a waste, since you keep the golem until it dies, and it can keep nonboss units distracted for a while. But there are cheaper spells out there that do a better job.
Quake - 1250 Crystal Energy
For when Golem isn't expensive enough... deals a TON of damage, over a very wide area, and destroys buildings and families... sort of like the game...
Damage: 12 Damage / Second
Recast: R0 - 25 Seconds, R7 - 9 Seconds
Duration: R1 - 7 Seconds, R7 - 10 Seconds
DoT: R1 - 84 Damage, R7 - 120 Damage
Ideal Usage: If you can, use it right from the beginning to destroy the enemy buildings and win the game. Will deal a lot of damage to all buildings in it's radius, as well as destroy (make no race control it) any buildings it manages to reduce population to 0 on.
Cons: Does not damage enemy troops, instead slows them down considerably. Can easily destroy your own town if you are feeling suicidal.
Swamp section to be updated and finished at a later date - does anyone even use that spell? :P
Thank you for reading. Please reply with any suggestions / comments. All times were done by hand, non-tool assisted, and may be slightly off. (IE, instead of using a stopwatch for each spell, I used the old 1-Mississippi 2-Mississippi trick. :P)
Posted by: Mitschu | April 4, 2010 1:17 AM