Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail

Started by RedArgo, December 18, 2018, 01:15:04 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Boggit

Quote from: Destraex on April 15, 2021, 05:57:53 PM
Enjoying UA:AOS. After it was released I picked it up. So I do not get the DLC. But I am over early access at the moment. Was happy to wait.

Same here. It's ok, I'm enjoying it, but I'm not overly impressed given all the wait.

Playing the British campaign I find the abstract side battles where you just allocate resources with a possibility of loss a distraction and rather boring. I'd much rather you had to fight these rather than just lose the availability of units to your next battles. I think they did a better job with UG: Civil War - at least you could play out the side missions. The DLC, IMHO, is overpriced for what is supposed to be a short campaign, so I'll wait for a sale.

I really wish they'd explore doing dynamic campaigns as well, but they seem to like the scripted ones better.

Overall 6/10 - it's mostly enjoyable, but remains an average game. They do have a decent game engine, but frankly the game could have been so much better, given what they have already done with UG:CW and Age of Sail. I hope they do better with their Dreadnoughts game.
The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own. Aldous Huxley

Foul Temptress! (Mirth replying to Gus) ;)

On a good day, our legislature has the prestige of a drunk urinating on a wall at 4am and getting most of it on his shoe. On a good day  ::) Steelgrave

It's kind of silly to investigate whether or not a Clinton is lying. That's sort of like investigating why the sky is blue. Banzai_Cat

Destraex

#166
Yeah would love to play the side battles as well, but I think their whole idea there is that if you make it harder for yourself by denying yourself forces to fight larger battles. Which makes the larger battles much more challenging. However I guess you could do the side quests between turns rather than before battles? Or does that take some forces out for the next turn as well?

You know the other interesting thing. Darthmod was supposed to be an AI expert, however he then goes for scripted campaigns. I guess his AI is only at the tactical level?

I would liken UA:AOS to BattleTech in terms of campaign methodology. Lots of upgrading and management between canned missions. Difference is that it's realtime thank goodness.

I just noticed you can reman abandoned cannons which is really cool as well. It seems a lot of the naval action stuff came directly over to this game as well. Even the models look exactly the same. Which is a really good thing.

No stealing the wind by blocking it though, which is a newer feature of naval action.

I'd also rate the ultimate series games tactical battles WAAAAAAY above the more modern total war games. I enjoy watching these and can see what's going on. I don't need any dodgy flag substitution.





"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

Skoop

How is the campaign ?  Is just kinda scripted like ultimate general games or is there some flexibility ?  Can you build your own fleets and move them around a strategic map which then initiates a tactical battle or is this on rails strategically ?

Destraex

#168
The campaign is on rails like ultimate general civil war. You have turns but do not move any pieces yourself. The area commander basically gives you orders via missions that appear on the map. Their are also side missions that appear for you to decide to do or not. I have never tried to press the end turn button without doing a main mission though. Each main mission also has a few methods of attack you can choose. Usually Frontal attack or Normal mission which give different reputation and money rewards. I hope and suspect that when I get further along I will have to choose between missions to determine the outcome of the war. In a real war I would be court martialed for not engaging even or better odds anyways. So it is not a big deal. The campaign takes you straight to the action. Albeit missing the luck and navigation elements of being able to patrol the campaign map.

I was a bit bummed that I could not patrol my ships around on the campaign map but am enjoying the game immensely none the less. I will probably finish the campaign and then move on to getting the dlc cheap.

EDIT: Ok so you cannot go to the next stage without completing all main battles. Orders are orders. However I know not if you can lose the battles and still move forwards. You can however choose to fight the available battles in whatever order you like. The side quests seem to happen between turns. You commit ships and get to see what happened the next turn, then repair any damage!
Here is an example of the battle map and what tactics I can use when choosing a battle; I have only ever chosen follow the orders. 



Here is what happens when I push the map button before deciding whether to go into the other engagement in this turn. The map does not change according to the 3 tactical options I can choose. There is an unfinished battle is shown because I tried to press next without playing any battles this turn.
"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

Boggit

Quote from: Destraex on April 16, 2021, 07:27:11 AM
Yeah would love to play the side battles as well, but I think their whole idea there is that if you make it harder for yourself by denying yourself forces to fight larger battles. Which makes the larger battles much more challenging. However I guess you could do the side quests between turns rather than before battles? Or does that take some forces out for the next turn as well?

You know the other interesting thing. Darthmod was supposed to be an AI expert, however he then goes for scripted campaigns. I guess his AI is only at the tactical level?

I would liken UA:AOS to BattleTech in terms of campaign methodology. Lots of upgrading and management between canned missions. Difference is that it's realtime thank goodness.

I just noticed you can reman abandoned cannons which is really cool as well. It seems a lot of the naval action stuff came directly over to this game as well. Even the models look exactly the same. Which is a really good thing.

No stealing the wind by blocking it though, which is a newer feature of naval action.

I'd also rate the ultimate series games tactical battles WAAAAAAY above the more modern total war games. I enjoy watching these and can see what's going on. I don't need any dodgy flag substitution.

I pretty much agree with all you say.

As I say, I'm enjoying it, but they could have done much better as mentioned, if they had put their minds to it. Ships seem to sink or blow up far too regularly for the period compared to striking colours, which is a bit of a downer. I do like the management of weapons (although this was developed in UG:CW, so not exactly a new concept) and some of the firing mechanics on the plus side.

Good game though, though sadly this naval period isn't that well covered at this level. I can think of the Total War series or Age of Sail (Both the Talonsoft and by this company's earlier game of the same name), but that's about it.
The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own. Aldous Huxley

Foul Temptress! (Mirth replying to Gus) ;)

On a good day, our legislature has the prestige of a drunk urinating on a wall at 4am and getting most of it on his shoe. On a good day  ::) Steelgrave

It's kind of silly to investigate whether or not a Clinton is lying. That's sort of like investigating why the sky is blue. Banzai_Cat

Destraex

#170
The Capture of an SOL by little ships helped by a frigate, which unfortunately sunk. However I am now the Proud owner of the formerly Spanish 3rd rate of 68 guns, Arrogante. The next couple of mission better be easier! I want to enjoy this prize wessel. She cost me a fair few small ships sunk and some good officers.

By the way this mission is certainly doable without needing to capture the ship of the line. But I noticed that because I did the next turns missions mention me capturing it and saying I am up to a greater challenge! I am wondering whether I should have captured it now! Because I could have just used fireships to win instead!













"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

Sir Slash

"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

Destraex

#172
Well. I barely escaped with my life in the next mission. Best to keep my head down and not to excel to much.

That's right. Next mission I was faced with 3 ships of the line and Frigates vs my single ship of the line, 1 corvette and my unrated 2 others. Still managed to capture one of their SOLs and steel away with one gold ship. But damn! This is the first mission where I have not completed all objectives.


"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

Destraex

#173
Still enjoying the campaign immensely. However the missions are rather long and taxing. I am glad you can save anywhere in battle and come back to finish later.
I am now posted to mare nostrum. Very impressed that we finally have a naval game that at least in part is set in Europe where a lot of the action happened. The campaign is very long winded and I am definitely getting my moneys worth. I am still on the British campaign and must have done at least 20 missions so far with no end in sight. Each mission with a story that seems to be fairly varied in nature. This game is really giving me a good idea of just how damned frustrating it is to maintain a line of battle. I really would have liked some more formation commands that let me close ranks a little more. I am slowly learning that the pause button is good for my ships bowsprit health  :hide: I really get attached to my ships and hate losing them. I love renaming them. But find I love the default names as well. Rock and a hard place. One other thing I would love is a ship painter.... all the ships for various nations have ship colours that are very uniform.











"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

Gusington

Those screenshots, to me at least, make this game look incredible...a game we have been begging for over decades! I really need to dive in :)


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Destraex

Yeah. It reminds me of Age of Sail II Privateer's Bounty. The little men running around the deck and the realistic way that all worked. It certainly is an incredible game. I kinda hope their are a few missions where I get to hunt slavers on the coasts of africa. But they would be gimmes really. Patrol work or simulation is not something this game does well or at all. That is another thing I would like, freedom to navigate after the enemy fleet. But the canned missions do mean that I am straight into the action. No time wasting.
"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

Gusington

Do you have the Barbary Coast DLC?


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Destraex

No not yet. The dlc was not cheap enough at the time.
"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

Gusington

I have it, but haven't played it yet - but I do think it has the types of North African missions you're looking for.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd