Empires in Arms query

[agathosdaimon]

As i am quite fond of all games Napoleonic good and bad, i am wondering whether Empires in Arms is a good game to play? Does it have a competent AI that can do surprising logical things?

Regards

[JudgeDredd]

Isn't that the Matrix game?

If so, I remember reading threads in there that suggested it was simply awful.

The developer was very active on the forum from what I remember...but players were not having it - I think (don't quote me!) it was a combination of two game rule sets and players were not happy.

I think the general impression I got was that the main gripes were that it was PBEM and that it did not mimic the board game which I think was reverred. I can't recall whether there were many bugs...but from what I recall fixes often seemed to cause other issues.

I didn't buy the game but was "intrigued" by it - and was watching the games progress though the forums. It didn't often make for happy reading.

I would definitely suggest you don't listen to the ramblings of this nutter and take a butchers over at Matrix. You'll get an update on how things are because I haven't looked at the game thread for a year or more now

[JudgeDredd]

Well, this made me look over there and one of the first threads I saw was this (posted in 7th June 2012) - entitled "So is this it?"

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3119489

The other threads see some action - but it seems sparse

[agathosdaimon]

Thanks, i went and checked that out too. I had been looking round other websites and never had a clear idea as to the status but now from teh Matrix Games forums i can see that the game is not worth buying.

I am feeling a little frustrated with Matrix Games of late - they put out some games at quite high prices yet dont give any support for them and some are in dire need of further patches :
Commander: Napoleon at War could do with another patch to improve the AI but it seems lost now - cast into black pits and forgotten, and even newer games like Rise of Prussia Gold have alot of technical glitches
I wonder where their emphasis is at the moment,

I really think though that something like Empires in Arms should be given way more support given its popularity as a board game and the price they are charging for it

[Bison]

Go to the Ageod forums for Rise of Prussia support.  Ageod is very responsive and is continually improving games through developer and fan supported patches.

[vyshka]

From what I have seen, the only way to really play it is multi-player and even that apparently has issues. My recollection was that there was a lot of disappointment when it was released. There is a napoleonics group online though that seems to play the game. http://www.thegeneralshq.org/ They might have the best idea of how playable it is.

[agathosdaimon]

Thanks, ah yes i went over to Ageod forums like suggested - thats a great place, good to see the activity and support there. I hope Ageod keep going - their new Civil War 2 game interests me but also i hope that Napoleons Campaigns 2 gets done!

[JasonPratt]

I own the boxed copy of EIA, but I've never played it due to it needing to be constantly patched. On the other hand, several patches were released for it, so work was certainly attempted at fixing it. I don't know it's status, but I would kind-of recommend Crown of Glory: Empire Edition instead anyway. (It has its own problems but is overall a better simulator of the period.)

[spelk]

EIA is a mess. I'd say walk away, what you want just isn't here.

You CAN play it multiplayer, if you join a decent group who know the game and boardgame inside out. But theres a lot of effort and pain to get anything out of it. You'd be better off, like others suggest, just dabbling in an AGEOD Napoleonic game.

[agathosdaimon]

well EIA is on sale this week at Matrix - a big drop in price- and at that price and being my love of the period i picked it up.

I would be happy to play just a single player game for now with it. Its not bad so far though i am a bit confuse with how one actually buys and places reinforcements. I dont understand what the limitations are - i evetually found a screen that lets me buy reinforcements but then when i did attempt to place them, the game kept telling me to remove or add forces and so the turn wouldnt end until i did one or the other. I no idea what the problem was nor do i know how to add forces.

so for now these aspects dont make sense to me, but at least i have achieved an alliance with turkey and prussia, playing as France.
there is an appealing flavour to the game and indeed any game which plays the 1812 overture in its background is one after my own heart!

i think i own almost every napoleonic era pc game - still a few John tillers one to get but no rush there Leipzig, Bautzen, Austerlitz, Eckmuhl and Jena Auerstedt first

[JudgeDredd]

^ it's good that's you're hardcore Napoleonics - 'cos from what I gather you might need to be to get enjoyment out of it.

Though I have heard of others having enjoyment from it - they haven't actually been seen in person!

[spelk]

There's a group of folks over at The Generals HQ, who play a lot of Napoleonic stuff, and they play EiA. You might want to check that community out for help.

Front Page
http://www.thegeneralshq.org/

Forums
http://www.thegeneralshq.org/phpBBForum/index.php

I think I signed up there at one point, invited by gazfun, to explore EiA when I purchased it.

[DicedT]

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. The computer game is unplayable.

Michael

[Toonces]

Man, I've been holding out for EiA for a couple of years now.  Hard to pass up at this price.

I mean, is the game really broken, or is it just not quite the same as the board game?  There's a difference.

[agathosdaimon]

I have never played the boardgame but the discussions on the matrix forums for the pc version of it were really interesting, there seems a lot more detail to the land combat than on the surface. Its true i think one has to have a particular fondness for the period to get into it. There seems to be ahelpful tutorial out for it now too. It does seem that there is a community for it albeit a small one.
I was going to avoid it but at the low price its worth getting. I have bought far worse games for more.

Its clearly not a casual play game but it seems playable so far. It had a major patch done for it last year