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Age of Mythology Review November 20, 2002 Jakub Wojnarowicz |
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Summary: So it's Wednesday evening and you've got nothing to do? How about taking a gander over at Jakub's massive, detailed review of the seminal Age of Mythology. One of the three major RTS franchises, the the Age titles are a stable of any gamer's repertoire. See if we think whether or not Mythology is the latest and greatest, or just another sequel!
 Overview | Page:: ( 1 / 8 ) |
The Big Three
There are three, and only three major RTS franchises currently in play. With due respect to the excellent Homeworld and its even better expansion pack, a title and a half don’t make a franchise. For a while, there was only one – Craft. Be it WarCraft or StarCraft, Blizzard had the Midas touch with its Craft games. With the release of Red Alert II, we saw the C&C series come to life again after a long lull that followed Red Alert’s release. In all this time, there has been one successful upstart, one franchise that was forged on its own strengths in the internet age, not the dark eras before them. I speak, of course, of Age of Empires. The hows and whys of it I cannot guess, but Ensemble Studios succeeded in breaking through. At a time when Microsoft was known as a publisher of decidedly questionable titles, Ensemble put them on the map as a force to be contended with.
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What really made Age of Empires different was its historical, real-world setting. Obviously it wasn’t a true history, since there’s no explaining contact between the Carthaginians and Sumerians, but Ensemble gave each nation a unique flavor by giving them bonuses and a special unit or two. Greeks had access to the phalanx and the Shang had production bonuses to reflect the economic might of China. Even the dominance of cavalry archers in multiplayer matches, though somewhat difficult to explain in ancient terms, wasn’t out of place historically. The Mongols devastated the flower of European nobility using their light, mobile cavalry with composite bows that could pierce armor.
The sequels
Age of Empires II: Age of Kings was the real killer app. Age of Empires had a large but very tight fan base, and outside of that circle it received little attention. It was Age of Kings that brought the AOE games to public spotlight. Consider, even when forced to use the inferior MSN Gaming Zone service, there were at times as many Age of Kings players as there were StarCraft gamers on Battle.net’s USEast or USWest servers.
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Age of Mythology plans to continue the trend of growth, though it has apparently taken a different path than people expected. For one, the timeline hasn’t advanced forward, we’re actually back in the Age of Empires eras with the return of two original civilizations. The Norse are from more modern times, but were included to help the second departure from the AOE norms – mythologies. For the first time there will be unnatural units in the series. Age of Mythology, as the title suggests, is strongly connected to mythological settings and units.
SIDEBAR: Athlon/Pentium 450Mhz
128MB of RAM
16MB DirectX 8 video card
8X CD-Rom
1.5GB Hard drive space
FS Recommends
1GHz processor
512MB of RAM
GF3 or better
| Interface & Sound | Page:: ( 2 / 8 ) |
Deja vu
Returning Age of Kings players might do a double-take the first time they sit down at the game. Not only does the game graphically resemble its predecessor, the interface is virtually unchanged. Everything you knew and loved about the Age of Kings interface is back. The bottom bar with the commands is the same as always, and again some of these commands expand to more elaborate detail menus. Want to set formations, patrols or a defensive stance? If you came from AOK you could do it blind-folded!
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The Age of- games have a very powerful interface, though the abundance of icons and the use of sub-menus does make it a bit cluttered, especially when compared against fresher titles. One thing we found particularly annoying with the sub-menus was when employing a mixed military group. Instead of displaying the combat menu by default, the game would offer players the regular menu from which the combat menu is the only possible selection (with the exception of the Norse, whose infantry build their structures.) Attack-move and even attacking are only marginally effective, thanks to the weak unit AI and even weaker pathfinding. The AI has a nasty habit of not properly selecting targets when commanded to attack-move. While we don’t expect units to avoid their counter and go for units they’re strong against, we would be happy if they were smart enough to realize that an enemy army is a larger threat than a house.
The mouse controls are different from the Craft titles, and while it’s not a big adjustment to switch over we are beginning to question this strange form of developer pride in which they don’t give players the option to switch mouse controls. This is especially puzzling in Age of Mythology, which has (surface roughness aside) by far the most powerful keyboard interface of any RTS. There seems to be a shortcut for almost everything a player would want to do. Players can look for specific buildings, find idle units, build units, set their attitudes and formations – everything but actually tell them where to move. On top of merely selecting various units and buildings, players can also queue villager tasks the way they’d set waypoints with their military.
Dedicated players who learn these controls will have a huge advantage over their slacker counterparts. The time saved with remembering but a few of these commands is astronomical, even given the languid pace that Age of Mythology can sometimes suffer from.
Falalala!
The sound design went in two different directions. The game’s effects are generally subdued and reserved. Melee battles ring out on the field, but they feel properly distant and don’t take over. As with Age of Kings, there are certain units that make their presents known just by their sound. Whether it’s the thundering footsteps of a colossus or giant, or the roars of war elephants, a player’s attention is immediately drawn to this new sound. Whether this is by design or accident, the stand-out sounds for these special units are a real boon to the game, both in singleplayer (helping immersion) and multiplayer, where they serve a warning role.
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The musical score is unimpressive on all counts. It’s just too plain timid and confused. It would be one thing if the tracks were written to be mellow and atmospheric, but the composer obviously had grand designs for the songs. Unfortunately, whoever recorded them did not manage to deliver the ambitious performance the composer intended. The music is not a huge problem but it clearly got the short end of the production money, which is a real shame considering how rock solid the rest of the game is.
SIDEBAR: Pentium 4 2GHz
256MB RAM
Abit GF4 4200 OTES
VIA P4PB
| Graphics & Interface | Page:: ( 3 / 8 ) |
Déjà vu… again! Deja-déjà vu?
Remember how we said that returning Age of Kings players might do a double-take because of the graphics? That’s because the 3D is so good, it looks 2D. Nono… that’s not a bad thing, this is a Good Thing™. When 3D graphics get so smooth, detailed and realistic they look as impressive in screenshots as 2D – that’s saying something. Normally it’s just too easy to tell where the polygons are, how flat the lighting is and how poorly the textures on various body parts interact with each other. AOM’s 3D graphics have all the fluidity and motion of 3D, but they look as detailed as 2D units in screenshots.
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Part of the trick is in using smaller units, as it is more difficult to spot details and flaws on those. However, the rest is just genuine graphical splendor. Age of Mythology’s graphics still have a surgical cleanliness that is distinct from WarCraft’s cartoonish looks or the grittiness of C&C Generals or StarCraft.
Problems? The graphics and the interface
The animations are very fluid, though the units move slow enough that it would be hard to imagine how the animations can’t be fluid. While the animations are hardly one-motion wonders, the units do actually feel a bit static in combat. With a few exceptions (most of these being special attacks), they actually take on the negative traits of 2D animation. The zoom level of the game makes this tricky to judge, since you’re not so close in that you notice it that often, but you’re not far enough out to ignore it completely, as you might be with Medieval: Total War.
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Things tend to get very, very cluttered in battles. The units are numerous and small enough that micromanagement becomes difficult except in cases of elephants or large myth units. This situation is rather unfortunate since micromanagement is more important in AOM than it was in AOK. There are fewer units in the game, and there are more special units – like myth units and heroes. Whereas AOK had a three-way juggling act with infantry, cavalry and archers (and the occasional exception like camel riders), AOM complicates things further by forcing the player to balance heroes against myth units, myth units against regular units and regular units against heroes.
Picking out one or a group of your own units isn’t the problem. Targeting that enemy medusa who is turning your troops to stone is! What would be a fidgety, nervous task in a small battle becomes an exercise in frustration in a larger engagement. Somehow, even in StarCraft when dealing with hordes of zerglings, it was possible to pick out a few hydralisks or a devourer in the back. We don’t see why it should be more difficult in Age of Mythology.
SIDEBAR: Age of Kings hooked more of my friends than StarCraft did.
| Gameplay | Page:: ( 4 / 8 ) |
Loki, the trickster
In a new twist for an Age game, there is a solid, continuous singleplayer campaign that lasts a mind- and ass- numbing 32 missions. This is a very, very long campaign. It takes a week or two to complete at a decent pace, at least at a reasonable difficulty level. Then again, maybe it just feels long.
The campaign follows the exploits of Arkantos, an Atlantean hero who finds himself forced to engage in the Trojan War to appease Poseidon. In a saga not unlike the Illiad or Oddyssey itself, this seemingly simple task becomes much more complicated as the inevitable “greater evil” shows itself. Arkantos finds himself wandering across the ancient Greek and Egyptian worlds, and the frozen lands of the Norse. This gives the player ample time to experience all three civilizations, and most of the major and minor deities.
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I say feels long because in the vast majority of missions, you will end up doing the same thing. Build up an overwhelming force while fighting off a few attackers, then steamroll your opponent. Then you go onto the next mission and end up doing the same thing for a different reason. To break up the tedium, there are a few no-production missions which are actually so good that they outclass the regular scenarios. There are two particularly memorable such tasks, the first being Circe’s Island. Here we find our hero Arkantos, fresh from the conquest of Troy, turned into a boar. He has to lead a bunch of pigs (actually Ulysses’ men) to a temple and then turn then back… and then he has to mass up an overwhelming force and overrun his enemy. A slightly less innovative, but more interesting scenario is up in the North where players have to pick fights with various Norse tribes, one at a time, by taunting them with a banner. The campaign didn’t stir any great emotions, except leaving us restless. Throughout the various missions we felt this huge sense of inevitability about what was going to happen, like there were no surprises. It’s all stale and old hat, aside from a few trick missions there is little to set Age of Mythology apart.
Favoritism!
There are still four resources, but stone has been replaced with favor. Gold, food and wood are gathered in the normal fashion, while favor is earned uniquely by each civilization. The Greeks get it by sending peasants to worship at temples. The more worshippers, the quicker favor is generated. The Egyptians earn their favor by building monuments, which generate it at a steady rate. The Norse have the most unique way of gaining the favor of their gods – war. Although their heroes generate favor at a very slow pace, it is in battle where the Norseman gets noticed by his gods. This makes them at alternate points both the slowest and the fastest earners. All favor is capped at 100 points maximum, with the exception of Zeus worshippers who get to hold 200 in the bank.
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SIDEBAR: MrFixitOnline got its start as a small AOK site. In fact, I remember back during the Gamers.com launch, he used to frequent the AOE/AOK forums.
| More Gameplay | Page:: ( 5 / 8 ) |
The Gods Must Be Crazy
In the singleplayer campaign, your major deity is chosen for you. The major deity determines what civilization you play, as well as your initial god power and the minor gods you’ll be able to choose from at each age. Every time a player advances through an age, he gets to pick between two minor deities. These will offer a new god power, unique units and special upgrades. While choosing a minor deity is a matter of personal preference, some are clearly better than others in certain situations. The major distinction seems to be in water and land-based deities. Some, like Apollo, have a god power that is often too good to pass up, even though their upgrades may be weaker depending on the player’s unit choices.
God powers can be used once per match and are utterly, horribly, wonderfully imbalancing. Bragi has a Flaming Weapons power which causes the player’s army’s weapons to do about 10 extra points of damage. Even battles turn into routs, and an easy victory for your enemy can become a costly defeat. Apollo creates the Underworld Passage, which lets the player’s units pass immediately between the sides. Fortunately for the opponent, it can be destroyed. But in a game without teleport scrolls and town portals, being able to move one’s army quickly between strategic locations is a godsend.
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Since each civilization has three major gods, and the minor gods vary somewhat between the three gods, it’s pretty important to pick a major and stick with him when learning the game. Even though the differences between the civilizations aren’t as great as in StarCraft, they are actually larger than with WarCraft III. The Norse are a particularly odd bunch, since their villagers don’t build buildings, and their gathering points aren’t wood camps or mining camps, but mobile ox carts! The way favor is gathered is extremely important, since the Norse player benefits from being very aggressive, while Egyptians are forced to gather favor at a steady rate.
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SIDEBAR: Michael Jackson is damn scary. He gives me nightmares. First that monkey-face pic, and then dangling his own kid out of a window… dude…
| More Gameplay | Page:: ( 6 / 8 ) |
Multiplayer
It is far too early to call balance on multiplayer. Generally things feel quite balanced, since I’ve had my ass handed to me by every possible major god, and done the same in return. There do seem to be preferences for minor gods, with Bragi being a choice of every Norse player I’ve encountered. Generally though, it is personal preference.
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We’ve always been impressed how the Age games play in multiplayer. Competitive gamers are rewarded for the extra hard work, if they choose to micromanage their peasants by hunting instead of settling for farms and berries. Even though towns have the formidable town centers and towers (should you upgrade) to defend them from the get-go, raiding and harassment are still possibilities from the moment you get to the second age.
Unhappy Norsemen
All’s not happy in Valhalla however. While it’s a blast to create armies and navies, to launch (somewhat) coordinated assaults and decide whether or not that last gold harvesting upgrade is worth it, there are a few things that need consideration. The first is the major draw of the game actually – myth units. After Age of Empires and Age of Kings, unnatural units do not feel as if they belong, pure and simple. Myth units have a well-defined place in the game, they work well, they add a layer of tactical depth but they just don’t feel like they belong. The whole draw of AOE and AOK for many players was “oh wow, look, I’m using historical units!” Now those same people are confronted with hydras, nemean lions, crocodiles with laser beam eyes and giants. Age of Mythology is a different game, that’s true, but it loses some of the spirit of the franchise with this change. For everyone who the myth units appeal to, we’re sure there will be someone else who’s turned off by them.
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A more serious and divisive problem is the whole “first age”. For experienced and hardcore players, it’s a way to strut their stuff – hit the second age quickly and overwhelm a new player before he knows what hit him. The problem is that during the first age, all players do is scout, build a little and gather resources. In a multiplayer match, that’s about 7-10 minutes of wasted time for the average gamer. If the first age was removed, competitive players would still be able to showcase their talents by gathering resources faster and producing.
Even Ensemble scenario designers realize the uselessness of the first age, since it makes only a token appearance in the campaign. Almost every mission starts off in at least the second age. Other than tradition, we really don’t see why Age of Mythology should have to put up with a useless first age. It’s about time to cut the fat, Ensemble.
SIDEBAR: Gunvalkyrie on the Xbox has my buddy chewing his controller in frustration. He hates that game… he says. He can’t stand the difficulty… he says. He’s tired of buying new controllers… he says. Yet he keeps playing it.
| Ballistics Report | Page:: ( 7 / 8 ) |
Pros
Gameplay. It’s classic Age gameplay, with some interesting twists like god powers and myth units. God powers are at the same time the most frustrating and empowering experiences a player can imagine, while myth and hero units add extra depth to the tactics.
Interface. While we’re generally not too happy about how dated it is, some illogical features (the sub-menus) and micromanagement hassles… it’s just so powerful!
Stability. The game is like granite… nono… steel! Wait – TITANIUM! We had only one problem with it, and that was fixed by loading in video safe mode which produced absolutely no visually discernible difference!
Multiplayer. It features perfectly classic Age of Empires play with all the new features that add depth by the fathom!
Graphics. To make a 3D game that has all the charm of a 2D title, and not even have us want to move the camera – it’s an accomplishment.
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Cons
Singleplayer Though it featured a few interesting new concepts, Age of Mythology felt tired in its singleplayer campaign – though it was still far better than WarCraft III.
Interface quirks. While the overall impression of the interface was positive, we’re disappointed that there has been no effort to update it to modern standards. The primitive AI and unnecessary difficulty of targeting a specific unit don’t help.
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SIDEBAR: For all the interesting ‘Mech designs, new and old in Mercenaries, I still miss the good old Behemoth.
| Conclusion | Page:: ( 8 / 8 ) |