"Field of Glory PC version?" Topic

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Never see that coming!

pre-advertised from the very beginning, as I recall.

Just put it on my wish list, thanks for sharing minigeek.

I thought it meant they put out a Politically Correct version.

Rich

Anyone played it and have any impressions yet? I'm curious to see how people here react to how it plays.

it looks like it was made in 1989

I think it only just came out of beta testing now.

the designers (Slitherine) I believe have been working on similar games in their stable for years though – legion, etc, and this was always part of the whole FoG tie in thing from the outset – doesn't Slitherine host the FoG forum?.

Someone posted last month that they playtested it and it was very good, but someone else noted that the graphics are subserviant to game play – which is as I would expect from a computer game designer based in a western european country and not big enough have a Lara Croft of Sonic to pay for their devlopers every week.

worth a look, I would think, for christmas

Digital FOG is IMHO a hell of a lot better than the tabletop version. The computer does all the convoluted calcs & knows where the rules are hidden so it zips along nicely. It's dead easy to learn to play (at least it is if you've played the tabletop version & know the basic concepts). It's not exactly the same but I find the changes are actually an improvement (eg: bigger difference between move rates for inf & cav). The graphics might be a bit old fashioned with hexes & it's turn based like a boardgame, but I prefer that to real time games that are all fancy graphics & no time to think. The AI's no genius but it's not stupid either. A game against the AI takes about half an hour. It's nice little time waster – interesting, fun & not hard work.

Ah, but does it have the one-handed sarissas and the Egyptian scythed chariots of Total War?

For anyone who is interested here is some info on the PC game released by Slitherine. Matrix are our publishing parnter in the US on this title.

Field of Glory is an approachable and fun wargame system for your PC that covers the ancient and medieval worlds. It's intuitive user interface makes it an ideal game to pick up for new comers to the hobby, while it's subtlety and depth ensure long term interest for the grognard. Find out what it is like to be a Caesar at the battle of Philippi against Pompey. Command from the rear or imspire your men and risk death and injury from the front line. The initial release covers during the Rise of Rome from Zama in North Africa to the battles of Boudicca's revolt in Britain. Later releases will expand to new periods and new areas of the ancient and medieval world. Based on the popular Field of Glory tabletop wargaming system from Slitherine (www.fieldofglory.com), the PC version takes care of all the calculations and measurements and just leaves you to make the important and fun decisions. Click the Buy Download link on the left to command your army now!

Inspired by the Field of Glory tabletop wargaming system the PC edition has an easy to use interface with a focus on having a fun game. In particular it is very easy to play multi-player against other users across the internet.

Features
· Game play that allows key decisions to decide the results of historical battles.
· Detailed and accurate depiction of ancient warfare (combat mechanics, leaders, morale).
· Single and 2 player head to head modes as well with an internet based multi-player system. The system is truly revolutionary and takes all the hassle out of multiplayer gaming. Try it now!
· 18 battles of varying size.
· Play as Achaean League, Carthage, Caledonians, Gaul, Germanic Tribes, Macedonians, Spartacus Slave Revolt, Romans or even Romans vs. Romans at Pharsalus.
· Comprehensive scenario builder is included. There are graphics for 11 different terrain types with western European and arid settings. 141 different battle group types with the system with almost limitless ability to modify their individual behaviour in the game.

Videos
Gameplay footage YouTube link
Multiplayer Video Tutorial YouTube link
Scenario Editor Video Tutorial YouTube link

Reviews
90% (SUPERB) – Game Squad "Accurate; great unit graphics; accessible mechanics; fine multi-play; versatile editor."
No score – Flash of Steel "Field of Glory satisfies two itches at once. First, it is a very simple and very fast playing wargame, second, it is an ancients game"
No score – Wargamer reviews FoG "I'm having so much fun playing multiplayer games that I have to stop myself from starting too many"
No score – Wargamer gives FoG a first look "Wargamers who enjoy battlefields of the ancient are going to love this game"

For more information and screenshots visit the games page at slitherine.com/games/fog_pc

I have a copy of Fields of Glory on the PC, and I've been enjoying it a lot. If you want a general feel for the game, here's a blow-by-blow account of a round I played after first buying it:

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I was embarrassingly bad at the game when I made this AAR, so don't expect any fancy moves. I'm actually playing a multiplayer game of that battle right now, only as the slaves this time. Apparently I've improved a lot, as I had King Salvius hang back while the blue-shield allies and Athenion flanked. My Roman opponent charged forward in a long line, which resulted in my massed blue-shields crushing the opposing flank, and now I'm going to fold up on him and it should be all over.

The multiplayer community is quite active, and the game has a nice server system that automates the turn by turn process very well. I have 6 or 7 games going on right now, and when I issue a challenge for a new game, it is usually answered within a number of minutes.

Each game seems to last me a few days; the turn by turn system they have implemented means that I can easily incorporate Fields of Glory into a busy schedule.

If you want some criticism, I have some. The graphics are simply okay. And, well… I can't think of anymore right now, but there are other things that can be improved. Sometimes I get bad rolls and my people get hurt, sometimes (often) I even lose. It's basically a fun game that is very user friendly, but still affords the player a lot of tactical considerations.

Since its release (and the making of the above AAR), one patch has been released. It added some extra maps and improved the zoom function (originally the game just ran in native resolution, which was hell for me because my desktop is at 1920x1080, but this is all fixed now). They have said on the official forums that they'll be releasing another patch that will add in units to complete the roster of the time period, and then there will be an expansion pack for other time periods. Most people are requesting that the first expansion pack be "Immortal Fire" which focuses on the 6th-4th century classical world.

Just thought I'd add, a short while after writing the above post, they released another patch. It added 3 new scenarios, and it also added the ancient indian army. I've only tried one of the new scenarios, but it's a very unique one; it's Alexander versus Porus, and the Indian army behaves very differently from any of the pre-patch armies. Elephants, chariots, and lots of archer-infantry hybrids.

I got into the first tournament,fates aid me.The ability to challenge and play anyone anywhere is great,the players in the tournament are from all over the globe.I'm looking forward to their expansions that will include new armies and battles,this original offering plays like lightning,fast and furious.

I agree with the interesting, fun and not hard work, though it does help to think before moving, of course. It's worth the money and I am pleasantly surprised – the graphics do the job. There are tactical differences from the FOG rules, but the way things work is in a hyperlinked help file accessible during play for questions.

Does anyone have an email address to request a serial number from. I bought this game but the serial I have is showing as invalid when I try to add the latest patch.

Cheers

Keith

Try the Slitherine support forum link . Did you buy the game directly from Slitherine or from Matrix? Slitherine has a find my order function that various people have used to find their serial numbers from Slitherine. This doesn't include Matrix ones which are a different set of S/N.

Chris

In the interest of fair disclosure updating my comments above, the initial game does not include the full FOG range but only a range of armies and battles from the first few centuries BC involving Rome, Greece, Macedon, Carthage, and their enemies – pre-made and user scenarios created with the editor. Turn-based play is simple, simply opening the game (which is fast), playing the turn, and then it is automatically sent to the other player (who gets an email notice if he wishes). Further official tournaments will be held, though unofficial ones could easily be conducted as well.

It has been announced that the full range of FOG's 300+ armies will be made available to the player through paid expansions, each corresponding to an army list book and including army builders, scenario generators etc. that let you use those armies. So, for example, if I had only the Empires of the Dragon expansion and you had the Legions Triumphant expansion then we could play a theoretical battle with my Han vs. your Romans but not the other way round, and neither of us could play a battle set in medieval Europe. Players will buy the expansions with the armies of interest to them.

Just found that the first expansion has been released about two weeks ago.
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I hope they will release Storm of Arrows