The Year of the Four Emperors - no balance at all

Alea Jacta Est is a series of Ancient Strategy Games using the renowned and proven AGE engine. The first in the series is Alea Jacta Est, which features the Roman Civil Wars. Other games in the series are Birth of Rome and Parthian Wars. The latest entry, Hannibal: Terror of Rome, highlights the Second Punic War.
Post Reply
BootyJoe
Posts: 37
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:01 pm

The Year of the Four Emperors - no balance at all

Post by BootyJoe »

I really like the AJE system - but a good system is of no use if the scenarios are poorly balanced. How the scenario "The Year of the Four Emperors" could be included in the demo beats me. A demo is supposed to leave you wanting more and buying the game. When you have three playable factions in a scenario all of them should be able to win. I am not saying that it must be equally easy/hard for the factions to win but all factions should have a chance of winning. "Year of the Four Emperors" is so rigged in Vespasianus favour, making it impossible to win as Otho. I have tried winning as Otho a dozen times. Even if I hold ALL of my objectives and take the two Vesp objective towns in Moesia Superior Vesp wins on points (ab 100 usually) without ever being even close to Rome. I have tried sailing all the way to his capital Antiochia but there is not enough time to take it - it is a lvl 4 fort...Will this scenario be balanced in a future patch? I, for one, will not buy the game unless the scenarios are reasonably balanced - unbalanced scenarios ruin the fun of a great engine.

When simulating historical yet grossly uneven conflicts (and I am not sure this scenario depicts such a conflict) the way to handle that gamewise is to define "win" as "do better than history". Handled that way even the underdogs are playable as you can "win" by doing better than history. This is common practice in war games. This scenario ends after one year because historically the conflict did not last more than one year. So for all logical purposes comparison to history should determine winner but as I write above that is not the case. Victory points should be tweaked accordingly, alternatively the time limit should be extended.
User avatar
Missouri_Rebel
Posts: 3062
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:12 pm
Location: Southern Missouri

RE: The Year of the Four Emperors - no balance at all

Post by Missouri_Rebel »

I'm not sure about the historical aspects or game balance (new to both the game and era), but the full version scenario of The Year of the Four Emperors is 25 turns long. just over 2 years, December 68 - January 71. I'm actually getting my rear handed to me in that scenario now as the Vitellius.

mo reb
**Those who rob Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul
**A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have-Gerald Ford
BootyJoe
Posts: 37
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:01 pm

RE: The Year of the Four Emperors - no balance at all

Post by BootyJoe »

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

I'm not sure about the historical aspects or game balance (new to both the game and era), but the full version scenario of The Year of the Four Emperors is 25 turns long. just over 2 years, December 68 - January 71. I'm actually getting my rear handed to me in that scenario now as the Vitellius.

mo reb

Oh I see the demo features a "light" version of the scenario then. 25 turns might give Otho and Vitellius a fighting chance. I guess I have to get the full version to find out.
sullafelix
Posts: 1521
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:17 am

RE: The Year of the Four Emperors - no balance at all

Post by sullafelix »

Ageod uses historical scenarios and troops etc. in their games. They do not balance them out like some game makers do.

I have no problem with this approach at all. I haven't played all of the scenarios in the " Rise of Prussia " but I am sure that some of the later ones are pretty impossible for Frederick to win, other than just to continue to exist. But it does lead to scenarios like playing Germany in a game's 1945 scenario. Your " win " would be to last until June or later os some such thing.
Windows 7 home premium 64
Intel quad core I7
16 gig
AMD R9 200 series

Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit!
MorningDew
Posts: 1144
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 12:24 pm
Location: Greenville, SC

RE: The Year of the Four Emperors - no balance at all

Post by MorningDew »

ORIGINAL: sulla05

Ageod uses historical scenarios and troops etc. in their games. They do not balance them out like some game makers do.

You could balance things with starting VP levels. In a good scenario, winning sometimes means not losing as bad as the historical loss.
sullafelix
Posts: 1521
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:17 am

RE: The Year of the Four Emperors - no balance at all

Post by sullafelix »

That is what I said in the second half of my post.

However, I do know people who will not play scenarios/games that they cannot " win ".

To me if you are playing historic sceanrios a win is when you do better than reality.
Windows 7 home premium 64
Intel quad core I7
16 gig
AMD R9 200 series

Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit!
Post Reply

Return to “Alea Jacta Est Series”