My take on the game

Get ready for Mark H. Walker's Lock ‘n Load: Heroes of Stalingrad. This is the first complete computer game in the Lock ‘n Load series, covering the battles in and around Stalingrad during World War II.
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39battalion
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My take on the game

Post by 39battalion »


Well it took me quite a while before I finally jumped in and purchased this game. My initial concerns were :

(1) Would the board game pedigree translate successfully into a computer game ?

(2) Never having played a LocknLoad game I was unsure about the game mechanics.

(3) The graphic art I saw in some of the screenshots looked a little cartoony. Would this detract from immersion and game play ?



After playing through the tutorials and one scenario against the AI these are my conclusions :

(1) Yes it works well as a computer game.

(2) The game mechanics are excellent and the game has an authentic tactical combat feel.

(3) The graphic art does not detract from immersion or game play.

(4) The tutorials provide a very good introduction for players new to the game system. Kudos to the tutorial designers for providing one of the best tutorial series I have encountered.

(5) The combat sounds are evocative.

(6) The game is exciting, immersive and fun to play. Not many games manage to give you all three of these experiences !

(7) I have only two concerns about the game : (a) It seems to me that heroes are created too often and too easily. IMHO it would be better for game play and immersion if they were a little harder to come by. (b) Replaying scenarios/campaigns against the AI may not provide much variety in setups and outcomes. If this is the case then more scenarios/campaigns will be needed for the solo player.



In summary this is a very good game and a credit to the developers. If you are still on the fence, time to jump off and make a good investment !
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z1812
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RE: My take on the game

Post by z1812 »

ORIGINAL: 39battalion

(7) I have only two concerns about the game : (a) It seems to me that heroes are created too often and too easily. IMHO it would be better for game play and immersion if they were a little harder to come by.

I have been thinking the same thing.
ioticus
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RE: My take on the game

Post by ioticus »

I think there's an 8.3% chance of a hero being created every time a unit takes a damage check (looking at the board game rules), so yeah, sounds too high to me.
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fran52
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RE: My take on the game

Post by fran52 »

To reduce this 8,3% ,the only way is to modify the program.One possibility is to request a dr of 1 or 2 in the second dr instead of an even result.
ioticus
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RE: My take on the game

Post by ioticus »

If I were to modify it I would make it so you had to role snake eyes (2.7% chance).
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wodin
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RE: My take on the game

Post by wodin »

+1 ioticus
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fran52
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RE: My take on the game

Post by fran52 »

Sorry ,but i'm Italian and my English is not very strong.What mean snake eyes?Is typical way of saying in English?
ioticus
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RE: My take on the game

Post by ioticus »

ORIGINAL: acropora

Sorry ,but i'm Italian and my English is not very strong.What mean snake eyes?Is typical way of saying in English?

Snake eyes is when you roll two ones on 2 dice.
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fran52
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RE: My take on the game

Post by fran52 »

Snake eyes is when you roll two ones on 2 dice.
Now is clear,thank you.2 X 1 on 2 dice is like the ASL system but here we have to roll 1 dice .
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Dorb
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RE: My take on the game

Post by Dorb »

I agree. For me seems like that 8.3% always happens at a pivotal point in the battle,(and usually on the other side) which I understand it could happen in life - but simply means a reboot of the scenario for me. [;)]
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Barthheart
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RE: My take on the game

Post by Barthheart »

ORIGINAL: Dorb

I agree. For me seems like that 8.3% always happens at a pivotal point in the battle,(and usually on the other side) which I understand it could happen in life - but simply means a reboot of the scenario for me. [;)]

Kind of the whole point of a hero... to show up at a pivotal point in a battle and save the day.... for either side.[;)]
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Dorb
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RE: My take on the game

Post by Dorb »

Yep and then hit the restart. Shame they don't pop out sooner in the battle with the long range shooting. Guess they are afraid. [;)] Maybe at the pivotal point the percentage goes up a bit.
I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.
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FroBodine
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RE: My take on the game

Post by FroBodine »

Why restart when you get a hero? Do you think they are unbalanced?
toddtreadway
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RE: My take on the game

Post by toddtreadway »

Initially, I didn't like the fact that so many heroes appear. I guess it was the ASL player in me (where hero creation is a much bigger deal--and more rare).

Now though, I kind of like them showing up. The idea of one guy coming out of the squad to save the day is actually pretty realistic, though more random. And like Dorb says, if it is too much to take at the moment, just reload/restart.

That said, if there was an option to make it less likely that would be fine with me too.
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Veldor
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RE: My take on the game

Post by Veldor »

ORIGINAL: toddtreadway

Initially, I didn't like the fact that so many heroes appear. I guess it was the ASL player in me (where hero creation is a much bigger deal--and more rare).

Now though, I kind of like them showing up. The idea of one guy coming out of the squad to save the day is actually pretty realistic, though more random. And like Dorb says, if it is too much to take at the moment, just reload/restart.

That said, if there was an option to make it less likely that would be fine with me too.
I agree and like it as is. Perhaps its not the percentage or the mechanic so much as the term "hero". Also isn't the point as much to give you a card to play?
It definitely scratches the ASL itch without feeling like some cheesy ripoff. And a big part of that for me is in how the leader system works (And the "shaken" morale system, and the melee, well and the activation system, and...)
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baloo7777
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RE: My take on the game

Post by baloo7777 »

ORIGINAL: toddtreadway

Initially, I didn't like the fact that so many heroes appear. I guess it was the ASL player in me (where hero creation is a much bigger deal--and more rare).

Now though, I kind of like them showing up. The idea of one guy coming out of the squad to save the day is actually pretty realistic, though more random. And like Dorb says, if it is too much to take at the moment, just reload/restart.

That said, if there was an option to make it less likely that would be fine with me too.

+1
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tyrion22
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RE: My take on the game

Post by tyrion22 »

ORIGINAL: toddtreadway

Initially, I didn't like the fact that so many heroes appear. I guess it was the ASL player in me (where hero creation is a much bigger deal--and more rare).

Now though, I kind of like them showing up. The idea of one guy coming out of the squad to save the day is actually pretty realistic, though more random. And like Dorb says, if it is too much to take at the moment, just reload/restart.

That said, if there was an option to make it less likely that would be fine with me too.

I like it as it is too. If I was to change it, I wouldn't make it a lot less likely overall, but maybe less likely in hexes with fresh units, more likely in hexes with shaken units. After all, it's when they appear together with a lot of shaken units they create the best narrative. The guy that saves the day when all is lost.
It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.

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tigercub
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RE: My take on the game

Post by tigercub »

ORIGINAL: baloo7777

ORIGINAL: toddtreadway

Initially, I didn't like the fact that so many heroes appear. I guess it was the ASL player in me (where hero creation is a much bigger deal--and more rare).

Now though, I kind of like them showing up. The idea of one guy coming out of the squad to save the day is actually pretty realistic, though more random. And like Dorb says, if it is too much to take at the moment, just reload/restart.

That said, if there was an option to make it less likely that would be fine with me too.

+1
+2
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madDdog67
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RE: My take on the game

Post by madDdog67 »

I just got trounced in Human Wave, and it didn't help that there were 2 Soviet heroes on the board pretty much from the first turn on. Got to be that I dreaded the next die roll after seeing a 1 on the DC :).
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markhwalker
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RE: My take on the game

Post by markhwalker »

To be honest I sometimes think.... and this is almost 11 years after I designed the game, that heroes pop up too often. The number of heroes would be hard to change without a rewrite on some of the scenarios, but we might be able to tweak the probability, but then again... that would deviate from the board game.

Tom, the programmer, wrote the tutorials, and he did a great job.
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