Expeditions: Conquistador - Kickstarter

[Humanoid]

What AI level are you playing on. The lowest does tend to kill itself, on the highest it should never trigger an AoO.

 

Didn't touch the difficulty settings, so it's on normal with all the defaults.

[samm]

Just got it from gog.com yesterday and stayed up until 5am playing It's very interesting so far, and challenging as well, because as usual I try to go the peaceful and diplomacy way.

 

Found a test in german on gamersglobal. They seem to like it as well, criticising mainly graphics and camera adjustments / fiddly controls.

[melkathi]

Hmm, there are some slight supernatural elements to the game. Very minor so far, but not sure the game needed them. I think it could have stayed a pure (alternate) historical setting and would have lost nothing of its charm. Then again I really ahd to go out of my way and search for the stuff

[Gorth]

I knew there was something I had forgotten

 

I did see the email last week. Just didn't get around to get it sorted out, because I no longer remember what options I chose along the way (i.e. steam, gog, desura etc.). Better get it done today and get something for my pledge

[Hassat Hunter]

I did see the email last week. Just didn't get around to get it sorted out, because I no longer remember what options I chose along the way (i.e. steam, gog, desura etc.). Better get it done today and get something for my pledge

If you backed (couldn't for Steam) you can get a free Steam key by just PM'ing them on their Kickstarter page with your Steam handle.

Nice, huh?

 

Although from what I hear the Steam version is the most instable of them all, so you might want to use the platform you originally chose it for till it's patched

[Humanoid]

No real idea what Steam's policy on that kind of thing is, specifically whether it'd cost the devs money equivalent to Steam's cut. I have no reason to ask for a Steam key so I won't bother.

 

 

Anyway, I think my first run is almost done - explored about 80% of the Mexico map so far so unless there's a big twist and more opens up, I assume it's just a bit of running around finishing the final plot quests. Not quite 20 hours played at best guess, so it'd be a bit over 20 by the time I'm done I'd say.

Edited June 3, 2013 by Humanoid

[Tigranes]

Nope, there are no surprise-twists if you explored the map. I think yeah, about a 20 hour game, which is not a bad effort content-wise for this kind of team. 

 

I was disppointed in

El Dorado

though. Well hidden, good lead-up, then bam, you just get a few measly valuables and a far too easy typical battle.

[Humanoid]

Definitely feeling the first half of the game is stronger, and by a good margin too. The game has the same XCOM inverse difficulty curve going on, and by the end it's mechanically going through the motions. The plot interactions also feel a fair bit sparser in Mexico, where I could go for weeks at a time essentially doing nothing and not interacting with any of my crew.

 

I guess the main complaint I can make mechanically is that the character level progression is pretty flat. The passive feats are mostly barely noticable, things such as +5 defense or +10% damage when flanking are, while not terrible, not particularly interesting either. The active abilities are also a bit inconsistent, some I can barely see much use for (such as the veteran scout's throwing knife and the soldier's active defensive skills since hp pools are so small compared to damage that attacking is almost always the better option), and there's no choice at all about them.

 

I didn't start out meaning to keep comparing this to XCOM, but despite that game's missteps with some of them, most of the character levelling choices were genuine "interesting decisions" in Sid-speak, where the choices were both significant in impact and had a real effect on how the game was played depending on which choice was taken. In E:C it's mainly just a case of upgrading all your recruits to veteran so that each has +10% attack and defense, a couple of minor passive skills, plus another potential 5% attack/defense from extra equipment slots that open up. Not a fatal flaw by any means, but while I'll certainly replay the game at least once more, it's only for the RP aspects and not any significantly differing mechanical approach.

 

 

The other issue I'm having is that it's incredibly hard so far to justify investing in ranged combat to any significant degree. Finding typically that it requires 2-3 hits of melee to get a kill, as opposed to 4-5 for ranged, and that's before accounting for the guaranteed damage versus gambling with chance to hit. Further, it seems while all but the scout get to wield ranged damage, the hit chances for anyone but hunters are so absurdly low (30% in broad daylight while a few tiles away?) that it's the last resort of the desperate rather than a meaningful option. And yes, I'm comparing characters with equivalent (maxed out) equipment in their relevant weapon category.

Edited June 3, 2013 by Humanoid

[Tigranes]

Finished the game by

backstabbing the natives and conquering all for Spanish glory like any good Racist party.

I agree that by the end the game was beginning to get stale, and it has a large amount to do with (1) unimaginative encounter design, and (2) unimaginative character progression. Both of those things I suspected for a while would be the biggest flaws in the game. I'll play another round through as a native-hugger but after that I don't imagine the game having replay value because of that. 

 

Still, for a small team it was an achievement and it's great to see they put out a game that very much lives up to what they promised. Oh, and hunters are actually pretty good given the inherent advantage in range, though that depends on your playstyle. 

[Gorth]

 

I did see the email last week. Just didn't get around to get it sorted out, because I no longer remember what options I chose along the way (i.e. steam, gog, desura etc.). Better get it done today and get something for my pledge

If you backed (couldn't for Steam) you can get a free Steam key by just PM'ing them on their Kickstarter page with your Steam handle.

Nice, huh?

 

Although from what I hear the Steam version is the most instable of them all, so you might want to use the platform you originally chose it for till it's patched

 

 

Of the available options, I would prefer GoG (backed it with $100, not sure what that entitles me to, but I started downloading the digital goodies from the urls in the email)

[melkathi]

Still playing this. Taking it slow in-game, exploring and trying to find all the different things to do. My troop has grown to 16 people and one is waiting as backup.

I was rather surprised to find romance options in the game.

[Bester]

Uh. Why couldn't they make progressive immersion? I got so tired of reading all the descriptions that I didn't even get past character creation. I'll try another day. Now I feel tired.

[Tigranes]

So reading a few screens of text tires you out? Screw 30 minute 'tutorials', I want all the information and I want to get on with the playing. 

 

Insane Ironman + Low Leadership/Survival Leader = lots of party wipes. Going to try again later.

[alanschu]

Never mind that the game does have a progressive tutorial

[Bester]

So reading a few screens of text tires you out? Screw 30 minute 'tutorials', I want all the information and I want to get on with the playing. 

 

Insane Ironman + Low Leadership/Survival Leader = lots of party wipes. Going to try again later.

Sure, it tires me. I don't even read irl, I get audiobooks from audible.com and relax in a couch in total darkness. Fk reading!

[Bester]

Plus, remember Tropico? That voice, oh that voice. It added a new layer of deep, you know? They should've voiced their tutorials with a fake spanish accent. Doesn't cost anything.

[Gorth]

Got my game redeemed at GoG

 

Now I just need a long weekend (like the one just around the corner) and I can download and start playing. Looking forward to it. Wonder if it has any similarities to Seven Cities of Gold.

[SadExchange]

I'm just waiting till the first patch comes out to play my first game due to some bugs I've been hearing about. Lately I feel that you need to wait till at least one patch has been released to enjoy the game without some pretty apparent bugs, speaking of Eador, and some other titles as of late. AAA titles or not, everything seems to need at least one patch out the door.

[Hurlshort]

I think there was a patch a couple days ago.  I had a couple things but restarting Steam cleared them up.

[melkathi]

I'm just waiting till the first patch comes out to play my first game due to some bugs I've been hearing about. Lately I feel that you need to wait till at least one patch has been released to enjoy the game without some pretty apparent bugs, speaking of Eador, and some other titles as of late. AAA titles or not, everything seems to need at least one patch out the door.

 

A patch would be nioce, but it's not that bad. At least for me I have the one bug where my Scouting stat is miscalculated, but as my scouts are both veterans with max Patroling, it hasn't affected me all that much.

[Humanoid]

I don't think your scouts skills come into it, other than the fact that you have scouts at all. As far as I can tell, each point of the scouting skill is one extra movement point per turn, plus a +1 modifier to the scouting skill checks in dialogue.

[melkathi]

Its kinda funny though. My scouting states: 5 + 6 = 9

[SadExchange]

I think there was a patch a couple days ago.  I had a couple things but restarting Steam cleared them up.

Yeah,the devs have said this last patch was specifically for steam issues and that fixes like the scout bug and others would be addressed later this week or early next

[Gorth]

Its kinda funny though. My scouting states: 5 + 6 = 9

 

Put more points in his math skills?

 

[Hassat Hunter]

Well, the first patch went out (quite some while ago), more are on the way.

How's the game going for you guys?