Return of the Shadow: The War of the Ring

HaHa... luckily, it's about 99.99% complete. I couldn't bare to not release it... it's been 'ready' for at least a year!

 

Moderator Action: The point is that WIPs go in the main forum. That includes those that are basically functional but are getting adjusted for game balance, etc. When the scenario is finished you can then start a new thread in the proper subforum. consider this an informal, "as mild as possible", yet official warning.

 

Well... when I said that it wasn't ready, I meant there were typos, minor, minor bugs, etc. Nothing I'd really call 'WIP'. I've been the only one for the past couple of days to play it, so I thought asking for the communities help would be called for. It's playable, and there shouldn't be and CTD's, AND I'm nearly done with the Uber patch, so all-in-all, I'd say it's 'complete'.

When I said 'testing phase' I should've said 'feedback phase'. I apologize for the confusion of words, but, with all due respect, I'd appreciate if this thread may continue.

 

Everything's cool. you're not in trouble or anything. Just a reminder for the future more than anything - it's easier to get feedback on something from the main forum. you can always ask a moderator to move a thread later. Or do other things like change the title, merge threads, move posts from one to another, ...

 

I cannot stop feeling partly responsable for the 'as mild as possible' official warning that was issued to this thread. As the big number of games that were played and retold here shows, together with the praises that were given, the scenario is totaly playable and complete. As I see it, we, the players, as always , had some ideas about what would be cool to have, and Lord Malbeth was kind enough to listen to them and make some changes to meet our desires. I hope the other players will agree with what is said in this post and give their support to Lord Malbeth.

 

So I was before Helm's Deep and ready to attack. I tried the defenses of the city with the Witch-King and got scared when he retreaded with one hit point left. Decided the forces I have are not enough and should wait for battering rams to arrive. Wise decision! For the next 4-5 turns I waited in front of Helm's Deep, killing the ocasional units Rohan was sending in the open and retreating to Isengard territory to heal. After some battering rams arrived, I bombarded for 2 turns with no apparent succes, until the walls were destroyed. The next turn was the good one. Helm's Deep was mine! In the next 3-4 turns it was easy to take Gap of Rohan and Adorn with the battering rams that were pouring from Mordor. There was no reason for me to let Rohan live any more, so I destroyed the Rohan capital using the units that have been healing in Helm's Deep. So the current situation, turn 43, is presented in the first image.

Domestic: My Golden Age, which lasted for 40 turns, had come to an end. This influenced really bad my productivity, especially the GPT revenue, which dropped with aprox 40%.

Trade: Losted wines, but didn't bother to get them back.

Military: All cities were producing battering rams.

Foreign: The Ents broke our alliance with 9 turns before its end. This meant more money for me , but possible problems. However, they did not send any unit against me and after less than 10 turns practically implored me to make peace, as presented in the second image. All the money I gave to them, returned to me , although I must confess I had a lot of luck they didn't gave it to someone else...

Cultural: There were no city flips; I think the barrows helped a little bit with this. However, the victory screen shows that the Free People are increasing their culture.

Science: Finally decided to go for Mercantilism. I lost 2 turns in changing to it, but hope everything will be ok.

Future: I am considering a Conquest victory, as this would seem the most appropriate way to win for Sauron. As I have a little more than 50 turns left, I am thinking to start helping the Easterlings on the north front. I will send a few units to secure the area and then, with 2 slaves, build a road. I estimate that in the next 20 turns I should be able to destruct the capital of The Bardings. On the west front, the problem consists in determining the next target. If the Elves would fall, that would ease my job on the north front too, and then agaisnt The Shire and Arnor, but I fear Rivendale. If I were to destroy the Shire, as I think they manage Frodo and Sam and the Ring, I fear that would instantly end in a victory. So I will have to think...

 

I agree with Hector, the scenario is playable, and certainly complete as it is, as most of us have played numerous games to completion. It's more of a, "hey, this would be totally cool if you can do it," phase than anything else.

 

I'm not sure you guys understand that you're wasting time trying to win an argument that doesn't even exist:

The time wasted could be more usefully spent playing & giving feedback. Plotinus, Steph, & I spend a lot of time doing things like moving misplaced threads that could have been used creating more goodies for all of us. Or figuring out how to install well-made scenarios on other OSs to increase the fan base.

So let's all get back on task (having fun).

 

Blue Monkey... Glad everything is cool. I was secretly scared there for a moment. I agree, let's start the fun again.
HectorOfTroy and Arc Terrat... Thank you for the support. I don't hold any of you responsible for the little warning. Hector, I would also like to use your second screen shot for the first post. Would that be possible?

 

Blue Monkey Same here ... glad everything is cool. And please know that I understand moderators think at the best interest of all community, and I appreciate this.

Lord Malbeth It just seemed as the honourable and right thing to do. I would be happy if you used one of my screen shots, so go ahead. However, if is not too much trouble, could you please make some sort of reference to me or my post ?

Ok, so let's go back to what we like best: play!!!

 

Oh course I will. Thank you very much. The screen shot is now on the first page. Thanks again!!

 

I have adopted some conventions, hopefully they are expresive enough, if not, I am open to suggestions:

1. An item usually begins with the name of the civilopedia entry, followed by actions on the text of that entry, separated by the character ';'; the conventions for actions are presented as the next items in this list;
2. + = add to the entry;
3. - = delete from the entry;
4. [crt_text_to_be_replaced/future_text_that_replaces] (e.g.; [library/Lorehouse] = the current text 'library' in the entry should be replaced by the text 'Lorehouse');
5. 'some_civilopedia_text' = quote text from civilopedia; usually used together with the previous convention;
6. crt_place -> next_place = a link with the name 'crt_place' that currently leads wrongly to 'next_place' (e.g.;Nazgul -> Invalid Entry = the hyperlink 'Nazgul' wrongly leads to the entry named 'Invalid Entry').

Civilopedia categories:

1. Improvements
   1. All improvements that I have built cost in reality a quarter from what is written in civilopedia;
   2. Lorehouse: [library/Lorehouse];
   3. Runestone: [Civil Defense/Runestone]; -no additional defense.
2. Units
   1. In general, it would be nice to have, for the king and special units that have an upgrade, a bidirectional link saying in one case that this units upgrades to this, and the other unit is an upgrade of the first (e.g.; Gandalf the Gray and Gandalf the White);
   2. All units that I have built cost in reality half from what is written in civilopedia;
   3. If the unit belongs only to some tribes, it would be nice to have it stated;
   4. Barrow-Wight: +one less hitpoint; +invisible;
   5. Battering Ram: -it needs an escort (not true as it has attack and defense points); + it does not enter hills (and probably all the same types of terrain like trebuchet); +receive an additional hitpoint;
   6. Dead Men of Dunahrrow: +when winning a battle, it has ? chances to produce a Lesser Spirit; +link to Lesser Spirit;
   7. Dragon: the title of the entry [Dragon/Minor Worms] (as Ancient Worms are referred to as Dragons);
   8. Frodo: Nazgul -> Invalid Entry;
   9. Garrison: [pikeman/garrison];
   10. Great Spider: 'are produced every [20/10] turns'; the cost is [30/0];
   11. Guard of the Citadel: +they are produced every 5 turns by the White Tower;
   12. Khamul: Easterlings -> Invalid Entry;
   13. Lesser Spirit: [currently the same entry as the Dead Men of Dunahrrow/they are produced by the Dead Men of Dunahrrow when they win a battle, with a ? chance];
   14. Mumikil: [Mumakil/Mumikil];
   15. Orc: +receive an additional hit point;
   16. Ranger: Nazgul -> Invalid Entry;
   17. Slave: 'loses one [dwarf/citizen]'; +it does not enter hills;
   18. The Witch-King: cost [120/0]; +when winning, can produce a wraith, with chances of ?;
   19. Worker: it is said they upgrade to Slave, but there is no noticeable difference between the two of them... .
3. Resources
   1. Mirkood Silk: [luxury/strategic] resource;
   2. Wines: are classified as strategic resources, they indeed act as such, but there is no use for them, no unit or improvement depending on them, so maybe they should be classified as luxury, or stated clearly what units depend on it.

If you discover new glitches, you can either send them directly to me or post them and I will add them to this list, with credit of course.

Hope this helps for a better experience of the game.

 

Excelent, thank you, I have a screen shot on the first page !!!

 

HectorOfTroy: Thank you for the bug list. Most have been fixed!

 

or The Fall of (almost all of) the Middle Earth

Current turn: 69. In a little more than 25 turns, the faith of Middle Earth has been decided. After taking East Dunland, the Mordor generals used it as a base to launch a massive attach against Rivendell. More than 30 Battle Rams were sent, together with other units and armies, under the command of the Witch-King (see first image for an idea of the Orcish military forces). They bombarded the elvish capital until grew tired of it. Many tricks were used to make the Elves leave their safe city, but the most effective one was due more to luck. The Elves decided to attack? with 4 Elvish Garrison the reinforcements sent to help siege Rivendell. Suck an opportunity had to be seized, so the Orcish forces attacked and won, killing Lord Elrond. But that was not the end of the Elves, as they moved they capital at Halls of Threaduil, under the command of mighty Legolas.

The Witch-King decided to pursue its hate of the Elvish race and left with a part of the elite army that had taken Rivendell towards the Halls of Threaduil. Meanwhile, the army sent to fight on the north front had arrived and the only problem now was to decide which capital to take first: see second image. The Bardings were the first to fall, after sending quite a surprinsingly large number of forces. During the siege of Dale, the Witch-King's army fought many Elves and even a few Dwarves. During the same time, the other part of the army that had sieged Rivendell, together with reinforcements from East Dunland took 3 cities from Arnor, including the capital. But, again, as in the case of the Bardings, quite surprinsingly, Arnor still stood.

By the time Dale felt, more than half of the north forces were badly wounded. Although Lake-town was under Mordor control, sending them back to cure in the barracks facility would have taken too long a time. So, when the great Gaglash proved its valour in battle against the Sherrifs of the Shire, the Dark Lord entrusted it with a special mission. It was to choose a city close to its present location and invoke, by means the Dark Lord only knew and entrusted to it, a great kind of building, or monument, or portal, that would take the life of the fallen enemies and transfer it to the Orcish forces. And this was done. But for its terrible did, Gaglash was punished, and his was the first life that the great kind of building, or monument, or portal took.

Using the new kind of magic the Dark Lord has brought onto the world, the Orcish forces were capable of continuing the siege on the Halls of Threaduil and after many battles succeded in defeting its defences. Meanwhile, the Shire was conquered and soon after, without the help of the Elves, even the last Eriadorian city, which defended their last leader, Gandalf, felt.

Drunk with power, the Orcish generals view themselves as winners, and allowed the Dwarven capital, Lonely Mountain, to use the Elvish goods and become strong beyond all nightmares. So, a long siege had to be maintaned on this city too (see third image), a siege in which food had to be denied into the city (the 2 armies are fortified on wheet stores), and defenders lured into unprotected places (the orc waiting to be slaughtered - this actually worked for about 5 Ironbreakers, and most of the orcs even withdrew at the last moment, making the loses almost null; this tactics had been brandished in the fights of Rivendell and Halls of Threaduil). However, and after all inevitably, Lonely Mountain became Orcish too.

About the same time when Arnor felt, the Ents declared war, but the diplomats announced Mordor's allies of this, so the Ents found themselves soon confined in their cities. Currently, only 3 Dwarven and 2 Entish cities remain free of Mordor influence, but not for long.

 

I just downloaded the scenario and started to play. Seems quite fun and I expect to go sleep late tonight

I noted you used my ring and my dwarvian cities. Thanks, that's very appreciated On a side note, I notice the walled version of the dwarvian cities had some alteration of the colors. I don't know if it's wanted of not, but if you want to change it , I had that version with walls around the mountain:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=3195735&postcount=20

Or the one in the attached link without it.

Cheers!

 

Thank you ever so much! On a related note, I saw I had forgot to put your name on the front page, but magically, it is there now. Thanks a ton for the graphics!

 

So, this is, like, the end of all hope.

 

I have played two games; one with Arnor and one with Gondor. I especially liked the one with Gondor and the challenge of fighting continually with Mordor. I have attached a view of the end of that game. It's a good thing that I sent Frodo with the Ring since my army got whip out by orcs in the heart of Mordor.

One recommandation would be to place Gollum on Mount Doom as a unit of Mordor (I know it's not accurate) instead of been an unit to be captured. This way, the Ring bearer would be forced to fight Gollum before winning the game. Just a little challenge if we chose this way of winning. In this case, it would be appropriate to increase the attack of Frodo and Sam to 2 and put Gollum's defense at 1 (or two but with a shorter life). Anyway, this is just an idea.

Very good word!

 

Sorry for the delay... My hard-drive died, critically hurting the files to this game, but luckily, I made back-ups, I just need to sort through them.

Those pics look good! I'm still gonna try to tweak this game to make it even more fun!