Why is FFH2 special?

[[to_xp]Gekko]

I think it is the big passion of the team members (and the clear vision of our masterchief) combined with the possibility to work with the community and without pressure from any producers or money concerns. That comes because it is "free" and thats why it stays free.

this is a very good reason. indeed commercial games tend to get rushed due to time restraints and end up being not nearly as good as they could. just think about the initial release of civ4, it was a joke, needed patches to be what it should have been in the first place. moreover, it seems to me that companies are making games less and less complex in order to appeal a larger audience of casuals, which is also really bad for a gamer

 

[Niley]

Guys, don't debate why is FfH special. It just is. Discussion over.

 

[cyther]

If a unit it would have Loki's old immortality, limitless movement, blitz and heal after combat.

 

[Breunor]

I've played board and computer wargames for well over 40 years and I do think FfH is one of hte greatest games available. I think that regular Civ IV BTS is quite a special game, probably the best computer strategy game made for replayability that I've played, but for me FfH improves almost all of the few flaws I had with BtS.

I doubt I have anything new to add, but I do find FfH quite refreshing. It takes the Civ engine, a successful one, and adds so much flavor and strategic choices that you are forced to think out of the box.

First, the flavor of the game is well done. The game can be 'powergamed' (played strictly to win) or you can have fun role playing also. There are a tremendous number of options for the players in terms of maps, religions used, events, etc.

The flavor is well presented with the strategy. There are always hard choices. Go for conventional armies? Fo for magic? How to mix them? What do I mean by flavor?

When I play regular Civ, I rarely have the 'feel' for the country or leader. So I'm playing Victoria, I get redcoats, and I'm good with money; but I may as well be playing half a dozen other powers the same way. But if you play the Calabim, you better feel like playing with vampires. This part is hard to describe, but FfH gives the player the 'feel' of the power played. Along wtih the graphics, the tone, the music, I get much more immersion into the FfH world. And, again, I thought that regular Civ was one of the greatest games of all time.

Indeed, mastering the magic system alone takes gives quite a lot of choice. There are endless choices on mana type and how to optimize them. Play a summoner, and see how it impact the game you play! I wrote a mini-post on how to think of which mana types to go for, this alone is a whole area of strategy for players to explore.

Advancing through the tech paths is valuable, but it isn't the be all end all it is in regular BtS. Choices are well balanced.

And, finally, there is the staff. Unlike other games, problems are solved quickly! Patches come out. Kael and crew check everything. They have even added a card game within the game. WoW! In contrast, look how long it took for the 3.17 patch to come out! Then look at how quickly the 3.17 compatible version of FfH came out!

And part of having Kael and this great team is that they don't rest of their laurels. The game was great, and Kael then announces that he is revamping the magic system. No holds barred, everything was discussed, no sacred cows. They keep tinkering with it. Even though there is often 2 steps forward, one back, it just keeps getting better and better.....

Kael is promising us more wonderful scenarios. I actually thought 'Age of Ice' was one of my favorite computer gaming experiences. It is a very 'tight' game, very exciting. I still remember the first time I played it, I was so impressed with the richness of the system and how well made the scenario was (which got me to download the full game). Of course, any scenario like that has some limitations of replayability, but this produced an exciting and vibrant game. It starts fast and you have to keep your wits about you while fighting through, explorign the board, fulfilling prophecies, etc.

Artwork? Strategy? Choices? Flavor? Balance? Care of the designer? Loyal following? What else can we want!


Now, I do agree with some of the posters, I do think the victory conditions need work. And the extra features make it hard for the AI, which clearly can use some improving (but let's all remember how hard this is!)


Nonetheless, despite some flaws, I find this to be a breath taking game. I'm sorry if I'm rambling, but Kael, Nikis-Knight, Xienwolf, Sto, and the other FfH designers have done so much for us, I feel I can't say thank you enough.

Best wishes (and thank you!),

Breunor

 

[shrike2005]

The things that makes me play this great mod instead of civ4 bts is:

1: i find the pace of the game much better balanced. Meaning that every time you research something, it has an impact on your game. Not like civ4 bts, where you can research a dozen different units before you even settle your second city. This i find to be most profound in regards to units and their effect on your overall strategy.
2: The flavour is great!
3: The constant development, improvements and rapid bugfixes, which in turn makes it feel worth it to participate, test and report on bugs.
4: I got my gf hooked, so now we play multiplayer


So to sum it all up: Keep on doing the good work

 

[Arilian]

I went back to civ/bts from ffh after 1 year because of 3 things:

1. XP/Unit system.

You can have too powerful untis.
If you reload it makes the game too easy even in the hardest level, if you do not you will hit your head to the wall loosing a 100xp unit with 1%

2. Virtually no end game.

End game is boring because the AI cannot win, and four you it takes a long time to win even after itis clear that you will. No to mention on huge maps waiting time between turns is a game killer (for me at least)

I played a PRINCE map lately an even though i won i needed to beg for peace just befor the end.... In FFH it never happens even in Deity...

3. Limited replayability.

You first think the opposite because races are so diverse it take a lot of time you master them all/ot at least which you like.
But after you know a race well its mutch simplier to play and win than in orig civ.

 

[Arilian]

BTW its a very good game, one of the best i have played in the last year so just look this as a "constructive" criticism, and take my gratitude for it

 

[hbar]

Besides all the reasons mentioned above, one thing I have to mention is being able to watch the evolution of the game over the past year or two. I started playing this mod somewhere around version 0.21 (I just remember the targeted spell system *shudder*), and now we're at 0.33 - so many ideas have come and gone, so many strategies perfected and nerfed, my favorite playstyle (summoner) completely wiped out only to be replaced with something even better...its a process that few if any of us have ever seen from a commercially released game.

In addition to that, we (the community) are actually listened to when we suggest changes! I've never played a game when I don't like something, I can just pop on the forum and suggest a change, and then see it a few versions later (or at least get told why it isn't a good idea). Besides making a truly amazing game, the team has made an even more amazing community - and that's something no other game I've played has done.

 

[cfkane]

Because it's such an inspired and intricate mod that it shows you how much is possible with the Civ4 engine. It's what made me want to start my own Civ4 mod.

 

[psychoak]

Alas, I've still played Counter-strike more. It had the benefit of 16 hour days of nothing but gaming.

I think options. I've played a few hundred games, if only a handful to completion, and still haven't gotten bored enough to get creative with their value systems. I'm still playing good guys like good guys and bad guys like bad guys.