[Tiara]

RoN is not a very good game. It totally rips off AoE (duh), it's too easy, its too short.

Played it thouugh. Liked it the first time but after that it was just dull. Even MP is dull as hell.

[Stealth]

yeah, there's actually a lot of real time strategy games similar to AoE.

Command and Conquer, Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, etc. and i've always played Starcraft, but somoene mentioned that Rise of Nations was a good game, so i thouht i may as well give it a try

[Tiara]

Originally posted by Stealth
yeah, there's actually a lot of real time strategy games similar to AoE.

But RoN is AoE in more then one way. Including graphic styles and all.

I'm not saying iots a bad game, I'm just saying its not special in any way. It's your bog-standard RTS game with some Risk™ elements added to the mix.

[.::Tin Can::.]

That's because some of the guys from AoE came over and joined Big Huge Games and helped MAKE RoN. Not to mention it has a COMPLETELY new strategy: commerce. You can't get a gajillion of each resource, you have to research how much intake you can get per resource in that particular field. In this case, if you had a ****load of food coming in, more then you could handle, then you dont get that extra. If your commerce cap is at +100 resources, and you are picking in +120, you loose that +20 because you cant take it all at once. It's just wasted. That way we dont have major-resource hogs in the game because you just cant OCCUPY everything you see. Not to mention, getting units mixed and matched together adds blend. Take for instance one game that has big-bad units, where you can make an ENTIRE army out of only them:

IE:
1) Dragoons
2) Hydralisks
3) Battlecruisers
4) Mutalisks

You can build an army of 10 teams worth, and you basically won. Unless, of course, you have the SAME amount of units on the other side. But this game adds depth, as well as anti-rushing with the atrition damage you suffer when entering other territories under peace, as well as under war. Not to mention that running into a fight is stupid, and tactically taking a city or the high ground always works out in your favor. And, as someone above mentioned, you get bonus attack and defend points for flanking your opponents when they are engaged.

All in All, this game rocks, and I personally love it's new style.

[Tiara]

Eh, and how is that different fom almost every other RTS out there? Granted, it has some new stuff but nothing 'revolutionary' as they promised it would have.

[.::Tin Can::.]

Planes need to refule, introduce commerce system, systematic city-building, territories, attrition damage, necessary supply wagons, special attack bonuses for flanking, automatic transport system where units will turn into their own boats when they hit the water, etc...

[Tiara]

Again, nothing revolutionary or even that interesting at all IMO.

[.::Tin Can::.]

I find it VERY interesting, seeing as how it changes strategy planning altogether. Not to mention, artillerty is almost a NECESSARY addition, due to most games that let someone take out buildings with infantry easily. As for other new and fun things, ability to "entrench" your units into the ground really makes for some fun. Line a general up, tell units to go defensive, and then have them wait for an oncomming enemy. Once again, strategy can be played, and have a flame thrower assault trooper use his weapon and it clears out the entrenchment. It can also be used against garrisoned units, making sitting in a building and camping, impossible...

[aldo_14]

If you don't like the game, you don;t like the game.  Personally, I think RoN trounces AoE in every way imaginable.

[.::Tin Can::.]

Which means...

[Tiara]

AoE was the most basic of basic RTS game I ever played So, no, thats not saying much

I never said it was a bad game, it has... interesting features but still remains a mediocre game in my eyes.

But then again, it's just a matter of taste.

[.::Tin Can::.]

I suppose so. Anyone who liked C&C Generals Tank Sluggin experience wont like a game with the hard-hitting strategy and fast commanding it takes for RoN. That's why, I guess, PC Gamer gave it a 92% or 93%. Not to mention Xplay gave it 5 out of 5 and Strategy Game of the Year...

[.::Tin Can::.]

If you feel like it, you can read my review of RoN on DZone, right here:

http://www.digitalizedzone.com/oldgamereviews.php

I'm GW_Duo_2099 and that's Gekko's website. While you're there, go ahead and have a look around. I was a bit younger when I wrote the review.

[SadisticSid]

RoN is a great game but for the stupid 'Apocalypse Timer', where if you don't want to lose you can just fire 10 nukes at the enemy which results in an instant draw.

[.::Tin Can::.]

Meh, the Apocolypse Timer keeps from Unfair, happy nukings. I believe you can put a limit on how many you can fire off before it just restricts it. But, I hated it when some ass whipe just cheaped off of us on his little island with 10 nuke silos loaded with ICBM's and Cruise Missiles...

[Tiara]

Originally posted by .::Tin Can::.
I suppose so. Anyone who liked C&C Generals Tank Sluggin experience wont like a game with the hard-hitting strategy and fast commanding it takes for RoN.

You gotta be kidding me Strategy? Yeah, right.

This game, as like almost any other RTS, fails to comprehend true strategy. So you can flank with a bonus. Woopie... big deal. So you have a few minor enhancements... woopie. Its just as any other RTS; it's too easy. And too easy = no strategy.

Yeah, you can try tactics and such but they aren't neccesary. Thats the whole point. It's too easy to employ tactics and strategies. Anyone who finds RoN difficult isn't really that good in RTS. And I played it at the highest difficulty level.

Though, I agree, it still beats C&C slugfests

[Ghostavo]

Tiara... I'm beggining to adore you

Originally posted by .::Tin Can::.
Take for instance one game that has big-bad units, where you can make an ENTIRE army out of only them:

IE:
1) Dragoons
2) Hydralisks
3) Battlecruisers
4) Mutalisks

You can build an army of 10 teams worth, and you basically won. Unless, of course, you have the SAME amount of units on the other side.

I've never been so insulted in all my life. Starcraft is above and beyond RoN in every way possible, except maybe graphics (although strangely they still look great to me... and I'm very picky)

If you had actually played the game and looked you would have known that StarCraft too has counter and it's not just amassing only one unit. Any unit in the game is good from the beggining to the end. Dragoons and Hydras can be killed by something as simple as a Reaver. Battlecruisers are killed by Scouts and maybe Carriers (although if you wait to have enough resources to mass Battlecruisers you are either playing a major noob, you had already won in the first place, or... you disconnected). Mutas fall before the might of the Goliath. This is only an example of the so called uber units you mentioned, so please before saying something as that go check the game.

[.::Tin Can::.]

I did, and it seemed every time I tried I still got pwned. Not to mention unit speed is also critical, and my reavers just could NOT keep up with the Hydralisks... sad, sad times...

As for the basis of RoN having NO strategy, I should slap you. Trust me, I've tried running into the middle of someones base and just tried to kill everything all at once and I got MURERED. Amassing one big-ass group of units and smacking them right in the middle will make you die. Unless, of course, you mix and match your units and have them set up, like generals making decoys in the front. Or, you could do like I love to do, and have two seperate groups, one armor division and another standard infantry division. The artillery roll in from the most promising side. Usually the infrantry. Afterwards, you level two cities and your borders expand and their decrease.

The game BOASTS strategy, and I'm beginning to think you guys either only played the demo, or never played it at all...

[Ghostavo]

I didn't say anything about having no strategy, I mearly said it had little and what it had, had to do more with economics (setting a good economy, etc, etc, etc...). I know economics are an important part of a strategy game, but they aren't the most important one, you know? I wish Praetoreans had made a smash hit... if only it was better.... Unfortunatly, the gaming business seems to be "starting" to call good strategy games like Ground Control and Praetoreans under a sub-genre called "tactical" games which leads people to the wrong impression that strategy games are only about resourcing better than your oponent.

I played RoN... yes... I conquered the god damn world in that "campaign" if you can call it that.

SC tip #17658716
Always use shuttles to support your reavers.

[.::Tin Can::.]

That's why I prefer to play on maps where you have to build a base, and then move around in order to support resources, meaning expansion. Noting like "$$$BestMapEver$$$" which, in translation, means "$$$OMG-YOUR-A-N00B$$$"