My thoughts on PF

[mzimmer74]

So I was given the opportunity to play the preview build (thanks Virgil!) and thought I'd share my thoughts with anybody who might like to hear them.  I wrote up a review for Steam (although it doesn't seem to be taking it yet) so figured I'd just cut and paste from that the pertinent information.  Some of it would be pointless here on the boards because those of you here would know most of it already.

Much like CW3, the base game itself is quite fun.  There are a series of "tutorial" maps that ramp up in difficulty to introduce new game mechanics but are also fun in themselves.  The game mechanics are extremely fluid and intuitive.  It's very easy to pick up the basics of how to play the game.  There are a few "irritants" in terms of movement controls, but a lot of that is being fixed by Virgil in new builds.

Where PF truly shines is in the tactical area.  Once you get past the basic maps, there are a myriad of ways to proceed in each battle and your tactics will determine whether or not you succeed.  Sometimes you'll want to use an overwhelming force to attach an enemy.  Sometimes you'll want to divide your forces to distract the enemy AI.  Sometimes you'll want to set up a mobile strike force to get in and get out to advance the overall cause.  Sometimes you'll even want to send in a ship on a suicide run (all ships are robotic drones...no humans killed) to clear out some of the enemy for other ships to have space to operate.  At any given time you'll need to evaluate the overall battle and determine the best tactics for the given situation. Sometimes, you'll be wrong and will have to try to regroup to save the day.

As far as the AI goes, this game is a big step up from the CW games.  The enemy in CW, while difficult to beat, is ultimately a mindless blob.  The enemy in PF has come quite a ways from that.  For every ship you have, the enemy can create the opposite to attack you with.  The enemy ships will also probe your defenses, running away if they can't get through.  Overall it seems like the enemy is much smarter in this game and that definitely makes for a more challenging test of your skill.

However, as fun as the game is right now (still not completely finished and there are a few issues Virgil is working out), I also know that it will get 100 times better in the months to come.  Much like in CW3, Virgil has added a scripting language to PF to allow the players to create amazing maps.  We are still in the early versions of what will come out, but already there are some new ideas from players.  It is the player created maps that extend the life of a game like PF to a huge number of hours.  If the only thing you got were the base game, it'd be fun but over too quick.  With the map exchange there are literally countless possibilities for new maps.

Another addition in PF that is really neat is that there is not only a map editor like in CW3, but there is also a ship editor.  The map makers (or even just a regular player) can create their own ships to use in the base game or in maps that are created.  Also like CW3, there is a procedurally generated map maker.  You can easily create a map to play on the fly and then share it with other players if it is fun.  With the number of variables that you can control, the possible number of maps is, practically speaking, limitless. I popped in to try it out and play one and it really does work as simply as it does in CW3.

All in all, I highly recommend this game to anybody who enjoys playing CW3.  You'll feel right at home in it as the overall look and feel is quite similar to CW3 and, as you all know, Virgil just makes fun games!

As a final note, I should mention that I was given the preview key.  However, I would have bought the game regardless and will probably be buying a copy for my brother since I really like to support Indie developers like Virgil.  With as many hours as I put into CW3, and as many as I've already put into PF, I'm quite happy to say that it's well worth the money!

[knucracker]

Thanks... I appreciate the thoughtful review!  Certainly helps keep my motivation up here at the end (er, beginning?).

Steam probably won't let reviews go up till it is in the release state, I know they stop screenshots, so I'm not surprised by the review limitation.  But once the game is released, there shouldn't be a problem.

[mzimmer74]

Ah...that would explain why the "post review" button just went away when I clicked it!  I'll just save the review in a word document and post it when the game goes live.