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COMMENTS: Overall, not my favorite scenario.

MAP SIZE: 40 x 126

TIMESPAN: October 2012 to May 2020

Playability Rating

1½/10

COMMENTS: Here's a good scenario that was carried through badly and ends up beging completely unplayable on the default level. It's your fairly typical "Civ2 and a smidge more" scenario. For a first or second effort, it's good. There is a lot that could be done with this scenario that wasn't and it was sad to see a good idea die in the hedgemaze of the highlands.

The first direct fault I could see is that there is no pedia.txt and .bak files were included with the scenario. This is what I call breaking the cardinal rule of scenario making. Then there are the cannons masquerading as artillery and the completely unexplainable "Ironclad" in 2012. Sure the Welsh might not have a great time on their own, but did their navy have to revert so far?

The next and one of the biggest problems is that of playability on Deity, on which the scenario is set to default, these cannons and occasional armor are almost completely useless because of the high volume of cities with walls. It wouldn't be so bad if the player could build more to replace what is lost, but that effort would be entirely in vain, considering both armor and cannon cost more than 40 shields, and most (90-95%) cities having 10 or less shields produced per turn.

Perhaps the most fatal was that the English could communicate with their warring parties. Whenever the player manages to take a city from them, they are presented with the awful diplomacy message. This is criminal in a scenario. The author receives the Civ death sentence for this one.

Level of General Care

4½/10

COMMENTS: I'm not sure where this author found this map, but a good deal of effort went into it. Cities are placed well enough to spread out the action slightly. There are an almost annoying number of cities as the eye is flooded with in the map view. Perhaps a fewer number of cities and better balanced units would help this scenario a lot.

As I said, this scenario came with extra files, and was missing a few (readme and pedia.txt). The scenario briefing is very brief and leaves much to the imagination as to why the United Kingdom would suddenly bust into 3 pieces.

Perhaps the author should use some of that space to describe why the scenario includes Cannons, Ironclads, and piston-engined Fighters in the year 2012. Or better yet, the author could correct those problems. An addition to the events file is also in order, seeing as it includes just one event, a free armor to the Welsh, who aren't even included as a recommended player choice in the scenario briefing.

Art and Originality

1 / 10

COMMENTS: This is just an absolutlely pathetic effort in the art department. Not one new unit in the art department. Not even a recycled unit from somplace else than the standard civ2!

This just in... there was also no effort in the originality department! What we have is a standard civ2 war, AI stupidity in its full glory. This author doesn't deserve any pity in this category.