Is the quest system basically just a guide to get you going? Seems they aren’t storyline or random quests, but things like build this buildings, generate this much resource, etc. haven’t gotten very far in a serious game, buts that all they have been so far.
I think it’s more their way of telling a story about the planet. There are going to be a lot more quests telling you to go to random locations or explore different things. I thought the quests were kind of cool, but they are potentially unbalancing, so I would say play them to explore a WH40K story about the planet, but be aware that they can really mess up your current game.
They don’t necessarily play fair (particularly at the end). So realize that you may lose the game by following the quests, or save scum.
DLC announced Reinforcement Pack, along with an imminent 1.1 patch
[DLC] https://steamcommunity.com/app/489630/discussions/0/3276824488731969813/
[1.1 Patch] https://steamcommunity.com/app/489630/discussions/0/3276824488717776208/
This is rapidly becoming my GOTY, so thanks @Sonoftgb for the discount code, and @tomchick for the “fun” comment. It has a real Fantasy General vibe for me personally.
Steve
DLC is day one purchase.
Yep. I’m in for all the DLC they can muster. But there is the Battlestar DLC too. Not sure which is getting my time this weekend.
Time, feh, both will get my money.
Same. I think Gladius is going to win out for time. I have not played a game since the AI patch left beta. The DLC seems like a perfect time to give it a go.
Anybody tried the AI patch?
I’m quite vary of it since it’s made by same community member who ‘fixed’ their previous game Pandora’s AI, making it play the game perfectly (thus hyper aggressive). (In fairness, can’t blame him for creating an AI to perfectly suit his own play style when they allowed him to)
Now, probably a lot of people like the challenge, but that is not my thing. I found the Gladius AI quite competent as it is, not perfect but that means I don’t have to play perfectly either.
I believe the guy you mentioned (called Ail? ) has been tweaking the AI but only the higher levels.
I was played gladius on default difficulty because it was fun that way.
But fair play to those who want max difficulty AI to provide an actual challenge.
My impression was that the Base Ai wasn’t any better at higher difficulties and only got a loyalty bonus, no resource bonus or anything.
This now cracked the top 5 on my wishlist. You don’t really need to be a Warhammer fan to appreciate this, right?
IMO no. It’s a quality game with interesting mechanics; Warhammer is a skin. One that’s thematically well used (which is important for Atmosphere IMO).
Good. I don’t have anything against Warhammer. I just don’t really know much about the lore at all - even though I’ve played a couple Warhammer PC games.
Warhammer lore:
- Every faction is fascist assholes, basically.
- There are good individuals in some of the factions but this basically doesn’t matter in any PC games.
- practically everything worthwhile is either tainted by chaos or basically equivalent to Battletech Lostech.
- Beware the Alien, the Mutant, the heretic. Unless you are playing Necron or Ork in Gladius, in which case welcome Aliens and Mutants.
- the slow blade penetrates the shield
There, you are all set!
Thanks :-)
No. Knowing the universe can enrich the experience, but is not at all required. That is, I might rush to having a Dreadnaught because I find the idea of a fallen Space Marine harvested and recovered in a living tomb of mechanized warfare pretty cool, but you would be equally served just seeing it as a sci-fi wargame with a big robot dude that Marines can tech towards. Also, this has the side benefit of you skipping the fan ruled frustration at why the Dreadnaught and pretty much all Space Marine vehicles suck as you will just see laser tanks and robots and not the armor plated faithful of the undying Emperor.
Hopefully I didn’t just disprove my point. Lore is totally NOT required. Gladius is a really, REALLY fine turn based Wargame in the vein of Panzer like hex games of yore. Or like an RTS slowed down into turns.
This is where Gladius (unfairly) earns its hate (or its “meh”) in many reviews or Steam comments. Too many folks hang their hat on the idea that Gladius was/is a 4X game. Lacking diplomacy, religion, trade, or whatever other traits that some see as essential to the 4X label, it gains some heat. Now, I feel I can Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate just fine without making trade deals or non-aggression pacts, in fact, that seems more logical, but that’s beside the point.
There are further arguments, beyond the silly 4X heritage spat, seemingly fueled by folks that need the modern drip feed of progression or unlocks. Like games of yore (RTS, Wargame, or yes 4X) each game of Gladius is like every other game of Gladius before or after. Each game is a full set of options and a full experience (outside of faction and tech choices). This leads some to say in reviews, “you’ve seen everything after a few games.” Well, yes, like a lot of games not games as services. And that’s good. It reminds me of @tomchick labeling RTSs as a tool chest or toy box and the subsequent failing of Command and Conqure 4’s MOBA/RTS/unit unlocks. Each session of Gladius is a complete experience. That is not, or shouldn’t be, a dig at the game. I can go for Dreadnaughts in any game. Maybe I will tech them up in my next one or go for Assault Marines. Or aircraft. It’s all in the toy box. I can use some of them, but not all of them, while upgrading even less of them. This is just as I would do in a game of Starcraft, but in a deliciously perfect Goldilocks porridge between too brief and too long. It’s not as short as a Stracraft match, nor as long as a Civilization game.
Gladius is a modern presentation of a blending of two mostly dead genres. I get my resource management, tech tree choices, and toy box of an RTS played out in Panzer or Fantasy General hex warfare. It is a treat. And. I do dabble in Warhammer lore.
So while I may have utterly failed to answer your question, I hope I have got you looking at a different one. Namely, “why the hell is this thing in my top 5 wishlist spots instead of my shopping cart?”
Self note: in responding to robc04, I think I just answered the dilemma I was going over with @BrianRubin. This weekend will be…FOR THE EMPEROR!
So say we all!
Either is the right choice, really.
Thanks for the write up! I don’t think it would work on the laptop I’m stuck with until January - intel hd 4000 graphics. Hopefully I will be able to hit a sale. I do want it though.
Initially I was the same, because I had the same reaction to Ail’s (Alexander Stumpp’s?) AI tweakings on Pandora. However, Gladius is a far more elegant game, and what the increased difficulty does, in a sense, is teach you how to play the game better. Having said that, psychologically, it was satisfying to win on the old hard above and beyond my continued and occasionally frustrating attempts to defeat the new hard, but I’m still enjoying attempting to crack that nut.
I gave up trying to subtly find a way of working “Blizzard ripped off Warhammer” into the thread. Now I have just said it so I am happy. Also you guys just cost me more money :) Looking forward to playing this one tonight!
About the new AI…
In a game last night I saw the (free for all game) Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum…whatever) AI focus on Hydra units, which are really good at anti air, screened by anti armor units. Another AI was Necron which has mostly skimmer (air) units. The Necron player folded around and to the North of the (human) Space Marine player to invade from water hexes (which are hard to fight on or toward for other factions). This left the human player sandwiched between the advancing Guard troops from the south and the flying sea invasion from the north. Both AIs were also recognizing the other AIs weakness and trying to use it against them while using a hostile force (the Space Marine player) as a shield and extra firepower. Basically, like a human player would.
Point in fact, the Space Marine player even dropped back to allow the naturally SW (from the Marine base) Guard forces to meet the naturally SE Necron forces. However, both AIs rotated to maximize their natural advantage in unit tech and to use the Marines as force multipliers just as the Marine player was trying to use the AI players. Yes, the AIs took shots at each other, but they we’re pretty adept at keeping the Marines in a bad spot.
Essentially, the AI didn’t seem superhuman or robotic. It seemed to play like a human would and was no longer appeared to be susceptible to previously effective baiting or manipulation tactics. Also unit choice seemed balanced and adaptive.
The game looks even better now in this light. It also means that you may want to consider your game difficulty a bit more carefully now. Do you feel up to a good opponent(s) with or without resource bonuses? The option seems gone to fight exploitable opponents that have extra resources (that they will throw away).