Game Evaluation CIS 487 Assignment 1 Ed Malinowski Fall 08

1. Game Evaluation CIS 487 Assignment 1 Ed Malinowski Fall 08

2. Basic Information • Game Title: The Battle of Wesnoth • First public release: Version 0.3.4 on August 15th, 2003 • Current release: Version 1.4.5 on September 8th, 2008 • Open-sourced and considered in Linux circles as one of the most polished games available • Designed with a “Keep It Simple” mentality • Coded entirely in C++ • Currently available in 42 different languages • Company & Author: Wesnoth Project Team • Original Author: David White • Type of Game: 2D turn-based strategy • Price: Released under the GNU General Public License (Freeware and Open-sourced)

3. Basic Information – cont. • Minimum Stated Hardware: • Operating Systems supported: Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, Solaris, OS/2 & eComStation, AmigaOS4, Syllable, and Microsoft Windows • Version 1.1 and above • Processor: 1 Ghz • RAM: 512 MB • Video: None specified (not visually demanding) • Hard Disk: 200 MB

4. Basic Information – cont 2. • Actual Hardware Required • Anything above the following: • Processor: 200Mhz • RAM: 32 MB • Video: None specified (not visually demanding) • Hard Disk: Windows – 145.7 MB, Mac – 173.2 MB, Linux – varies with distribution • A forum user mentioned bare functionality on this system using Windows 95.

5. Game Summary - Overview • Overview • Take control of a medieval fantasy army in a 2D turn-based, strategy game • Recruit and recall individual units to gain a foothold on each hex-based map • Players individually battle through a number of scenarios with a progressive story line in the game’s campaign mode • Players may also battle each other online in the game’s multiplayer mode

6. Game Summary – Story • Setting (Varies between campaigns) • In the world of Wesnoth, humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, drakes, and many other species live on a single continent. • The kingdom of Wesnoth lies in the center with the lawless beasts to the north and the rebellious elves to the south. • The undead walk on accursed lands. • Your Role: • Commander of your race’s (and occasionally allied race’s) soldiers with the power to recruit/recall units, attack the enemy head-on, capture towns and level-up units.

7. Game Summary – Installation • Support: • The Battle for Wesnoth project only officially releases the game’s source code. • Binary packages are provided/hosted on the main Wesnoth page for each operating system. • Procedure: • 1. Download the packaged files for the given operating system. • 2a. For Windows, double click the standard install file and click next. Accept the license agreement, and continue clicking through the screens until the application installs. Once installed, double click the executable program file where it exists. • 2b. For Mac, drag the Wesnoth folder into the Applications folder in the Finder. Once the file is moved, double click the executable app file in that folder. • 2c. For Linux, follow the instructions on the Wesnoth Linux binaries page for the Linux distribution. • Extras • New campaigns and races can be added by clicking the “Add-ons” button from the game’s main title menu.

8. Game Summary – User Interface • Input Devices: • Players can solely use the mouse to perform all actions in the game. • Most mouse actions have associated keyboard shortcuts, but they are not required. • The left mouse button performs all of the actions and navigates the menus. It is used to move units, attack, and select buttons. • The right mouse button brings up the action drop-down menu which is used to recruit/recall, get info on a particular unit, or find the next unit that hasn’t moved yet this turn. It also cancels a move in progress.

9. Game Summary – User Interface cont. • The Map Screen • All of the player’s actions take place on the main map for the scenario. • Conducting a Move: • Players click on an individual unit and point to the location (within the unit’s range) where the unit will move. Right clicking cancels the action. • If the unit is adjacent to an enemy before or after moving the unit, the player may click the unit again and click the enemy to bring up the list of attacks that the player’s unit will execute. • Acquiring Units: • If the player’s leader unit is on a castle/fort tile, the player may right click adjacent castle/fort tiles and click the recruit/recall item. This brings up a listing of all units available for recall or recruit, and their cost. • Surrounding Interface: • The top bar contains all of the metrics of interest for the player such as gold, total units, and turns left. It also has the main menu and actions buttons. • The right bar contains the profile information for the currently selected unit including personality traits, current health, and potential attacks. It also shows the minimap, time of day, and the “End turn” button.

10. User Interface Map Screen In-game metrics Minimap Time of Day Currently selected unit Unit being attacked - with damage shown

11. Game Summary – Game Play • The game focuses on the following metrics during play: • Current turn number • The player makes all of his or her moves during a turn then passes control to the computer or other players. In campaigns, many scenarios have a limited amount of turns. • Your total gold • Gold is used to recruit new units at your castle. • Your total villages • To acquire more gold each turn, the player must capture villages on the map. • Unit upkeep cost • Each unit in your army requires 1 gold each turn supported by your villages. If you have more units than villages can support, upkeep takes from your total gold. • Current income • Each captured village will give the player 2 gold more each turn. Your income increases total gold after upkeep cost.

12. Game Summary – Game Play cont. • Recruiting: • New units may be recruited each turn from your castle for a gold fee. These units usually start at lower class levels and are quite weak. • Recalling: • Units used in prior scenarios carry over into the next. These units can be recalled each turn from the castle for a gold fee. They maintain prior experience classes and points. • The player’s leader unit must be in a castle to perform a recall.

13. Game Summary – Game Play cont. 2 • Unit aspects: • The game includes the following aspects for each unit to provide variety - • A randomly generated name • The race of that unit • The alignment of that unit • This impacts whether the unit fights better in the day or at night. • Personality traits – some examples: • Loyal – free upkeep • Resiliant – unit has more HP than normal • Intelligent – unit will level up quicker

14. Game Summary – Scoring • Gaining unit experience • As units battle, they gain battle experience. • Units that do not kill the other or are defending gain some experience. Units that do kill the other gain a lot (depending on the other unit’s class level). • Over time, units may level up in class and become stronger. They will also learn new skills and attacks. • Carry over gold • Gold from each scenario is carried over into the next map. • If the player completes the scenario quickly, he or she will gain a bonus in the next scenario. • Each scenario has a limit to how much can be carried over.

15. Game Summary - Artwork Art Styles: 2 dimensional landscapes with simple game play sprites Nothing is graphics intensive Some game dialogs involve drawn character artwork

16. Game Summary – Sound & Music • Sound Effects • All units and weapons have corresponding sound effects in battle • ie. Clanging swords, whooshing spells, orcish grunts • Music • All in-game music is created by the Wesnoth community • Genres range from intense symphonic arrangements to mysterious fantasy themes • All songs are approved of first ensuring a high quality soundtrack

17. Game Summary - Special Features • What stands out? • Directly integrated add-on system • Easily add new races, hundreds of new units, scenarios, and campaigns from the main menu • Incredibly active community adding new features, music, and artwork, as well as, resolving bugs • GUI Map Editor for creating custom scenarios • Possesses its own markup language for creating anything new– WML • Unpredictable battle outcomes and enemy moves making no two scenarios alike

18. Game Summary - Manual • Manual files are included in every packaged version • Manual comes in many different languages • It contains images and detailed explanations of just about everything • In-game encyclopedia • Look up any unit type, race, or upgrade • Battle of Wesnoth Wiki • Contains pages for game play and editing the game

19. Game Summary - Bugs • Users submit bug reports to bugs.wesnoth.org • Some bugs found in the bugtracker • Terror ability animation glitches – needs more testing • Forgotten legacy scenario 2 triggers an assertion failure • Game crashes on utf-8 byte order mark • A bug I’ve experienced • Msvcr71.dll not found • A module containing some standard C library functions does not ship with Vista by default – must be downloaded from Microsoft to load the game

20. Game Review – What’s Good? • Positives of Wesnoth • Simple to Learn, Tough to Master • Combines heavy aspects of thinking and luck • Thousands of completely workable strategies for every map • Vast Customization • Hundreds of units, attacks, maps, and tactics • Interesting Plots • Consistent, story-driven scenarios drive the campaigns • Unit Detail • Unique names, traits, and upgrade paths • Very Pick Up and Go Game • Doesn’t require intense dedication like some RPG titles, but can keep you busy for hours • Retro Feeling • Reminiscent of an older design style when 2D ruled the world • No Stores • Might be a negative to some, but creates way less micro-mangement

21. Game Review – What’s Bad? • Negatives of Wesnoth • Pure Random Battles • Some battles seem to favor the random numbers over the player’s tactical skill • Generic Villages • Villages only play a role in acquiring more gold and providing higher defense while standing on one. • No town names or characteristics leave villages feeling bland. • Some Races Seem Unbalanced • Ex. The Undead vs. Humans • No Units Beyond Living Beings • No siege craft, towers, etc. • Multiplayer Lag • Even single players vs. computers on a multiplayer map lag while turns are calculated

22. Game Review – How Does It Compare? • Similar Games – • Comparison? • Most games of this genre use a less graphical intense approach • But, graphics fans will think this still looks dated compared to newer titles in the genre • Many titles in this genre use the same kind of medieval fantasy theme • Controls are similar enough to anyone familiar with turn-based strategy games • Goals and objectives are about the same as well (ie. Kill the enemy, don’t lose your leader, and complete the level in a certain amount of turns) • Better? • Game play is more open to experiment, and unit loss is not critical • Compared to the Fire Emblem Series where all characters better stay alive • Simple rules with complex strategies – basics don’t feel complicated • Compared to the much more detailed and complicated Final Fantasy Tactics Series • Units have personalities • Compared to the generic units of the Advance Wars Series • More focus on battling and less time commitment • Compared to the incredible commitment of the Civilization series

23. Game Review – What is the Audience? • Age Appropriate Rating • I would rate this game for E10+ (Everyone 10+) • Violence is incredibly animated and not detailed • However, some of the advanced tactics require a bit of a higher maturity level • Recommended Audience • Anyone who enjoys Fantasy themed plots and brain-focused game play • Anyone aged 18+ who might enjoy the nostalgia factor of a current 2D game • Linux operating system users • People low on cash – It’s a free game with a low system specification requirement

24. Game Review – Design Mistakes • Random nature of play • Computer moves can be incredibly random leaving one scratching his or her head • Very low powered units run the risk of making a sizeable dent in high powered units • Some randomly generated multiplayer maps materialize in strange ways • Computer leaders behave cowardly • Rarely move off base • No penalty for negative gold • Player just can’t buy more units

25. Summary - Overall • Strengths: • Free and still highly supported • Focus on game play over graphics • Easy to learn • Doesn’t require a heavy commitment • Vast array of unique units and maps • Thousands of workable strategies • Weaknesses: • Dated graphics • Completely random nature of certain aspects • Bland villages • Multiplayer turn calculation lag • Certain unbalances with races, units, and maps • Lack of inanimate object units • Worth Purchasing? • One of the biggest strengths of this game is that it’s free • It would be challenging to charge for this game in today’s market

26. Summary – Improvements • Needed Improvements • Make the villages worth something more than just gold • Fix some of the imbalances • Improve some of the random nature of things

27. Credits • All sprites, screen shots, and game specific information is released under the GNU – General Public License and attributed to the Battle of Wesnoth Team http://www.wesnoth.org