Game EvaluationCIS 487 Assignment 1Ed MalinowskiFall 08

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)

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

In-game metrics

Minimap Time of Day

Currently selected unit

Unit being attacked - with damage shown

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.

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.

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

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.

Art Styles:

2 dimensional landscapes with simple game play sprites

Nothing is graphics intensive

Some game dialogs involve drawn character artwork

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Needed Improvements Make the villages worth something more

than just gold Fix some of the imbalances Improve some of the random nature of

things

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