Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Feedback for the mainline campaign Son of the Black Eye.

Moderator: Forum Moderators

User avatar
Maiklas3000
Posts: 532
Joined: June 23rd, 2010, 10:43 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Maiklas3000 »

(1) Level, version, starting gold? Nightmare, 1.11.12, 178 starting gold (used 117.)
(2) Difficulty? (1-10) 8
(3) Clear? No. The initial objectives are to reach the oasis, but is that the little oasis or the big oasis?
(4) Dialog? Very good. I usually hate shroud scenarios, due to lack of undo but the dialog motivated the need for the shroud. However, the dialog said, "They could see little further than the reach of their hand," while my units could see several hexes away, so maybe soften the wording, like "They could see little more than the orcs next to themselves." I love the dialog and event when Gruu kills a Scorpion... I only saw that once!
(5) Challenges? I should hope something has changed since some of the reviews above calling it easy. This isn't easy. Your first problem is getting through the Scorpions healthy enough to face the bandits without wasting time healing. Your second problem is to get through the Bandits in bad terrain, because if you retreat to the hills, you probably will lose based on time. On Nightmare, there are a lot of Bandits (five, plus a Rogue), and even three of them can take out Gruu easily in one turn. I kept Gruu safe, but lost two Crossbowmen! Your final problem is to kill the leader, but that was not hard for me.

I have four main pieces of advice:

1. Recall mostly ready-to-level Archers. When you level them, it will heal the poison.
2. Along with everybody else, use your Shamen with your L3 leader against the Scorpions.
3. Don't run ahead with weak, wounded units.
4. Keep a disciplined line against the Bandits, and protect your critical units.

(6) Fun? (1-10) 9, I appreciate a fiendishly balanced scenario.
(7) Changes? Although it's a near perfect scenario by my standards, maybe for Nightmare you could give the enemy leader two bodyguards (and maybe one bodyguard on Medium.) They could be set to guard, not move. Their primary mission would be to eat up hexes that could otherwise be used to attack their glorious leader, who should probalby then be set to passive, so he doesn't run away from his bodyguards.
(8) Restarts? Several restarts from start due to loss of Gruu to Bandits or Shamen to Scorpions.
(9) WML? There are just two comments.
Attachments
SotBE-The_Desert_of_Death_replay.gz
(41.1 KiB) Downloaded 813 times
Theron
Posts: 137
Joined: May 13th, 2008, 10:49 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Theron »

Nightmare; 1.11.13

Stats:
Scenario, starting gold (default+carryover),turns/max turns,recruits-recalls-advancements-losses-kills
7 100+0 15/22 0-5-3-0-25

Comments:
Scenario 7:
This scenario got better!
In the past I resorted to assassination (after dispatching the scorpions I ignored the flood of Bandits heading northwest and sent two Goblin Pillager and a Direwolf Rider south and then east). Now the outlaws behave more sane (staying near the oasis).
Attachments
SotBE-The_Desert_of_Death_replay.gz
(40.32 KiB) Downloaded 774 times
podbelski
Posts: 151
Joined: June 7th, 2011, 8:35 pm

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by podbelski »

1.11.15
campaign difficulty is one level less than the top
scenario difficulty is like 7, bandits are deadly

complain: scorpions are allied with bandits, wtf? Looks stupid when they march together to attack my lines
User avatar
D-Wade
Posts: 68
Joined: February 11th, 2013, 8:04 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by D-Wade »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
1.12.0 - Challenging

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
6

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
Clear.

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Well written.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
To obtain a good defensive position against the bandits. If you position your units on sand, you'll get clobbered to death.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
7 - I don't like the fog as it restricts your possibilities to undo. If you make a mistake and move a unit to the wrong hex, you have to restart the whole turn.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
It's fine as it is.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
I had to go back a turn or two while fighting the bandits. I overextended and lost a veteran I did not want to lose.
sine_nomine
Posts: 39
Joined: April 30th, 2016, 11:34 pm

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by sine_nomine »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
Nightmare 1.12.4

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
7
115 starting gold

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
Clear

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Good

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
Keeping HP up despite poison and surviving the bandits at the end. Also, carryover gold is important. I should have made do with one less troll whelp.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
8

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
Nothing

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
No
Attachments
SotBE-The_Desert_of_Death_replay.gz
(42.44 KiB) Downloaded 754 times
BillytheBabyGoat
Posts: 20
Joined: December 21st, 2016, 12:39 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by BillytheBabyGoat »

Content Feedback wrote:(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
1. Nightmare.

2. 3.

3. Crystal.

4. Fine.

5. Scorpions poison was fairly brutal; ended up going mostly trolls for regeneration and using just a few crossbowmen for kills.

6. 5. It was fine, but the scorpions with the low healing meant a lot of time spent sitting around on villages hoping nothing strikes from the fog.

7. Nothing really.

8. Scorpions killed loyal assassin a few times, had to restart for him.
User avatar
max_torch
Inactive Developer
Posts: 414
Joined: July 31st, 2011, 5:54 pm

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by max_torch »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
Nightmare, 1.12.6, 186 starting gold

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
7

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
Clear

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
I wish there was more backstory on who exactly those bandits were.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
Setting up the right formation and moment of engagement for dealing with the bandits.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
8

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
Some time during the middle of the scenario a scorpion spawns at the top left and it takes one of my villages at turn 11 even though it has full health! That is a serious impediment to my trying to get as much bonus gold as I can for "The Silent Forest". It doesn't seem fair and I hope something can be done to change this. You can see it happen in the replay if you set the vision to "each team"

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
Yes I had some restarts because of accidentally leaving a shaman or Jetto exposed and ending up getting killed.
SotBE-The_Desert_of_Death_replay.gz
(40.94 KiB) Downloaded 952 times
LordWolfDan
Posts: 216
Joined: September 30th, 2018, 7:31 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by LordWolfDan »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?

- 1.14.5. Challenging

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)

- 7

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?

- Pretty much clear

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?

- It's good. The idea of fighting in a desert is an interesting concept. Plus that Gruu's moment when he ate a scorpion is unforgettable

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?

- Scorpions everywhere

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)

- 7

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?

- Scorpions spawning not only at the start, but by the oasis. Plus they can attack bandits as well

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?

- No
Konrad2
Forum Moderator
Posts: 3333
Joined: November 24th, 2010, 6:30 pm

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Konrad2 »

(1) What difficulty levels have you played the scenario on?

1.15.1, Warlord (Nightmare), 100g

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)

4

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?

Clear.

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?

Clear.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?

Waiting for side 2 to attack in stead of attacking first.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)

6

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?

-

Scenario stats:
Spoiler:
Attachments
SotBE-The Desert of Death replay.gz
(28.69 KiB) Downloaded 411 times
User avatar
Kylix
Posts: 110
Joined: September 28th, 2016, 11:38 am
Location: Milan, Italy

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Kylix »

I'd replace Ar-Dant with a Dunefolk leader, since it's a scenario set in the desert. They now exist for some years, why keeping them aside?
User avatar
ghype
Posts: 1069
Joined: December 13th, 2016, 4:43 pm
Location: Berlin, Germany

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by ghype »

Kylix wrote: May 1st, 2020, 7:17 am I'd replace Ar-Dant with a Dunefolk leader, since it's a scenario set in the desert. They now exist for some years, why keeping them aside?
Dunefolk are placed in the very south of the great continent. The Desert of Death if pretty far up north. Only dunefolk merchants travel north with ships for trading related business but no political matters. The only time Dunefolk cross mainline event/time line is in the very end where the dunefolk might want to preven the raise of the 3rd sun.
mal_shubertal
Posts: 93
Joined: December 1st, 2018, 6:58 pm

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by mal_shubertal »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
1.16.6 Nightmare
(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
4
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
clear
(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
As always, I love Gruu's dialogue and general enthusiasm for smashing everything.
(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
putting shamans in exposed positions and getting jumped by scorpions.
(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
4. It's mostly just annoying to scootch forward, get ambushed, kill scorpions, repeat.
(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
maybe more variety of desert creatures? As it is, with just scorpions the only logical choice is to recruit all archers, the combat is repetitive.
(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
getting too aggressive with shamans.
Attachments
SotBE-The Desert of Death replay 20221203-215643.gz
(29.24 KiB) Downloaded 65 times
Post Reply