Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

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Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Content Feedback »

(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?
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Turuk
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Turuk »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
Warlord (Nightmare) 1.5.7

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
7. Mainly due to the scorpions appearing out of the fog and picking off my units at the beginning. The bandits were not hard to deal with as I had Slurbows.

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

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Same quality as the rest of the campaign.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
Moving in a way so that the scorpions would not kill off a unit in one turn.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
6. It is interesting to have to work through the sand storm and struggle to move, but the scorpions kind of sucked the fun out of it for me when there was 8 of them attacking me at once.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
More scorpion spawning en route to the oasis, and not all at the beginning.

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

(9) If you know a bit of the Wesnoth Markup Language - do you think that the WML of this scenario is clear and well commented? If not which part would you like to be documented better?
Looks good to me.
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Egosnemesis
Posts: 18
Joined: April 23rd, 2009, 10:54 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Egosnemesis »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
The easiest, "Challenging". 1.6

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
3. It wasn't that the enemy units or the scorpions were hard. It might be difficult if you didn't have any leveled orc archers. However, archers + shaman make this an easy board.

(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, I understand the theory behind the map well.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
Getting slow units into position to kill the scorpions

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
4. I've really liked this campaign and I understand why this scenario is in, but it just seemed like a lot of walking and not much action. I think it fits well in the campaign as a whole, but did not find it particularly enjoyable.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
Maybe have two competing bandit groups, one led by a Fugitive(recruits all footpads) and the other by a Highwayman(recruits all thugs). You have to make a decision on which side you want to join with and the side you ally with gets attacked by scorpions(maybe they poke a nest or something) so they can't help you very much. At the end of the scenario, if your ally leader is still alive, he shows you that they aren't such bad guys after all and sends his son to join you and to learn from you (maybe to secure an alliance with a future orc uberchief). That unit will be a intellegent + loyal Outlaw or Bandit, depending on the side you chose.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
No

(9) If you know a bit of the Wesnoth Markup Language - do you think that the WML of this scenario is clear and well commented? If not which part would you like to be documented better?
N/A
Arnaudus
Posts: 14
Joined: April 11th, 2009, 6:19 pm

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Arnaudus »

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

Challenging (the easiest one), 1.7.1

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

5, but I think I was lucky, it's probably more difficult than that.

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

Go to the oasis; rather clear.

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

Quite OK. I found Gruug's part a bit easy. It's not obvious that one can be healed into the small oasis, why not giving some tips in the storyline?

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

Scorpions, definitely. And I found the timing very tight. I lost a few units and was very late, but the bandit leader made a stupid move and I killed him with a lot of luck.

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

5. The context is original, but the map is probably too big and timing too tight to really enjoy the experience.

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

Why not letting the enemy recruiting something else than an army of thugs? Moreover, it would be funnier if scorpions were scattered in the map, they could also attack the thugs.

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

No, I was about to restart when I go lucky and killed the leader.

(9) If you know a bit of the Wesnoth Markup Language - do you think that the WML of this scenario is clear and well commented? If not which part would you like to be documented better?

--
Benefuchs
Posts: 54
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Benefuchs »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
medium, 1.6

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
4. The scorpions nearly killed some of my units, whereas the bandits just gave me some XP.

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
As there is a second (but smaller) oasis in the north, it's just 95% clear where you got to go. :wink:

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
nice. Even though it is not obvious that the bandits have to attack orks nearly dying of thirst...

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

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
5

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
As said before, don't let all scorpions attack in the beginning but let some come later. Plus give the opponent not just bandits. Maybe make him stronger and increase the number of turns.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
no.

(9) If you know a bit of the Wesnoth Markup Language - do you think that the WML of this scenario is clear and well commented? If not which part would you like to be documented better?
N/A
shadowblack
Posts: 368
Joined: April 15th, 2010, 3:03 pm

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by shadowblack »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
1.8.3, Warrior (Difficult), i.e. (what I consider) Normal difficulty

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

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
Not clear at all! Which one is the oasis? At first I thought it was the lake to the southeast; then I noticed the water in the northeast and figured that might be it, so I headed towards it. But when I arrived there nothing happened!

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Fine, but confusing. If I need to get to the oasis why do I have a camp and can recruit? I thought I would be allowed to recruite only on turn 1 (like in The Duel from Easter Invasion), but that wasn’t the case.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
Poison. Since I had no healers I tried to let only trolls get poisoned, but that wasn’t always possible. Fortunately I know that a unit standing on an oasis will be healed as if in a village, but if I didn’t know that…

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
4 – too boring.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
Put a sign on the map that clearly indicates which location is the oasis.

Don’t put all scorpions near the starting location. Move some of them futher along the way.

Also allow recruiting/recalling of units only on turn 1.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
Not knowing where to go forced me to go back to before I killed the last scorpion.
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santosis
Posts: 74
Joined: October 11th, 2010, 12:04 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by santosis »

(1) What difficulty levels have you played the scenario on?
Difficult, 1.8.5

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
6 - This was a one-timer, with one reload right at the end (lost a lvl 2 archer to a 4/4, reloaded and killed the boss with a 3/3).

(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?
Better than most scenarios.

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

I lost a lvl 1 meatshield/archer to the scorpions. After that, it was smooth sailing, as the outlaws attacked me one at a time.

I finished in round 17/20 with -10 gold and will bring 11 gold into the next scenario. I do think a 13 per turn bonus is a bit low.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
7 - Its ok.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
I agree with Oasis on recruiting--give me one round and then break down the camp.

I would go opposite to Oasis on clarity. Add 5 rounds and go to a black fog so I don't know where to go. Make me feel the anxiety of being lost in a deadly desert.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
See above.
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Maiklas3000
Posts: 532
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Maiklas3000 »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
Nightmare; 1.9.2; 100 starting gold

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
5

(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, but the dialog about the scorpions comes out a turn late if they find you first. Mysteriously, this does not occur during a subsequent replay.

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

(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?
A more biodiverse ecosphere.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
Lost once near the start due to death of Shaman.

(9) If you know a bit of the Wesnoth Markup Language - do you think that the WML of this scenario is clear and well commented? If not which part would you like to be documented better?
No comments!
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Faello
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Faello »

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

Nightmare (Warlord), 1.8.5, no saves/reloads, 100gp at the beginning of the scenario

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

It's 6 for me.

2 losses, 18 kills in this scenario.

(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?

Ok, nothing special.

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

There was quite a lot of them. First it was dealing with a lot of scorpions and maintaining a good quality of the army (poison was very dangerous in this scenario), second was dealing with the bandits and not losing too much units (unfortunately one of the crossbowmen died on the route to oasis and one almost lvled up orcish warrior had to be sacrificed for the sake of killing the Ar-Dant (lvl3 assasin) later in the scenario. Last, but probably most important obstacle, was the turn limit.

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

5. It's challenging scenario, but with a little bit annoying set of obstacles and boring map design.

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

I doubt I could propose any minor changes that could boost this scenario gameplay. Perhaps some warning about bandits that player will face on the route to the oasis?

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

Couple of restarts, mostly because my army suffered too much poison damage.

Replay attached:
Attachments
SotBE-The_Desert_of_Death_replay.gz
1.8.5. Desert of Death, Nightmare (Warlord) difficulty level
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cph
Posts: 129
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by cph »

(1) Warrior, 1.8.5
(2) 4. I probably over-recruited.
(3) Clear enough.
(4) Good.
(5) No major problems. I only finished with a couple of turns to spare.
(6) 4. The sand forms a slightly bland backdrop, and there are only 2 types of enemy units (excluding the leader).
(7) Hmm, no brilliant ideas come to mind.
(8) No.
Cel
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Cel »

1.) 1.8.6, challenging

2.) 3

3.) clear

4.) Interesting.

5.) One time my leader was poisoned, but also this was not fatal, I send him in a corner in a village and no enemy reached him

6.) 7

7.) nothing

8.) no
sorry for my English...
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Ninjuri
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by Ninjuri »

Challenging 1.10.2
Difficulty: 6
Objectives: 100% clear, although there is quite a few oasises scattered around the map which might confuse people, along with a pool of water randomly to the east.
Dialogue/Storyline: Good
Challenges: Dealing with the poison. I had like 6 units poisoned at near death when i got to the first village. At first i thought about waiting it out there and healing, but then i realized i didn't have time for that, so i left the injured behind to take turns on the villages, and send my health squadron forward.
Fun: 8
Changes: none
Reloads/Restarts: none.
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line
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by line »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
Warlord (Nightmare) 1.10.3
100 starting gold (enemies: ?)
Finished turn 17/18

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
9. There is very little time to beat the scenario. First you meet poisoning scorpions with no villages in reach and no healers yet available. So you might choose trolls because of their regeneration. But they don’t do well in killing scorps. But the other units still face the poison problem. I went with a mix of lvl-3 (warlord, slurbow and troll warrior), recruited another archer (because I always want not to waste all the xp to lvl-3 units) and of course a goblin pillager. To kill the scorpions it is recommended to use the shamans whenever possible. Next, you stumble into the bandits (8 or so) hidden in the sand. If you manage to deal with them, you will have little time left, to kill the leader waiting with 70% defense…
I found this is a tough level. I had to replay it and I doubt, you can beat it at the first attempt.

(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?
Little time. And the tons of bandits halfway to the oasis. If you don’t keep good formation underway they will easily take out a good unit.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
5. I don’t like scenarios dedicated to be played more than once to beat them too much.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
None. Again, I don’t think there is a chance to carry over some gold.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
I replayed because of losing a veteran.
Attachments
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PorkSol
Posts: 56
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Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by PorkSol »

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

1.10.6 - Warlord - (Nightmare) - No save/load - 106 starting gold

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

6, although it is really easier than this, since the first few turns are the most difficult. It is easy (and essential) to restart until you get them right.

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

Slightly unclear which oasis I needed to aim for. I just went towards the enemy castle.

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

No complaints.

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

- Time limit - On nightmare you need to head straight for the enemy castle with no delays or deviations

- Scorpions - I had to avoid getting slow units poisoned by the scorpions as I couldn't afford to heal them at a village. Not too hard as the scorps prefer to target trolls.

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

6 - I didn't hate it as it played quickly, but it is not that great. Fighting the scorps was a bit luck based as I could only afford three damage dealing units. The thugs were basically free experience points, but I was forced to use a lot of units who were already maxed out in level. Most of the difficulty came from the time limit, which is not the most exciting way to produce difficulty.

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

Redesign it while keeping the same basic theme. Give the enemy a more interesting and challenging unit mix, spread out the scorpions and make the difficultly less reliant on time.

But this isn't mandatory, the scenario isn't really that bad.

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

Never reloaded, several restarts to get a clean win v.s. the scorps, one restart after getting a clean win against the scorps and figuring out that I was not going to have enough time.
Attachments
SotBE-The_Desert_of_Death_replay.gz
1.10.6 - Nightmare - no save load
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SBak
Posts: 78
Joined: October 8th, 2011, 1:36 am

Re: Scenario Review: SotBE 7 - Desert of Death

Post by SBak »

(1) What difficulty level and version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
Challenging 1.8.5 and 1.10.5

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
4 - this scenario isn't that difficult as much as it's annoying. How annoying did I find this scenario? 9.

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

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
It's not that interesting but it's appropriate for the campaign.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
Scorpions and poison. Okay so I will admit that I'm not really a fan of poisoning units, not because they are poisoning units and I don't have any healers. My issue is with how the AI uses them. Play this scenario more than once and you realize that they all come at you near the start. Okay so what do you do? You recruit Orcish Crossbowmen and Archers and use the Shamen.

The sand is another challenge but not a great one.

There's not really any other challenges because once you get through the fog and the sand you discover that your main enemy are Bandits and Thugs and it's not really that much of a big deal as they have no ranged attack and you have mainly Orcish Crossbowmen and Archers.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
Sadly given that this is such a good campaign it's 2-3. I don't see much fun in getting poisoned, having to trudge through sand and fog to find villages, lose turns on healing and then come across an enemy that you're more than adequately equipped to deal with.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
I would suggest switching this scenario or map with the earlier Towards the Harbour of Tirigaz so that here you're dealing with the Undead and a Lich (or two) and having the scorpions with bandits together in the swamp with another force of bandits in the north in the mountains.

I've also actually thought of a new unit for this scenario - a Desert Viper which would be level 4 with a melee attack (fangs) 30-2 poisons and also stealth (like the Wose and Elvish Ranger) with 5MP.

(8) Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
I've been defeated only through losing a Shaman but I've restarted a few times due to being blitzed by scorpions at the start and having most or all of my units poisoned and I didn't see the point of continuing through the desert and presenting free XP to the waiting bandits.
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