Pricewatch!

Originally Posted by JDR13
Here's a good one… the entire Age of Wonders series 50% off at GOG this weekend.

I've been wanting to give these a try… is any particular one better than the others?

I agree with DArtagnan, Shadow Magic is the best of the series. Being able to create a custom-scenario on a randomly-generated map (sort of a strategy "sandbox mode" so to speak) is a huge deal for me when it comes to strategy games, and I believe SM is the only one that has that feature. Aside from that, the gameplay is also superior to the previous entries in the series, so I would definitely recommend it. I'd have to say that SM is one of the best (or perhaps most addicting) turn-based strategy games I've ever played.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I've been wanting to give these a try… is any particular one better than the others?

The first one is much, much more "tolkienesque" and has much more role-playing features than the other two games.

I did an review for the RPGDot for I think the last of the three games.

From the perspective of an role-playing gamer, I clearly prefer the first game, personally.

The others have other strengths which the first game doesn't have (especially the editor, which doesn't exist for the first game).

I went ahead and purchased the entire series. It's too good of a deal to pass up. All 3 games plus their soundtracks & additional extras for $13.

Not sure when I'll get around to playing them, but I've been in the mood for some TB strategy recently. I'll probably give them a try after Duke Nukem Forever.

I bought a retail copy of Risen for $9.99 at Gamestop today. It almost seems criminal that it could be that cheap.

According to the salesperson there, the retail version of Risen has been discontinued in the US, and stores will not be receiving anymore copies. So if you happen to want a box copy, you might want to get it now.

The others have other strengths which the first game doesn't have (especially the editor, which doesn't exist for the first game).

There was an editor for Age of wonders 1, and there are still a lot of fan-created maps floating around for that game.

I for one found the first game to be the best. It does a good job of forcing you to balance income vs army size, has a lot of variety between the armies, has a very charming graphics style, the unit descriptions are usually well written and entertaining to read and I just liked the city & hero development systems in that game a lot more than later entries. Age of wonders: Shadow magic is basically Age of wonders 2 with some added extras.

Hero development is very fun in AOW1, but unbalanced. By the end of the campaign, a couple of my heroes could take on entire armies on their own, easily…

Opposite of AoW 2 and SM, from what I've read.

Yes, that was an issue. You would have to do some self-monitoring, or else you would end up with a nigh-invincible hero. In later games, the main hero was relegated to sitting in a tower and casting spells, while the other heroes were toned down.

Still, building heroes was fun, and removing a lot of the hero development did hurt the games (in my opinion).

Originally Posted by Fnord
There was an editor for Age of wonders 1

There was ? I don't remember any.

It was a rather good editor, allowing for a lot of flexibility in mission design. Only real drawback was that it was a bit time consuming to use.

I installed my GOG version of AoW1 yesterday, and I can confirm that the editor was included.

It wouldn't have made a difference to me anyways. As old as these games are, I'm not interested in using the editor for any of them. I basically just bought them to play through the campaigns.

Neat thing about AoW1 is that there are multiple paths of missions through the campaign, that can't all be explored in one playthrough. A lot of gaming value there!

Originally Posted by Fnord

It was a rather good editor, allowing for a lot of flexibility in mission design. Only real drawback was that it was a bit time consuming to use.

Interesting. Because I still only have the CD-ROM edition of the game and I just can't remember any editor … I guess it's time to re-install it again ?
Or is the editor only a feature of the GOG version of it ?

Nope, I have an Editor, too, installed off of my CD. Difference could be due to a delayed release in NA.

That screenshot is from an old version. Gathering of Developers has been defunct since 2004.

It is from an original CD, purchased shortly after the game was released, in Europe (early 2000, I think).

Hm, then I should have it, too.

*Definitively* time to re-install it again …

I have GOD on my version, too. And it's definitely a NA version - has a reference to support in Texas. Maybe the editor was made in the US, and not translated right away?

Well, AOW was done by a Dutch or Belgian company …

Okay, you've won. There IS an editor. I just couldn't remember it anymore because I never used it.

I did a new install, that's why I know.

Planet Alcatraz is 75% off on Impulse as a daily deal. That means 3,74€ for europe.

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
Well, AOW was done by a Dutch or Belgian company …

Actually it was co-developed with a US company and a Dutch company. Look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Wonders