Revolution Under Siege Released

[Jason]

<strong>[ Announcement ]</strong>

<a href="http://www.matrixgames.com/news/737/Revolution.Under.Siege.is.Released" target="_blank">Matrix Games</a> released <a href="http://www.revolutionundersiege.com/revolution/index.html" target="_blank"><strong>Revolution Under Siege</strong></a> a day ahead of <a href="http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-RUS/revolution-under-siege" target="_blank">Paradox</a>, which is a little odd considering Paradox owns AGEOD.
<blockquote>Matrix Games and SEP REDS (www.revolutionundersiege.com) are thrilled to release their new turn-based wargame on the Russian Civil War, Revolution Under Siege! Now gamers can re-fight this intense and pivotal conflict in this totally new and historically rich title based on the award-winning AGE game engine.

Revolution Under Siege also has a <a href="ftp://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/revolutionundersiege/RevolutionUnderSiege-Demo-1.00.zip" target="_blank">playable demo</a> available so gamers can test out the trials and tribulations of Mother Russia for free! In addition, for an in-depth look at Revolution Under Siege be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.wargamer.com/article/2961/revolution-under-siege" target="_blank">preview</a> at the Wargamer.</blockquote>Edit: It's also available now at<a href="http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-RUS/revolution-under-siege" target="_blank"> Gamers Gate</a>.

 

[Trash]

Looks and sounds cool. However, do I get to execute capitalist swine by the thousands in this game? This is important.

 

[commie]

Looks and sounds cool. However, do I get to execute capitalist swine by the thousands in this game? This is important.

Yeah this is important to me too I'll get it for the chance to liberate Poland from the reactionary oppressors of the workers.

 

[Erzherzog]

Someone review me a review pronto.
...or maybe I buy this now. Price is reasonable.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Review may take some time, but from my first impression (demo) this is the best game AGEOD released so far, at about eye level with AACW.

And the setting is fantastic.

which is a little odd considering Paradox owns AGEOD.

here is the explanation:

This is not an "AgeOD" game, so not a Paradox Game.

This game was produced by independant producers (like Seb and me), that have paid and have a contract to use the AGE engine.

This contract was done with AgeOD, before AgeOD was bought by Paradox (we started this project 2 years ago).

So although we are distributed by GamersGate, this is not an official Paradox game.

I hope this answer your question.

Cat

 

[Fuck_The_Banks]

Downloading now.....

I've been waiting for a Russian Revolution game for a very,very long time....

 

[clockradiospeakers]

Review may take some time, but from my first impression (demo) this is the best game AGEOD released so far, at about eye level with AACW.

Oh man, your impressions here (and in other threads) are just killing me (in the best way). Can't wait 'til I get to play it- I love AACW and love even more the setting of RUS, so this should be perfect.

 

[Fuck_The_Banks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPx89Zy_qXA

 

[ZombyWoof]

So, I impulse bought this on day one, even though I had bought Birth of America and American Civil War in sales (for like $15 total, maybe) and they didn't really click with me for some reason. I don't know if it's the setting or if I just didn't give the previous AGEOD games a chance due to laziness, but I'm really having a ton of fun with RUS and don't regret my day one purchase at all.

I'm having my first go at the grand campaign now, after trying smaller scenarios, as the Siberian Whites, it's early March 1919, and though the Bolsheviks have made slight advances in the Volga region, I managed to capture Kazan (though the Reds retook it a few weeks later) and, thus, the Imperial Gold Train (originally sent out east under the provisional government, if I'm not mistaken), so I spent a bunch of cash on training troops, building factories, repairing the railroads, etc. I'm preparing for offensives in the late spring/early summer in Turkestan and along the Volga, as it looks like the Reds withdrew some troops to fight in the west.

I can see how future patches will correct some little problems I have with it. For example, in my opinion (and the devs agree according to some posts in the RUS AGEOD forum) Kolchak's stats are a little too punishing. He shouldn't be a good character necessarily, since he was a poor administrator and politician and an admiral (thus was not the man to be directing ground warfare), but the devs have talked about tweaking his stats. Also, I wish the grand campaign was extended to begin at least during the October Revolution. As it stands, there's a tiny scenario, the Ice March (kind of a post-tutorial, first game scenario) that starts in October 1917, but it only lasts 17 turns, and you can only play in a limited area as either the Bolsheviks or the Southern Whites thus making it painfully short and somewhat pointless, since the other scenarios and campaigns are much larger and thus play differently (involving more things on the political and economic side of the game). Also, according to in-game text, it seems that general bios are going to be added in subsequent patches. Overall, I highly recommend it and definitely need to return to the AGEOD back catalog.

 

[Burning Bridges]

@ZombyWoof. If you like Revolution under Siege, you should definitely like American Civil War, too.

Practically everything you mentioned will probably be adressed in patches. For AACW there were about 15. And they were not mainly about bug fixing (the games are mostly free of real bugs), but about improvements to the gameplay. It is also an unwritten rule with Ageod that the missing general bios and portraits will be added post release in these patches. This is a good solution because there are always players who will volunteer for the time intensive search for this information. (you can imagine it takes a lot of patience to find fotos for the more obscure generals), and the developers better spend their time programming.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Also, expect a TCancer review in a few days. My verdict is that this is - for me - the strategy game of the year.

One thing I need to mention especially is that I discovered a first rate AI at work.

Most AIs are only strong on the defensive, but take for example this successful counteroffensive the AI made against me ( it even made use of Trotskis outstanding abilities ), with desastrous losses for my division:



I also shows that my initial strategy to bypass Tsaritsin on the Don was very risky, and I paid for it. All in all I must have lost about 5000 men, about 50% of my overall losses so far. But I still think it could have worked had I moved a really good general, another division with artillery, and built a depot.

 

[ZombyWoof]

From my experience thus far, the AI is very good as well, and, as you said, does more than just act defensively. Hell, early on in my campaign (during the fall/winter of 1918), the Reds launched a full-out offensive along the Volga, capturing Syzran, and retaking Kazan, Simbirsk, etc. They made full use of officers like Trotsky and Stalin, as well.

Another thing that I like is that, although there are plenty of events, some of which are triggered by player actions, and others happen no matter what, there doesn't seem to be a way to metagame in such a way as to break the game. For example, Kolchak's coup will always happen (as far as I'm aware), but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the execution of the Romanovs was triggered by my taking of Ekaterinburg. Also, events still manage to throw curveballs: my offensives fell apart after massive Green uprisings took place along the Volga (though I managed to take Perm, at least, thus far, thanks to the Czech Legion). After finishing up my current game, I think I'll definitely need to return to AACW at least.

EDIT:

Also, massive props to AGEOD for the immershun offered from the soundtrack. Yeah, it's not totally accurate ("Katyusha", for example), but I'll be damned if it doesn't set the mood.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I believe events can have a certain percentage associated (like the capturing of equipment from arsenals), while other events always happen, we should ask in the official forum.

I do however wonder if the assassination of the Romanovs can be avoided, but so far in every game it took place.

there doesn't seem to be a way to metagame in such a way as to break the game.

this is something I also noted, there seem to be no exploits.

 

[Malakal]

I am waiting for a working version from more accessible sources. Because I tried WWI and it was rather bad, and since they use their name for that one I cant really trust AGEOD. Yea, I know WWI was developed by some other people but its branded as a AGEOD game and I blame them for it.

 

[Orgasm]

I am waiting for a working version from more accessible sources. Because I tried WWI and it was rather bad, and since they use their name for that one I cant really trust AGEOD. Yea, I know WWI was developed by some other people but its branded as a AGEOD game and I blame them for it.

What? Working version from more accessible sources? You mean not removed from the inventory? There may be one but the game updates are gonna blacklist the key.

RUS was also not developed by AGEOD. They licensed the engine to some french? dudes who did a good job.

@ZombyWoof
Those guys ( I'd guess ) are also responsible for the music choice. Credit where credit is due.

 

[ZombyWoof]

So, just won my first grand campaign, managed to defeat the Bolsheviks by early April, 1921, so not too bad for a first attempt, in my opinion, especially as I was still learning as I played.

What's interesting is how my grand campaign unfolded, as it wasn't the straight-up military victory, since neither Moscow nor Petrograd were taken. Instead, the Bolsheviks basically got worn down slowly but surely, and what ultimately took them down was the Kronstadt rebellion. The game represents the rebellion as -5 national morale a turn as long as Kronstadt is held by the rebels (represented in-game as anarchists), and it's basically supposed to represent the major blow to the authority of the Bolsheviks if the rebellion wasn't suppressed.

Personally, I really liked how the campaign unfolded, since it illustrates the importance of morale and overall support for your war effort, which can be affected by various things: how harsh you are on civilian populations, how successful your war effort is, victory in battles, certain economic and political decrees, events, etc. Also, another good thing I noticed about the AI: it seems to actually act smart in regards to seasons, in that it winterizes forces properly and won't launch stupid attacks in the dead of winter.



Honestly, the victory text for the Whites gives me an idea for a mod or other alternate history campaign/scenario. Say the Whites were victorious, but now the question is "what now?" with respect to the formation of a new government, new constitution, etc. Maybe a tenuous provisional government proves to be too conservative with land reform for the rural masses and revolts break out? What about the anarchists and nationalists in Ukraine? What about the new nations that declared independence following the collapse of the monarchy?

 

[Burning Bridges]

How did you do budget wise? As the Southern faction I have big problems with money, which was constantly in the negative. Probably my problem is that I have formed too many divisions, practically all somewhat capable generals have been made division. And now administrative costs are ruining me. Allegedly the first patch is going to adress this.

The game represents the rebellion as -5 national morale a turn as long as Kronstadt is held by the rebels (represented in-game as anarchists), and it's basically supposed to represent the major blow to the authority of the Bolsheviks if the rebellion wasn't suppressed.

Great to see that the Kronstadt sailors have gotten their deserved role.

Defeat by low national morale is an essential part in AGE campaigns. Usually it happens around 40NM, so -5 per turn is a serious problem. In AACW the North usually capitulated not after, but shortly before I occupied Washington DC, because their morale gotten too low.

Compared to what I expected I would say the end of a campaign always came earlier than expected, because in other games I'd still have to finish the whole map.

 

[ZombyWoof]

How did you do budget wise? As the Southern faction I have big problems with money, which was constantly in the negative. Probably my problem is that I have formed too many divisions, practically all somewhat capable generals have been made division. And now administrative costs are ruining me. Allegedly the first patch is going to adress this.

Well, from browsing the AGEOD forums and such, it seems as though lack of cash is a problem a lot of people are having. Personally, after the first year or so (and especially after capturing the Imperial Gold Train), I didn't really have many cash problems, rather, I had manpower shortages. I ended up decreeing partial mobilizations and recruiting prisoners several times to bolster my forces, especially as I didn't want to force conscription in individual provinces, as province loyalty was a big issue in my game.

I think another contributor to how well I did was that the Southern Whites did incredibly well in my game: they managed to seize Ukraine from both the anarchists and nationalists, as well as secure the Caucasus. Thus, by the time I was advancing on Moscow, they were on their way from the south as well. Another thing that helped me - and hurt me, actually - was the massive Tambov Rebellion (represented by a big - 50k troops - Green uprising in the same city), as it occurred after I had just taken key cities along the Volga (Simbirsk, Kazan, Syzran, Saratov, etc.), thus I think it helped prevent a significant Red counterattack. However, if the Tambov Rebellion isn't crushed - whether by Reds or Whites - it inspires Green rebellions throughout the country. Hell, I lost Tomsk to a Green revolt while advancing on Moscow and ended up sending Ungern von Sternberg's Wild Division to suppress it.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I played the southern whites and I also did well, can't say that about the Siberians. All they did was destroy my railways

I did not want to play the Siberians before I can handle the many region boxes in Siberia. And what happens to the Czech Druzina, around which turn do they get dissolved?

 

[clockradiospeakers]

Oh, hey, I figure one of you guys can point me in the right direction here: where can I buy Napoleon's Campaigns? I can't seem to find it D:

 

[Burning Bridges]

Are you absolutely sure? Of all the six AGE titles NCP is the only I did not like.

 

[clockradiospeakers]

I've got cash to blow, what can I say

 

[Burning Bridges]

then lokee-here:

http://shopus.ageod.com/game-descriptio ... 59240.html

http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-NAPC/napoleons-campaigns

 

[ZombyWoof]

And what happens to the Czech Druzina, around which turn do they get dissolved?

Well, in my game, the Czech Legion never got dissolved, they never kidnapped Kolchak and turned him over to the Bolsheviks, etc. I believe it may be tied to how well your war effort is going, because by the time it historically happened (1920), the Bolsheviks' national morale was around 50 or 60, and I'd say that the war was overall starting to go in the Whites' favor by then.

What also leads me to believe it's tied to your war effort (or triggered by some combination of requirements) is that when Maurice Janin arrives, the event specifically mentions his rivalry with Kolchak, and Janin actually has a trait, "backstabber" or something along those lines, thus appearing to set the scene for the future betrayal.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Yes, as I already said, I believe scripted events can have conditions and a percentage.