Age of Wonders 3

[pakoito]

I still don't get who started buttfucking monkeys so we got the "optimization" virus from the console inbreds. It's Crysis all over again. That game was so good a small rig could run it decently with goodies that other games only dreamt of, but because the monkeys could't go Ultra they thought the engine was "not optimized".

 

[Misconnected]

and i cant really tell a visual difference between SSAO on and off.

SSAO, in a nutshell, creates shadows based on the ambient light level of the scene. So it's a fairly subtle effect that is most obvious in places like corners that aren't directly lit. And like Pakoito said, it's a pretty resource intensive effect.

 

[Turisas]

A (moving) picture is better than a thousand words.

Depends on the game how it's implemented, of course.

 

[Eyeball]

I still don't get who started buttfucking monkeys so we got the "optimization" virus from the console inbreds. It's Crysis all over again. That game was so good a small rig could run it decently with goodies that other games only dreamt of, but because the monkeys could't go Ultra they thought the engine was "not optimized".

And then we have cases where a game like AoW3 won't run smoothly on a rig exceeding its recommended specs with EVERYTHING turned down to lowest graphical settings.

 

[InspectorRumpole]

Bought it through that Australian site, and i can confirm it's working! Thanks for the tip, saved almost 50%

Link?

https://cdkeys.com.au/products/Age-of-Wonders-III.html

Quick google search finds several cases of scams related to that site. You'll probably get the key but still...dodgy.

I'm playing it as we speak though

 

[Berekän]

It's weird, it runs great on my rig with everything on High and it's very average.

 

[KoolNoodles]

Anybody else think the graphics seem a little "off"? The game looks good, but to me it's like AA is not working well enough even on max settings. Some things seem "fuzzy".

 

[KoolNoodles]

Also, units can literally shoot through stone walls that would be blocking any line of sight. If both units are right next to the wall then there's no penalty! Magic ethereal arrows! It looks ridiculous and is ridiculous. Biggest complaint in combat right now is how they fucked around with ranged.

 

[pakoito]

Anybody else think the graphics seem a little "off"? The game looks good, but to me it's like AA is not working well enough even on max settings. Some things seem "fuzzy".

inb4 FXAA

 

[Raghar]

And then we have cases where a game like AoW3 won't run smoothly on a rig exceeding its recommended specs with EVERYTHING turned down to lowest graphical settings.

It ran fine on my PC. GTX 660 underclocked here. I even increased textures to ultra.

 

[pakoito]

I got the chance to test it for some minutes. It screams for driver-forced graphics rather than the ones given by the game.

The antialiasing is FXAA so that explains the blurryness. Disable it along with bloom and SSAO and the game will fly.

EDIT:

Forced AA and AF via driver to x16 without bloom and SSAO, runs like a charm, plays great. i7, 640m laptop.

I thought people in this forum could into PC, apparently not.

 

[sser]

Didn't really have an issue running the game, but I had shadows off and 1600x900 res/medium textures.

Anyway, had my first huge battle. Full 38-strong unit fight as I invaded a Dreadnought city:

Spoiler

Dreadnought cannons/juggernauts really, really, really hurt. Cannon shots rip straight through lines of troops for heavy damage. Juggernauts can bombard you from a distance. The AI moved them out of the city which, at first, seemed pretty retarded, but then the juggernauts did a self-AOE attack which was devastating, and then bombarding thereafter, alternating the spells for max fuck-you points. The Fire Dragon chilling out on their walls more or less singlehandedly won the battle for me. He was resistant to Dreadnought fire (cannons still hurt) and he could fly around at will, flanking and 3x-hitting enemies. I also had a battalion of 91-hp human knights. Warlord gets some hefty bonuses to troops - possibly the strongest in the game...? And Trebuchets proved surprisingly valuable in unit-to-unit combat.

I'd post a picture of the after-screen, but there's something of an easter egg in it that I don't want to spoil.

 

[KoolNoodles]

I got the chance to test it for some minutes. It screams for driver-forced graphics rather than the ones given by the game.

The antialiasing is FXAA so that explains the blurryness. Disable it along with bloom and SSAO and the game will fly.

EDIT:

Forced AA and AF via driver to x16 without bloom and SSAO, runs like a charm, plays great. i7, 640m laptop.

I thought people in this forum could into PC, apparently not.

Figured as much and came to a similar conclusion, though I never had problems with speed. Just always grabs my attention when a game natively uses FXAA and looks bad for it.

 

[Markman]

I had no issues with performance. Running at 1080p and all on ultra. Got to the end of first campaign map, didnt finish it yet tho.
Bad guy came after me with 2 armies, had to run away and regroup with my second squad then pwned him, now he sits in his castle with 3 units.

Well, the game is Age of Wonders. They didnt change the core gameplay that much and combat seems the same but upgraded.
I like the new interface too, not alot of buttons and in game help is pretty well done.

 

[markec]

Bought it through that Australian site, and i can confirm it's working! Thanks for the tip, saved almost 50%

Link?

https://cdkeys.com.au/products/Age-of-Wonders-III.html

Quick google search finds several cases of scams related to that site. You'll probably get the key but still...dodgy.

I'm playing it as we speak though

Bought the key yesterday and still waiting for it.

 

[J_C]

Biggest complaint in combat right now is how they fucked around with ranged.

What I don't like in ranged is that you have to be too close (2-3 hexs) to not get a range penalty.

 

[KoolNoodles]

Biggest complaint in combat right now is how they fucked around with ranged.

What I don't like in ranged is that you have to be too close (2-3 hexs) to not get a range penalty.

Completely agree. Makes archers seem like they have shotguns. Have to be in range of an enemy who next turn can devastate you(and they will happily go around blocking units and take damage), just to get a good shot in. I'd prefer a chance to hit, and a chance to do good damage at range, instead of no chance to do any significant damage at range. My inner wargamer dies a little bit every time it's the archer's turn.

 

[Frusciante]

Bought it through that Australian site, and i can confirm it's working! Thanks for the tip, saved almost 50%

Link?

https://cdkeys.com.au/products/Age-of-Wonders-III.html

Quick google search finds several cases of scams related to that site. You'll probably get the key but still...dodgy.

I'm playing it as we speak though

Also bought a key from that website. They mailed me the game as a steam gift. Still dodgy for sure. Hope I dont get banned.

 

[sser]

Biggest complaint in combat right now is how they fucked around with ranged.

What I don't like in ranged is that you have to be too close (2-3 hexs) to not get a range penalty.

Completely agree. Makes archers seem like they have shotguns. Have to be in range of an enemy who next turn can devastate you(and they will happily go around blocking units and take damage), just to get a good shot in. I'd prefer a chance to hit, and a chance to do good damage at range, instead of no chance to do any significant damage at range. My inner wargamer dies a little bit every time it's the archer's turn.

Well it gives you the choice of either peppering from a distance for less damage or getting in close for more, but at the risk of getting hurt.

Archers/ranged units can be devastating because they can deal out 3x damage without receiving anything in return. Their damage output skyrockets with the mages and their diverse damage types.

 

[catfood]

Looks like the game is really popular on everyone's favourite digital distribution site. Lots of seeders and leechers. I hope the game sells well too because if it doesn't have frostlings it's not AOW.

 

[Space Satan]

Looks like the game is really popular on everyone's favourite digital distribution site. Lots of seeders and leechers. I hope the game sells well too because if it doesn't have frostlings it's not AOW.

According to 1st Commonwealth mission, Frostlings got...evicted from their lands. You know, with bonuses like pox-infected towels and occasional ethnic cleansing.

 

[ColCol]

Poor Frostlings :'(

 

[you know what time it is]

Why, oh why did they pick the most bland and boring races for vanilla And damn, I'm so tired of waiting at this point, don't get me wrong, the game's good, but it's still another 1-2 years before GOTY/COMPLETE/WONDERFUL edition where most of the shit will get sorted out, couple of dlcs will be thrown in and may be, even a proper mod support (one can hope).

Regarding performance - i didn't have any troubles with fps drops and such, but it definetly puts some pressure on my gpu, oddly enough it runs WAY less hot if everything is maxed out (even though i still get the same 75 fps when everything is on "low" or "off")

 

[Eyeball]

Oddly enough, updating my Graphics driver seemed to have a very noticable impact on game performance. Odd, because I last updated it like 2 weeks ago.

Not messed around with the game much yet seeing as I'm caught in a Skyrim/Requiem limbo, but it's definitely AoW and plays like a more newshit version of it. I am pleased by the diplomacy system. As in, I actually brokered a PEACE TREATY with another great wizard! For a Shadow Magic fan, this is unheard of, with the only two states of other wizards in that game being "hating you" or "dead." I also like that you now need to pay much more attention to your cities sphere of influence, as captured mines will not give you income from outside your borders.

I hate the interface, though, or actually just its presentation. Buttons are way too fucking huge and colourful and take up far too much of the game screen I should be using to actually play the game. Fuck you, Civ5!

 

[anus_pounder]

Haven't received email-confirmation of my registration yet.