Well that cocks up my release-day review, doesn’t it? Thanks to Gamestop inexplicably releasing the game early at retail in the US, the release of digital download versions of Demigod have been brought forward to yesterday. Brad Wardell explains the kerfuffle over at his Impulse blog, as well as pointing out that this whole mess should, in theory, “maximise” piracy rates:
“…it was Easter weekend. And many of us had just finished a good solid 8 weeks of massive crunch and were looking forward to the weekend to recover. Instead, we found ourselves back at work having to turn on and configure the multiplayer matchmaking servers… we’ll get to actually see the effects of piracy. Since we know Demigod is an outstanding game with a wide appeal with equal retail and digital distribution to other titles that came out this year with similar demographics we can see how well it sells compared to them.”
Thoughts? I’m liking Demigod very much. Rook SMASH! And if you’re going to get it before you read a more sophisticated verdict than that, buy it on Impulse. We’ll post some more detailed thoughts later in the week.
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There was a reason behind the early release. Apparently, Demigod shipped to them without a release date on the box, and according to Gamestop’s policy, that allows them to put it on shelves as soon as it arrives. This is based off a forum post from an alleged manager, so take it with some salt, but maybe someone can verify.
When I went with a friend, we had to go to 2 Gamestops because they only had one copy of the game each. I’m sick of this “we’ll carry it if you preorder” bullshit
I have very little interest in playing strategy-type games online, and this looks interesting to me (I’m a sucker for pretty graphics). Can anybody tell me how useful/enjoyable the single-player aspect of Demigod is?
@Garu: One of the most important features in a multiplayer game (for me) is automatching. I want to be able to play a quick game without ever talking to anyone. Otherwise I could never play with all these juvenile know-it-alls and call it fun.
I can do this on public TF2 servers, in L4D campaing mode, in dow2, in Empire TW, etc and also in Demigod.
Imho, the community may suck. But the game should protect me from it.
@jsutcliffe: ”
Can anybody tell me how useful/enjoyable the single-player aspect of Demigod is?”
Single player is about the same as in a fighting game like street fighter or mortal combat:
You play a tournament against bots, which are of course much less of a challenge than humans.
I only played the game for a few hours so far, but I guess if you don’t want to play online this is not the right game for you.
justcliffe: It’s fun, but it will get old fairly quickly. Probably not worth buying for the single player alone.
That said: Yay! I pre-ordered this and was in the Betas, although copious amounts of work meant I didn’t get to play much.
Re: DotA. It’s obviously DotA-inspired, and not in a bad way. However, it’s not a DotA clone. And I say this still playing a shit-ton of DotA.
Gamers nowadays are hilarious. I’m so glad I wasn’t brainwashed with this pointless-innovation trash the gaming media has inundated people with.
Iteration is what gaming, for thousands of years of human existence, has been based on. The fact it is a better game, based on existing and tested concepts, is a GOOD thing.
You people are so bizarre. Jump on any avenue to attack a game you haven’t played because you have some deep desire to interpret every event you can in the most negative light possible.
@yutt
In case you haven’t figured it out yet : catska = troll
@Benjamin Ferrari & Sam:
All righty, thanks chaps. I’ll wait for it to come down in price a bit first though I do, bizarrely, kind of enjoy single-player in e.g. Soul Calibur and Unreal Tournament.
I am in a similar position, jsutcliffe. I did enjoy RTS games online in the past, but I don’t have the time and energy anymore to get good at them online. I don’t really mind if a single-player game just apes the mp part if it’s done well, either.
@jsutcliffe @unclelou
I’m not so different from your position. But the cool thing about modern multiplayer games is that if matchmaking works, playing “multiplayer” becomes more like a “singleplayer with (relatively) smart and unpredictable bots” experience.
I mean if you just press a button and the computer puts you in a game with allies and foes that are as good/bad as yourself, and you don’t have to talk to them – Then that’s better than playing bots, right?
I used to play DoTA single player, i’d just set up the map and not let anyone else join play it by myself, this of course because when I did play it with other people I got my teeth kicked in :P There are a TON of WC3 mods they could make real games from. There is one where you can play as citizens of a town or the police force or drug dealers ect and each player has their own role to make money.
Also all these tower defence games spawned from Starcraft and warcraft 3 and they’re doing pretty good, I have an awesome tower defence game on my I-pod based on Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced 2 :P So yah, making better ideas from already good ones is the way to go.
I’ll probably wait for a demo as well, the game looks interesting but watching the videos it looks a little hard to handle. Also I’ve become addicted to Men of War thanks to RPS so I dunno if I’d even have time to play it.
@Subject 706
No doubt, but it is something I hear extremely often nowadays. People clamoring for “innovation” in games, and when they get it calling it a gimmick.
But the cool thing about modern multiplayer games is that if matchmaking works, playing “multiplayer” becomes more like a “singleplayer with (relatively) smart and unpredictable bots” experience.
Bingo. If your RTS game lacks intelligent matchmaking, then I’m uninterested in playing it online. Team games are also more fun because you (usually) get a nice mix of players: some newbs, some vets, and some folks in-between.
Damn it, I have so many other games to play. :’(
@SirKicksalot
I kid you not, the second I say that screenshot, I went out and bought Demigod.
It took me fron no interest, to absolute faboyishness
Thank you.
I guess my only call is piratebay for a demo?
That screen shot is awesome, I love that map, inspired me to take some of my own!
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/Mcingo/dg2.jpg
Stardock said a demo is forthcoming. They don’t want to release it ahead of shipping because people will realize how utterly generic and bland the game is and not buy it.
And what is with this Dune 2 ripoff tripe? Herzog Zwei is over hear saying “First Post!”
@BLah:
If you’re going to criticize Demigod at least try to show some semblance of objectivity. Look up ‘generic’ in the dictionary. Demigod is anything but generic.
Who decides what is generic and what isn’t ? Is something only generic if it isn’t based on an existing IP? Warcraft was generic when it was released, just a generic war game betwen orcs and humans, now it is grown into this huge IP that can’t be stopped even though it ripped out JRR tolkein and War hammer (Who also did so but with a bit more of a unique idea IMO)
Don’t dis Demigod unless you’ve played it, that is what I says. I loved DOTA not for the hero battles but for the idea that I was a hero in a war that would go on with or with out me. It made you feel more important to know that you were the turning point. It made you feel like Achilles and when you did fight other heros it kind of breaks down and it feels like WC3 again with the crappy micromanagment of hero combat.
I played DemiGod FOREVER ago when it was only a single map and no multiplayer… and I loved it then. (pre-ordered at PAX08, got super early beta). I immediately stopped playing it as I didn’t want to burnout or get tired of the game before it was even made.
That and it was only one map.
Anyhoo, I anticipate that it will be as fun to play now as it was then. It’s certainly a unique style. To the guy who said it’s like cramming and RTS into an FPS engine… that’s a load.
this is, just as the marketing fluff says, must more like RTS meets Action RPG. It took me a few rounds to get over not being able to control the minion type units, but eventually you get over it and really enjoy the unique.
Men of War is like an RTS with an FPS engine but it is a good thing :P How many RTS games out there let you head shot people and aim are exact parts of a tank? Bad example of RTS in FPS engine is that HORRIBLE Savage game
The things I wish I’d known before purchasing this game are:
1) It has no tutorial
2) It has no proper single player (i.e. campaign), just offline ’skirmish’ game types.
Having taken a few hours and worked out what was going on (and read the GPG forums) I’m starting to really enjoy it. However it really doesn’t feel like a full price game, especially coming off DOW2 and Empire:TW. Considering the pedigree of GPG I’m seriously disappointed at the lack of tutorial; it certainly looks like (from reading this thread at least!) they are just targetting DOTA players.
So, Aesops is WRATHFUL, is he? That sounds like the sort of thing I could get behind. Want demo.
someone give us a run down of the heros if you have the game.
I just had my first go at this (against the AI) and I had a blast. It’s fast paced, fun, and a bit different. It’s actually really accessible for an RTS.
The “our game is so simple we don’t need to provide a tutorial” arrogance is slightly annoying though. It *is* quite simple, once you’ve played it. I did have to read the manual though, in order to get past the “wtf is going on” stage… Which isn’t something I usually have to do.
If this is DotA But Better, then I’m buying a copy. I’d been looking forward to it for a while and it’s hard convincing me not to buy a Stardock-published game. Gotta give people a reason to work with them and their Radical New Ideas and all. (One such Idea: Customer First.)
And I think the people shouting at Okami for saying “Dune 2 ripoff” might be missing the point. He’s calling out someone who shouted “DotA ripoff” by reducto ad absurdum. At least I think that’s what that Latin junk means. Or how it could be applied.
I’d better quit while I’m not too far behind.
/me reinstall
( my beta version for some reason can’t upgrade to release)
/me wait 80 minutes for download
/me launch the games
/me watch somewhat boring intro, something like lines in a wall and a english voice over “Meh…”.
/me try the singleplayer thing
/me.. hum… theres no singleplayer, only offline skirmish.. hell… oh god
/me launch skirmish… ooppps… I forgot to change teh defaults… again that damn map.. oh noes..
/me start playing… the corrupting bease, I kind of like the mechanic… but I am going nowhere.
note to self: I must change the setting, the defaults are to “ugly and murky”
/me get bored, break the game, return to main menu
/me try to start the multiplayer thingie..
/me game ask for Tei password… Tei don’t remenber his impulse password. geeeezzeers…
/me try to altab to windows to pick the password somewhere…
game frezzee. note to self: this game don’t like alt-tab
/me kill game with task manager
/me try to relog in impulse
/me see message “Server are too busy”.
See, that’s probably happening to you because you gave away 2 of your lucky stars.
I think it draws inspiration from Universe at War and Rise of Legends too…
Glad you like my screen:P As I said, every map has a formidable design.I can’t wait to see what they’ll think of next.
I guess GPG wanted to show everybody that they have skillful artists after SupCom was criticised for the sterile design… And let’s forget about Space Siege. That one must’ve been sacrificed in order to concentrate on Demigod, together with the second SupCom expansion…
I actually liked the art from SupCom you just never get to see it if you’re zoomed out all the time. I must admit I played against easy bots mostly just so I could zoom in and watch battles. I REALLy loved the TEC’s assault bot. One time the freaking easy AI tricked me and attacked me with three of those Monkey lord things and I almost panniced until I remembered I had a henious number of cruise missle launchers full and waiting for usage :P any how I’m wantin to play this more and more. Still waiting for someone to give us a run down of all the heros and what makes them special.
@bookworm8at
I have shot several stars in RPS
But I have NEVER shot stars in real life.
Not because there are no stars.
There are no rock/paper/shotguns
NOT IN MY LIFE.
Hmm, according to Sev3rity’s screenshot, Aesops is wrathful.
I’m wrathful.
I have something in common with Aesops, whoever or whatever that is! I could get into this!
I bought this. I started to play it. I am confused. There is no manual. No instructions. No guide. No tutorial. No introductory process. You just start the game, and play tournament or skirmkish and hopefully figure it out yourself. Would it have been too hard to include at least a page of “wtf to do”?
Hey , the game is treating you like a man. It’s not going to hold your hand like some sissy girl and insult you by assuming you don’t know how to play an RTS game. I mean really who in their right mind doesn’t know how to play an RTS right now? There’s been like 100 of them in the past 8 years and they’re all the same for the most part. Left click select, right click attack. Click on special ability or use short cut key to and click on target. Simple stuff :P
Micronano demigod manual:
1) Your god gets px and level. With level dings can pick upgrades to his powers
2) Your “HQ” can be upgraded. To make it more strong, etc… and some key upgrades that make the minions that automatically spawn from portals better.
3) You can buy stuff on one of the building of your base, and on some shops. There are gear and consumable. Probably you sould press pause (hahaha) and read all gear, since probably there are “great” combinatios of gear.
4) If you destroy the enemy HQ, you win.
5) If you destroy the enemy god… you pick more gold, (I think).
6) To must pick the flags for some reason, so you own the map (I don’t know why)…. could be maybe because what god own one portal, or can access a shop, or something.
I like this game. It is fun! Gamers will complain bitterly about anything. :/
I’ve just been tinkering around with the single-player mode, haven’t been in a competitive mood I suppose. The tournament mode is a great way to ruin the singleplayer mode for yourself since it has you playing the same character over and over vs the same number of enemies (albeit with different victory conditions).
Not sure what happens at the end because instead of loading the 8th and final match, after what felt like 3 solid hours of slogging through the tournament, the game just hanged. :P
Still I suppose I had fun for about 6 or 7 hours with it so far without even going online.
I’ve been looking forward to this so it was an immediate Impulse purchase for me…
Spend 8-9 hours with it now, single-player only till I get to grips with it, and I have to say its a lot of fun.
The first half hour or so is indeed a little confusing. Where’s the tutorial? How do I control all those little blokes? After a while though I came to realise that I was really enjoying trying out the different Demigods, learning their individual strengths and weaknesses.
Now all I have to do is convince everyone I know to grab a copy for some multiplayer fun. If you like RTS, especially if you enjoy them online, then go get yourself a copy!
It’s a commercial version of DoTA, with less depth and less variety, but a shinier engine. Whether that’s worth your hard-earned money is really up to you. Personally I am not finding anything in the game that DoTA does not have more of and am disappointed at the total lack of innovation in the title. All of it’s ideas are taken in whole or part from existing push-maps.
Originality is not always needed in videogames. Not that type of originality. Is like cooking. Do you really need originality to make a delicious hamburger? nope. Having *some* (read: not all) games as following a formula the better way posible could be delicious. Ok, some originality can make the hamburger better, but it may also ruin it.
We can’t judge a game as “bad” just because is not tryiing to break a mold, but is following a mold. We can judge that game as “un-ambitious”, but not bad.
Thats in my humble opinion.