Having played KA1 intensively and enjoyed it very much, KA2 was an (initial) diappointment.
Having bought the game after it was clear that the majority of bugs seems to have been improved, a first impression in the middle of chapter 2 of the campaign:
- Much more RPG than RTS, while KA1 was a near perfect mixture
- Watered down battle difficulty on "normal", most visible for the early battles (which were really difficult in KA1)
- Much more "linear", because of story driven campaign, most likely not worth replaying
- Near to zero empire management
- Highly imbalanced army opponents in exactly those cases where you can´t avoid a manual battle using auto, often rendering 1 element of a balanced army near useless or threatened by extinction
- One unit exactly useless which was of high value in KA1 - light infantry
- Melee heroes much less useful than spellcasters and/or warlords, rendering these to lame ducks in reserve
The initial disappointment was less pronounced after the first gameplay experience, but still ... A huge mistake from the developer with an eye to the people that really loved the first instance of the game. If it was the developers intention to appeal to a completely new set of customers, the decision was fine. For a sequel though it remains a disappointment. It IS a good game, but at the same time no King Arthur any longer.
Regards,
Thorsten
Having bought the game after it was clear that the majority of bugs seems to have been improved, a first impression in the middle of chapter 2 of the campaign:
- Much more RPG than RTS, while KA1 was a near perfect mixture
- Watered down battle difficulty on "normal", most visible for the early battles (which were really difficult in KA1)
- Much more "linear", because of story driven campaign, most likely not worth replaying
- Near to zero empire management
- Highly imbalanced army opponents in exactly those cases where you can´t avoid a manual battle using auto, often rendering 1 element of a balanced army near useless or threatened by extinction
- One unit exactly useless which was of high value in KA1 - light infantry
- Melee heroes much less useful than spellcasters and/or warlords, rendering these to lame ducks in reserve
The initial disappointment was less pronounced after the first gameplay experience, but still ... A huge mistake from the developer with an eye to the people that really loved the first instance of the game. If it was the developers intention to appeal to a completely new set of customers, the decision was fine. For a sequel though it remains a disappointment. It IS a good game, but at the same time no King Arthur any longer.
Regards,
Thorsten