Connections to aow3

[lucaluca]

does anyone think there are similarities in the factions and secret techs?

It seems:

Vanguard humans
Amazon elves
Dvar dwarves
Promethean warlord
Celestian theocrat

 

[Fenraellis]

Personally, I would say it's closer to: (items in parentheses are known attributes of the Planetfall factions)
Vanguard -> Warlord (unit production cost reduction doctrine, no war reputation penalty doctrine, and relatively straightforward units)

Amazon -> Archdruid (fairly analogous to 'Elves' of the prior games, though, I admit, but anyway: utilizes flora and fauna, forest-related effects, terraforming of some sort, high mobility)

Dvar -> Dreadnought (and yes, Dwarves: heavily mechanized and armored, lots of explosive area damage, and mountain-related effects)

Syndicate -> Rogue (stealth, flanking, npc-faction diplomatic bonuses, mind control)

Assembly -> Necromancer (Cyborg being non-Mechanical and non-Biological, but sharing some aspects of both, is similar to 'Ghoul'/Undead... and some of them look kind of like Necrons)

Kir'Ko -> Sorcerer-ish/Warlord-ish (this one is a bit of a stretch, but they have more esoteric powers combined with several very directly attacking units, also they are the only truly inhuman faction)

If also touching on the Secret Techs, then hmm...:
Promethean -> Dreadnought (mechanized, flamethrowers, anti-Psionic/Biochemical)
Celestian -> Theocrat ('holy' theme, 'Enlightened' functions similarly to Devout)
Xenoplague -> [Unsure/Archdruid] (limited knowledge outside of genetics research lore, Biochemical damage, a unit which can spawn sporelings, and the Parasitic Symbiosis unit mod)
VoidTech -> Sorcerer(?) (weird esoteric technology, including Void Blades and Gravity Bombs)
Psynumbra -> Sorcerer(?) (extra-planar origin for units and powers)
"-sis" -> [Unsure] (they appear to have an A.I. theme)

 

[BloodyBattleBrain]

Fen is broadly right imho.

I do think the new game is different enough to the aow3 that comparisons aren't so cut and dried.

Ofcourse one could make the argument PF isn't as different from its predecessor as AoW3 was to SM.

Anyway, I think a better like of comparison/understanding might be to identify the tropes or clichés.

So Dvar are steadfast, slow and strong explosive miners.

In most games this is the Dwarf faction. Warhammer total war is a good example. No cavalry, slow and steady wall of doom.

Vanguard are the pioneers that are war hardened. They're also the most "conventional."

Usually that's the Human faction. Mechanically one faction should be the easiest to learn. And we are ourselves Humans so this faction is usually Human.


Etc.

Now some of these tropes are going to be sci fi specific and some will be shout outs to other games and literature.

 

[Jean-Luc]

I too have noticed how things sometimes look similar to other things in certain ways.

Ahh the good ol' days of Elves genetically modifying themselves, riding dinosaurs, firing lazors and having no men.

 

[BloodyBattleBrain]

I too have noticed how things sometimes look similar to other things in certain ways.

Ahh the good ol' days of Elves genetically modifying themselves, riding dinosaurs, firing lazors and having no men.

jokes aside, I am most worried/intrigued by the Amazons.

 

[lucaluca]

So Amazon’s have forest bonuses? Interesting

 

[Fenraellis]

As, BBB said, most of the connections are on a play-style/theme(machines/nature/etc) and broadscope mechanics scale, in my analysis list.

 

[mr_stibbons]

Vanguard are the pioneers that are war hardened. They're also the most "conventional."

Usually that's the Human faction.

That's usually the human faction *in a sci-fi setting*. It's not actually a translation of the AOW3 (or previous) human factions, which are an early renaissance empire and medieval kingdom respectively.

Really, outside of the Dvar being blatantly space dwarfs, and the celestian being Space theocrats, I don't feel like any of the other factions/techs are really that similar to previous games.

 

[Nerdfish]

Promethean is closer to dread with all those splash and fire damage.

 

[Draxynnic]

I too have noticed how things sometimes look similar to other things in certain ways.

Ahh the good ol' days of Elves genetically modifying themselves, riding dinosaurs, firing lazors and having no men.

The Eldar Exodites of 40K do have the 'riding dinosaurs' and 'firing lazors' parts down.

It's probably fair to say that there are some similarities, enough to probably make the Amazons the closest analogue. Mind you, one could also draw analogues with reptilian races such as the Lizards and Draconians through their mounts, even if the Amazons themselves are quite emphatically mammalian. Certainly, it does appear as if the Amazons are one of the more melee-oriented races, which is.

Dvar are pretty unsubtle, of course, and Vanguard are the most 'normal human' of the lot.

 

[lisajohny543]

Fen is broadly right imho.

I do think the new game is different enough to the aow3 that comparisons aren't so cut and dried.

Ofcourse one could make the argument PF isn't as different from its predecessor as AoW3 was to SM.

Anyway, I think a better like of comparison/understanding might be to identify the tropes or clichés.

So Dvar are steadfast, slow and strong explosive miners.

In most games this is the Dwarf faction. Warhammer total war is a good example. No cavalry, slow and steady wall of doom.

Vanguard are the pioneers that are war hardened. They're also the most "conventional."

Usually that's the Human faction. Mechanically one faction should be the easiest to learn. And we are ourselves Humans so this faction is usually Human.


Etc.

Now some of these tropes are going to be sci fi specific and some will be shout outs to other games and literature.

Well said

 

[AC1632]

You all should be asking some major questions about the offhandedly mentioned 'space fish' imo, I'd bet anything that's going to be where the biggest tie-in happens.