Universal Defender Chronicles II: Heroes of Athelia (By Gimka Entertainment)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by killercow, May 23, 2012.

  1. fivejane

    fivejane Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Feb 23, 2009
    65
    0
    0
    If you go through the game in the order I did, which is to beat each level on Casual first, there is no weapon that can damage the Crystal Golem besides a fire wand at that point (at least with the skill point choices I made). I have tried.

    To be sure, I have enjoyed the later stages of this game. Many of the levels get very hard (but solvable through reasoning), and that's real fun. I'm just talking about the early-game experience. It's sad to see a generally good game turn players off in the first 25 minutes of play.
     
  2. fivejane

    fivejane Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Feb 23, 2009
    65
    0
    0
    While you didn't mention me by name, this is obviously directed at me or those who agree with me. I don't want the answers handed to me. I want the mechanics handed to me. The best parts of this game are the strategic challenges - not the "I don't understand this so I'll guess some shit" challenges.
     
  3. fivejane

    fivejane Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Feb 23, 2009
    65
    0
    0
    Do you think it is good game design to rely on your players having played similar games before?
     
  4. fivejane

    fivejane Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Feb 23, 2009
    65
    0
    0
    I'm fine with inconsistencies.

    But shouldn't the last level be the hardest? Having read several forum posts here and at the DC2 forums, I think there is general consensus about how hard Stonebreak is for Melwen or Razortooth in general being a brutal tradeoff between slime-killers and the golems.

    But the final level is, at least up to Heroic, incredibly easy and obvious. I haven't seen a single request for help on that level. That's all I was pointing out - the last level should be harder (especially given that the rewards are so much better for beating it) :)
     
  5. Ayjona

    Ayjona Well-Known Member

    Sep 8, 2009
    3,295
    21
    38
    Freelance journalist and writer, amateur musician
    Stockholm, Sweden
    #445 Ayjona, Jun 3, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2012
    Given that beating the strapping crystal lad during the first 25 minutes is in no way required for *anything*, and does not impede the flow of the game in the slightest, my guess is that the kind of gamer that is turned away by loosing one inconsequential star on one level (a star that is easily achieved after an hour of play) is both extraordinarily, immensely impatient, and in a minority so extraordinarily small that the developers can safely avoid pandering to her highly specialized needs ;)

    But then, I suppose that we should not ignore one of the fundamental tenets of gaming forums: the smaller the interest group, the more vocal the members ;)

    (But yer absolutely right about the uneven difficulties. It does not bother me much, but Stonebreak on Novice is harder than some other levels on Master.)
     
  6. Plast2

    Plast2 Well-Known Member

    Aug 17, 2009
    464
    0
    0
    #446 Plast2, Jun 3, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2012
    This is done quite on purpose. The game is played is if there is a war sweeping across Athelia. - And the last battlefield is not necessarily the toughest. Also the maps are fought against different factions of the advancing enemies, and not each faction is trained tactically similar, or well. And keep in mind: the story has yet to fully unfold; remember, there are ten maps still planned in this current storyline, so if Hellstrand should be the hardest map now, and new maps should just become increasingly harder and harder... Well, it would mean that the last of the (so far) planned maps, would end up being as hard on Novice as the first maps would be on Legendary :)

    So some maps will be big battle maps (Like most of the Underworld maps) and some will be shorter... more skirmish type maps, if you will - Which will also give you a little breather in the battles against the Horde collective ;) - Though, short doesn't have to mean easy, and big and grueling battles the most challenging. Hopefully they are all fun though. - At least, we hope so :)
     
  7. RazvanGNR

    RazvanGNR Well-Known Member

    Apr 18, 2011
    434
    0
    0
    Seriously, what requirments are required in order to unlock the white wizard? I read the manual, and for all the other units it is explained, but not for this one! Does someone remember exactly? Thank you in advance!
     
  8. EightRooks

    EightRooks Well-Known Member

    Jan 13, 2012
    627
    0
    0
    UK
    I'm enjoying this, if not nearly to the same degree as most of the other posters here.

    I will say the omission of a "restart map" option is baffling (particularly in a game so obviously catering to the ultra-hardcore crowd who feel they're being cheated if they're not practically forced to play every map five hundred times). If I could have just one change and no others that'd be it. Oh, and make any introductory messages disappear the moment you try and click on the build buttons. Given it's pretty much vital even on Casual to start throwing up structures the moment the level begins, not being able to do so is frustrating (well, maybe the buttons do still work? But I can't see them until the message goes away).

    Demon's and Dark Souls tell you next to nothing about how best to kill their enemies, their bosses or how to find all their secrets, and there's a cottage industry on the internet based around producing wikis for both those games so people can go online and look up things if they want to. But you don't need to. There's no point in either game where you can't progress without having someone else explain something to you, and no point where you're left banging your head against a brick wall to see if doing that makes it fall down. Even the easy option (doing it co-op) still requires tactics and strategy to succeed.

    DC2 doesn't really feel like that to me so far. Got to Razortooth, got to the last wave, was swarmed by slimes, lost. Tried hugely powerful units, tried blanketing the map in less powerful units, tried concentrating on the bottom path, nothing. Every wave until that point was a cakewalk, then I just died, over and over again. Read the forum, looked at the fire wand, saw it was AoE, didn't have one in my inventory, went back and ground for the tokens, played the level again. Beat the slimes, but still wasn't able to stop them all, leaving maybe five points on the gate. Boss slime came along, couldn't kill him in time, lost again. Then I just got fed up and set it to Novice.

    As far as I'm concerned that level, at that point in time, felt impossible. For that to happen, on a difficulty setting labelled "Casual", with the equipment I'd earned up to that point - having had no trouble with anything else the game presented me with - and for any strategy I tried felt wrong. Having to go back and play the early levels over several more times on difficulties that weren't just to be able to have a chance of getting past this new hurdle felt wrong. Not "wrong" as in I'm saying This Is A Bad Game, I Am The Law or anything: just how it felt to me. I play very difficult games, I'm reasonably good (though by no means great!) at some of them, I like to be challenged... it's just that so far I don't feel this is quite the work of genius some people are hailing it as.

    I don't regret buying it or anything and I've only had it a little while. So perhaps I'll change my mind over time. I just feel that some gamers get so in love with the idea of replaying things until their battery charge runs out they can't possibly understand how the game they're enjoying could be at fault in any way.
     
  9. Teh_Ninja

    Teh_Ninja Well-Known Member

    Mar 12, 2010
    1,891
    0
    36
    Waiter at Chili's
    Dallas
    I think they stated they will add this feature.
     
  10. Royce

    Royce Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2011
    4,240
    180
    63
    This is exactly what happened to me, except I refuse to play novice so I just gave up. Haven't played in days. Will probably get back into it, but it's a shame a game with so many wonderful qualities is marred by inconsistencies, and a difficulty curve that seems to be more of a sawtooth.
     
  11. ArtNJ

    ArtNJ Well-Known Member

    Jul 13, 2009
    3,212
    29
    48
    New Jersey
    Razortooth is hard to 5 star, but it shouldnt be too hard to merely get past it. You have to bust the slimes early, with 1-2 level 1-2 fighters, and then use lizardmen to do damage. If your Melwen, the Archmage's blizzard is awesome. Remember, slimes have no armor, so regular mages (with no aoe) are totally pointless against the slimes. Warriors are totally useless for anything except breaking the slimes.

    Its fairly hard to stop the crystal giant though, and you may need to gear up for it.
     
  12. fivejane

    fivejane Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Feb 23, 2009
    65
    0
    0
    You know this, and I know this, but how is the person who hasn't played for an hour supposed to divine this?
     
  13. Royce

    Royce Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2011
    4,240
    180
    63
    I don't know what that is :p If its a unit, I only have regular mages. If its a spell I only have resist.

    My best attempt used two fighters at each entrance, one Mage on each route, and mostly lizard men with a couple regular archers. It failed though.
     
  14. November's Chopin

    November's Chopin Well-Known Member

    Jul 11, 2010
    869
    0
    0
    Darn I thought all general weapons were considered "greatswords", since the picture does look like a greatsword. What items give the rage ability? Rings, armor or weapons? I refreshed the trade shop like 20+ times and nothing has the "rage" ability.
     
  15. fivejane

    fivejane Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Feb 23, 2009
    65
    0
    0
    The two "accessory" slots on your character (in the shop/stronghold/hero screens) can hold one of a few types of items:

    1) Stat boosting items. These are on the second-to-last tab in most shops.

    2) Potions. These seem to only be in the Trade Shop, last tab. They are single-use items that heal a guilds health or mana in combat.

    3) Spell jewels. These give your character a special ability that uses mana but the item does not get used up when you cast. Blizzard jewels give you the Blizzard spell (the jewel describes the effects of the spell).

    To use a potion, you click a guild and if you have a potion in your accessory slot you'll see a new option. This is also true for spells like Ward, which target a guild. To cast an offensive spell, click your hero or the unit with that spell (I think champion mages have a couple spells too).
     
  16. Royce

    Royce Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2011
    4,240
    180
    63
    Thanks, guess maybe I'll see if I can find one of these and try again.
     
  17. JagerBombS

    JagerBombS Well-Known Member

    Apr 11, 2012
    279
    0
    16
    Just unlocked Legendary with my General! I smash Slimes and Golems with my bare hands. Stop being little babies and kill more things, then you get better stuff to kill more things quicker! And rain many arrows from the sky!:D
     
  18. Plast2

    Plast2 Well-Known Member

    Aug 17, 2009
    464
    0
    0
    White Wizard is a champion elite spellcaster unit that upgrade from a lvl.5 Wizard. Hardest hitting unit in the game. Very very powerful. The White Wizard is a secret which will be available in Great Library after you unlock all the 4 elite infantry medals (rep 1 for all 4 heroes).

    I will make it clearer in the Game Manual. Sorry for any confusion :)

    (There will be a change to this in update v1.1)
     
  19. fivejane

    fivejane Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Feb 23, 2009
    65
    0
    0
    Then why do I get the most EXP and loot from it? I can just barely finish Razortooth on Legend (with Melwen) and get 2500 experience and a crummy item. I can go on autopilot for 10 minutes on Legend Hellstrand (I don't have to touch the screen after wave 75 now) and get almost 14K and the best possible item that I can get.

    Seems odd, but if that's how it's supposed to be, then that's cool too I guess. Thanks for your response.
     
  20. RazvanGNR

    RazvanGNR Well-Known Member

    Apr 18, 2011
    434
    0
    0
    Thanks :D
     

Share This Page