It's an unfortunate trend with boardgames like these, but they do get the feature in an update eventually! It could be worse though, there are some euro-games that get app translations that have no A.I. to speak of on top of not having async. Good to hear that Through the Ages will have it at launch though, that is one that is also on my list!
I finally got a chance to play this. The tutorial in game is not very in depth but the game does great job of presenting itself, and information on different board details is easy to get, as in tap the board. There are different levels of AI, though I haven't really tested it yet. I'd say any Euro boardgame player should get this, if you haven't already, it's a cool game for sure
Maybe I've been spoiled by codito, but I find the tutorial almost impenetrable. Thank god the rule book is more accesible.
Cargo runners ... You will wait forever. That is a developer that has not fulfilled any of its promised.
Well, they revived the thread here and promised it was underway a few weeks ago... we'll see. As for Cyclades, I don't think they even promised an AI in the future.
Actually they have been also working on the AI since the day of release(read somewhere on bgg) So there is still some hope
This is one of the (many!) board games I have always wanted to try, but never have. I grabbed this last night and hope to dive into it this weekend. If you have any tips for a newb, please feel free to share them!
Dave, there are a couple of files with good 'tips' and advice for beginners in the files section of the DS page at BGG. As a DS newb myself I find them helpful. Also make sure to check out the DS forums on the same page. You can filter said forums for 'rules' or 'strategy' to narrow things down a bit.
Admittedly though, there is a lot to the game in the minutiae that a tutorial would probably bore most players and the rest would skip after so long. Heck, you could explain the basics in a coup,e of minutes and take about an hour actually covering the game rules in proper detail and still not address the nuances of this game. On the plus side, at least it is simpler to play than Twilight Imperium, Android, or Arkham Horror! Now those are some games I would love to see apps for!
I have to disagree. Codito did an excellent job in their tutorial explaining Le Havre in a very succinct manner. True, not all of the minutiae of that game is included but more than enough is passed on so that anyone get get up and running in just a few plays. The tutorial in DS is spotty at best, it makes moves with no explanation of what has just happened, goes from one section to another without pause or reflection of what has just transpired, and just generally makes a muddled mess of everything. I really hope the developers will revise the tutorial largely because as it is, I am afraid it is more likely to turn more people off to the game than on.
I didn't really want to get into this because I've already passed on the game for lack of async (or any global online), but how is the game's UI getting a free pass when we poured so much scorn on Thunderstone? I'm sure the UI is functional, but it seems to look like something that belongs in the early ancient days of iOS and the app store.
On one hand I completely agree with you. But it's a pretty faithful conversion of the board game. I guess as a board game geek the poor tutorial is a non issue for me. When I play new board games and I want to learn the finer points of the game it takes some work. For me, that's part of the fun of learning New game. If, on the first play through I understood the entire game, I would think that game was far too simple for my taste. I'm not trying to say I'm super smart or anything, only that I don't think developer should pander to angry bid players hoping to bring them into very complex board games. I'm really enjoying the game and hope the developer it's able to improve on the great game they have here. I'm really hoping for async multiplayer.
I am reading the manual right now and I learn that BGG has a thread for newbies like me. Yes, new game takes time to get on (mastering is another thing). The tutorial found in Ascension is excellent and once you get through it, you are on the game, the same goes to Carcassonne. I guess as the game goes more complex, a simple tutorial may not suit the needs. Yep, async implementation is a must.
Having played the AI only on easy I can't fully confirm that it doesn't put up much of a fight. It definitely uses all the actions available in various ways, and certainly is functional. When you actually play the game and see the number of options available to play every turn is extremely high, of course certain moves are better then others. What I'm saying is this game has so much going on once you get into it, I dunno if you can fault the AI for falling behind a bit
