Field of Glory

Author:  Jim Zabek

In my recent First Impressions piece on Field of Glory I mused that the game?s heart might lie in multiplayer.  Having given the multiplayer side a heavy workout, I am pleased to announce in the most humble of manners that I was correct. 

I won?t rehash the game?s basic mechanics or history.  That can be found in my First Impressions piece.  I will mention that the music is suitable and the graphics won?t impress, but that?s not the audience Slitherine is playing to.

The multiplayer game is where the fun is.  Field of Glory may offer the sleekest Play By Email (PBEM) interface I?ve seen yet.  Once a login is created players are whisked to a screen with three tabs showing current PBEM games, any challenges they?ve issued (along with the ability to issue them) and games where challenges are open.  A challenge is simply an open invitation to anyone else with the game to play.

Finding a new PBEM game and playing current ones has never been easier.

To issue a challenge the player selects a map and a side.  Bingo, done.  Accepting a challenge is equally simple:  peruse the available games, select Accept Challenge.  Done.  Field of Glory handles all the behind the curtain emailing of data to your opponent.  The upside is that there?s a layer of privacy that seems to hide each players? email addresses.  The downside is that if someone drops out of communication there doesn?t seem to be a mechanism to follow up.  When a player?s opponent has completed his turn an email is sent updating the status.

Players have to option to watch their opponent's last turn before starting their own.

So far I?ve had no problems completing a game ? win or lose players seem to return games in a timely fashion, and before I went on Thanksgiving holiday I made sure to send a message advising all my opponents that I might not be turning games around as quickly as I?d like.  No one complained.  Sending messages is easy; at the end of each turn a prompt appears offering the opportunity to write something.  I have usually started the conversation by enquiring as to whether my opponent has played the minis game.  My motives were two-fold.  First, I wanted to see how many pewter-pushers were making the jump to the PC.  Second, I wanted to see if their experience with the tabletop game gave them any advantage.

Reading and sending emails.

That I can see, most of the minis gamers weren?t much better off than I was in terms of gameplay.  Field of Glory does a magnificent job of showcasing the strength of PC games.  Field of Glory is by all accounts a complex minis game.  The PC game, on the other hand, couldn?t be simpler.  In fact, it might be deceptively simple.  It plays much like an old school wargame from a decade or more ago - which is high praise in my book!  The AI isn?t much to speak of, but the multiplayer game hits the spot.  A turn can be whipped out in as fast as a couple of minutes to as long as ten or so, but there certainly isn?t anything (game-wise, I can?t speak for your boss) that would prevent players from knocking out a game or two over the lunch break. 

I?m having so much fun playing multiplayer games that I have to stop myself from starting too many.  I?ve tried to discipline myself to having no more than four or five games going at once.  The ease of starting a game makes generating challenges a breeze, but a man has to know his limits. 

Creating custom battles and the options screen.

OK, above I promised not to go further into the gameplay, but I cannot resist stopping here and adding an additional comment.  Whenever I read about ancient warfare I often ponder how much each opponent knew about the others? army.  I would expect most generals to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their own, but I question how sure each general was of his own troops? strength against the opponents.  That uncertainty is translated well into Field of Glory.  There are times when I simply do not know what to expect of my African Spearmen as they clash with Roman Triari.  Perhaps experienced pewter-pushers know better than me, but in playing Field of Glory I get a thrill of excitement watching my men clash with the opponent.  Have I chosen well?  Can I turn their flank?  Will they break and allow me to further surround them?  Will my men break and my plan fall to ashes?  These simple questions are the epitome of gaming joy, and it seems every time I play Field of Glory I experience a bit of that thrill of the unknown. 

There are three levels of zoom.

There are some minor flaws in the game.  A ?Paired? button on the multiplayer side ?slipped in? during testing and made the release without a real function.  An upcoming patch is said to be in the works which will allow ?the same battle fought from both directions at once with a combined result so that mismatched scenarios can still be interesting?.  Another feature expected in the next patch will be the ability to play private games.  At present players can sort challenges by opponent, but there is no guarantee that someone else won?t pick up the challenge before the intended recipient sees it.  Lastly the word on the street is that a December tournament is in the works.  Frankly, I?m still learning the nuances of the game to become a master, but I have found each of my opponents gracious in victory and sporting in defeat.  At the risk of characterizing an entire swath of gamers, I would say that to a person it has been a pleasure to game with all of them and the community seems small but vibrant. 

I have found that there are times when I?ve gone seeking a multiplayer game only to find no challenges on the board.  Slitherine readily acknowledges (in the game?s help window that first appears - and can be turned off) that many gamers prefer to accept challenges rather than offer them.  My experience reflects that.  At times I have sought challenges and not found any, but creating one has quickly yielded an opponent, sometimes almost instantly!  It is no exaggeration to say that gamers who cannot find an open challenge need only create one or more themselves.  They will be quickly answered. 

What else is there to say?  Any questions I have left unanswered are welcome to be posted in our forums ? there are several healthy discussion ongoing at the moment about Field of Glory.  So I will simply summarize with this:  Field of Glory is, at its heart, a multiplayer game.  The AI isn?t terribly challenging even at the toughest settings.  Humans, however, can be wily, unpredictable opponents.  Considering the ease of the PBEM system, there is simply no excuse for not getting out there and enjoying a bunch of PBEM games.  Fast, fun, and easy to play, Field of Glory is a home run for PBEM junkies.  Considering the number of expansions the tabletop game enjoys, I cannot wait to see what expansions come next!

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