Recent reviews by Sh4rk

I can't figure out what the controls are. WASD or arrows for moving around, space for jumping, alright.

But then there's a pink box on a wall written "PUSH" and I can't seem to push it, either by jumping against it, pressing any keys or clicking. And there's no mention of what the controls are anywhere.

It should be simple, but maybe it's too much?

R.I.P. Oh so it's come back from the dead. Good. I'll edit my review:

The game is was dead. Servers have been taken down forever up until recently. If you install it you won't may be able to play at all. So don't hold yourself back, enjoy the free week and try it.

I played this on its 2nd or 3rd iteration. I'm sure there are similar, better games out there nowadays, but they always miss something this games used to offer. Usually the building and terraforming possibilities. On the other hand, those other games will offer mechanics that are underdeveloped or completely missing in Life is Feudal. Such as, really massive battles, proper siege mechanics, more than a handful wild animals, and of course, less bugs and exploits.

Is the game good? Maybe yes, maybe not, but it's surely addictive. Is it worth a $10+/mo monthly subscription? probably not. I'd maybe play it again if it was again free (as in free free, no time limits) because it requires a massive amount of time to play this and get anything done. But I guess you can try and see for yourself.

So for now still, so long, and thanks for all the fish!

North Atlantic, October 2022.

I like the game but I'm giving this a thumbs down until they fix one single thing.

Make saves from a previous version compatible with the next.

Every time a new version is released, with gameplay enhancements and bug fixes, you have to start over.
Saves are explicitly stated to be incompatible with new versions - the game can't and won't load them.

It means you'll have to restart your campaign EVERY TIME a new version is released, or be stuck with an older version. In a game that takes so many hours to get anywhere, devs could put a little bit more effort into you being able to load saves from at least the previous version so you can resume your campaign.

Saying it's in "Early Access" doesn't cut it. Factorio for example has been in early access for a decade and you might have been playing the same save ever since. The same is true for a lot of other 'early access' games.

So if you don't want to be back to La Rochelle buying torpedoes and potatoes and recruiting your crew all over every couple months, save yourself the hassle. It's a long, long way to Tipperary, so don't buy this just yet.

The latest update has included an update to the graphics engine (clouds!) which make the sim look great, while it also didn't hurt performance (which is a first).

Graphics wise, looks like the sim is headed into a good direction. Gameplay wise, it still lacks a lot of the content the really old flight simulation games had. Though some of the multiplayer servers and communities make up for it, more or less.
Longstanding bugs stand. Some are fixed, some are not. Oh well.

If you like pushing buttons though, going through procedures and going through Bible-length guides (or watching hours of video tutorials, if that's your thing), just to drop a bomb at a car, this is for you! Also if you like flying a plane or helicopter while pushing buttons, even better. Because you'll be pushing a lot of buttons, either way.

Don't believe the free Su-25T. It is free and is a great and fun plane, but it is an older module and the cockpit isn't clickable, it makes things a lot harder (memorizing key combos instead of the actual switches). The paid stuff you can just look around and click, much easier to learn.

They've been doing "free flight" periods every now and then, where most paid modules are available. I don't think one such period is enough to learn everything about any of the planes, but it can give you an idea of what the sim is really like.


I can only recommend that you try this, to see if you like it (and if it'll run ok on your PC).

If you're playing on a flat monitor, I highly recommend at least a joystick. You can decide on head tracking (TrackIR or the cheap alternatives) later (or VR).



If you already have VR, and enjoy sims, you absolutely MUST try this!!
This isn't as smooth as VTOL VR, but it is a true sim. Even the free Su-25T is a great flying experience in VR, after you go through some controls setup of course (as the cockpit isn't clickable). You'll need some serious peripherals (HOTAS) or even more serious touch typing skills ;)

You can also bind a gamepad, use the keyboard arows, whatever. Touch / VR controllers only won't work though. They can be used to click the cockpit switches (on the paid modules or the free TF-51), but not to fly the plane.


And after you learn the ropes, go straight to multiplayer. Some of the paid single player campaigns are enjoyable, but the lack of an engaging dynamic campaign generator limits replayability in SP. And SP is actually more punishing (learning-wise) than being shot down in multiplayer - the AI can be cruel, and in MP other players can help you, and you don't have to restart the mission every time - just get into a new airframe!

So get the training missions on your favorite module done and join a server / Discord, just look in the forums (forums.eagle.ru) for a few of the communities.

Clear skies (or maybe not! ;)

It used to be a very good game, with a friendly community, friendly devs, friendly forums and in-built modding support that made it even greater to this day...

...Until they added an useless Launcher software (bloatware) that broke it. Now the game won't even launch! (haha?)

A sad end to this game which was #1 on the top of my list.

The game has a somewhat steep learning curve, specially if you're not a wannabe space scientist / astronomer already.

However, if you like this demo, you'll like the full game even more. Try it! That's the purpose of demos, right?
Go through the tutorials, and see for yourself.

Also, the demo is based in an old version of the game. Since then it has evolved, and a lot more cool stuff has been added.

Plus, there are LOTS and LOTS of mods that add much to the base game. From improved graphics to a full scale real solar system with 9 planets (including Pluto). It's one of the most modable and actively modded games out there.

I liked this and bought the full version almost immediately after, and don't regret it.

Simply put, I can play Chopin on a real piano, and maybe even on a guitar, but I can't play this game on a PC keyboard.

Even remapping the keys to fit fingers better, it's hard to feel the music and play by hearing as you would. On 1 hand it's too easy to press the wrong keys on the PC keyboard. On 2 hands the fact that there are 7 keys makes it awkward to split the keys between 2 hands (3 on left, 4 on right or the other way around). Feels very unnatural. Frustrating.

On a device without touchscreen the only options are keyboard and mouse, and it isn't a game really meant to be played on a PC keyboard or mouse. Unfortunately, there's also no option to play it on a gamepad (even though I suspect it'd still feel awkward to have 7 keys on 2 hands).

I still want to play this, as the game is graphically and musically good, but I can't recommend you buy it, unless you have some kind of piano keyboard connected to it - that can be mapped to letters such as A, S, D, F. I'm now looking for a piano-shaped PC keyboard, maybe as a DIY project... Until then, I think Frederic will have to rest in peace again.