Honest opinions on the game

[ArchFlameAx7]

I am really on the fence with the game. Personally I am Truly interested in the game and it seems like something unique to play. I enjoy CK3 and I know this is like ck3 + civ.

So with civilization i know the ai can be…incompetent because One unit per tile. This is true in old world but orders exist. I know there’s some presets you can set up in game generation wargame or a more role play centric campaign. But im really curious what people think especially with all the expansions 70 dollars is a lot but Ive heard extremely high phrases from YouTube. So what’s the comunity’s opinions

[Siontific]

The A.I. isn't incompetentant at all. At least as long as the map gives you a bit of space - a choke point can be relatively easy to defend for example in the conventional way, however, in an actual fight against an A.I. with a comparable force, they can be annoyingly ruthless. This isn't the type of game where you can build 5 warriors and conquer the entire world. This is the type of game where you have to actually be comfortable taking losses; in the last 4 games that I've played I haven't lost just units, I've lost actual cities and territory to A.I. invasions - invasions I was in no position to win so the only course of action was to retreat or play defensive, cede the territory, sue for peace, and then come back later when I got myself stronger.

Tactics are often essential - you're probably going to suffer losses when you invade a nation and that means you need to make sure you're killing more units than you lose. This is done by using mechanics such as rout (the ability for horses to chain attacks across multiple units) - long distance splash damage (siege), Zone of Control manipulation (most units have ZoC, horses ignore it, but spears block horses, etc.) - there are different unit types with different strengths, different tactical promotions that give an edge in certain situations, and even a diversity of strengths and utility in the generals and leaders you can assign to troops.

It is single-handedly and undoubtedly the most satisfying combat experience I've ever had in a game of this genre and I think Alex Mantzaris deserves a Nobel Prize in strategy game A.I. programming.

Put about 500 hours into civ 5 and civ 6, each.

I have over 2,000 hours in Old World and unequivocally think it's one of the greatest games ever made.

[Azurewrath]

This is not a CK3+CIV at all.

This misunderstanding always hurts. ppl who aim at CK fun won't get it from this game. Yes, it has 10% CK fun, that's it. But thanks to human interest, ppl will aim at it and judge the game with it but ignore the 90% 4X aspect.

It's OK if you are casual player, you could have fun here, but you have more choices regarding CK/role playing element. Pls do note it.

[Azurewrath]

In short, the core is 4X, and the designer really knows what it should have.
If you are familiar with 4X, you could understand why it's got praise
(I know there are crude 4X games mislead ppl nowadays, let ppl don't know what really is 4X )

As to flaws, there are not much types of unit, and some are just not good...
But the game have good replay value, you face different situations. not that kind of "same process for all"

[Twelvefield]

My view - many of you have seen it before - is that Civilization Is Not Fun (anymore). So when you compare to Civ, you're comparing to a relic from the 1990's, one that should have been left to die with dignity rather than be resurrected like some benighted George Romero zombie to chew at your brain in the night.

Ōld World does have some of the conceits that Civ has, but has managed to chop out most of the things that drag Civ down. Ōld World places a most high premium on the quality of the AI, which unlike Civ, understands the rules of the game and plays by them.

Every month or so, someone posts: The AI just spanked me! Usually adding: AI needs to be fixed! A brief analysis of what the player was doing shows 1) they were playing Civ-style, which does not work, and 2) they underestimated what the AI is capable of.

I think the game is very good value if you like 4X titles, including the DLC. The main game on its own is a true gem, you don't particularly need the DLC, unlike Civ. But the Black Friday sale is less than a month away, and Ōld World is often on deep sale. It would be like taking Christmas away from the devs at that price.

[Hendricus]

Worth every penny. The AI is no push over, unless you have a big army at the right spot.

[xerxes0]

This is the best AI I ever played against. Absolutely brilliant and deep complex mechanics. Amazing game.

[Bruce Wayne]

The AI cuckolded me...

[krabdr]

It's not Civ. That point has been made many, many times. The AI will kick your butt. It takes 3-4 units to kill one unit, more if the defender is in good terrain.

Yes, the AI will cuckold your pathetic king. Take heed and build strong armies!

I forgot to add that I have many hours in the game, mostly on Epic and not Steam. I'm addicted enough that I recently purchased the game and its DLC on steam to have better access to modules. It runs far better on the steam install than on Epic install..

[easytarget]

Originally posted by xerxes0:

This is the best AI I ever played against.

AI War 2 would like a word or two with you.

[Twelvefield]

Originally posted by easytarget:

Originally posted by xerxes0:

This is the best AI I ever played against.

AI War 2 would like a word or two with you.

I've never made it past the Tutorial in those games. I'm not sure the AI War AI is truly magnificent or simply ruthless, mostly because I'm dead before the game even begins. Either way, it looks like I'm primed to be a meat slave for our Robot Protectors rather than one of the wily John Connor rebels.

[rennodm]

Can only subscribe to the first four replies, and I won't attempt to re-write them here.
Doesn't mean I disagree with the other remarks.
I come from the Civ V & VI world, and my take is that OW introduced several very valuable and enjoyable "novelties" and new angles of approach. The AI is more alert and keeps you on your toes. Balances and counter-balances are very dynamic.

Maybe some CIV fans will miss the nukes and giant death robots.
OW is somewhat -by design and definition- limited in terms of historical span & geographical spread, as well as technologies.
I didn't mind the era issue when playing Rome, Medieval or Napoleon Total War; so I expect good replay value for OW too.

I offered the whole bundle to one of my sons, back in September for 47euros, for his birthday.

[easytarget]

Originally posted by Twelvefield:

Originally posted by easytarget:

AI War 2 would like a word or two with you.

I've never made it past the Tutorial in those games. I'm not sure the AI War AI is truly magnificent or simply ruthless, mostly because I'm dead before the game even begins. Either way, it looks like I'm primed to be a meat slave for our Robot Protectors rather than one of the wily John Connor rebels.

Well perhaps you just didn't play quite long enough it to get a handle on what it's about.

Dying in the tutorial suggests you've not really gotten far enough in to properly assess things (i.e ruthless vs intelligently made AI). I'd be the first to admit making a game difficult or even impossible is trivially easy. The real challenge is making it interesting and fun.

For what it's worth, should you ever want to delve in again you can change the difficulty on the tutorial, it's set at 4 and goes as low as 1. ;)

After all, even John Connor had to walk before he could run. ;)

[johnjohnson789123456]

I just started, about a week ago, and am very impressed. The tutorials are pretty well done, and you should work through those. I did fiddle with the difficulty to get started, but I really enjoy the game. The AI is well done so you may need to tweak the game a bit. I think 8.5/10 is my reaction so far, and I got the DLC on sale. So a win.

[krabdr]

One feature that I really like about the game is that you can customize the difficulty at which you play. I'm a consummate city builder, but I don't mind a little challenge, so I play on Glorious with Brutal Barbarians, but I've toned down the AI so they only start with one city and no other advantages. Sounds tame, perhaps it is, but it's exactly what I'm after, a beer and pretzels game. I also still manage to lose on boards with bad starting positions and it's usually because my forces have been so weakened by warring tribes that I cannot keep up production to parity with the other civs.

[jotwebe]

Also don't sweat the expansions, you can get them or not, the game will be great either way.