The Age of the Ring (Lord of the Rings) Forum
Off Topic Section => Hobbies, Pastimes, Sports, & Leisure => Topic started by: Gollum on November 10, 2005, 04:17:23 PM
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I know there's a topic for the old game, but this is for the future release of The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle Earth 2
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/BFME2.jpg)
http://www.eagames.com/official/lordoftherings/bfme2/us/home.jsp
This game looks SUPERB!!! Much better than the first one and I thought that was pretty impressive.
I think it's going to be set in the North part of Middle Earth during the war of the ring.
In this version, there's going to be the ability to freely build your bases ANYWHERE on the map. You start off with an initial fortress, and you can build walls wherever you want, so you could have multiple walls surrounding your base, with each segment of wall fully upgradeable. BFME1 limited you as you had to build in specific places on the map and there was no freedom.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/Base1.jpg) example Base1
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/Base2.jpg) example Base 2
Added defences include moats and the ability to drop boiling oil on any enemys that get through the gate. Plus, on the attacking front, there's now boats such as corsairs and elven ships (both with flaming arrow archers on board). These look great with the added water effects which now show ripples, reflections, shadows, etc.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/Corsairs.jpg) corsair ships
There's also added playable races including dwarves (with long range catapults which can effectively fire across the map), elves, spiders, dragons and goblins. The goblins don't have walls like Mordor and Isengard in BFME1, but if playing as them you can build spiders which act as your cavalry when ridden by goblins. There's no catapults aswell, but mountain giants (twice the size of mountain trolls) throw rocks on your enemy from a battle emplacement. Also, when attacking the goblins aren't stopped by walls. Instead of just coming up to them and being stopped, they just clamber over them, which could be a problem when defending against them.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/Goblinsscalingwalls.jpg) goblins scaling walls
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/conceptmountaingiant.jpg)(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/mountaingiant1.jpg)(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/mountaingiant2.jpg) development of mountain giant
When it comes to the Powers that appeared down the left hand side of the screen, like summoning the Balrog or Eagles for example, you'll be now able to summon the Watcher from outside Moria, create an earthquake or even a flood.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/IanMilliner/Hobbit%20Stuff/watcher.jpg) summoning the watcher
When it comes to the actual strategy playing, you will be able to deploy troops into an actual battle formation that they will stick to when attaking. There's also the added feature of bonuses like firing arrows from a hilltop, or performing a flanking manoeuvure.
There may even be the possibility of designing and building your own heroes, which sounds awesome.
There's more screenshots at
http://www.eagames.com/official/lordoftherings/bfme2/us/screenshots.jsp
and there's some demo videos aswell
I can't wait for this to be released apparently in early 2006 :D
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I am really really looking forward to this!! Its gonna be awesome!
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Hugo Weaving will expand his involvement with The Lord of the Rings™ franchise as he assumes the role of lead voiceover talent in the highly anticipated video game sequel The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth™ II . Additionally, acclaimed concept artist John Howe of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is on board to design entirely new creatures and locations of Middle-earth.
Hugo Weaving has a successful career in film, television, and theater. He has performed in such memorable roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy and Lord Elrond in New Line Cinema’s critically acclaimed The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His portrayal of Elrond, the Elven leader, is regarded by fans as one of the greatest fantasy heroes of all time. With each new film, television, or theatrical role, Weaving continues to surpass audience expectations and remains one of the most versatile performers working today.
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II notable talent roster also includes John Howe who will lend his talent as master Middle-earth concept artist. John Howe’s role will consist primarily of designing concepts for the dragons of Middle-earth adding authentic visuals to some of the game’s cinematic environments.
Source (http://www.eagames.com/official/lordoftherings/bfme2/us/editorial.jsp?src=Hugo_Weaving)
I think Im going to buy this just for Hugo!!! :D AND John Howe's dragons! WOW!
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What's more, Kain himself, the legend known as Simon Templeman was the tutorial voiceover guy in the first- long may that continue. 8)
This game sounds incredible, because while in the first it was a basic attack and counter game, this sounds like there will be actual SEIGES!! This means that the main forces bar Goblins will be able to lock horns over a very prolonged time, as opposed to just coming to walls and trying to bash the gate like the first one. I hated the lack of base defense structures in BFME, and that frustrated me, especially in Single Player against hordes that regenerate.
Can't wait to play as the Elves, but the main force that I'm looking forward to is the Dwarves, mainly because they'll add a new element to the game- and if I'm correct, they'll all be infantry as opposed to some being cavalry.
A tiny dwarven column of Orcy death.
Be afraid Isengard and Mordor players, the Elves and Dwarves are coming, and they're bringing their weapons and armour with them. ;) :P
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And now it's available for pre-order!!!
And with a price tag of £39.99 at Amazon, I'll have to do some looking around for a better deal methinks. :( (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000CED8SA/qid=1133190756/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_10_3/026-6435487-9287653).
This won't stop me getting it though, and is due for release on March 3rd 2006. :)
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heh. looks pretty gd. Now i have to choose between this or AOE3 ???
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Definately this. It looks immense.
Also, I found it at play.com (http://play.com/play247.asp?pa=srmr&page=title&r=PC&title=847871) for £27.99. BARGAIN!!!
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Definately this. It looks immense.
Also, I found it at play.com (http://play.com/play247.asp?pa=srmr&page=title&r=PC&title=847871) for £27.99. BARGAIN!!!
shows wht u can do when u shop around, lol
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Indeed, now just to find some money to actually order it.
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EVEN BETTER BARGAIN!!!! Available at Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000CED8SA/qid=1134426951/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-1395254-0338203) for £19.99.
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I want this!!! too bad my pc isn't fast enough
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EVEN BETTER BARGAIN!!!! Available at Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000CED8SA/qid=1134426951/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-1395254-0338203) for £19.99.
w00t
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Only thing is it's now gone back to £34.99.
*sits back with smug look on face* :D
Good job I ordered it last night.
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Gameplay (http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/advanced_search.asp?keyword=battle+for+middle+earth&platform=ALL) are also selling it for £27.99
and Clickforgames.co.uk (http://www.clickforgames.co.uk/pclordringsbfme2.shtml) are selling it for £26.99
There is also going to be a "Collectors Edition"
A Special Treat For Fans
Advertisement
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., 6 January, 2006
Electronic Arts today announced The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Collector's Edition – the first ever Collector's Edition DVD release from the highly successful The Lord of the Rings franchise. The sequel to last holiday's critically acclaimed PC game is filled with exclusive The Lord of the Rings game content that will offer fans an opportunity to delve into parts of the Middle-earth they've never seen before.
Scheduled to ship simultaneously with The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II in February 2006, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Collector's Edition will be available at select retailers and is rated 12+ by PEGI.
Expanding on The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth, the new real-time strategy (RTS) game will allow players to engage in heated battles with Elvin and Dwarve armies plus heroes and creatures that have never been seen in The Lord of the Rings films. The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Collector's Edition will offer everything the sequel does plus entirely new and exclusive content.
For the first time ever, The Lord of the Rings fans will now have access to all the behind-the-scenes details of creating the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings PC game. The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Collector's Edition will feature:
Exclusive Bonus DVD with content provided in High Definition (HD)
Mastered in HD for the ultimate high resolution experience on your PC
Entire musical score including original music created exclusively for The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II
In-game cinematics and trailers in high resolution and surround sound
"The Making of The Battle for Middle-earth II": The story of the team behind The Battle for Middle-earth series including never before seen videos and exclusive interviews with key development team members
"The Art of the Game": The ultimate collection of artwork created for the game, including hundreds of cinematic paintings and key pieces of concept work
Exclusive In-Game Content All new fire-breathing Dragon – on the battlefield, this impressive unit can only be controlled by players who purchase the Collector's Edition Special graphic treatment for "create-a-hero" units identify Collector's Edition gamers during on-line play Multiple exclusive maps including signature locations from The Lord of the Rings films – such as Weathertop and Argonath
Exclusive Campaign Map Poster
Two-sided, 11x17 colour poster
Gorgeous high resolution map of Middle-earth created exclusively for the game – "Good" side lists out all the campaign locations from the good campaign while the "Evil" side lists out its campaign locations and descriptions. The perfect companion piece while playing the Good or Evil game missions
"We believe we've created something very special with The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, and our team felt passionate about making a Collector's Edition that is truly special for the fans," said Mike Verdu, Executive Producer at EA Los Angeles. "The exclusive content including the behind-the-scenes footage, amazing concept art, cinematic paintings and sequences, the extensive soundtrack, and access to the unique dragon unit adds new dimension to the gaming experience."
Developed at EA's Los Angeles studio, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II introduces players to depths of the fiction never before explored in an EA game. The game makers at EALA have brought The Lord of the Rings world to life in accordance with an agreement with The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises that grants EA the rights to develop games based on the books, in addition to a separate agreement that allows for games based on the New Line Cinema films.
OMG! and Elrond is likely to be in it :D :D :PP
(http://www.eagames.co.uk/images/images/70093-bfmeII-spot2.jpg)
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I've had a look, but as yet, I can't seem to find any sign of the Collectors Edition in any shops.
Just downloaded the High Definition trailer and WOW!!! the word that comes to mind is shiny!!
The music for it isn't bad either. There's a sample for the dwarvish music on the site (http://www.ea.com/official/lordoftherings/bfme2/us/editorial.jsp?src=Middle-earth_Mondays). Sounds perfect!
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couldn't find BFME2 in any shops... so i got Counter Strike: Condition Zero and Half Life instead.....
...Now i need more money for this :(
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EA have released a video showing how you can create and personalise your own hero for the game.
You can even create a troll as a hero!
http://www.ea.com/official/lordoftherings/bfme2/us/video.jsp (http://www.ea.com/official/lordoftherings/bfme2/us/video.jsp)
Looks awesome.
And only just over a month now :D
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By the way, does anyone know when the Collectors Edition is going to be released as I can't seem to find anything for the UK, only the US?
And over there it's $58.99 off of amazon.com and released on Feb 28th ???
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I can't seem to find the information of the Collector's Edition release anywhere.
I am looking forward to this game, and even more so the more times I watch the videos (it takes me back to the days when I played Rune.
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And as I say that, I notice it can now be pre-ordered from Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000EFCY28/qid=1138972095/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_11_5/203-7326423-3719935).
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I noticed that as well. Tis £34.99, but now I'm just wondering whether I should get the normal one or the Collectors Edition. At the moment, I have the normal one ordered at £19.99, so is it worth spending another £15? hmmm, not too sure. ???
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Well, I haven't pre-ordered Battle for Middle-earth II yet, so for me it makes little difference whether I get the Collectors' Edition or not. I of course, will be getting the Collectors' Edition. :P
It's probably not worht £15 extra, but, then again, BfME II isn't worth £19.99.
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Gameplay (http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=RM02694&title=lord_of_the_rings_battle_for_middle_earth_2_collectors_edition_-_dvd_rom) are also selling it for £34.99 (free P&P)
Why should you buy the Collector's Edition ? Heres why
Middle-earth collector's edition unearthed [PC]
Friday January 6, 01:26 PM
With The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II set to hit stores next month, Electronic Arts has revealed that it will do so in two flavors. A collector's edition of the strategy game in development at the publisher's Los Angeles studio will be made available along with the standard version.
The collector's edition will be mastered in HD for players with HDTV and HD PC setups and will include bonus videos and music tracks, as well as bonus pack-in materials like a color poster of the game and a coupon for an Nvidia graphics card. The special edition will also include exclusive in-game content, such as new skirmish maps, a special graphical treatment for online play, and a new fire-breathing dragon unit playable only by those who purchase the premium pack.
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II will be the sequel to the 2004 real-time strategy game that used assets from Peter Jackson's award-winning motion pictures based on the fiction of novelist J.R.R. Tolkien. The sequel will leverage Tolkien's expanded written lore along with the movie rights to include new battles and characters not featured in the films.
Mike Verdu, the game's executive producer, took some time out to answer a few questions for GameSpot.
GameSpot: What can you tell us about the new dragon unit that will appear in the collector's edition of the game?
Mike Verdu:This is a creature design that is only available to Collector's Edition players--its model, texture, and animations are unique. This dragon is an original design; we worked on this critter for more than six weeks and did several iterations--he's been a labor of love for the Battle for Middle-earth II art team. It will appear in-game with one of five different skin texture variants ranging from black to mottled gray to gold (the skin choice is randomized each time he is summoned).
GS: Tell us about the other in-game features that will be included, like the new maps of Weathertop and Argonath. From what parts of the Tolkien fiction are these new areas?
MV:Weathertop is an iconic location from the first movie. This is the dark mountain with the circle of ruins where Frodo got injured in the battle with the Nazgul. The Argonath is also a memorable location from the films--you might remember the scene where these two enormous statues loom over the River Anduin near the ruins of Amon Hen (where Boromir got killed by Uruk-hai). These titanic stone figures are the Argonath. Another cool map in the Collector's Edition is a beautiful, Navy-centric, mostly water map we're calling Umbar (after the Corsairs of Umbar and their island home). There are others as well.
In addition to the dragon and the new maps, we are giving Collector's Edition players a special icon for their created heroes that will be visible to all online. Finally, there are some goodies in the Collector's Edition that we haven't told anyone about yet--including stunning white Eagles for Elves and Men of the West, a Black Mumakil for Mordor players, and other special art and effects.
GS: It was a bit surprising that EALA decided to develop a full-fledged sequel to the original game (rather than an expansion pack). Now that the game's development is nearly done, can you discuss the future of the Lord of the Rings series on the PC? Can we expect to see more strategy games using the license? Could this be the start of a long series of sequels?
MV:While I can't discuss any future product plans, I will say that the unified rights have unlocked the world of Middle-earth and make it possible to bring new heroes, stories, and places to life. This is a wonderful universe and it is brimming with possibilities for exciting new games--in many genres.
GS: Why should a LOTR Fan buy the CE as opposed to the normal version?
MV: The extra in-game content is cool--but we're also including a second DVD with a "making of" video, music from the game, and a collection of the game art. The "making of" video takes you behind the scenes and introduces you to the team and the process of creating a state-of-the-art RTS game at EA. And the art is amazing; I've worked on this project for a long time, and I'm still entranced with the concept art, cinematic paintings, and other pieces that were created during development. There are literally hundreds of illustrations and paintings of locations, characters, creatures, ships, structures, events, and key moments. I'm a fan of The Lord of the Rings and I love to see the world visualized this way.
We're also including a map of Middle-earth that shows where the campaigns take place (and describe each mission). And, of course, the Collector's Edition version of the game itself comes on DVD.
GS: Thanks for your time.
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Like the idea of fighting with a dragon :D :D
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Why should you buy the Collector's Edition ? Heres why
I think that's sold it.
*goes off to get CE*
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In your position it wouldn't've for me. It's not that much of a leap from the standard version to be worth an extra £15, I think.
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:pk: a DRAGON Mith!! a DRAGON!!
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Indeed there will be dragon's a plenty.
If I'm getting the game, I want all the features the game can offer.
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I don't know if you've downloaded it/know about already, but there is a playable demo (http://www.ea.com/official/lordoftherings/bfme2/us/demodownload.jsp) on the EA website. You can play as either the dwarves or the goblins. It is 1.4GB so will take a long time to download. I suggest you get it from the nVidia website (http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_bfme2_downloads.html) instead as that seems to be faster.
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Now I'd love to download that, but that's going to take AGES!!!!!.
I'm not sure I can be bothered to wait that long for a download :(
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GOT MY COPY TODAY :D
(not had time to try it out tho :()
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Got mine aswell. Played a bit of it, and it's way better than the first one!!
First thing I did was to investigate the Build A Hero feature, got some amazing people going on there.
I didn't have long to try it though, only about 45 mins. But the parts I've seen allow for a much more free way of gaming, seeing as though any structures can be built anywhere.
Only thing is, I'm working all day tomorrow, so that's another day I'll have to wait in order to play it :'(
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Played it? Opinions on it?
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Played it? Yes
Opinions on it? ooooh, shiny
Some really great parts to it, although twould be good with a larger number of levels. It does have a feature where you can take over the entire middle earth map though either with the good or evil forces which is good though. You can either do it where the game decides who wins based on each of your armies, or you can do all the battles yourself, which is a really decent idea.
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Just ordered it for one of my sons.
It's now £18 online, £20 for the special - so I paid the £2 extra lol
Dunno whether I'll play it - I didn't get very far on the first, but I'm sure he'll use it well.
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After having played on it and having completed single player mode, the only flaws that I could find in gameplay was the lack of levels in the single player missions as I think that there are only 8 levels for the Good side and for the Evil side and the capped limit for creating your army. I know that it effectively means that there are 16 levels but with the first game you could take over the whole map of Middle Earth. This however can be done in the brilliant new feature with the War Of The Ring mode where you can take over the whole map in real-time or auto-resolve battles with the race of your choice, good or evil, and then you can fight your way across Middle Earth as with the first game, plus with extra territories to the North, to the east, and to the west. It's effectively a huge combination of many skirmish modes. To help with this you have certain powers, which the superb AI of the enemy puts to use aswell, meaning that a dragon can be summoned straight into the middle of your base, destroying buildings and killing troups. The other slight problem is the limit to the number of troops that you can have, meaning that you still can't have the huge numbers of forces as in the books and movies, which I found to be more of an annoyance than an actual problem.
So if I was giving it a rating, I'd probably give it 8 or 9 out of 10.
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Ok i have been playing my copy a while now and I just cant get into it as easily at the first,
the things that bug is the Levelling system is way too easy and only goes up to level 5 for Battalions, I liked forming a huge army of elves or Rohirrim and ranking them all up to level 10
Secondly its way too easy, I can beat a map full of 5 hard opponents when 1 or 2 was difficult on the first
and lastly the maps are way too small, I want something to explore, need more space
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ive been playing it too.... its good! I like the new heroes.... and the ability to build everywhere. Annoys me that if a wall is destroyed its hard to repair it.
There are definately not enough levels.. and in single player mode, I cant use my own heroes for some reason...
does anyone know where you can ???
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I think the only way you can use your own created heroes is in either the skirmish mode or war of the ring mode.
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Ok i have played it quite a lot more now and my created character Elrohir has the Orcbane, Goblinbane, Urukbane, dawrfbane, pirate, Mosterslayer, daemonslayer, dragonslayer, guardian of middle earth, executioner and vanquisher awards (a couple of others too but i cant rememeber which ones) but I'm still not finding it as addictive as the first one, the fact you can build anywhere is great though, and can really set it up for some great tactical situations
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so is that right Kam, you can only use him in skirmish or War of the Ring mode ?
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Yeah as far as i know, havent found a way of using them in the single player missions
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stupid game... never gives you enough money >(
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stupid game... never gives you enough money >(
lol! What race are you playing as?
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What's everyone's favourite race?
Mine's the elves. They're pretty invincible when you can get enough archers with the arrow upgrade. Brilliant for defence, aswell as attack. Although it would be better you can actually build the ramparts of a castle which they can be placed on. Otherwise they need to be outside of the walls in order to attack anything.
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Elves by miles, the archers are insanely powerful and the heros can destroy whole armies on their own
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stupid game... never gives you enough money >(
lol! What race are you playing as?
Elves! I only ever get 6000 to build stuff... 5000 for a fortress, and theres hardly any left!
Im fed up with losing >( (Im playing War of the Ring mode atm)
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Only lost 1 game so far :D
Tis annoying with the lack of resources you start off with. You just have to build the fortress, then build as many mallorn trees as quickly as possible. Then you should be raking it in. That's so long as you've got a few troops already, otherwise tis better to build the archer range early on.
In the War of the Ring mode, I actually found it easier to play on the side of evil, twas much more fun aswell. Although again, lack of walls is annoying.