Info about Field of Glory: Kingdoms: Official game description: **Field of Glory: Kingdoms** is the new game from award-winning studio **AGEOD**, makers of some of the best grand strategy games of all times. It is set in 1054, just after the Great Schism, and it encompasses more than two centuries of epic European, African, and Middle Eastern history. The game in numbers ------------------- * 450 factions * 400 units * 600 Buildings * 14 Religions/heresies * 90 Cultural traits (all new) Authority and Disorder ---------------------- Administer your royal domain with the new Authority concept. Keep your population and vassals under control, promulgate edicts to construct buildings, and declare wars on your enemies. Dynasties and characters ------------------------ As a ruler, prepare your succession by siring an heir with your spouse or with any other person of your choice. Having an heir is by no means a guarantee of a peaceful transition. Religion -------- Having a neighbor of a different religion will create tensions and sometimes wars, even for tolerant rulers. When the imbalance is too strong, diplomacy will take a backseat, and war will be declared. Lose too many holy cities and watch a Crusade or Jihad form up. Regions and population ---------------------- Administer your population from the lowest peasants to the prestigious, powerful, and troublesome nobles. The social ladder is difficult to climb and your ability in keeping social classes under control is paramount to success. Warfare ------- Keep your borders protected and build an army of expert combatants. Knights, sergeants, spearmen, crossbowmen, and many more types of units can be used to fulfill your objectives. Field of Glory II Integration ----------------------------- If you want even more direct control, Field of Glory: Kingdoms lets you export and load your battles into Field of Glory II: Medieval and then load the results back into the game. Multiplayer ----------- And once you think you are ready to be challenged, play against real opponents in one of the largest asynchronous multiplayer systems ever created. Release date: 4 Jun, 2024 Categories: Grand Strategy, Turn-based Strategy, Empire Building, Dynasty Management, Resource Management, Diplomacy, Competitive Multiplayer, Historical Strategy - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: No data - Time-to-fun: No data - Player Archetypes: No data Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Improved, deep empire-building experience (weight 0.96): The game is praised for improving upon its predecessor, Field of Glory: Empires, with better balance, more strategic options, and refined mechanics. It offers a deeper and more nuanced empire-building experience compared to similar titles, with engaging systems and mechanics that work well together. - Seamless Field of Glory integration (weight 0.55): A key feature is the seamless integration with Field of Glory: Medieval for resolving battles. This allows players to engage in tactical combat directly, influencing the outcome of wars and adding a unique dimension to the grand strategy experience, reminiscent of Total War but with greater historical authenticity. - Addictive, 'one more turn' gameplay (weight 0.42): The game has an addictive quality that keeps players engaged for extended periods. It strikes a balance between planning and opportunistic responses, creating a compelling "one more turn" feeling. - Historically accurate and immersive (weight 0.39): The game is praised for its historical accuracy and immersive feel, replicating historical sources and creating an authentic medieval atmosphere. This attention to detail enhances the overall experience and appeals to players interested in historical strategy games. - Unique mechanics, enjoyable multiplayer (weight 0.16): The game offers unique mechanics and enjoyable multiplayer, with support for up to 16 players. The random building system is appreciated for breaking the meta and requiring players to adapt. - Well-integrated Authority system (weight 0.07): The Authority system is well-received, representing governmental authoritarianism and internal stability. It acts as an anti-blobbing mechanic and fits well with the historical period, adding a layer of strategic depth to empire management. - Many factions, detailed warfare (weight 0.06): The game features a huge number of factions to play, each with unique characteristics and gameplay experiences. Warfare is highly detailed, offering a variety of units and strategies. - Clever and engaging trade system (weight 0.05): The trade system is clever and engaging, offering a unique and improved economic experience. Though automated, it is implemented in a way that adds strategic depth and complexity to the game. - Intriguing dynastic and character management (weight 0.05): Managing royal lineage and nobles adds depth, with the risk of treason and the development of family dynasties. This system enriches the experience, requiring nuanced management of different social classes. - Diverse nations, unique playthroughs (weight 0.05): The game offers diverse nations, historical references, and many development paths, ensuring each playthrough is unique. It caters to both intensive micro-management for challenge runs and standard nation playstyles. - Improved, smoother interface (weight 0.04): The game's interface is smoother than previous AGEOD games, indicating improvements in quality over time. This contributes to a more polished and user-friendly experience. - Interesting framework, future potential (weight 0.04): The game has an interesting framework and gameplay loop, with lots of potential for future content. The core concept is present, suggesting a solid foundation for further development. Common complaints: - Steep learning curve, unintuitive UI (weight 0.37): The game suffers from a steep learning curve due to unintuitive UI, lack of in-game information, and complex mechanics. Players must rely on external resources like the manual to understand basic gameplay. This complexity, combined with some clunky elements, can make the game overwhelming and frustrating for new players. - Slow pace, tedious mechanics (weight 0.27): The game's slow pace and tedious mechanics detract from the overall experience. Players report long turn times, slow progression, and an overabundance of provinces to manage. The 'Authority' system, in particular, is criticized for feeling abstract and hindering expansion, especially for smaller factions. - Underdeveloped, convoluted diplomacy system (weight 0.13): The diplomacy system is underdeveloped, convoluted, and disorganized. Players report that it lacks depth, relies too heavily on random outcomes, and requires excessive clicks to navigate. The AI's behavior in diplomatic interactions is also criticized for being illogical and frustrating. - Lacks character/dynasty depth (weight 0.12): The game lacks depth in character and dynasty management compared to titles like Crusader Kings 3. Players find character interactions shallow, family/court aspects minimal, and the overall experience less immersive. The game also lacks unique features to distinguish it from other grand strategy games. - Confusing, unenjoyable building system (weight 0.09): The building system is confusing and unenjoyable due to a lack of in-game information and unintuitive UI. Players struggle to understand building chains, prerequisites, and resource utilization. The randomness of building options and the complexity of the trade system further exacerbate these issues. - Problematic vassal management system (weight 0.07): The vassal management system is problematic, leading to issues like bankruptcy and inconsistent naming conventions. Players report that vassals transfer direct management of their armies, incurring significant maintenance costs. The inability to control vassal unit production and the limited diplomatic options further detract from the experience. - Limited content, few scenarios (weight 0.06): The game has limited content with few scenarios and a limited number of playable countries. Players express a desire for shorter scenarios and an extension of the game's time period. The absence of tribes or nomadic hordes as playable factions is also noted. - Unplayable tutorial (weight 0.05): The tutorial is unplayable due to instructions covering the screen and an inability to reposition them. This critical flaw prevents new players from learning the game effectively. The in-game video tutorial is also considered boring. - Unforgiving, punishing gameplay (weight 0.05): The game is unforgiving, with unexpected factors easily leading to kingdom overthrow and restart. Players report making major mistakes early on due to the game's complexity. A vassal's insistence on providing unaffordable forces every turn also becomes a major source of frustration. Gameplay feedback: - Grand strategy with tactical elements (weight 0.25): The game combines grand strategy and tactical elements, drawing comparisons to both Total War and Crusader Kings. Players manage a medieval nation, focusing on diplomacy, nation-building, and military campaigns across a map spanning Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Warfare involves strategic thinking about terrain and unit composition. - Authority system limits rapid expansion (weight 0.17): The game features an authority system that replaces decadence, which governs expansion and actions within the realm. Authority is spent to declare war and make decisions, with the cost varying based on factors like claims and religion. The system punishes rapid expansion, forcing players to carefully consider the costs of their actions. - Complex, deep gameplay mechanics (weight 0.11): The game features a complex economic and stat system that requires dedication to fully understand. This includes managing resources, trade, and various unit stats that affect combat outcomes. The game has a somewhat stiff learning curve, requiring time spent in the tutorial and game to understand. - No player control in battles (weight 0.04): The game lacks user control during battles, which are resolved automatically. This design choice moves away from traditional turn-based strategy and towards an auto-chess style system. - Simultaneous turn-based gameplay (weight 0.04): The game uses a WeGo style turn system where all player orders are executed simultaneously. Army movement is simultaneous, with all nations setting orders that are then carried out together. - Factions have unique strengths (weight 0.03): Christian and Muslim factions have different strengths and victory conditions. Christian factions are better militarily, while Muslim factions have a larger set of endgame victory-point structures. - Region administration matters (weight 0.03): Region administration is important, especially for regions far from the capital. Characters can manage provinces and rebel if their loyalty is low. - Forts require special buildings (weight 0.01): Fort development now depends on placing special buildings that increase fortification level over time, unlocking new fortress levels and providing temporary bonuses or useful decisions. - Anti-snowballing mechanics present (weight 0.01): The game features anti-snowballing mechanics that require long-term planning. - Religion impacts loyalty, population (weight 0.01): Religion affects population performance and regional loyalty. Performance notes: - Turn times have improved (weight 0.04): Turn times have improved since launch, now being comparable to similar games. This indicates ongoing efforts to optimize the game's performance. - Broken impediment removal mechanic (weight 0.02): Some game mechanics, such as the removal of impediment structures, are reportedly not functioning as intended. This indicates potential bugs or unimplemented features that affect gameplay. - Bugged or unimplemented achievements (weight 0.02): Some achievements are bugged or refer to unimplemented gameplay elements. This suggests a lack of polish and potential issues with the game's design or implementation. - No bugs encountered (weight 0.01): One player reported not encountering any bugs during their playthrough. This is a positive anecdote, but may not be representative of the overall player experience. Recommendations: - Highly recommended strategy game (weight 0.56): Many reviewers recommend the game, praising its depth, complexity, and engaging gameplay. They consider it a worthwhile experience for strategy game enthusiasts, especially those who enjoy historical settings and grand strategy mechanics. Some call it a must-buy or a true gem. - Better with Field of Glory II (weight 0.54): Several reviewers highlight the enhanced experience when "Field of Glory: Kingdoms" is paired with "Field of Glory II: Medieval". Exporting battles to "FoG Medieval" is recommended, and some consider the combo a must-have for hundreds of hours of entertainment. - Requires time to learn (weight 0.44): Several reviews mention that the game requires an investment of time to fully appreciate its depth and intricacies. It's not an 'easy' play, but it becomes very enjoyable once you learn all the mechanics. - Compared to other strategy games (weight 0.39): Some reviewers compare the game to other strategy titles like EUIV and CK3, with some preferring it. One reviewer expected a color scheme similar to Empires or EU4. - Unrecommended due to flaws (weight 0.32): Despite its potential, some reviewers cannot recommend the game in its current state due to flaws, bugs, or unfun mechanics. Some reviewers express disappointment, citing issues like brain-dead AI, unrealistic mechanics, or a feeling that the game is unfinished. - Potential for historical DLCs (weight 0.01): One reviewer suggests that the game could benefit from new DLCs featuring different historical periods. - Improve color scheme (weight 0.01): One reviewer suggests that mods or developers need to fix the color scheme, ideally allowing players to customize their colors. - Alternative to PDX/Sega games (weight 0.01): One reviewer suggests that supporting alternative games like this is a good choice for those seeking less of the PDX/Sega approach. Other player notes: - Extensive game documentation included (weight 0.06): The game features extensive documentation, including a comprehensive manual (325-400 pages) and a quick reference guide (163 pages). This suggests a complex game with a lot of depth that requires detailed explanation. - Medieval setting, similar mechanics (weight 0.04): The game is a medieval-themed iteration of Field of Glory: Empires, with an option to export battles to Field of Glory II: Medieval. The setting differentiates it from previous titles in the series. - Authority resource requires careful management (weight 0.03): Authority is a key resource that players must carefully manage. Strategic use of Authority impacts a nation's development, diplomatic relations, and overall standing, adding a layer of complexity to decision-making. - Tactical battles may be slow (weight 0.03): One reviewer dislikes the tactical battle integration due to lengthy turns and prefers real-time gameplay. This suggests potential issues with pacing and player engagement in tactical battles. - Certain factions initially unplayable (weight 0.02): At the time of release, some factions like Finland and other pagan tribes were not playable. This limits the initial player choices and historical scope. - Tweak regional decisions with Gold (weight 0.02): Players can adjust regional decisions using Gold, which involves weighing the costs and benefits. This adds a layer of economic strategy to regional management. - Mod support for custom scenarios (weight 0.02): The game supports modding, allowing players to create custom scenarios. This extends the game's lifespan and allows for community-driven content. - Hidden Easter Eggs in XML files (weight 0.02): The game contains hidden Easter Eggs accessible by examining the game's XML files. This encourages players to explore the game's files beyond normal gameplay. - Thoughtful, challenging achievements (weight 0.02): The game features well-designed Steam Achievements, some of which are challenging to unlock. This adds a layer of long-term goals and replayability. Emotions: No emotions}