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Embers of Rebellion

Mac/Windows

 

Author: Ephesos

Difficulty: 10-15

Version: 1.1.0 (4-30-09)

 

[composite=eyJ0aXRsZSI6IkVtYmVycyBvZiBSZWJlbGxpb24iLCJ0aWQiOiIxMjMwOSIsInRhZ3MiOlsiYXZlcm51bSB1bml2ZXJzZSIsImJyYW5jaGluZyBwbG90IiwiZGlhbG9ndWUgaGVhdnkiXSwiYmdhc3AiOnsiNSI6MiwiNCI6MTAsIjMiOjAsIjIiOjAsIjEiOjB9fQ==]

Composite Score: 4.2/5.0

 

Best: 16.67% (2/12)

Good: 83.33% (10/12)

Average: 0.00% (0/12)

Substandard: 0.00% (0/12)

Poor: 0.00% (0/12)

[encouragenecro]

 

[/composite]

 

Keywords: Avernum Universe, Branching Plot, Dialogue Heavy

Edited by SylaeBot
Automated Sybot edit; worker IPB::csrThread/vanadium
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  • 3 weeks later...

Embers of Rebellion has (much like Druids of Krell) very pretty trees. The outdoor forests certainly look lush and even impassible which, I should add, is very unrealistic. The scenario also uses height in an esthetically pleasing way, especially in Fort Whatsit.

 

Some of the coding tricks used in combat were pretty neat. I am not a big fan of cut scenes and the ones in EoR were maybe a bit too long, not that they are very long.

 

The plot begins with a simple courier mission and after the delivery is done, the scenario morphs into a standard rebellion scenario. That's belittling EoR a little. The plot did keep me interested but it really adds nothing new to the basic "Them rebels sure do hate the Empire" routine. On the up side Embers had enough side quests for my taste.

 

I had a pleasant time talking to the good people of Yris. The amount of dialogue satisfied my needs and EoR had a suitable amount of humor to boot.

 

Embers doesn't have much combat actually. Until the player reaches the final dungeon with most of the fights, there won't be much blood shed if any. Two fights can be found both of which are really easy to ignore.

 

In general the combat was well balanced for the given level range. It certainly wasn't too easy but I won't go as far as to say it was difficult.

 

Overall EoR is a short scenario, although a bit longer than the newer scenarios. It shouldn't take more than an hour to finish. Still, the hour spent with the scenario is quality time with the boring parts cut out. I highly recommend.

 

Rating: [rating]GOOD[/rating] Almost "best", but not quite.

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  • 5 months later...

I can't believe I've not rated this yet - it seems I'd been avoiding Eph's scenarios. tongueold.gif

 

Anyway, visually it's everything you'd expect - it's stunning. The bridge in particular is beautiful. The (main) plot is fairly straightforward, but it's dealt with nicely, and not over-extended (in my opinion, adding another 5 or 10 towns to stretch it on would've ruined it).

 

However, it's the amount of detail, including the other plot-threads, and just the amount of time Eph put into his towns that really make Embers worth playing. Though it's short, it's absolutely crammed to the rafters on extras, and this helps it feel like a much longer piece of work.

 

Now, for the score. I think I prefer this over SoG, but the size is an issue (rich, coming from me). Still, it easily breaks the 8 barrier, so I'll go for 8.3 - its closer to an 8.5 than an 8.

 

Score: [rating]BEST[/rating]

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  • 3 months later...

Embers of Rebellion is a short but sweet scenario. It has a reasonably interesting plot, good fights, and beautiful graphics. There's nothing actively wrong with this scenario, but on the other hand, I wouldn't feel right saying that it is outstanding. It doesn't really do anything special. That being said, still worth playing.

 

I rate this scenario [rating]Good[/rating]

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  • 1 year later...

Long, epic scenarios can be fun, but sometimes the short ones that take only an hour or so are quite enjoyable as well. Ephesos is to be commended for a solid plot and good characters all in a scenario that took me about 50 minutes to complete. He crammed it all into 9 towns and 1 outdoor area. It has a surprising number of sidequests and an incredible attention to detail.

 

[rating]BEST[/rating]

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From TM on the CSR:

 

Well, it is quite good considering how diminutive it is. BoA has a lot of small scenarios, so this one doesn't stand out much for its tiny size, but it's still bite-size. It's a juicy and mouthwatering bite, but it's only one small cut of the steak. I recommend playing it, but don't be itching for an epic: You'll only be letting yourself down.

 

Graphics are well-done. The outdoors are, put bluntly, excellent. Hektos wasn't that impressive for me by comparison, but that's comparing it to the convincingly two-floored fort, the waterfall cave, and-- of course-- the Pearl Bridge. It's easily one of the best-looking scenarios out there.

 

The story, well... it obviously isn't given that much time to flourish, but it does what it's supposed to. It's not that complex since it basically can't be, but it has a nice twist or two, and all of the pieces are there. It's good.

 

Now, as for gameplay? It's good, although I gotta be honest: A scenario that manages to have bad gameplay at this length is deserving nothing but my derision. The combat is there and it's got some of what we're all used to, but there's not too much of it and Ephesos makes sure to toss in some variety.

 

Anyway. A scenario this short shouldn't have mistakes in it, and this one doesn't seem to. It's not the best thing you'll ever play, since another 5-10 towns keeping the pace would undoubtedly be better, but if a scenario keeps me wanting more, its beginning obviously couldn't be that bad.

 

[rating]GOOD[/rating]

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From Nioca on the CSR:

 

A good scenario by Ephesos. Town/Dungeon design was beautiful and efficient, and the outdoors were good too. Plot was simple, and somewhat predictable. Combat was challenging and fun. It was also nice to see a scenario have a semi-strong connection with a different scenario (A Small Rebellion) and it also had a teaser that a faction from another scenario was involved (Druids of Krell).

 

There were plenty of side quests, and a touch of humor too.

 

The only thing, in my opinion, that would make the scenario better would be to make just a bit bigger. It was almost too small. At the very least, Yris could have been expanded a bit more, instead of just one town and one fort.

 

That, and maybe some way to fail the scenario. It would have been fun to see if you could mess up so badly that Yris was destroyed.

 

[rating]GOOD[/rating]

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From Enraged Slith on the CSR:

 

EoR is a decent scenario. I encountered two technical problems though, most likely the game's fault rather than the creator's.

 

First problem: I saved before encountering the arena, but, upon reloading, my party was held fast by trees. To continue, I had to edit the trees out in the editor.

 

Second problem: I did the enter/exit combat trick near the boss fight with Joshua (on accident, I swear) and ended up right next to him, without starting the encounter. After I slaughtered him, I gathered his equipment and had the option of leaving via boat. By leaving through the cave, you can encounter him a second time, potentially earning 2x his drops. Just something to look at.

 

Now for the review:

Like I mentioned earlier, this is a decent scenario, but I can't say I enjoyed it all that much. For such a short scenario, there was some good character development, but the scenario, as a whole, felt rushed storywise. I might have to play through the scenario again, but I didn't quite understand the motives either, especially (SPOILERS) *cough*themayor's*cough.*

 

The combat itself was pretty tough on torment. I had no spellcasters, and my fighters constantly missed, with an average hit rate of around 50-70%. The enemy rebels had 95% hit chances. The only thing keeping me alive was my archer (THANK GOD FOR THE COLD ARROWS), but, surprise surprise, the boss, Joshua, was invisible. I'm still not sure how I actually beat him. I think it'd be a good thing to point out that designers should never give a boss a flaming weapon when it already does 100+ damage and cannot be touched by ranged combat, especially in the level range of 10-15.

 

The scenario was decent, but, considering the story and potential, could have been larger. By itself, it feels incomplete. I'll rate it [rating]GOOD[/rating]

 

That said, I hope there will be a sequel.

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From Thralni on the CSR:

 

As per usual, it was pretty. Goddamn it Ephesos! It seems you have some sort of talent, don't you

 

Anyway:

 

The scenario was small. Small but very detailed. The plot was okay, not outstanding, but not mediocre, and it had very nice twists. I liked it very much how everybody seemed to dislike the Empire for being so bureaucratic, actually just the way I would treat it.

 

The combat was not too difficult, though I was stunned by the end boss. When I noticed I could run into the boat, i did, leaving the boss behind. I didn't kill him, which is why I was slightly surprised to find that Hektos wasn't ten miles under water. Was this a genuine option, or was it a bug?

 

Yeah, I liked it alright: [rating]GOOD[/rating]

 

Keep on designing Ephesos, you're doing great!

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From Lazarus on the CSR:

 

It's hard to improve on DoK (at least in the way of visual presentation) but Ephesos has certainly topped himself here. The scenario looks great; it lacks a distinctive town like the Sanctuary or the Emerald Mountain, but in my opinion is all around the best looking scenario (the bridge is just awesome.)

 

Oh, and this time the plot is good too! Well it could be improved a bit (Who the hell is this villain? I don't remember him ever really explaining why he wants to destroy everybody) but there was no goodwill mission so I can't complain too much . It was a bit short as well, though it does make for a fast paced scenario. Attention to detail is just amazing here, and it seems that each time I play it I notice more (I've played it twice.) It was only when I opened the scenario in the editor that I truly realised to what extent Ephesos went, practically every terrain in the game had a specobj with attached description, and string manipulation is great.

 

[rating]GOOD[/rating]

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From Jemand on the CSR:

 

In my opinion, this is what Blades of Avernum needs more of. A good storyline, superb graphics, a mix of combat, good dialogue, little points of humor... There are some rewards, and it takes more than 10 minutes to play, but less than two decades. It has a few unique scripts and some cool items.

All I think it needs is a sidequest or two. There were the aranea, but they don't quite count.

 

[rating]GOOD[/rating]

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  • 10 years later...

I'm giving it the best rating. Finally...one of these scenarios gives you a good polearm. A lot of emphasis was spent on mood-building. I enjoyed that. I liked some of the unusual nature of a boss fight, and there's one encounter that you can deal with in an unusual way. I enjoyed that. I liked how you got to determine the fate of a certain person too.

 

 

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