Customer Reviews

Age Of Sail 2

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

As several reviewers have noted, this game has a lot of potential. It's visually nice, has tons of scenarios and flexibility, and is probably about as authentic as such a game can be. But it doesn't work. It often fails to load games properly, the game often freezes the computer (a P4, so it's not an old computer), and various key options--like manual firing--don't always work. Further, Talon Soft tech support was useless--they merely said to get new drivers for the graphics card, which was clearly not the problem. The game says it is Win Me ready, but it's not. I keep checking for new updates to see if they fix any of this, but the .1 update out so far doesn't do a bit of good. Until it's fixed, I find the game unplayable and I feel ...

It's too bad that this was released well before it was ready, because it is plagued with bugs. Due to the lack of any real documentation I struggled with the interface. After finally resorting to searching the internet I found that I was not alone. Many of the features just don't work, while others cause the game to crash. After downloading the first (and only) patch for the game a few bugs were fixed, but there are still many more.

On the upside, the game is beautiful to look at, and if you can work around the bugs (emphasis on work) it is pretty cool. I'm hoping that it'll actually be playable by summer, so I'm packing it away for now in hopes of a better future.

I say that this game is a demo because it is clearly was released six months before completion. The bugs and glitches are multitude. We have become used to seeing games released before they are totaly de-bugged but this (believe me) is the record. Buggs aside, the main problem is that the game has not even been completed--it is a rough sketch of a possibly great art work. Perhaps 50% of the scenarios fuction reasonably correctly (excluding the bugs). If you have Voodoo 3 don't buy this untill its Voodoo problems are sorted out (check the message boards at the Talonsoft website). In fact, if you have been eagerly awaiting this game , check out the message boards over the next few weeks (or possibly months) and wait untill a completed, functional version of this product is available. I suspect the problems may be too large to fix with four or five downloads.

I was so looking forward to this game. However, when I got it there were more bugs in it than under my refrigerator. First i couldnt play a battle without the game locking up. Second, you seemed to be unable to load saved games (which are a must in the campaigns)just getting a saved file processing error message over and over again. There is nothing more frustrating than to go two or three battles into a campaign and then having to start all over again! Another thing is the commercials for other talonsoft games (that look pretty crappy) every time you boot up or shut down the game- very tacky. Otherwise, the graphics and battle interface were fantastic and the ship modeling top rate. Too bad it didnt come together in the game

The game delivers good ambience - both graphics and sound are very pleasing, but this is basically a sailing game, and sailing vessels are SLOOWWW, so if you need constant adrenaline, 200
lasercannon shots a second action, this ain't your game. The historical information provides a great background to the game. Ambience Grade: A-

An interesting twist (bug?) to the AI is that at the same difficulty level, sometimes opponents simply hang around and wait to be blasted into oblivion (fun, but boring after a while) - other times, the enemy is as aggessive as a pit bull chasing a mailman with a t-bone steak. AI Grade: B-

The documentation stinks... I admit that I am among those who just install a game and start playing, and refer to the manual only on a "need to know" basis when I can't get the game to do what I want (it's a guy thing)... But when this manual is needed, it is sorely lacking. There is just barely enough information in the small, 32 page (including five pages of advertisements and credits) "manual" to explain the interface menus and do basic operations.

The manual lacks explanations for non-sailors (e.g.; "Anchor on Springs") and enough detail to tie related actions together (e.g.; grappling and boarding), and ignores how to recover from running aground (shame on me for running aground, but try to figure that out on your own as a 38 gun enemy ship is pounding your vessel to splinters). To address this shortcoming, an "official strategy guide" (e.g., a proper manual) is available for an additional $20. Maybe I'm being picky, but shouldn't a game manual completely explain at least all of the game's controls? Documentation Grade: D

I have commanded a group of vessels only a handful of times in the game, and it reminds me more of herding cats than combat on the high seas, but that perception may be change with more practice.

Sailing characteristics are belevable, and while it's clearly no Sid Meier brainchild, the interface is well designed and easy to use, and the game has a good balance of ease of play and complexity to keep interest up. A minor complaint is that at very high resolutions, the menu script becomes very difficult to read. Since the sailing combat genre has few games to choose from, AOS2 is better than nothing, but is not "3 AM addictive", where I start playing at 9PM and the next think I know it's 3AM... But it is an interesting game, and when closing for combat or sustaining damage, it does require very fast multi-tasked thinking, even though the ship is moving at only 6 knots.. Playability grade: B

Overall, AOS2 is an adequate game that's fun if you are interested in sailing or the history of 18th-19th century naval combat. Otherwise, I think the game will be disappointing.

After reading some of the Hornblower, Lewrie, and Blothio books, I was really craving something like this. Unfortunatly the game has so many bugs and the documentation on how to play is so bad, I ended up wasting what free time I had frustrated over the whole thing.

Since the documentation was so bad, once I got the game somewhat stable, I thought purchasing the strategy guide for the game would help. It didn't. The guide was so full of pictures of ships and useless data that for my $20 I only received about 6 pages of actual strategy buried in all the "life of a sailor" garbage. In a strategy guide I would expect a lot more strategy hints and tips. Perhaps I'll find a book on ship tactics that I can apply.

This Form Of Battle Is Unique, and no one has done it better. Would anyone have thought it possible to capture the science and graphic excitement of this ancient yet exotic method of warfare with a PC? Because It is not just what occurs in this strategy and action game, but how it occurs that distinguishes Age of Sail II from anything else. With computer code executing in real time taking into account hundreds if not thousands of variables to include wind, time, current, resources, crew readiness and your own tactical decisions makes this game equal to high level Artificial Intelligence like a "LISP" machine. No boredom here, any thinking person with a spirit and willingness to bravely encounter whatever lays ahead and risk everything for glory and bountiful treasure will return again and again. Risk having your ship slowly torn to ribbons and seeing your crew stand their ground or jump ship. The stakes are high. You will bite your nails while doing absolutely whatever it takes to project your nations power on the High Seas and make glory and fame yours to keep.

TalonSoft basically released a beta version of this title and have been working to get out patches ever since. The promise of this game is really high, so if they can get their act together, it could be quite good once finished.

Not for people who like fast-paced action games; it is RTS, but remember that real-time sail combat was a game of patience and skill, not slam-bang action. Lovely graphics if you have the right hardware.

Don't listen to the other reviews. These people want blood and swash in there games. This is the first PC game I've ever purchased. This game is a PC version of Avolon Hills' "Wooden ships & Iron men." I'm a veteran wargamer and love the playability of this game. Any of the bugs previously mentioned have been patched. I will agree that the little guide book is sparce and doesn't explain the mechanics in any usable detail. The AI seems to go by British naval doctrine of the era and acts like anyone would expect a thinking person to act. I attacked a 12 gun British merchantman with a 26 gun sloop of war, the merchantman struck his colors after a short fight, wouldn't you? Also, when I made an attempt to cut the line and give a bow/stearn rake, the limeys read my mind and made turns on me to prevent giving me the advantage. This game has awsome potential. I would like to see more role playing and character generation capability and aditional tactics employement (fire/bomb ships). It was good old American inventiveness and improvisation that allowed our navy to hold it's own against the most powerful navy of the time. I read the other reviews after buying the game and thought I made a mistake. This caused me to play it hard and find out for myself, maybe I'm too optomistic, but I didn't see any of there complaints except for the book. But what the heck, I have fun learning by doing. Buy it and have fun.

This is actuall a pretty decent game. It has bugs, but the idea and the execution are almost perefect for the type of warfare depicted.

Graphics a reasonable, the interface is a little hard to figure out at first. They definitly need a few more patches to be released quickly. I understand that it plays well as a multi player game, but have been unable to find locate anyone else that is playing. There are several groups on the web, but they have not been responding to my messages.

If you have not sailed before, this game may be a little difficult at first. I also read a lot of books on the subject so that I am familiar with most of the strategies that were actually used in this period.

The scenarios are long. Thank goodness there is a game speed adjustment. It looks like you can go all the way up to 16X speed. Naval warfare of this period was usually long and drawn out. A very long period in which someone is being chased, followed by a quick clash of arms, then another chase as the defeated ships flee the scen and the victorious ships captures the damaged enemy...

The AI is not too bright. But, if you give him the advantage in ships, wind and weather, you have a pretty decent player upon which to practice your ship handling skills as well as fleet meneuvers. By the way, different ships move at different speeds depending on size and weight. You have to constantly watch spacing between ships so that you don't ram while doing meneuvers.

If they ever get this game fixed (probably in AoS 4) it will be a great game. I wish that Microsoft would host it on the Zone. That would be a big push to get it played by more people.