Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Feedback for the mainline campaign Under the Burning Suns.

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shadow12
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by shadow12 »

What version and difficulty level did you play the scenario on? Please do not submit feedback from pre 1.4.
Challenging, 1.0.4
2) Do you think the difficulty is adequate to the level? If not describe the issue that made the scenario to easy/hard.
Just right. Enough to be challenging, but not too difficult.

3) Was there any event that caused you to almost instantly loose, or made the scenario unplayable without reload?
Just my stupid mistakes. Keep away from rising waters.

4) Do you like the storyline and the dialogues? If not what part/character lags behind or what would you like changed?

The storyline is very interesting. I think I am addicted to this game...

The side story about the Cloaked Figure was intriguing. He witnessed some really horrific things, and it drove him mad. The poor guy stared into a black abyss of evil and lost his mind. He hears a voice who says its Kaleh's fault, go after Kaleh. Is that Eloh? I thought the assassin's story would be something heroic or romantic, like his wife and baby daughter were held hostage by humans who told him he had to go after Kaleh to save them. That thought came to me when the 3 human guys were in the corridors. I thought they had something to do with it, like a clue. But I was way off. He was a very tragic character.

5) Do you think the scenario was fun? Please write down some thoughts about gameplay, mood etc.
Really fun to play! So many creative things! The part with the rising water was intense at times. I recalled a Champion with the flame sword, and he and Kaleh almost drowned a few times. I had 7 units, really it was just 5 fighting, with Kaleh and the Champion lallygagging behind.

Rising water at your back, giant ants, skeletons, purple demons, a green spider liche - what's not to like?! It is my favorite scenario in all the campaigns I've played so far.

Finding the box of gold was a nice plus, I recalled 5 more units. The next part was a battle out in the open again. I liked the map here also. Thankfully I killed the human king before the ghosts arrived from the south. My guys were pretty beat up at that point and I don't think they would have done well with nightgaunts. Oh, and I love the Dust Devil! He/she/it was what I used to finally kill the spider liche.
Sometimes life unexpectedly throws a Troll or a nasty Queen Naga in your path.
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Inky
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by Inky »

1) Level, version, gold? 1.12.5 nightmare, 200 starting gold (min)
2) Adequately difficult? Part 1 (Cave): 6/10; Part 2 (Battle with humans): 10/10 and unplayable without previous knowledge of the scenario
3) Reloads? 2 from start. First time didn't kill that annoying messenger in time, grrrr. Second time Grog got unlucky fighting the three loyalists at the beginning of the cave and died (not much you can do if you get bad RNG at the beginning, as you're forced to take some risks to escape the flood in time.)
4) Dialog? -
5) Fun? First half with the cave was extremely fun, second half ruined it; if you scouted ahead before you were ready you'll almost certainly just lose because you won't be able to advance fast enough to intercept the messenger (this happened to me the first time). I tried to just kill the leader before the messenger reached the north, but I was just one turn too late even though I had advanced as fast as possible.

So when I replayed, I shamelessly exploited the system to amass all my units at the cave exit before triggering the humans, which gave me plenty of time to reach the messenger. This half of the scenario should really be changed - maybe it could be a separate scenario?
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UnwiseOwl
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by UnwiseOwl »

1) Version? 1.13.7, Challenging (new elves)

2) Adequately difficult? Yes. This is a well-judged campaign. I really didn't need that extra money what with my bank of 550, but whatever.

3) Reloads? One when I accidentally triggered some skeletons, but I could have fought my way out of it.

4) Dialog? It might be worth telling the played to only recruit fast units here. I got one that wasn't (by mistake) and regretted it all scenario as he basically could do nothing but walk the whole time.
If Grog is your lead unit and discovers the ants, he talks like a normal non-Grog. Maybe you need alternate versions of the sighted events if Grog triggers them?
Actually, in lots of places in this scenario he doesn't talk like a troll, which is fine if he's a bit special, but later in the campaign he reverts to talking like a Grog.
"All the paths lead to this chamber" is a bit strong when there's only two paths. Maybe "Both paths..." would be better.
Probably don't need the full altar dialogue every time, just a "Flick the switch? yes/no" after the first time should be sufficient.
I don't think there's any reason to move Grog during the discussion with Eloh at the cave entrance. He teleported South West for no reason.

5) Fun? For a long scenario, this one keeps rolling along quite well. The water fleeing mechanic works well and the fight with the humans is good too.
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Maintainer of the Imperial Era and the campaigns Dreams of Urduk, Epic of Vaniyera, Up from Slavery, Fall of Silvium, Alfhelm the Wise and Gali's Contract.
But perhaps 'maintainer' is too strong a word.
Thrash
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by Thrash »

1) What version and difficulty level did you play the scenario on? Please do not submit feedback from pre 1.4.

1.12.6, Challenging (medium)

2) Do you think the difficulty is adequate to the level? If not describe the issue that made the scenario to easy/hard.

Yes, it's tough. Given all the complications in the final desert battle, I'm not sure that's beatable without some knowledge of what's going to happen.

I probably over-recruited at first so only had what was in the chest for the final battle.

3) Was there any event that caused you to almost instantly loose, or made the scenario unplayable without reload?

I reloaded the desert battle once, the combination of being unprepared for night-stalkers and the messenger getting away. My troops were just poorly deployed.

4) Do you like the storyline and the dialogues? If not what part/character lags behind or what would you like changed?

Yes, the whole storyline is great, running from water, ants, various battles, etc.

I didn't find the golem. If there was some clue, I missed it.

5) Do you think the scenario was fun? Please write down some thoughts about gameplay, mood etc.

I wasn't sure what to expect for the messenger at first - I though one of the cavalry was it and rushed to kill them, so I was badly spread out and vulnerable. I also got tempted to explore the tunnel north of the exit so lost one unit there due to bad timing - maybe a little warning ("I hear rushing water").

I'm slowly learning not to send scouts out ahead, they just trigger events when most of my units are too far away.
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shevegen
Posts: 497
Joined: June 3rd, 2004, 4:35 pm

Under the Burning Suns - Out of the Frying Pan (Feedback)

Post by shevegen »

There is a scenario called "Out of the Frying Pan".

It's a pretty long scenario.

One part of it involves intercepting a "messenger".

Well - that messenger is not alone but comes with like
three more bodyguard units of high level. Like hp 70+.

This force is almost as strong as the main force that
"defends" the outpost.

What I do not understand is ... why can a small output,
that allegedly needs help from some other outside
village, send such a massive force together with the
messenger?

I am having a hard time catching up with the messenger
force and although I think it can be done (send fast
units early upwards to the north), what boggles my
mind is how a "messenger" is called a messenger when
it is more like a strong, full-scale assault team.

Since I think this does not make much sense in regards
to the scenario, I would make a SINGLE messenger
instead; give him the "quick" ability. And if this
changes balance, then I would recommend making the
output stronger or more numbered, more money, more
squares to recruit etc... - just so that it makes
sense rather than make no sense as it is right now,
with the messenger force being almost as strong as
the outpost army.

It's also annoying that a single scenario has so many
conflicting things to do. First I recruit a team that
can walk through quickly the flooding sewers only to
find out that my unit composition should have been
different, when suddenly facing humans, randomly
emerging undead, and a full-scale messenger assault
team. The campaign is not bad as such, but it's really
overdone doing so many different things at the same
time AND calling a "messenger" a messenger when these
are more like 4 strong knight units that could almost
single-handedly kill even the strongest unit in my
army composition - all the while strapped for cash
too, by the way. Annoying.
LordWolfDan
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by LordWolfDan »

1) What version and difficulty level did you play the scenario on? Please do not submit feedback from pre 1.4.

- 1.14.5, Normal

2) Do you think the difficulty is adequate to the level? If not describe the issue that made the scenario to easy/hard.

- It could be hard if you don't react fast and kill enemies faster with the water raising behind you. The second part isn't that hard

3) Was there any event that caused you to almost instantly loose, or made the scenario unplayable without reload?

- Surprisingly, no

4) Do you like the storyline and the dialogues? If not what part/character lags behind or what would you like changed?

- I love this one a lot. First off, the escape is a good point here, then we get to see some strange creatures and monsters (Ixthala demons??). I find this a very dark and tragic scenario, if you remember the ghost chamber. But there was nothing as dark as the revelation of Tanuil and how he lost his mind witnessing the stomach-twisting evils when left behind. When I saw how Eloh was fine with Kaleh being captured (didn't really happen) I knew it something was not right and that the real Eloh was not her. Esanoo? His arrival was a surprisingly good twist and we get to know more bout Dark Lady and Iron Council...

5) Do you think the scenario was fun? Please write down some thoughts about gameplay, mood etc.

- Fun and dark it was!
Konrad2
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by Konrad2 »

1) What version and difficulty level did you play the scenario on?

1.14.7, Champion (Nightmare)

2) Do you think the difficulty is adequate to the level?

Yes, your income is very small after all.

3) Was there any event that caused you to almost instantly lose, or made the scenario unplayable without reload?

No. (But I played it before, so...)

4) Do you like the storyline and the dialogues?

I like them.

5) Do you think the scenario was fun?

Yes, though dark.
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Zrevnur
Posts: 117
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by Zrevnur »

Content Feedback wrote: March 20th, 2006, 6:10 am 1) What version and difficulty level did you play the scenario on? Please do not submit feedback from pre 1.4.
1.14.11 Champion/Nightmare no reloading, played several times
Content Feedback wrote: March 20th, 2006, 6:10 am 2) Do you think the difficulty is adequate to the level? If not describe the issue that made the scenario to easy/hard.
Difficulty is ok if knowing the scripting. Otherwise its very unfair. Water progress being triggered by scouting ahead makes no sense at all. You get punished by doing something (scouting) which normally makes sense - and in a way that is not understandable without knowing the scripting.
The messenger stuff also isnt made properly clear maybe. I remember mistaking those randomly recruited horses for messengers (not in the replay here though).
The way the gold chest works also needs to be known.
Content Feedback wrote: March 20th, 2006, 6:10 am 3) Was there any event that caused you to almost instantly lose, or made the scenario unplayable without reload?
No. But I knew the scripting to some degree.
Content Feedback wrote: March 20th, 2006, 6:10 am 4) Do you like the storyline and the dialogues? If not what part/character lags behind or what would you like changed?
The assassin is very lame. I have no idea how he got so far ahead that he could kill that outpost. He must have uber skillz far beyond what dwarves or elves have.
Content Feedback wrote: March 20th, 2006, 6:10 am 5) Do you think the scenario was fun? Please write down some thoughts about gameplay, mood etc.
There is supposed to be a hidden room. I had no idea about this.
And water serpent can somehow crawl over mountains? Does that make sense?
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devavrata
Posts: 119
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by devavrata »

Content Feedback wrote: March 20th, 2006, 6:10 am 1) What version and difficulty level did you play the scenario on? Please do not submit feedback from pre 1.4.
Battle for Wesnoth 1.8.3, Easy, Battle for Wesnoth 1.10.7 Medium, Battle for Wesnoth 1.12.5 Hard
2) Do you think the difficulty is adequate to the level? If not describe the issue that made the scenario to easy/hard.
The difficulty is right.
3) Was there any event that caused you to almost instantly lose, or made the scenario unplayable without reload?
a. No sea birds. I counted on the flying elves to keep flying over deep water. Dang. I suppose it doesn't mean that they cannot fly over deep water, but rather that the water is so much as to fill the tunnel up to the ceiling?
b. Local triggers. I was going ahead early, so I decided to take a bit of time to explore the lab... wrong! The flood countdown is triggered when you enter the altar chamber, so is spite of being early the flood will catch you. You must avoid entering the altar chamber until you are about to finish the exploration of the lab.
c. Missing the messenger. Because of the messenger start position being unknown, I concentrated myself on deploying my army for battle. But when the messenger shows up, it turns out to be a really fast unit, so you have not enough time to react. You must deploy your army for interception, otherwise the messenger will escape and the game will be lost.
4) Do you like the storyline and the dialogues? If not what part/character lags behind or what would you like changed?
There is a lot of dialogue, so I passed much of it without reading. The part of the training room is funny though.
5) Do you think the scenario was fun? Please write down some thoughts about gameplay, mood etc.
Yes it's fun but feels too big - I would separate the tunnels and the desert into two different scenarios.
Konrad2
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Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by Konrad2 »

(1) What difficulty levels have you played the scenario on?

1.15.17, Champion (Nightmare)

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)

4 for the first part, 8-9 for the second part.

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?

Clear.

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?

Clear.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?

Defeating the enemy leader without being stalled too long or getting overrun.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)

6

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?

-

Replays:
Spoiler:
Scenario stats:
Spoiler:
Sandsculpture
Posts: 21
Joined: February 20th, 2021, 2:55 am

Re: Scenario Review: (UTBS) 8. Out of the Frying Pan...

Post by Sandsculpture »

(1) What difficulty levels have you played the scenario on?

1.17.17, Warrior(difficult)

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)

5/7 for part1/2.
Part1:
Spoiler:
Part2:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?

Crystal.

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?

Clear.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?

No.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)

7.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?

-
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