Alan Grace

Castle Vox Background

• Developed by Silly Soft

• Strategy based war game

• Aim of the game is to move units around map area and to try take control of the entire map wiping out the enemy units and castles

• Game uses the phrase “easy to learn, difficult to master”

Use of Troops and Castles

• 3 main units in the game which you use

• Castles, Pawns and Knights

• Castles act as a deployment location for the other 2 units and as the main unit the enemy is trying to destroy

• Pawns restricted to moving one square at a time

• Knights move up to 2 squares at a time

• Unlike other strategy games all players plan their moves at the same time

• When the time runs out or you click “finished moves” all players moves are executed at the same time

• Any conflicts between players happen on each section of the map and are resolved in that turn

• Based on the amount of troops and varying types of troops whoever has the strongest army wins that segment and the other player loses those troops

• Gain gold after your turn based on your actions, more gold awarded for taking over or defending a section of the map

• Use this gold to recruit more troops or build a castle

• Pawns cost 3 gold,Knights cost 5

• To build a new castle costs 80 gold and requires 5 units on the section of land

Additional Maps and Storylines

• Only played the demo which had the tutorial map, hex and barons and the World War 2 layout

• World War 2 map with global territory on a large scale map

• Soldiers and Tanks instead of pawns and knights but same functionality and rules

“easy to learn, difficult to master”

• Game is simple and easy to play in tutorial map and Hex Barons due to smaller map and less groups or factions

• World War map had too many factions even though you group together as allies (e.g USA, UK and USSR vs Japan and Germany)

• Within a turn too much going on and you find it hard to focus on anything outside of what is around you

Strategy and planning• Strategy element makes you think about where you are going to

move to but also because everyone moves at the same time you need to think where your enemy will move to

• Move units to attack but they move at same time to where you were and defeat remaining troops

• Moving to attack based on numbers on segment at that time but they move in extra troops at same time

• Attacking and equally defending areas of the map to stop them deploying a castle

Overall Impression• Having not played many of these strategy type games I found the game difficult

to master

• Found cat and mouse type scenario moving back and forth with AI on same sections without getting into a battle. I would move to where they were, they would move to where I was with no battle

• Game is enjoyable with smaller groups and smaller map area (less area to hide in) but becomes too confusing at a larger scale

• Lots of moves all going on at once and you tend to focus on the area around your troops and trying to keep control of it

• Would be more fun with group of mates teaming up against friends than playing against the AI

Features of the full game

• Map Editor• Code your own AI• Online Multiplayer both on your own or

teaming up in groups• Wide range of map themes and storylines with

downloadable content• Maps based on Roman Empire, Space,

American Revolution, Napoleonic War, Robin Hood and King John