In recent years the MMO genre
has concentrated on a few areas. Most games that have come out have been
role-playing games with some empire building added into the mix. For die-hard
RPG fans, like myself, this is a good thing. But what about other gamers? Where
do they go? Time of Defiance is a unique new game that is trying to expand the MMO experience for players. It is an entertaining game that tries to bring MMOs to the turn-based strategy genre.
When you start Time of Defiance
you are a new empire that is just beginning its life in a complex world. The
universe of Time of Defiance is ruled by islands players can capture, colonize,
and mine. Resources are a valuable commodity that cannot be wasted. Once you
have mined out an island, that’s it. In order to preserve your empire and
expand your power, you need to expand your territory. Each island in the game
has a different amount of the basic resources available: wood, water, metal,
stone, coal, and moss. These resources are the components you need to fuel your
ships and construct new ones. Some islands are large enough to support new
colonies with their own harvesters. Some islands are too small. To get at the
precious resources in these islands the player needs to construct harvester
ships and send them in.
There is a small catch to Time
of Defiance: every enemy you face is another player. This leads to a higher
difficulty rating for the game. As always, some humans are worse than computer
AI’s as they learn the system. And some players are much, much better than a
computer could ever hope to be. Diplomacy is important in Time of Defiance,
just as much as having a military force capable of defending your territory. You need to know when to fight and when to talk. (And, of course, when to run
away.)
Time of Defiance has the feel
of a turn-based game. Construction of units or buildings is measured in
minutes. Traveling between islands can also take quite a bit of time. This is
a good thing, though. Time of Defiance is a complicated game and there is quite
a bit for players to do. Ordering construction, managing exploration, and
controlling trade with the Eighth House, which is part bank and part trading
outpost. Unlike turn-based online games of the past, you start out with a small
amount of options because you only have so many buildings and units. As time
goes on you can get more “turns” as your empire expands. The slow pace is great
for casual gamers and prevents the die-hard players from logging on when
someone else is not on to defend themselves and completely destroying their
empire in a few short minutes.
Time of Defiance is also a
finite game. Each “game session” that a player belongs to has a designated endpoint a few weeks away. At that point there is a winner … and everyone else. This is a good thing, in my opinion, because there are going to be times when
players end up in a bad starting position. Rather than being punished
indefinitely there is always an “end game” waiting. It also keeps people from
becoming complacent. The game allows players to restart their empire somewhere
else if they get completely wiped out by a hostile player, so individuals don’t
need to worry about spending their money on a subscription and then being
“killed” and have nothing to do with the game.
Time of Defiance brings new
life into an old genre of multiplayer empire building. With the longer
construction and travel times, this game allows the casual and the die-hard
players to interact without punishing the casual players. It has solid
game-play, good graphics and good sound. If you are interested in an online
world where you have to build an empire from the ground up, Time of Defiance
might be for you.
Tips:
When you start
your game there is something you should set up on every island you can: A Q-Net
transmitter. Normally you have to ferry resources around in transport vessels. This takes time and fuel. A Q-Net transmitter will “beam” resources directly to
a receiving station without using a transport. It takes time, but is more
efficient.
The Eighth House
has the option to buy vehicles, resources, and information. Before declaring
war on someone, check the intelligence sale to find out exactly how strong they
are. Its not wise to declare war on a super-power…
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Gameplay: 8.0
Time of Defiance is a solid
game with a lot of potential. The interface takes a little getting used to, but
once you do things flow fine.
Graphics: 8.5
The graphics in Time of
Defiance are good. I played for hours and never had any issues with slowdown
while my computer rendered the 3D world. Even combat with 10+ ships involved
was crisp and clear. The game objects, like ships and islands, look nice. Time
of Defiance is not the most graphically stunning game I’ve ever played, but for
its level of excellence it doesn’t have any drawbacks. That’s a definite
accomplishment in my book.
Sound: 8.0
The sounds in Time of Defiance
were well done – everything from hearing combat to the electronic voice telling
you when things were complete. The background music is also good. This is one
of the few games I’ve played that had me wondering who created the music. I
don’t have a burning desire to go get the soundtrack, but I’d like to hear more
of their work.
Difficulty:
Med/Hard
The game is about average on
the learning curve. Understanding the system for mining, constructing, moving
materials around, and fighting is a moderate curve. The higher difficulty is in
fighting off other players. Every enemy you face is a human opponent. They
might not be very good, or they might be a genius…
Concept: 8.0
I’ve seen complex, empire-based
games done before. Most of those were created during the text-only “mud” days. Time of Defiance is a far better version of those games than I have seen. Period. It opens the door for players to try hundreds of different things.
Multiplayer: 8.0
The entire game of Time of
Defiance is based around playing against other human beings. With options for
trade, diplomacy and war, Time of Defiance definitely takes advantage of this. There is also a thrill that you cannot get fighting against an AI. Humans are
much harder to play against. (And that’s why its so much fun.)
Overall: 8.1
Time of Defiance
is a fun game. I spent hours tinkering with the game just to find all the
options and explore them. It has a good design and good graphics. The player-versus-player
design is great. Finally, it is a game that casual gamers and die-hard players
can enjoy together.
