Totem Ironclads, my own humble opinion/review/thoughts - Page 3

AlExal · 01-18-09, 11:30 AM

What about your future projects? Are you working on something?

JHS · 02-20-09, 10:41 AM

Played through a big battle scenario on the demo. South (my side): one British-design CAPTAIN class turret ship, three big Austrian-built broadside battery rams, three or so total wimp light ships with popguns. Union: Murder Incorporated---a couple of double turret monitors, couple single turret monitors, a couple unarmored steam sloops with guns coming out of their ears, and a couple light vessels with turntable guns and some broadside guns. Well, it is not a low-IQ toy, as the Russian designer insisted. The turn style play is maybe questionable, but it works well. You can interrupt your individual ship's move to blast an opponent whenever you like. You can't fine-tune your move perfectly, so some of the unrealism of a turn system is eliminated---if you think you can make your move perfectly to run right up along side an enemy ships, you might find yourself colliding. Best advice: don't try running close to anything unless you intend to ram. Ramming is the way to go if you have a big Austrian ram and you see a big, fat, vulnerable Union steam sloop in range. Monitors try to ram the tender ends of the Austrian rams because they are wood. The Austrian rams are white elephants. They are fast (they are big seagoing steamships with armor amidships). Their guns are useless against monitors. The way to nail the Austrians is to ram their wooden ends which causes them to flood over time (game has excellent flooding/structural-above-water/fire/armament damage displays). If you have to run with a badly damaged underwater bow, the high speed causes further flooding and you founder (believe me, I know). Sank two of my Austrians this way.

The heavyweights in the game are the monitors. They can't be knocked out. Massive turret armor prevents damage. They are too low in the water to hit their sides. You can't ram them because of the overhang above the underwater hull won't let you reach the hull with your rams. Brawling with them puts you in range of their gigantic Dahlgren smoothbores which blow your wooden ends in on you. Add to all of the above, they are very maneuverable. Once you slow yourself down in a twisting fight, they dance all around you pummeling you to pieces. You can see why the USN loved monitors and kept building them until the 1890s. Wonder if the game will have any rough weather scenarios? Rough weather would ruin the monitors' day because they were so low in the water---they flooded and sank in heavy weather. Guess why the RN hated them?! Their solution was the CAPTAIN class turret ship with high ends but low amidships to carry the massive turrets.

As for the scenario I played, the only way to win as the South is to blow right through the Union squadron at full speed, ram the wooden steam sloops, and get out at high speed. Don't even bother shooting at or ramming the monitors. If they start to swarm your big Austrians, use their greater speed and seaworthiness to run away. My efficiency rating at the end was 16%---all I managed to do was wreck one steam sloop with a perfect ram job. Union had 68% because they wiped me out---one of my big Austrians was able to run for dear life and escape the pack of monitors.

The game beautifully models the effect of turning on these ships. If you keep turning, pretty soon you run out of momentum just like a turning airplane. You stall to practically 0 speed. I didn't fully realize what I was doing to my ships by trying to maneuver all the time. It takes several turns to build up speed again and you only do this by steaming straight ahead.

There was one mystery: sometimes I managed to pull right next to an enemy, and I expected my guns would blow him to kingdom come, but, no, nothing happened. I could not shoot. This was very frustrating!

I think IRONCLADS is a brilliant design. I've always wondered what would have happened if British ironclad designs had been in battle in this period. Most of the fights are "what if" but I think it is a legitimate "what if".

Graphics and detail supposed to be better with full monty version. Bought it but haven't loaded it yet.

☆☆☆☆

JHS · 02-22-09, 10:30 AM

Played the first campaign game scenario of the standard game this morning as the Southern commander. Fabulous. I love this brilliant game.

I hope they carry it on to model the whole close-range "ironclad" period up until the Spanish-American War.

CaptainHaplo · 02-22-09, 11:49 AM

I wouldnt know - they STILL havent sent me my unlock key.

JHS · 02-23-09, 02:18 AM

I had to wait over 24 hours. The producers told me they sent many emails but they weren't getting through. Have you emailed them? I sent a follow-up email after 24 hours.

CaptainHaplo · 02-25-09, 10:31 PM

I helped them test - and they were kind enough to send me the game - just haven't been able to get a registration. I will email them again - its been a long while and its likely whatever was the problem has been corrected. I think it was nice of em to comp me the game. I don't blame them by any means.

CaptainHaplo · 03-05-09, 06:49 AM

Finally got my activation - looks like the guys never got the email the first time. I don't blame them as they were always responsive during testing too. Sweet game! Thanks Totem Games!

USS Sea Tiger · 11-01-10, 02:01 PM

wondering if a mod was ever created so as to 'build a battle"
i.e. pick the ships, and map, and then go at it vise only the scenerios in game??

I am still loving this game but would be tremendously

better if so.

Also, is there a way to add additonal vessels?
Just me, I would like to add others civil war vessels just like SHIII has the abillity to addon

Maxim · 11-14-10, 03:26 AM

We have released the Anthology, which includes all our games. In Custom Battle available all ships of all 5 scenarios. You can quickly choose any of the ships and fight. We have added the sailors on the decks of ships. Activation key, the buyer gets together with a link to download the game.

02-03-11, 01:51 PM

I don't own it, but the graphics issue seems to be a common problem. Of course, the ocean and the sky looking similar is always a problem, and not just in sub games. The screens I've seen haven't looked BAD--but I'm not sure I'd "shell out the 35 bucks" either.

Maxim · 02-12-11, 06:35 AM

Anthology (5 games) sold on our site for 29.99 dollars. It was not our goal to delight someone graphics in the game. So is not obliged to say that the quality of our ships is not worse than in any naval simulator.

funnygu · 09-14-11, 12:16 AM

this looks like a good game to me

but is it laggy?! for a dell xps14

Maxim · 09-29-11, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funnygu

this looks like a good game to me

but is it laggy?! for a dell xps14

Your computer:
Dell XPS 14 2.53GHz Core i5 460M processor and 4GB of DDR3 RAM

Ironclads System Requirements:
OS Windows XP / Vista / 7, DirectX 9.0C; Processor 1.1 GHz or better; RAM: 512 MB; Videocard: 128 MB GeForce 6600 / RADEON 9600 or better

Your computer meets the minimum system requirements.
If you buy on this site (www.totemgames.ru), you can return the game if there will be problems.

02-20-09, 10:41 AM	#32
JHS Watch Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 22 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Played through a big battle scenario on the demo. South (my side): one British-design CAPTAIN class turret ship, three big Austrian-built broadside battery rams, three or so total wimp light ships with popguns. Union: Murder Incorporated---a couple of double turret monitors, couple single turret monitors, a couple unarmored steam sloops with guns coming out of their ears, and a couple light vessels with turntable guns and some broadside guns. Well, it is not a low-IQ toy, as the Russian designer insisted. The turn style play is maybe questionable, but it works well. You can interrupt your individual ship's move to blast an opponent whenever you like. You can't fine-tune your move perfectly, so some of the unrealism of a turn system is eliminated---if you think you can make your move perfectly to run right up along side an enemy ships, you might find yourself colliding. Best advice: don't try running close to anything unless you intend to ram. Ramming is the way to go if you have a big Austrian ram and you see a big, fat, vulnerable Union steam sloop in range. Monitors try to ram the tender ends of the Austrian rams because they are wood. The Austrian rams are white elephants. They are fast (they are big seagoing steamships with armor amidships). Their guns are useless against monitors. The way to nail the Austrians is to ram their wooden ends which causes them to flood over time (game has excellent flooding/structural-above-water/fire/armament damage displays). If you have to run with a badly damaged underwater bow, the high speed causes further flooding and you founder (believe me, I know). Sank two of my Austrians this way. The heavyweights in the game are the monitors. They can't be knocked out. Massive turret armor prevents damage. They are too low in the water to hit their sides. You can't ram them because of the overhang above the underwater hull won't let you reach the hull with your rams. Brawling with them puts you in range of their gigantic Dahlgren smoothbores which blow your wooden ends in on you. Add to all of the above, they are very maneuverable. Once you slow yourself down in a twisting fight, they dance all around you pummeling you to pieces. You can see why the USN loved monitors and kept building them until the 1890s. Wonder if the game will have any rough weather scenarios? Rough weather would ruin the monitors' day because they were so low in the water---they flooded and sank in heavy weather. Guess why the RN hated them?! Their solution was the CAPTAIN class turret ship with high ends but low amidships to carry the massive turrets. As for the scenario I played, the only way to win as the South is to blow right through the Union squadron at full speed, ram the wooden steam sloops, and get out at high speed. Don't even bother shooting at or ramming the monitors. If they start to swarm your big Austrians, use their greater speed and seaworthiness to run away. My efficiency rating at the end was 16%---all I managed to do was wreck one steam sloop with a perfect ram job. Union had 68% because they wiped me out---one of my big Austrians was able to run for dear life and escape the pack of monitors. The game beautifully models the effect of turning on these ships. If you keep turning, pretty soon you run out of momentum just like a turning airplane. You stall to practically 0 speed. I didn't fully realize what I was doing to my ships by trying to maneuver all the time. It takes several turns to build up speed again and you only do this by steaming straight ahead. There was one mystery: sometimes I managed to pull right next to an enemy, and I expected my guns would blow him to kingdom come, but, no, nothing happened. I could not shoot. This was very frustrating! I think IRONCLADS is a brilliant design. I've always wondered what would have happened if British ironclad designs had been in battle in this period. Most of the fights are "what if" but I think it is a legitimate "what if". Graphics and detail supposed to be better with full monty version. Bought it but haven't loaded it yet. ☆☆☆☆ Last edited by JHS; 02-22-09 at 10:26 AM.

02-22-09, 11:49 AM	#34
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,405 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	I wouldnt know - they STILL havent sent me my unlock key. __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo

02-25-09, 10:31 PM	#36
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,405 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	I helped them test - and they were kind enough to send me the game - just haven't been able to get a registration. I will email them again - its been a long while and its likely whatever was the problem has been corrected. I think it was nice of em to comp me the game. I don't blame them by any means. __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo

03-05-09, 06:49 AM	#37
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,405 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	Finally got my activation - looks like the guys never got the email the first time. I don't blame them as they were always responsive during testing too. Sweet game! Thanks Totem Games! __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo

11-01-10, 02:01 PM	#38
USS Sea Tiger XO Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 425 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	Hi all, just wondering if wondering if a mod was ever created so as to 'build a battle" i.e. pick the ships, and map, and then go at it vise only the scenerios in game?? I am still loving this game but would be tremendously better if so. Also, is there a way to add additonal vessels? Just me, I would like to add others civil war vessels just like SHIII has the abillity to addon

01-18-09, 11:30 AM	#31
AlExal Swabbie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 8 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	What about your future projects? Are you working on something?

02-22-09, 10:30 AM	#33
JHS Watch Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 22 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Played the first campaign game scenario of the standard game this morning as the Southern commander. Fabulous. I love this brilliant game. I hope they carry it on to model the whole close-range "ironclad" period up until the Spanish-American War.

02-23-09, 02:18 AM	#35
JHS Watch Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 22 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	I had to wait over 24 hours. The producers told me they sent many emails but they weren't getting through. Have you emailed them? I sent a follow-up email after 24 hours.

11-14-10, 03:26 AM	#39
Maxim Totem Games Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 228 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	We have released the Anthology, which includes all our games. In Custom Battle available all ships of all 5 scenarios. You can quickly choose any of the ships and fight. We have added the sailors on the decks of ships. Activation key, the buyer gets together with a link to download the game.

02-03-11, 01:51 PM	#40
SubCommand Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	I don't own it, but the graphics issue seems to be a common problem. Of course, the ocean and the sky looking similar is always a problem, and not just in sub games. The screens I've seen haven't looked BAD--but I'm not sure I'd "shell out the 35 bucks" either.

02-12-11, 06:35 AM	#41
Maxim Totem Games Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 228 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Anthology (5 games) sold on our site for 29.99 dollars. It was not our goal to delight someone graphics in the game. So is not obliged to say that the quality of our ships is not worse than in any naval simulator.

09-14-11, 12:16 AM	#42
funnygu Bilge Rat Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 1 Downloads: 42 Uploads: 0	looks like a goodgame to me! this looks like a good game to me but is it laggy?! for a dell xps14