GCI/Playtesting/Heir to the Throne/Normal

Preamble

Google Code-In 2010. This page shows the results of testing The Battle for Wesnoth 1.9.2 - campaign "Heir to the Throne" on Normal (Medium) difficulty. I followed the guidelines on this page for the analysis.

The following has been quoted from the page for reference purposes:

1. What difficulty levels and what version of Wesnoth have you played the scenario on?
2. How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
3. How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
4. How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
5. What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
6. How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
7. What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
8. Was there any event that caused you to lose the game and forced you to reload or restart the scenario?
9. If you know a bit of the Wesnoth Markup Language - do you think that the WML of this scenario is clear and well commented? If not which part would you like to be documented better?

Scenario 1: The Elves Besieged

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 2. Normal for first scenario in the campaign.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. The dialog makes very good introduction to the world of Wesnoth. The pictures in the beginning was very interesting.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives.
6. Fun: 5. Nice scenario.
7. Nothing to change.
8. No events caused me to lose the game or reload the scenario.
9. I don’t know nothing about WML so I can’t give a comment. In the scenarios below I will miss this point.

Scenario 2: Blackwater Port

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 4. It’s one of the easy scenarios.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Clear dialog. No mistakes.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives. It was easy.
6. Fun: 5. It’s very fun when you use hit and run tactic.
7. No changes.
8. None.

Scenario 3: Isle of Alduin

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 4. Another easy scenario.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Well written dialog.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives.
6. Fun: 6.
7. May be the number of villages could be lowered. I captured many of them and my gold rose very much. Finally I had 305 bonus gold for next level and I think this isn’t normal.
8. No events caused me to lose the game or reload the scenario.

Scenario 4: Bay of Pearls

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 5
3. Clear scenario objectives. It’s good that you choice how to complete the objectives – to survive 24 rounds or to fight the two bosses.
4. Very nice dialog. I was intrigued by the question in the end. It’s great that you can choose thus your next scenario.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives. I defeated all bosses.
6. Fun: 6. Very good scenario.
7. No changes.
8. No. Everything went right.

Scenario 5A: Muff Malal's Peninsula

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 6.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Good dialog. It could be good to be added some text when the map is shown.
5. It was a little bit hard because of the big number of enemy units.
6. Fun: 6. Nice scenario.
7. No changes. Another well made scenario.
8. I restarted once because of hero’s death.

Scenario 5B: Isle of the Damned

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Good dialog.
5. The main challenge was to prevent Moremirmu from dying but everything else was fine.
6. Fun: 7. Very good scenario. It’s very original that you have to search for Moremirmu in the temples.
7. Nothing to change – the scenario is very good.
8. I restarted several times because I didn’t want to loose Moremirmu.

Scenario 6: The Siege of Elensefar

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7.
3. No problem with scenario objectives.
4. The dialog was fine.
5. There were big challenges to meeting objectives. I spent a lot of time in searching the right strategy. But finally I made it.
6. Fun: 5. It was hard and not so fun.
7. I think the difficulty of this level could be lowered by decreasing number of enemy units. It’s only 6 scenario and it caused me bad headache.
8. Restarted many times because of hero’s death.

Scenario 7: Crossroads

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 6. It’s better than previous one.
3. Clear objectives.
4. Clear but uninteresting. The ambush-warners worked well.
5. No challenges. Main thing is to be patient.
6. Fun: 6. Classic scenario.
7. No changes needed.
8. No problems.

Scenario 8: The Princess of Wesnoth

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 4.
3. Crystal objectives.
4. Very interesting dialog.
5. Everything went right.
6. Fun: 7. The funniest scenario for now.
7. Nothing to change, it’s very well made.
8. No events caused me to lose the game or reload the scenario.

Scenario 9: The Valley of Death

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 6.
3. Clear objectives – survive for 12 rounds.
4. Well written dialog.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives.
6. Fun: 5.
7. No changes needed.
8. One restart because of the mistake to forget keeping my hero alive.

Scenario 10: Gryphon Mountain

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Good dialog.
5. The main challenges were defeating Mother Gryphon and getting the eggs. Of course you can choose not to fight with her and to go straight to the enemy leader.
6. Fun: 8. Very fun scenario. It differs from the others.
7. No changes. Well made scenario.
8. No.

Scenario 11: The Ford of Abez

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 3. Very easy scenario as the first one.
3. Clear scenario objectives. Just move ahead.
4. Dialog was good.
5. No challenges with objectives. It was easy to reach the flag. I haven’t even lost a unit.
6. Fun: 5 - Good.
7. No changes.
8. No restarts.

Scenario 12: Northern Winter

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 6.
3. Clear objectives.
4. No problems with dialog.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives. Good scenario for leveling up units.
6. Fun: 6.
7. I think the number of rounds is more than necessary. They could be lowered a bit.
8. No. Everything went right.

Scenario 13: The Dwarven Doors

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 4.
3. Scenario objectives were clear. Just to find the entrance.
4. Very good and understandable dialog.
5. The main challenge was to find the right entrance. First time was unsuccessful but after restart I found it.
6. Fun: 7.
7. The terrain could be changed. It would be good if the map is all snow.
8. One restart because of finding the wrong entrance.

Scenario 14: Plunging into the Darkness

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 4. Another easy scenario.
3. Very clear scenario objectives.
4. Well written dialog.
5. Small problem was the nasty spider at the end, but everything else was good. I even found the chest.
6. Fun: 6.
7. No changes needed for this scenario.
8. No events caused me to lose the game or restart the scenario.

Scenario 15: The Lost General

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7. This scenario is end of the sequence with easy scenarios(11-14). I think the real game begins here.
3. Clear scenario objectives – kill them all!
4. Good and intriguing dialog.
5. This scenario took me a lot of time while I succeed to defeat all bosses.
6. Fun: 5. Hard and long scenario. Not so fun.
7. No changes.
8. No events caused me to lose the game or reload the scenario.

Scenario 16: Hasty Alliance

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Good dialog.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives but I lost a lot of units.
6. Fun: 6. Better than previous one.
7. Nothing to change.
8. No. Everything went right.

Scenario 17: The Sceptre of Fire

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7. Again long and not so easy scenario but it’s good for leveling up your units.
3. Clear scenario objectives. You just have to find the Sceptre.
4. Very nice dialog.
5. The main challenges were that it was a little bit hard to find the Sceptre and to fight with all the bosses at once but with good tactic I succeeded.
6. Fun: 7. Good scenario.
7. No changes needed.
8. No.

Scenario 18: A Choice Must Be Made

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 6.
3. Clear scenario objectives. I chose to fight with the northern orcish leader.
4. Dialog was good.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives.
6. Fun: 6. Good scenario.
7. No changes.
8. No events caused me to lose the game or restart the scenario.

Scenario 19A: Snow Plains

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 5. Not so difficult.
3. Classical scenario objectives.
4. Very interesting dialog with no mistakes.
5. The challenge in this scenario was finding the Flaming Sword. It was very hard to reach it because of the difficult terrain – snow, hills, forests.
6. Fun: 6.
7. Another good scenario. No changes needed.
8. No. Everything went right.

Scenario 19B: Swamp of Dread

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7. Hard scenario with many enemy leaders.
3. Good scenario objectives.
4. No problems with the dialog.
5. The main challenge was to defeat the big number of enemy units. It’s quite difficult to do that and I needed several restarts and I used different tactics until I found the proper one.
6. Fun: 5.
7. Maybe the number of enemy leaders could be lowered by one.
8. A lot of restarts until finding the right strategy.

Scenario 19C: The Cliffs of Thoria

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7. Very hard map but it was quite fun.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Very good and interesting dialog.
5. The challenges were the Drake bases. It was hard to get even one of these three bases. I thought defeating all of them is impossible but after capturing the first one it became easier.
6. Fun: 7. Very nice level.
7. No changes.
8. No events caused me to loose the game or reload the scenario.

Scenario 20A: Home of the North Elves

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7.
3. Clear scenario objectives - reach the forest kingdom of Emetria.
4. Very interesting dialog with many helpful hints.
5. No challenges to meeting the objectives.
6. Fun: 7.
7. Hard but fun. No changes needed.
8. No.

Scenario 20B: Underground Channels

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 5. Easy scenario.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Very good dialog.
5. No challenges to meeting the objectives of the scenario. It wasn’t so difficult.
6. Fun: 6.
7. No changes needed.
8. One restart because of hero’s dying. I was a little bit oblivious.

Scenario 21: The Elven Council

This is a cut-scene furthering the storyline. No combat takes place.

Scenario 22: Return to Wesnoth

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7. Hard scenario.
3. Clear scenario objectives.
4. Good dialog.
5. The main challenge was fighting in three fronts. It was hard and long battle but it’s expected - it’s almost the end of the campaign.
6. Fun: 5.
7. No changes.
8. Several restarts because of hero’s dying.

Scenario 23: Test of the Clans

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 7. Again hard and long scenario.
3. Clear scenario objectives. I chose to kill 25 units instead of defeating one of the leaders because then I would take more money with early finish bonus.
4. Well written dialog.
5. No challenges to meeting objectives of the scenario but I lost a lot of units.
6. Fun: 6. Very good scenario.
7. No changes needed.
8. No restarts.

Scenario 24: The Battle for Wesnoth

1. Campaign difficulty: Medium. Version: 1.9.2.
2. Scenario difficulty: 8. The hardest scenario in the campaign.
3. Clear scenario objectives. Kill the bad queen.
4. Very good, well written and interesting dialog.
5. The main challenge was to survive the first attacks of Asheviere’s army. I set up a camp around my fort and I was waiting the enemy to reach me. Once I defeated the first waves of invaders I went straight to Asheviere. When I reached her with my army it wasn’t difficult to defeat her – she’s only 48 HP.
6. Fun: 9. The funniest scenario of the campaign. There are many different strategies you can choose to play the scenario on.
7. Nothing to change. Perfect scenario.
8. No events caused me to lose the game or restart the scenario.

Bugs

“Heir to the Throne” is a very well made campaign. When I was playing it I didn’t find even one bug. I had few problems with the game as a whole, not with the campaign itself.

1. Problem in fullscreen mode(1280x1024). The graphic was a little bit blurry.
2. When there is any dialog, I can’t click on Menu or somewhere else before the dialog disappears.
3. Sometimes when I use mouse scroll, the map is moving left-right instead of up-down. When I minimize the game window and open it again the problem disappears.

Summary

“Heir to the Throne” is one very good campaign. It was very fun while I was playing it. It has great variety of scenarios with different scenario objectives. It’s very well made, has good storyline and well written dialogs. It has no major bugs or glitches - only small problems mentioned above. It’s not so difficult at all, only few levels hampered me. The campaign makes very good description to the world of Wesnoth and it’s very helpful for novice players.