Why the heck would someone buy Endless Legend over Legendary Heroes?

from GalCiv3 Forums

I always keep an eye on possible 4X games to add to my collection. Ever since Endless Legend came out and even until now, the AI is terrible. Absolutely terrible. Its too dumb for diplomacy, war, or even making use of all the game mechanics. And its been like this for a long time. For all the whining we do about stardock, they make these other games look really crappy. What the heck is the fun in playing a game with no challenge? It makes my blood boil seeing half assed 4X games selling so well.

21,499 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

The last patch improved it a great deal.FE took a fair while before the A.I could play the game too.

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I just bought Endless Legend.  I've heard it's fun, and I already own LH..

But yea, in life the "most popular" is seldom actually "the best."  Especially with media...

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

I have both, and I prefer LH. But I can see why some would prefer EL.

Reply #4 from LittleTinyFrogs Forums Top

What are the elements of LH that you guys like in particular?

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I played them both (although it was quite a long time ago for Legendary Heroes), and I liked them both, but none of them was able to suck me in for long.

 

In Legendary Heroes :

- The AI is much better.

- The tactical battles are more fleshed out.

- The monsters you encouter early on are very interesting from a tactical standpoint, they may require you to design an army especially to take them out (I remember the banshee's immunity to physical, or the bear's maul).

 

In Endless Legend :

- The game is much prettier.

- The factions feel very different from one another.

- There are more quests, and they are quite well fleshed out.

 

In both games, the early game (exploration, quests, monster fights) is very nice. But the late game (contest/war with other empires) is meh : in LH it is because factions seem bland and spells are unbalanced, in EL it is because AIs act dumbly.

 

Reply #6 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 4

What are the elements of LH that you guys like in particular?
End of Frogboy's quote

 

I have to disagree with the above poster, though Endless Legend had great art direction, the graphics seemed to be washed out and almost blurry. Sorcerer King and LH are more vibrant and sharp and thus easier on the eyes.

 

Frogboy, Stardock's work and focus on the AI is what I love the most. I was at times very close to buying Endless Legend because I sort of like darker themed fantasy and stuff like the Necrophages were really cool. BUT, their AI was absolutely horrible for many months and even after they recoded a bunch of it, it's clear that it will take many more patches. The point being that I doubt their dedication to AI and singleplayer. They released TWO expansions before addressing AI.

I roleplay and make stories in my head as I go when I play these games. Having challenging AI is what makes LH and SK and Galciv come alive for me. It's art and story is great (though my love of Warhammer 40k makes me like DARK fantasy more).



PS: One thing I have to give the Endless Legend team credit for is that they actually did an Arabian themed faction in the form of those Roving Clans. I like the fact that Arab or Persian themed factions can be in a game and NOT be portrayed as evil (I noticed in LH that there was a picture of an ominous looking sorceress wearing a veil). I accept that Eurocentric fantasy is everywhere, it just gives my heart some happiness to see the Arabs and Persian cultures portrayed nicely.

Reply #7 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I personally like both games very much! The new AI update for Endless Legend makes the game much better and just came out last week. Have you tried it?

 

I think they both do different things very well. I think LH's city building is more fun and deep and its combat is more fun. It also adheres to the tried and true civilization formula a bit more and it works well for LH.

Meanwhile, Endless Legend is much prettier (IMHO), the factions are much more varied and diverse, the quests are more articulate and better written, and the universe feels much more fleshed out. Its AI is also much improved and provides a decent challenge now. 

So both games have their strengths. Before Endless Legend, LH was my favorite fantasy 4X. Now? They're both great, but my personal nod goes to EL as I much prefer the faction differentiation, the writing, and the mood. It's a close contest though, as LH was in my top 5 games of all time and still probably is, even if Endless Legend is there, too.