Is Field of Glory: Empires the Finest Grand Strategy Game Ever Made? Overview & Pontus LP Ep. 01

[@petethebeat4868]

With 2682 hours playtime this game is by far my most played game in my steam collection. I cannot stress any more how good this game is.

[@battlemode]

Wow! That's dedication, and a great game!

[@petethebeat4868]

@@battlemode Most of that time went into the multiplayer PBEM mode where I often played several simultaneous games at the same time. Those games often went over months and several hundred turns and it was a lot of fun playing against other people with the same dedication. The replayability of this game is incredible. It also is extremely satisfying to win a twofront war against Rome and Cartharge as Syracuse. 😀

[@xk1390]

How does it compare to Imperator: Rome?

[@SouthJerzyDude]

​@@xk1390Imperator Rome is trash. Stay away unless a Shit Paradox fanboi

[@xk1390]

@@SouthJerzyDude This is useless without giving reasons why. You sound bitter for some reason so no one would take you seriously without an explanation.

[@Bruhdawg23]

I totally skipped out on this game thinking I needed Field of glory 2 for the full experience. Im glad you took the time to point that part out. I will happily pick up a copy now.

[@battlemode]

Slitherine really messed up with that IMO, they did make some attempt to tell people that but that messaging was not strong enough. You're probably the 20th person I've personally spoken to who said this. Thanks for letting me know, I'm really pleased you find it useful

[@jznvsglassworks]

Very happy to see you doing this series!

[@battlemode]

Cheers Josh!

[@zughoytim]

What a great idea to play Empires again! I bought it when it came out but did not really learn it, and forgot about it.... time to give it a second chance.

[@battlemode]

I have criminally underplayed this one too, excited to get back into it

[@neoachilleos6891]

4:44 "Diadochoi" is a Greek word pronounced The-ah-tho-he (διἀδοχοι) meaning successors. Great video btw, i don't know how i missed this game but i'm definitely buying it after this!

[@Desaster40k]

I was looking at this game a while ago and was put off by the Field of Glory 2 argument. After watching your video I bought FoG: Empires right away, because it looks like the 'Imperator: Rome' we deserved.

[@battlemode]

You weren't the only one. This is a common complaint I've heard about the game. I can't help but feel like that integration hurt the game more than helped it. It is a really cool feature though

[@Brazouck]

@@battlemode why does it hurt the game ?

[@spqrd13]

Because of the misconception that it is necessary to buy FOG:2 in order to play or at the very least in order to get the full or best experience ​@@Brazouck

[@Frasse86]

Thanks for show-casing the game! I bought it on your recommendation and am having a blast =)

[@battlemode]

Oh great! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@巫轟]

Thank you for doing a video on this game! Looks interesting, will pick it up. Was looking for a grand strategy game that was not just map paint.

[@battlemode]

This is a really good one

[@Fobiusz]

After watching your video i have no other choice , but to buy the game! Great explanation!

[@battlemode]

Glad you found it helpful! You won't regret this purchase, it really is a great game!

[@gilmer3718]

I think that land right there that is Turkey, used to be called "Anatolia". I MAY be wrong there.

[@fiqri1999]

Looking forward to this series!

[@battlemode]

Thanks!

[@m0gdred]

Love this game but around the mid-game I find I get serious decision fatigue deciding what to build in the all the different provinces each turn as I don't want to automate them. This was a great LP though, please keep going with it.

[@battlemode]

Yes, the control the player has is a double edged sword as some may feel inclined to micromanage things and not want to have to bother. I think it really is a game for people who love fiddling with the fine details

[@aminou6578]

thanks for this presentation. I enjoy this video, there is nothing in french with this level of explication and details. i will continue this LP, i hesitate to take this game and try before buy Kingdoms.

[@battlemode]

You are very welcome!

[@aminou6578]

@@battlemode thanks!!

[@rogue7744]

One of my fav games man. It's sooo good

[@battlemode]

Yeah it's great! I wish I'd played it more first time around to be honest

[@prototype102010]

I've seen this game on the Steam page a lot but never really looked into. Saw this video pop up and for the first half I did not understand, but something clicked when you showed the province able to build wool, and I bought the game at that moment. I opened the game and have no idea what I'm doing so I'm back here lol. It's nice that there's an option to play out the battles via the other game but I can see that taking a LONG time, switching between them. If anyone has beginner tips, like things that aren't mentioned in other guides I'm all ears!

[@battlemode]

I'd take the time to read the manual, and then just jump in and play it a bit to get a feel for how it works. The most complex bits of the game are trade, resources and Decadence, but they're really not that difficult to understand if you read the manual

[@prototype102010]

@@battlemode which nation would you recommend to start with?

[@pmrpla]

This made me go back and load my Lusitanii save from 2020 and now I'll lose Iberia because I don't remember what the hell I was doing :-D

[@McLoed22]

We don’t us AD anymore? Awesome video!

[@siamihari8717]

I wonder if you could continue a save from empires to midevil, id love to do a Carthage, Dacia or Armenia GC that gets to persue its future in the middleages

[@rogergelissen6490]

It's a great game that I haven't played enough. I should return to it before Kingdoms comes out. That should give a easier transition and also make for an interesting comparison.

[@battlemode]

I think it's actually quite easy to pick up, the only complex bit is the trade system, which I demonstrated here, and Culture/Decadence Rank stuff. Everything else is relatively straight forwards, as far as I remember. There's a lot of nuance to the combat though and that does take some practice!

[@JerryNorthwayNJ]

I wish shadow empire would have some part of music from this game. Thats what shadow is missing for sure

[@battlemode]

I like the music in Shadow Empire. Unobtrusive and interesting

[@Necroundum]

Recruitment is done region based until you form the province then it is provincial. Just something you missed when talking about recruitment. I love this game a lot spent many nights playing until morning without realizing it.

[@battlemode]

Thanks for the catch there! Yeah I ended up playing this for hours the other night, I find it incredibly addictive.

[@lethrington]

Eric and I talked about this game so much before Imperator came out, and he and I both agreed that it was an amazing game. There was always that whole "Surely Imperator Rome will be even better than this!" I've had no desire to play Imperator in a long time, but Field of Glory: Empires is one I still return to. Another game we used to talk about in a similar vein was Aggressors Ancient Rome. At the time he actually heavily preferred that game, even before the developer went independent and made Imperiums: Greek Wars. Late last year I actually brought up Imperiums and hes not had much desire to go back to it... so I think in a way Field of Glory: Empires somehow won out against its competitors which is really surprising in hindsight.

[@battlemode]

I really like Imperiums, I think it's another excellent game, but quite different to this one as it has that procedurally generated 4X mode too. I didn't make this point too clearly in the video but I consider the game design in FoG: Empires to be a step above nearly anything else I've seen in the genre. It has few faults and every system the player engages with is meaningful. You cannot say that for its competitors

[@easytargetYT]

What amazing timing, it has just occurred to me this week it was time to fire this up again, only this time I'd make a point of playing some of the battles ported over to FOG2. I'm complete rubbish at FOG2 so it could well mean many of my troops who would have otherwise died by the fire in old age will instead prematurely meet their demise at the behest of an incompetent general. In which case I suppose that would make it a far more historically accurate experience!

[@battlemode]

Haha! I'm also crap at FoG2. I can usually beat the AI but other people wipe the floor with me and I found the battles exported to Empires seemed a lot more difficult too!

[@surters]

The Pontic archer is a really strong unit, giving 3 in support, as opposed to the slingers and javelings with 1 or 2 each. Having as many units as the opponent is essential as the enemy then don't get flanking bonus, the width of the front in Pontus area is mainly hills or maintain limiting the number of units effectively employed. Also the terrain bonus on the different units sometimes makes a huge difference, here it was just bad dice rolling, so roll better next time!!!! Buildings unit zero slots or can be upgraded with a zero slot building are preferred as the number of slots are limiting your builds. Getting started on culture builds is also important so you can move your culture producers to food.

[@battlemode]

I actually do that the other way around: I push population hard with farming first and then move into Culture afterwards, as I want the extra building slots and population early. But I can see cases where I'd do it the other way around (Pontus start low on that CDR table)

[@surters]

@@battlemode Did that too the first many games, but then I found that getting to the highest development level was very important, its easier to do at start.

[@KiljiArslan]

Any good mods you would suggest? I played through it about a year ago, but would like to play the game with some tweaks.

[@battlemode]

I don't play with mods I'm afraid, so can't help you there. You could try asking on the Slitherine Discord though.

[@ceauke]

Aaaand... that's a buy! Thanks for the video and your enthusiasm! Btw, I'm really into Field of Glory 2 and this is not so much to integrate the two games, as it is to learn the different civilisations etc for some background.

[@battlemode]

Great stuff! It's a great game, enjoy!

[@OrangeNash]

It is an excellent and underrated game. As a 4X-like strategy game based on the ancient world, I think it is far better than Old World (which sets itself in the same era). FoG: Empires has many original ideas, for me, it's the most genuinely innovative game in the 4X genre for a couple of decades! Very elegant design. And yet still very few play it. Would be great if the Total War series could take some inspiration from Empires elegant design.

[@battlemode]

I completely agree, I'm hoping Kingdoms is as good!

[@Adsterr]

Is this better than Field of Glory II Medieval? Also, when does FOG kingdoms set to release?

[@battlemode]

This is a grand strategy game, where FoG2: Medieval is a tactics game. As for FOG: Kingdoms, I'm afraid I don't know. Heard it was this year though.

[@brndn2208]

This is great thanks, going to go play it now. You also just got a sub.

[@battlemode]

Oh thanks! Really appreciate that, and hope you enjoy the game, it's a good one!

[@RyanDurel]

I'm confused by the comments around FoG 2 and the fact that you can export your battles to it.

[@battlemode]

Field of Glory: Empires comes with an optional feature where if you own Field of Glory 2 (a separate game that was released years before) then you can choose to play a battle in that tactical combat engine, meaning you get direct control of the units as you'd play a Field of Glory 2 game out. It is entirely optional, and I wouldn't advise it unless you're good at Field of Glory 2 and have a lot of time on your hands. The in-game combat for Empires is excellent as it is.

[@RyanDurel]

@@battlemode that's honestly kind of nuts that you can combine games like that. Are these developed by Slytherine Games?

[@michaeljand6667]

​@@RyanDurel They're both published by Slitherine but completely different developers

[@uroplatusfimbriatus2603]

Would you argue the disincentivzation of rapid imperial expansion through decadence in this game is fundamentally dissimilar to that in Total War: Attila?

[@battlemode]

I haven't played that game to be honest, so I've no idea.

[@eddieballgame]

I concur on how excellent this game is. The UI/mechanics are so well designed that it is a joy to play. The way the battles are fought are good enough & I have never felt the need to fight them out using the FoG II game...though that is a nice touch. As good as the single player experience is, I have had the most fun playing multiplayer. My only complaint is that multiplayer is ONLY through Slitherine's 'pbem++' system. It is a great system for incorporating many folks, I just wish the game allowed for a direct connect vs 1 player or even a 'hotseat' (minus internet connection) as an added option. All in all, FoGE is one of best (if not the best) grand strategy games one can purchase for a pc. imho

[@battlemode]

I had a blast with multiplayer too, funnily enough I was playing as Pontus before and had a rough start but ended up doing quite well! It's all about those pirate ships in the early game.

[@alexmusterland1960]

Yes, this is a full and great stand alone game. But there are also people who wouldn't buy the game without the FoG2 export option - myself including.

[@battlemode]

I don't really get that myself, I find both games independently are really intense and energy consuming, putting them together is not my idea of fun really.

[@-Markus-]

Im confused... Half the "Field of glory" videos I find is from some tactical battle game and half seems grand strategy game...

[@battlemode]

Field of Glory is a tactical battle game based on a boardgame. Field of Glory: Empires is a grand strategy game. Both released by Slitherine, and they link together in a neat way where the player can export a battle from Empires into FoG2 to play out, if they wish

[@zakalwe2240]

Modern Turkey was known as Anatolia during the Roman period. Mithridates of Pontus gave the romans a good run in its early years. Diadochi pronounced as in Cobra Kai.

[@battlemode]

I have a shamefully shallow understanding of this period of history (I am better educated in the mythology of the period however) so i'm always interested to hear more about it. These games often instill a fierce fascination for history in me

[@zakalwe2240]

@@battlemode ha. nothing shameful about it mate. there is only so much one can learn in a lifetime. I studied ancient history in uni many years ago and it has always fascinated me. Great explanation of the game mechanics. thanks, I look forward to seeing more.

[@battlemode]

Thanks for the kind words, and glad you're finding it helpful!

[@JerryNorthwayNJ]

Also not sure if u touched warhammer 40k gladius. It took me few hours to start loving that game

[@battlemode]

I did the reXamination for eXplorminate, and got hundreds of hours in it. Love it, was gonna do a series but I wanted to show this one off first!

[@greatsouthernancientminiat8812]

agree it's a top game. Just a pity it wasn't developed more and supported better by the developer.

[@L0G1C3OMB]

👍🏻 for the algorithm

[@chonde813]

Just in time as I purchased this one after slitherine gave away Fog2

[@battlemode]

Great choice! I only scratched the surface of the gameplay in this beast, but I hope to show it of in the next few episodes

[@1Maklak]

I'm starting to like the building juggling, but doing this to 30+ provinces per turn would be annoying.

[@battlemode]

You don't need to do that unless you really want to. The option is there but it's non-essential.

[@1Maklak]

@@battlemode Maybe you don't have to shuffle the pops to speed up building or pop growth or whatever, but you have to choose what to build every 1-10 turns in each Province, unless you can automate it.

[@richardvangelder3666]

BATTLEMODE = SPAZ MODE!

[@rogergelissen6490]

In grand strategy games like this I'm always tempted to pick a faction at the black sea and then try to conquer all lands with access to that sea. Maybe that's a bit too ambitious in this period of history though, with the diadochi around.

[@battlemode]

I usually outlast the Antigonids, but in my test game last night I attacked them too early and ended up with a big stack of Silver Shield led troops on my capital. Game over!

[@KiljiArslan]

BTW love FOG battles with this.

[@battlemode]

I like the idea of it but the reality wasn't for me. I enjoy the in-built combat system a lot more... when I wanna play FOG2, I'll play FOG2, but I find the two together too much.

[@RichardYorke1945]

Yes ...welcomed to the party

[@battlemode]

Been playing since day one mate! I just haven't touched it in a couple of years, and that's a shame because it's superb!

[@Grenbork]

The only thing, what keeps this game from being my favorite GSG ever is generals and their effect on combat. Because their attack and defence stats are independent, you get scenarios, where two 0-2 generals with even armies cant ever attack each other, because attacking side will always lose. And with two 2-0 generals and same armies attacking side will always win. Just completely stupid and takes me out of game, i wish someone would mod generals out of game or just combine attack\defence rating into single one.

[@battlemode]

What do you mean by "always win"? Do you mean that literally? If so, why is that happening? There are random rolls in combat so that shouldn't be happening.

[@Grenbork]

@@battlemode Ugh, somehow my comment didnt send. So basically, people on Slytherine forums did the math. With d10 combat roll and 0-star general average combat roll is 5.5. With 1 star its 7.2, with 2 stars its 8.0

[@BlahBlah28126]

it's realy loud

[@parkla4098]

Battles are too random to my liking. You clearly had a superior army but dice screw it. I prefer more deterministic systems.

[@battlemode]

Ah but there are so many things that can go wrong on a battlefield, a victory is never certain. I really dislike deterministic systems for many reasons but the main one being that it makes the game AI play in a predictable way.

[@chadgoose7886]

Nowhere near the best but I do like it.

[@battlemode]

I admit to putting a sensationalist title on that one, but I do rate it very highly

[@chadgoose7886]

@@battlemode haha gotta do what you gotta do, either way I’m glad you posted because it reminded me of this game and I played it for like 8 hours yesterday

[@battlemode]

So easy to lose time to. I really need to play AGEOD's other games

[@chadgoose7886]

@@battlemode same this is my first AGEOD game. I came to it out of desperation, looking for a good Ancient Rome game after imperator flopped But I’m def into it now and really looking forward to the medieval one coming soon

[@pultsari9036]

The battle system seems like horse manure, but the strategic layer shows promise. As a long time fan of Paradox grand strategy games, I didn't see how this would have more depth or be better in general than Paradox games, but at least it's different. Also, today Fanatical made me an offer I couldn't refuse and I got the whole works for about 25€, including FoG II, FoG II Medieval, FoG Empires and ALL of the DLC's to each game (I think I had two of the base games in my library already, but that would make a difference of only 4€).

[@battlemode]

The battle system in this game is very good actually, there's more to it than meets the eye.

[@pultsari9036]

@@battlemode Good to hear, and I see there is also a possibility to play the battles in FoG II

[@edmundcowan9131]

The variable buildings is dumb

[@battlemode]

Eh, I disagree but each to their own

[@jeffmarshalek8859]

Short answer is NO. Don't get me wrong - I've spent plenty of hours playing it, but as a long time gamer, it doesn't have the grand strategy 4x appeal of the Paradox games (or complexity which can be a negative or positive depending upon your taste.) It doesn't have nearly as interesting field combat as the TW games (if you purchase the separate game that ties into this for it.) I enjoy it, but always find myself going back to Europa Barbarorom 2 (Roman mod for MTW2) which I, personally, find more engaging.

[@battlemode]

Good points! I like it more than PDX's stuff as the gameplay feels more meaningful than the NumberWang system in those games, but they do have a bigger scope. I'd argue they're less tight as Empires though.