And once you've damaged an enemy enough, you might even be rewarded by seeing their masts topple over into the drink. Little holes appear in hulls and sails alike. And the visual damage modeling is superb. And the little guys running around on the decks are a big plus. Even though the game doesn't allow for the extreme close ups or low angle shots, you can still get close enough to see the planks in the deck and the seams in the sails.
#Age of sail 2 windows#
The windows also tend to obscure the fantastic graphics in the game. Sadly the crew management and fleet formation screens fill up the entire game window, so you'll be unable to stay focused on the action while adjusting your crew or formation orders. Other than that, it's remarkably easy to set sail states, gunnery priorities and all the other piddley crap that you have deal with as captain. It's a small thing, but it makes it a little more frustrating each time you have to do it. To activate these commands you've got to hit ESC and select pause or the new speed from a drop down menu. The only thing that's really missing here are hotkeys for pausing and adjusting the game speed. Luckily a system of hotkeys keeps the interface as unobtrusive as possible. There are several collapsible, moveable windows so you can pretty much set up the interface the way you'd like it. I don't love the interface necessarily and there are still some important things that it's missing, but overall I'm quite pleased with it. Heck, I'm probably the only person here who wants to review Silent Hunter 2 or Europa Universalis.īut Age of Sail II relies on a much more straightforward interface than the earlier game. I mean, I don't mind games that require a little thought and study. And maybe that's why I thought it was more fun. Not that the game has been dumbed down at all, but it's much more approachable.
![age of sail 2 age of sail 2](http://www.totemtribe.com/static/img/news-cover/ships-renaissance/big.jpg)
But the good thing is that Age of Sail II is more fun and less studious than its predecessor. My overall impression of Age of Sail II is much like my impression of the original game - it's fun and a little obtuse.
![age of sail 2 age of sail 2](https://oldpcgaming.net/wp-content/gallery/age-of-sail-2/7_1.jpg)
So, maybe it's about time I got to my opinion of the game (we include those first two paragraphs of exposition to weed out the weak-minded). And when I say "ask an old salt" I don't mean to find some salt and ask it.
![age of sail 2 age of sail 2](https://gamestracker.org/_ld/204/90848833.jpg)
Okay that might not mean much to most of you, but ask an old salt and they'll be impressed. There are also six campaigns that offer maybe another 60 or 70 scenarios, ranging from the Battle of the Nile to the Battle off Flamborough Head. David Farragut and Horatio Nelson wannabes can command dozens of ships in literally hundreds of individual historical engagements. All of the action is run through a fantastic 3D engine, developed by Akella (also the makers of the much more pirate focused Sea Dogs). Covering the period from the Seven Year's War through the Napoleonic Wars, it allows gamers to refight the classic naval engagements of the period, including those of the American War for Independence and the War of 1812. Leave it TalonSoft to bring the focus back to a more military context.Īge of Sail II is a tactical naval war game set in the, well, the Age of Sail. It's been thrown over a bit in favor of its predecessor, the Age of Piracy.
![age of sail 2 age of sail 2](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ae7faafe74940ea6cfdc578/1617890489367-J825MBYA8DWHRE5BQ2ZB/ultimateadmiral_preview1.jpg)
The Age of Fighting Sail is, like the American Old West, one of the most romanticized periods in our history. But there are a lot of us out there that get all goosey over the prospect of fitting out an 80-ton converted India Merchantman and plundering shipping along the English coast. The point is that the creak of timber, the smell of tar and the snapping of canvas elicit yawns from many gamers. I suppose some of you might classify yourself as indifferent but, in my opinion, that's just your excuse for not getting involved in the debate. This is one of those things that you either love or hate.