So, I really wanted to like it. All the good reviews, it's like all the games you like, etc. But that all came crashing down when I actually played it. It is not intuitive, the help system is unhelpful. It's based off of icons that don't tell you anything, don't have labels, and when they do, it's only because you built the entire building, waiting for a LOOONG time, only to find out that it's not the building you need right now. And the Random placement is anything but random when both you and the enemy keeps being put in exactly the same spot. And that's fine. That's all part of playing old school games. Even reading the manual repeatedly doesn't help you figure it out enough, because then we get to the heart of the matter: Military control sucks out loud. And losing a single military building can destroy your entire road network, economy, mines, everything. The only way to train high level soldiers is to have them hang out in your military buildings and eat gold coins ( which are a pain to craft, but whatever.) But then when you are being attacked, or have to go attack that new enemy building that is destroying your roads, farms, resources, etc., you don't get to pick where they come from. Examples: The fortress nearby is FULL of maxed out soldiers, but let's fill the one under attack with 2 fresh recruits, in spite of the military settings panel. You just attacked to extend your borders. Even though you have plenty of recruits and swords and shields, let's not replenish your soldiers in your military buildings. Anyway. I've put about 10 hours into various attempts at getting past the beginning stages, and I'm uninstalling now. It's playable, but the lack of control and ability to do anything does not result in a decent game.
