Blocks!: Hammer of the Scots Reviews

Fun, but as everyone points out, the AI needs some work. The Scottish faction is the only one that's remotely challenging. I played England for the first time and won within two campaigns (about 15 minutes). The biggest problem with the Ai is that it retreats even when there are no open area's to retreat to, which results in the player gaining control over those blocks. Obviously a player in that situation would fight to the death since they have nothing to loose. Fun, but not very challenging. If your a nerd for Scottish history or a fan of these sort of block war-games, I'd recommend it, but expect the Ai to be a bit of a pushover. Hopefully the devs will get it together and fix the Ai, but Im not too hopefull considering how long its been in Early Access.

ENGLISH The original board game was also very fun, but it took time for more than 2 hours because it took time to set, roll the dice, and judge the battle. The digital version handles this process automatically so you can enjoy the game very quickly and easily. Still, the depth of the strategy remains the same. This is an asymmetric strategy game that utilizes both themes and game characteristics. KOREA 원본 보드게임도 무척 재미있었지만 세팅이나 주사위 굴림, 전투 판정등에 시간이 걸려서 2시간 이상 시간이 걸리곤 했다. 디지털 버전은 이러한 과정을 자동으로 처리해 줘서 무척 빠르고 간편하게 게임을 즐길수 있다. 그러면서도 전략의 깊이는 그대로이다. 비대칭 전략 게임중에서 테마와 게임성 모두를 살린 수작.

Pros: The game is great. the implementation is great. Cons: The AI is terrible! (I Won the game on the first year, playing England). its not easy to find someone to play with in the multiplayer lobby. Verdict: Only buy this game if you have someone to play with or if you the biggest fan of the game.

This is an ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUSLY Rendered implementations of one of my favorite boardgames. Haven't played it online with another human, but the AI is simply not worth playing. To call it "inept" is. . . understated. There are "hooks" for an "aggressive/balanced/defensive" AI, but I couldn't tell - it's simply Artificial Random moving blocks, retreating when there is no place to go, or not sticking around just to get a chance to dampen Wallace. Normally, that isn't bad - AI is hard. But in this case, there are a few very difficult concepts to get around your head, and the AI doesn't play you well enough to teach you. Also, it appears they've changed some rules from the boardgame that are. . ..interesting, But there are glitches and issues (like, Norse block retreats - says you can go anywhere coastal friendly - but you can't in the game. . .) and sometimes levies don't work (at all) and. . .sometimes the computer goes for a round "6" of play (there are only 5 - and so it hangs. .. ) . Co'mon developer! Finish it! I didn't get dressed up for NOTHIN'!

It seems that the main coder does not work on this project anymore, which leads me to believe that the game will never leave early access. Which is really too bad, because with an improved AI and some rules fixes this would have been a great implementation of the board game.

Bad. Just avoid all of the blocks titles. Doesn't even do the basic job of translating the board game into a video game. Basic rules errors, crashes, poor UI, no support. None of the omitted rules are beyond simple game logic to include. Will avoid all other Blocks games while the license remains with this company (which is a shame because I love the analog blocks games from Columbia, but they picked a really bad partner on this one).

can't recommend this until extra work is done to bring it up to the same standard as the board game. You know you're in trouble when the developer posts in the discussion forum that he can't fit in all the rules.

Im a big fan of these tabletop games and was very pleased to see my 2 favorites come to steam, Hammer and Julius Caesar. I've bought them both. Unfortunately, both are broken. In Hammer's case, not only is it extremely easy against the weak AI, but battles begin in areas where there is no enemy, only my own troops. It forces me to battle against....well nobody...but it also forces me to "fire" against my own guys with....nobody....and after the third round forced me to retreat out of an area I already controlled. Buggy....just like Julius Caesar. There is also times i feel like the rules aren't quite right....and i've played the physical game Hammer hundreds of times. There is times (not all the time) that I should be able to retreat into areas and it just doesn't let me. All in all...great to see this available on Steam, but really buggy and the AI needs a major overhaul.

Per one (1) Early Access playthrough: Overall: Recommended for fans of turn-based gaming and board games. Has a reasonable length, lots of replayability, and is simple to learn yet offers a lot of decisive tactics and depth. Played "Braveheart" scenario as English, and was able to win despite early setbacks. AI: Competent, but tends to play somewhat safe. Will try other playstyles (played on "balanced"). Overall, made sound decisions based on cards and board state. UI: Clear, intuitive, and captures feel of playing a board game. No major issues here. Audio/Vis: Does the job, with no issues. Has good options, in case you have issues with either. Liked the use of the actual board game assets for cards, blocks, and board/table. Gameplay: Rules need some polish as of early access, but should be easy fixes and there were no game-breakers. Look forward to playing some more, and will update as I go!

Real shame as the base is there, and the board game is really great. Had hoped it would have improved AI, as their last two games had very poor AI. I got these to play single player when unable to find someone to play the board game. Unfortunately the devs have not been very good at all. They have not improved the AI, and have left this game, alongside Caesar and Richard, buggy. I rarely leave negative reviews, but I recommend staying away from all the Blocks titles. if anything changes I will update, but I doubt it will.