Commands & Colors: Ancients
- September 12, 2018
- HexWar Games
- 23h median play time
Get on SteamCommands & Colors: Ancients is a turn-based strategy game simulating ancient battles. Players command troops divided into three sections, using orders and tactics to outmaneuver and outfight opponents. With historical scenarios and multiple armies, it offers a challenging and engaging experience for fans of ancient warfare.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Interesting mechanics that model the unknowns of ancient army combat while allowing for strategic decision-making.
- Captures the flavor of ancient warfare and can provide enjoyable gameplay despite its flaws.
- Some players find it fun and addictive, especially for solo play, and appreciate the effort to adapt the board game.
- The game is riddled with bugs, leading to unplayable experiences and frustration, especially with AI behavior and rule implementations.
- Lacks essential features like multiplayer support and a proper tutorial, making it difficult for new players to understand the game.
- The interface is clunky and slow, with significant usability issues that detract from the overall experience.
- stability20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and stability issues, with many users reporting frequent freezes, glitches, and a lack of an intuitive interface. While some players find enjoyment despite these problems, the overall consensus is that the game is too unstable to recommend, often likening it to abandonware.
“The game has been released in a very buggy state.”
“Game is too buggy to recommend.”
“Too buggy to recommend a purchase until they iron out these problems.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally considered basic and lack detail, often described as childish, especially on larger monitors. Users noted that the graphics quality settings do not significantly improve the visuals, with many feeling that the default low setting does not meet the expectations for a wargame released in 2018. While some appreciate the concept and the wooden block aesthetic, the overall graphical presentation has been criticized for being underwhelming and lacking polish.
“The game has a graphics quality setting, going from low to ultra.”
“In terms of concept and graphics, I like this game.”
“Graphics are below even the threshold of what is expected of a wargame in 2018.”
“As a result, the graphics lack detail and look rather childish.”
“The game defaults to the lowest setting, and at first, I thought I had found the reason for the mediocre graphics, but changing to ultra resulted in hardly any discernible difference - in summary, the graphics quality setting doesn't appear to do very much at all.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay features intriguing mechanics that effectively simulate the uncertainties of ancient army combat while allowing players to make strategic decisions about their forces. However, some users find the unit movement, particularly for leaders, to be somewhat clunky, and suggest that a block-based setup would enhance clarity regarding unit strength. Overall, despite minor frustrations, the gameplay is considered engaging and worthwhile.
“Interesting mechanics that model the unknowns of ancient army combat while still providing the opportunity to make decisions on how to use your army.”
“The sound is sort of blah; I wish the units could be set up as blocks to match the game. Moving a leader can be a little wonky until you get used to it, but it's still well worth it in my opinion for the gameplay.”
“The sound is sort of blah; I wish the units could be set up as blocks to match the game. Moving a leader can be a little wonky until you get used to it.”
“From a gameplay perspective, I (and I think most) would find it easier to tell at a glance a unit's remaining strength with blocks than have to deduce it from the type of unit and the number of figures left.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users suggest that the game's replayability could significantly improve with future updates, indicating that current limitations hinder its long-term engagement.
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant usability issues, including slow performance and graphical user interface (GUI) problems, such as poor color differentiation for unit types and difficulty in tracking unit status.
“Finally, as others have pointed out, there are significant usability problems with the game, from slow performance to GUI issues (inadequate use of color to distinguish unit types; difficulty of seeing the number of blocks remaining on a unit; etc).”
