This mission sees the protagonist Nathaniel Black fighting to head off a British advance. Black and his forces have discovered the supply lines and soldiers of General Burgoyne as they march to Albany. So they attack and force Burgoyne into a showdown.
Gameplay Concept Race to fortify Saratoga.
This mission took place between two famous events – Washington crossing the Delaware and the winter at Valley Forge. Battles and skirmishes fought in and around Saratoga formed the inspiration for this mission and were amongst some of the most decisive battles of the Revolutionary War.
Destroying 3 Forts seemed old hat... Building 3 Forts was just a matter of time... Racing to build 3 Forts turned out to be the right balance here. The enemy gets the wagons that construct their Forts on a timed interval. The Player is responsible for training his own Fort wagons. Fort wagons are costly, so the decision to build an army (to defend his town or attack enemy Forts as they go up) or build Fort wagons isn't an easy one.
Add your nemesis, the Hessian General Kuechler, to the mix and the game is on. General Kuechler can be temporarily thwarted if you destroy the Bridge of Boats that he plans to use to rendezvous with Burgoyne.
Gameplay Implementation Using a proprietary editor, I scripted all objectives and events.
At first the AI was allowed to build its Forts at will, wherever it liked. Notifications told you what the British were up to, but you had no idea where the Fort might be. It was too frustrating to stab around in the darkness of the map to ferret out the enemy fort.
In the next (and largely final) revision the British built their Forts in specified locations with Fort wagons the recieved on regular intervals. When the Fort foundation was placed, the site was revealed the Player and flared on the mini-map.
The British build their first Fort right up in your face. It's intended to draw you off-sides, but is also the easiest for to attack and destroy because of its proximity to your base.
My favorite part of the script is the bit that handles the Optional Objective to destroy the Bridge of Boats. It's a multi-part cascade that, without the use of variables - there weren't any in the Age III editor - detects a variety of conditions to produce the right reinforcements at the right location, based on difficulty.
Map Layout & Beautification
The map layout is partially inspired by a historical map of the battle grounds that I found in my research.
And More
I wrote all the dialogue and objective text and scripted the introductory cutscene.
With the Campaign Lead, I was responsible for gathering, discussing and responding to feedback as it became playable.
Trivia
The historical map that inspired the basic layout of the map also inspired the optional objective to destroy the Bridge of Boats. There was a small notation on the map about such a bridge.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn(Mission 15 of 15)
Chayton Black, the hero of this chapter of the campaign, has reached a turning point. He has lead his life on the fringes of two peoples and, now, has finally decided to which he truly belongs.
Gameplay Concept Custer's Last Stand from the point-of-view of the Sioux.
Custer's miscalculations and lack of information led to a decisive Native American victory at what they termed "The Battle of the Greasy Grass."
The Player's first task is to assemble a War Council from the nearby Chieftains (whose names are drawn from the some of the Sioux Chieftains present at the battle).
Custer is off-map on his way to the central canyon, the Medicine Tail Coulee. The canyon is lined on either side with buildings that will reinforce Custer as he rides down the canyon. Any of these buildings you destroy will make the Custer's final army weaker.
Gameplay Implementation Using a proprietary editor, I scripted all objectives and events. The enemy AIs are largely skirmish AIs tweaked for inclusion in a campaign mission.
My favorite piece of the script is at the end when Custer has finally reached the end of the Medicine Tail Coulee; Crazy Horse arrives with a war cry, his Dog Soldiers spawn in and ring nearly the whole map in a whirlwind of Sioux fury. They are scripted to charge in and attack the Town Centers of Reno and Benteen, but can be commanded by the Player. Custer never even saw it coming.
Map Layout & Beautification
The map layout, like Saratoga, is heavily informed by the actual layout of the historical battle field with some concessions to scale and engine limitations.
And More
I wrote all the dialogue and objective text and scripted the introductory cutscene.
With the Campaign Lead, I was responsible for gathering, discussing and responding to feedback as it became playable.
Trivia
The bugling used to announce attacks, retreats and Custer's arrival are authentic bugling commands and tunes. The bugling that announces Custer's arrival on the map is "Garyowen." It was a favorite tune of Custer's and the 7th Cavalry adopted it as their regimental song soon after Custer took command.
