Autoloo

AUTOLOO is a free download auto-battler strategy game centred around the famous 1815 battle of Waterloo. Playing as either the British or French, the objective is to select various soldiers from a randomized pool of troops and let them fight over a series of rounds. Beating the enemy in 10 rounds wins us the battle, yet losing 3 hands the victory to our PC opponent. Before each attack we are given 3 reinforcement troop types - either Infantry, Cavalry or Artillery - to place upon 5 positional markers. This corresponds to which will enter the fray first. Combining identical troops at the same marker will permanently improve the strength and firepower of that unit to make them better fighters but each has a maximum level. Unused reinforcements are discarded and replaced by a fresh batch of random units next time. Although there is an option to "hold" reinforcements in place this is largely redundant unless we wish to replace a troop type, although the new soldiers are likely to be much weaker anyway than those they are removing. Once we are happy with our unit dispositions we send the army off to battle. Here we see the opposing army for the first time as, in order, the units fight their adjacent opposing counterparts until one army is utterly destroyed. Battles are quick, sometimes taking mere moments depending upon the army strengths, and troops simply knock chunks off each other in accordance with their life and firepower ratings. This is simple stuff. However, the battles are in reality much more complex affairs! Infantry facing Cavalry may have time to form square formation for a defence bonus while Cavalry defeating opponents gain a +1 bonus to their stats to reflect their charge impact. Artillery automatically shoots at the nearest enemy unit to deplete its strength - French guns have a range of 5 and the British only 3 - and as such, like at Valmy, cannonades can win battles! In addition, Line Infantry often spawns Skirmishers once destroyed which although weak, are immune to Artillery fire and may help shift the outcome of the contest. The main strategy lies in selecting the correct troops. Cavalry units have the chance of revealing some of the enemy dispositions before battle begins, allowing us to formulate a strategy accordingly, while British Highlanders give a +1 bonus to all Allied Infantry on their first ever placement. hence it is always a good idea to place the Scots onto the board last! Quite bizarrely, our troops do not lose any strength even when defeated in combat and at the next round are exactly as they were before with all stats intact, ensuring in later turns that the reinforcements are not necessary in the slightest. This is something I would like to see changed. Even a little loss would add to the strategic feel of the game no end. Several troops types are represented in the game. Light and Line Infantry, Artillery, plus Scots Greys Cavalry and Nassau Infantry for the Allies and Cuirassiers and Hussars for the French. Despite the graphcal differences, though, the individual troop types fight in exactly the same way. Sadly there is no representation of the Prussian forces in the battle nor the French Imperial Guard. The game graphics are good with nicely drawn soldiers and fast, if simple, animations during combat. Sound includes samples of marching boots and gunfire as well as military marches on some screens. Commands are shouted out in their native tongues throughout, which proved a nice atmospheric addition! AUTOLOO may be relatively simple with a hidden strategic basis but I would like to see many additions in future updates or perhaps even a sequel game. How about more unit positions - say, 3 rows with the possibility of unopposed troops adding a flanking attack bonus to their comrades in adjacent lanes? A greater wealth of units would be nice as well with the addition of Lancers, KGL and Guard troops to help add variety. There could even be random Prussian units joining the Allied side for a single attack at certain intervals to highlight their major contribution to the battle. Ideally I would like to see some form of campaign mode, too, where troops are carried over and gain a proper experience rating. Sadly AUTOLOO has no Achievements or Trading Cards to collect. Despite being extremely repetitive and at times very easy to win (depending upon the random troop types we are dealt), sometimes the enemy will display unbeatable units - I saw a 25/25 Cuirassier and 14/13 Highlander while playing, both of which quickly decimated my whole army - it is fairly addictive with a strong "one more go" element. After a couple of hours I seem to have seen all there is but shall occasionally load up the game and remain hopeful for either that sequel or future updates no-matter how unlikely this may be!

shallow copy of superautopets. Dev commenting on my profile to change review is also funny.