[h1]“Soldiers! I have summoned you together for the last time.”
~[i]John S. Mosby[/i][/h1]
So, history, huh? A lot of history right here. And not only because it's a game about [b]John S. Mosby[/b], also known as [b]Grey Ghost[/b]. Even though yes, as a huge [b]American Civil War[/b] geek, I must say, it's a pretty interesting thing to see. I mean, let's just admit it - Confederate army gets a lot of hate nowadays. And it's not like I can't see why. With all that racist bull going on around us (even [b]Black Panther[/b] director [b]Ryan Coogler[/b] got detained by police just because he's black), it's hard not to see those monuments and flags as sum of all evil. But at the same exact time... we should not forget that those are also an important reminder. It's really important to see history for what it really is – a history. In a way, it's like looking at your personal past. Not only it made you who you are right now, it's also important to embrace it and learn from it. Just because it's the only way to become a better person and achieve something great in the future. So, personally, I was always very interested in this part of history. It was sure bright and obviously, it was [i]extremely[/i] important for us all. And, of course, when you're interested in something, having a computer game about that? It's always cool. So yeah, here it is. A computer game fully dedicated to [b]John S. Mosby[/b], Virginia Cavalry commander.
And you know what? I [i]loved[/i] the idea. Not only because of what I've said above, but also because of how it was about Mosby's Rangers. Those were a partisan unit, which was known for its lightning-quick raids. They used to strike fast and then disappear without a trace, blending in with local townsmen, leaving Federal Army wondering what did just happen. Those were like ghosts. Hence [b]Mr. Mosby[/b]'s nickname. And as for the name of this game, [b]Mosby's Confederacy[/b] was a name given to a part of Virginia, in which Mosby's Rangers used to operate. In other words, long intro aside, it's a historical strategy about Confederate Army's partisans. And when it's about something like that? There's just so-o-o much potential. Which brings us to another part of history. Most recent one.
I'm talking, of course, about [b]Tilted Mill Entertainment[/b]. Like [b]Petroglyph Games[/b], which was founded by ex-[b]Westwood[/b] employees, [b]Tilted Mill[/b] was used to be [i]huge[/i] in their previous life, when they were known as [b]Impressions Games[/b], creators of legendary [b]Caesar[/b] series and its spin-offs. Unfortunately to us all, the same old thing happened to them. They were bought by a big publisher who tried to do things their way, which eventually led to them being closed down (pretty fast in this exact case). After that, they tried to get back to business and even ended up working on [b]Caesar[/b] series again, but... let's just say that their former glory was no more. Their first game, [b]Children of the Nile[/b], while being pretty much [b]Pharaoh[/b] in [b]3D[/b], [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/letande/recommended/17100]was rough, clunky and didn't feel anything like the original[/url]. [b]Caesar IV[/b], which used the same exact approach (remember what [b]Impressions[/b] did in their games during [b]Caesar III[/b] times, that's what they tried to do again in [b]Caesar IV[/b]), didn't do much better. And after not being able to do better even in [b]EA[/b]'s [b]SimCity Societies[/b]? It looks like nobody was interested in working with them anymore. So, what did they do? They went indie. Doesn't sound bad, but... let's just say [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/letande/recommended/17140/]it didn't go well either[/url]. Their [b]Hinterland[/b] ended up being way too ugly, way too limited and too poorly made to be considered as a real deal even by indie audience. Now what do we have here? Well, aside from browser-based [b]Pharaoh[/b]-like game (because yes, they were [i]that[/i] desperate) and a final attempt to return to good ol' [b]Caesar[/b], which ended up in development hell, [b]Mosby's Confederacy[/b] is their final game. And... it's not hard to see why.
See, technically, it's very similar to [b]Hinterland[/b]. For example, it's made with [b]GarageGames[/b]'s [b]Torque Game Engine[/b]. Which isn't a bad thing per se (I mean, it's an engine from [b]Tribes 2[/b] game), but... we've all seen what [b]Tilted Mill[/b] did with it in [b]Hinterland[/b]. Let's just say (oops) they did it again. Heck, [b]Mosby's Confederacy[/b] looks like it's using the same exact assets and even menus look the same. Which is far from being a good thing, of course. Gameplay-wise, though? It's pretty different. While [b]Hinterland[/b] was more like [b]Soldak Entertainment[/b]'s [b]Depths of Peril[/b], [b]Mosby's Confederacy[/b] is more like [b]Total War[/b]. If we can compare those, since the scale here is much smaller. Which makes sense, of course, keeping all the historical background in mind.
Naturally, in this game we're partisans. Like in [b]Hinterland[/b], there are three resources here, one of each is reputation. And, of course, you use it to raise people's support in towns. And it's a very important thing, since you recruit soldiers in those towns and the support determines how far away those soldiers will be able to move. In other words, if you have strong soldiers in one city, but the mission you want to use them in is too far away? As long as your support rate is too low, you won't be able to use them. There's more. You'll be able to use reputation to build hospitals to heal your soldiers (those will level up, so, it's very important to keep them alive), you'll be able to drill soldiers for better morale, you'll be able to upgrade their weaponry and, of course, you'll be able to build bigger munition caches and stables.
And that's our other resources – munition and horses. Don't forget, guys, Mosby's Rangers were cavalry unit. So, having horses [i]is[/i] important. But you can't just buy them. Instead, you'll need to take them from Union Army. And that's where strategy map ends and tactical battles begin. Like I said, this game feels a lot like “[b]Total War[/b] lite”. The actual missions are done in a real-time manner. You select a certain amount of units to take with you and you make a swift move against Federals. Missions can vary from capturing certain things or buildings to killing a certain amount of enemies, while [b]John S. Mosby[/b] himself acts as a commander, which gets the new skills with every level and provide bonuses to his troops. All in all, though, missions here are very, [i]very[/i] basic, so, don't expect much. Maps are too small and feel pretty much the same, there's not enough variety, while the game is also way too slow. Seriously, [b]Mosby's Confederacy[/b] is one of those games that I just can't play without speed hacks. It's just way, [i]way[/i] too slow for me to tolerate.
And that's the biggest problem with this game. I mean, main concept? Loved it. Even though this game doesn't try much to re-create real historical events, it still captures the original historical idea. It [i]is[/i] a game about [b]Mr. Mosby[/b] and his rangers. The problem is – it's just... way too poor. Yet again, [b]Tilted Mill[/b] proved that browser strategy is the best thing they can do with what they have. On paper, [b]Mosby's Confederacy[/b] had everything to become a good game. Right motif, right concept, right approach... But when you actually play it? Having only three resources and playing slow, limited and repetitive missions on maps that all feel the same? It just... isn't good enough. Maybe not as bad as what we had in [b]Hinterland[/b], but still, very bad. And that's probably why [b]Medieval Mayor[/b] game, in which [b]Tilted Mill[/b] decided to re-discover [b]2D Caesar[/b], is still on hiatus. The guys have all sorts of the right ideas. They just don't have what it takes to turn them into reality. Dixi.
