I’m predisposed to like Zatikon. It’s TBS. It focuses on tactical play. It allows army construction in similar fashion to 40K, where you purchase units pre-game rather than recruit them in-game through some resource management mechanic. It’s indie.
While I’m not a AAA-hater, I do suffer that slight bite of snobbery when it comes to their offerings. Sure, there are gems out there, but as the industry allows repetition (and how can I blame them for they are in the business of making money, not necessarily creating unique, cultural experiences) this repetition becomes my biggest complaint. I zealously promoted FPS’s ability to deliver an immediate, visceral experience when that genre was young. 10,000 titles later, my fervor has dulled and I find difficulties in giving fresh, constructive criticisms to a genre that plays like over-baked bread. Solution: I avoid them like syphilis.
Zatikon suckerpunches the weak parts of my critical mind with its design. Its rulesets are simple, yet the game yields broad tactical diversity. The goal: occupy the enemy castle, which one accomplishes either through quick, decisive maneuvering, creating a slow and strong martial arm, or any fancy thing he can fathom between the two. Units have various attributes and, of course, point costs that reflect their respective strengths. A player builds an army before battle, so there’s an out-of-game element which I’ll address below.
The game follows an IGOUGO format. During one turn, the player allocates command points toward the units and their abilities he will use. Though it begins with five, units such as generals and tacticians up the command points per turn. It’s usually good to purchase some basic command point specialist for most army conceits. I’ve had recent success using the command post, which allows me to queue unused points then evoke them later — useful when the opposing commander calls for a swift kick to his shorts.
Part of Zatikon’s design hinges on the balance between these generalized command points and the action points of each unit. Command points are broad and should be seen as ways to direct the army as a whole. Action points, on the other hand, are tied to individual units; they determine the frequency of movement, combat, or special skills (such as magic) per turn. To move my abjurer one space I spend one of my five command points, though in doing so I also spend that abjurer’s only action point, leaving him unable to cast a spell in the same turn. I may move a knight up to three linear spaces, which doesn’t take an action yet uses one of my commands. When that knight attacks, he uses one of each. Since he has two actions, I can attack twice — as long as I also have the command points to back it.
Basically, command points are the immediate limiting factor for a player’s tactical choice. Most army conceits won’t allow the player to command each unit each turn. Much like chess, you need to understand the opposing player’s capacity for the following turn. Do I send my 550-point dragon into the fray? When the enemy fields a golem or a mourner, who both kill with one touch, how do I position my ballista without exposing it to enemy cav? If I see an enemy priest, who converts units to his side and sports a hearty three actions per turn, do I first attack him or the supporting shield maiden and acolyte flanking his sides? Contextual menus pop over friendly and enemy units, denoting all stats, even current health. This helps but doesn’t slow the pace. Zatikon enforces a timer to ensure that games proceed at a steady rate. As a side effect the timer heightens tension by creating an immediacy for quick, decisive action.
But Zatikon shines with its army design mechanic. Armies are allowed 1,000 points to spend as needed. (For clarity, let’s call them construction points.) The limiting factor here is unit rarity. Players recruit units from their unit reservoir, which is constituted by gold won in PvP, coop, and PvC games. Rare units pop less in Zatikon’s random purchase mechanic. A recent update allows a player to buy any unit at a high gold premium, as long as he has the expansion pack to support.
Constructing armies in Zatikon gives way to much hem and haw. Do I spend 150 for an assassin? I like mobility, but is the knight worth 1/5 of my total construction points? This is why I like Zatikon. There’s an element of play even away from my Mac. Actual games involve strategy but also serve as proofs of concept. I’ve a spreadsheet listing stats for each unit as well as special ability descriptions. Got ten on the commode? That’s a good time to weigh the pikeman’s defensive stance against a rogue’s ability to stun.
As example, my first army conceit paired an abjurer, who can return units to its commander’s hand, with a sergeant. Since the sergeant may rally another unit (which is basically towing a nearby organic unit one space), I can tow the abjurer then fire that abjurer’s special skill in the same round because I never spent the abjurer’s action. My philosophy involved wasting enemy command points by having him redeploy strong units over and over. Command points here meant less to organize and forward his troops. It worked well for the elementary AI and a few novice humans. Though my strategy soon proved insufficient when I faced armies strong in numbers rather than unit capacity. (Incidentally, the sergeant has been recently balanced. He lost his tow ability but gained a skill allowing a single friendly unit an attack with no action point cost.)
 army conceit.jpg "My (now defunct) army conceit.jpg")
I’ve discussed the items important to me, though for sake of completion I feel need to mention more. The game comes in three modes: a free base module and two pay-for expansions. There’s also a 2 v 2 mode between four human players. This allows an additional plane to army construction and tactics. Playing alongside a guy who used a necromancer-diabolist combination (the necro generated fodder-type troops who, upon death, fed their souls to the diabolist), I went heavy tacticians, generals, and barracks. With the death of my low-level barrack troops, I supplemented my partner’s diabolist spirit pool. The diabolist, in return, deployed many ghosts and exploded enemy units within her attack range. Victory? No. But overall, fun stuff.
Isaac Babel wrote, “No iron spike can pierce a human heart as icily as a period in the right place.” True words for literature. For me, no game rings of success more than an honest, fresh experience that lingers in my mind and gently calls for my return.
This game is really very nice. They changed the sergeant to balance the game againt the overrange. Also, i think you wrote it wrong, about the new sergeant ability. Now it can make one unit act without costing action points.
Good review, congratz
Kran
Ops again… Without cost command posts
Very true. The sergeant allows a single ally to act at no cost, although I find his use with the hydra a little excessive. (That’s how I’m beating up the AI.)
Also, I failed to mention that this game requires connection to Zatikon servers — even for single player. While that’s no problem for me, others may find it startling.
The developer does a great job in supporting this game. Since I’ve started playing (sometime around the chieftain’s introduction, or for the uninitiated: 19 April 09) he has updated the game six times to balance units, fix bugs, and introduce new agents.
I loved playing the beta, but quit because I I disliked:
- Playing vs. the AI with the class that returns units to their castle (those units never get re-summoned by the AI).
- 1 command point summon-spam with any summoning unit, plus turning them into succubus was a bit overpowered.
I stopped playing due to time. It’s wildly attractive and it seems well-balanced (particularly considering the volume of units and unit abilities). The Zatikon forums are pretty darned active, and the player community appears quite vocal in terms of play-balancing the new additions.
If I remember correctly, the AI has an infinite number of units, so using the abjurer to un-summon one of his men simply gives the effect of pushing back the tide. (Don’t misinterpret me because it can be effective, especially against high-cost enemies.) Yes, the AI may not respawn the same unit I bounce, but that bears little weight to my strategy since his numbers generally outweigh my concern over his unit type.
I don’t understand your second point. Maybe that’s something new I’ve yet to see.
Anyway, Zatikon is best played with another human (be it through versus or co-op). I’ve seen several army conceits that entertained me solely through their creative thought.
Can you please forward me the contact info for your PR and/or Marketing Coordinator? We’d like to invite your company to a Golden Globes and an Oscar event.
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