User Reviews (11 - 21 of 33)

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Don't buy it !!! Too Many Bugs !!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: April 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I tried this on two computers, and could not get it to work. I am sure it could be wonderful, but I will never know. My computers have never had a serious problem with any games before. Both computers meet the requirements. Yet everytime I started a battle or campaign they locked up in seconds. I tried reducing the graphics with no luck. Good luck to you if you buy it.

I took a chance & it paid off

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 10, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I took a chance buying this game, I never played the first Age of Sail so i had no idea what this game would be like, Turns out i love this game, I love the graphic detail of the ships & I love the historic accuracy of the game (which is very important to me with games like this), Just wish the instructions were a little more detailed.

Cool concept, lousy execution

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If fast action is your taste, look elsewhere. If historical gameplay is to your liking, this title works. However, the nut and bolts of the game are poorly implemented. The game plays like an early beta release, all of the patches help but it is still a buggy game, bottom line. Such a shame, as the graphic engine does an admirable job of rendering the ships and their surroundings. Hope the follow up game I've been reading about is tested and proven more thoroughly when it is released than this one was.

I like this game....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 31, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is actuall a pretty decent game. It has bugs, but the idea and the execution are almost perefect for the type of warfare depicted.

Graphics a reasonable, the interface is a little hard to figure out at first. They definitly need a few more patches to be released quickly. I understand that it plays well as a multi player game, but have been unable to find locate anyone else that is playing. There are several groups on the web, but they have not been responding to my messages.

If you have not sailed before, this game may be a little difficult at first. I also read a lot of books on the subject so that I am familiar with most of the strategies that were actually used in this period.

The scenarios are long. Thank goodness there is a game speed adjustment. It looks like you can go all the way up to 16X speed. Naval warfare of this period was usually long and drawn out. A very long period in which someone is being chased, followed by a quick clash of arms, then another chase as the defeated ships flee the scen and the victorious ships captures the damaged enemy...

The AI is not too bright. But, if you give him the advantage in ships, wind and weather, you have a pretty decent player upon which to practice your ship handling skills as well as fleet meneuvers. By the way, different ships move at different speeds depending on size and weight. You have to constantly watch spacing between ships so that you don't ram while doing meneuvers.

If they ever get this game fixed (probably in AoS 4) it will be a great game. I wish that Microsoft would host it on the Zone. That would be a big push to get it played by more people.

EXTRA! TITANIC DISASTER EXTRA!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: April 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Whenever possible, I always try a demo of the game in question. A veteran gamer, I like all sorts of games. I'd heard of the game Sea Dogs, but they didn't have any demos, just movies. So I heard about this Age of Sail game and it LOOKED good. But in the morning after my download, well, the rest as they say, is history. First and foremost, there was no help or even a readme file. I know that the full game will have help and documentation, but the fact of the matter is this: a really well-made game shouldn't be so hard that you HAVE to have a help file, etc. On the game screen, the icons were really small, but even worse, you couln't tell what each picture was trying to portray. Is that a picture of a cannon or a crossbow? What's up with the 4 arrows--shooting direction, or ship direction? When you click on something, it's not like you got any positive feedback. In most games, if you press up, you go forward--simple as that. Not so here. Guns fire for seemingly no apparent reason, ships sail around aimlessly. There are also clipping problems. Ships don't collide, they go THROUGH each other. It's probably fixed in the full game, though--or is it? I'll give them 1 star for the graphics--the ships were really detailed (no sailors on deck, though)as were the islands. The ocean needed lots of improvement, though. Just a blue field that barely moves. Also, I like how you can see the ships sink--they don't just disappear. This is a game for the patient. As for action, the battles aren't all that colorful and exciting--puffs of white smoke. If you want a fast-paced, hard, action-packed sailing game, try Shipwreckers! (PC and Playstation). If you like more strategy in your game, try Sea Dogs--even though I haven't played it, the movie demo of it looked pretty good. Bottom line: Spend your money somewhere else--you deserve better.

I like winning, but only if it's a challenge.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Ever since reading the Hornblower series as a kid, I have searched for a game that would allow me to reenact the excitement of naval battles in the big wooden sailing ships. This game does allow me to do that, but only to a very limited extent. The game's AI is pathetic. Enemy ships consistently run aground. Enemy captains always try to run from battle. Ship-to-ship action turns into a 2-D dogfight, with the enemy ship trying to turn away from you, consistently presenting you her stern to rake with repeated broadsides. Actually paying attention to sailing your vessel is not even a concern. Ships never fail to tack (i.e., a ship will never hang in the stays, even if its lost a mast). There doesn't appear to be any accounting for which vessel is more weatherly. This game is no challenge at all. Part of the allure of the naval battles of this time period is the skill required to successfully lead one of these highly unmaneuverable ships into battle and to victory, this game completely fails to bring the user that experience.

Not to be confused with the original

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game (Privateers Bounty) should not be confused with the original Age of Sail or Age of Sail II. Talonsoft produced the originals which were widely lambasted by the gaming community, quite rightly so, as prone to crippling and damaging system crashes. Global Star has now taken over the game and have produced Privateers Bounty. Along the way they have made changes some good some bad. Crashes are no longer a problem (at least a serious one) and some new gaming elements have been introduced. The ability to use a scenario editor to create your own fun is a big bonus. The inclusion of primitive submarines is also interesting but the airships are a big bust. If you can hit anything from a balloon youve done extremely well. Unfortunately this game lacks the ablity to jury rig fallen mast so when your ship has been demasted its a sitting duck. Also when ships collide they no longer suffer hull damage. Depending upon your point of view this can be either good or bad. Likewise the ability to rotate and zoom the camera was as simple as using the mouse in the original but this version requires a series of key strokes. This is not a serious setback but isn't an improvement. All that was really needed to make this game work was to fix the crashes but Global Star has tampered. As it is now the game is at least playable and should entertain those who liked the original. However some of the lost original features may cause others to get a little sea sick.

As exciting as watching paint dry...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: January 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you absolutely love naval warfare circa 1800, then this game should be tolerable. However, if you like a game with pacing, then skip this turkey by. Yes, it does have lovely graphics and the attention to detail is admirable. But it all boils down to maneuvering your ship(s), firing your cannons, then waaaaaaaiting for the reload so you can fire another volley. That's the whole game. One-on-one battles are decent to kill 15-25 minutes, but multi-ship battles are nearly impossible to manage.

Summary: buy this game if you LOVE naval warfare from 1775-1815, otherwise, skip this.

What AOS2 should have been

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The game looks great and it is fun to play. It is what Age of Sail 2 should have been. Most of the bugs seem to be worked out. It still has problems, but it is a lot of fun for anyone interested in the genre.

Great Game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game has many scenarios with multiple battles and historic battles that cover the whole range of difficulty. Some are simple and some impossible, and you can change sides once you have beaten it on one side. The graphics are fantastic, although the land could have been much more detailed, but this is a sea game not a land game. The other fault is I thought that the game should have had more campaings where you could buy and service your fleet. This is the best sailing game I have played. I recomend it.

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