We need to make to make some things clear as of this point.
On my part, I need to make it clear that I find this campaign difficult.
On your part, you need me to mention the alternate campaign. What alternate campaign? Well, that's precisely the reason why you need me to mention it - most of you don't know about it, for there is not a single mention to it in the walkthrough or the gameplay feedback forums. The only mention I have been able to find is in a post from 2010 in the development forum: viewtopic.php?t=32239 . However, the alternate campaign happened to be a part the Nortern Rebirth campaign. It deserves to be mentioned, so it's time to mention it for the first time in the gameplay feedback forum.
Northern Rebirth is the most difficult mainline campaign
When did I start playing Battle for Wesnoth? I don't recall the exact moment, but it seems that it was with version 1.8.3, so in July or August, 2010 - that means that at present I have been playing it for fourteen years. Thanks a lot to all the people who provide players like me with so much good enjoyment.
How do I play Battle for Wesnoth? First I play all of the campaigns in the easiest difficulty, then all of them the second easiest, then the ones that have a third difficulty.
Which order I follow for the campaigns? First the novice level, then rookie, then intermediate, then expert.
Which order for campaigns of the same level? From the least number of scenarios to the most. So, I begin by the campaign of novice level with only 4 scenarios A Tale of Two Brothers played in beginner difficulty and end with the campaign of hard level with 20 scenarios The Rise of Wesnoth in the greatest difficulty - but I haven't got to the end yet.
I write feedback for a scenario only after playing it in all of the possible difficulties - it wouldn't make sense to me to provide feedback for a scenario otherwise.
It took me about one year to play all of the mainline campaigns in the easiest difficulty. Then, I began playing them in the second easiest difficulty, beginning as I said before with A Tale Of Two Brothers. This campaign was (and still is) the only mainline campaign to have only two difficulties, so by 2011 I could already had written feedback for it - but as of then I hadn't thought yet of providing feedback (recently, I replayed this short campaign just to write feedback for it so it wouldn't be left out). It took me another year to play all of the mainline campaigns in the second easiest difficulty.
You see where this is going - one year to play all of the campaigns in easiest difficulty, another year to play them in the second easiest difficulty... and twelve more years and I still haven't finished playing the campaigns in the third easiest (so, hardest) difficulty. What takes me so long? Some delays are of technical nature (my computer breaking down and having to use a borrowed computer for months until I get a new one). Some are caused by changes in the mainline campaigns (An Orcish Incursion being taken out, Dead Water and Secrets Of The Ancients being put in so I would have to play them in the easiest difficulties before playing them in the hardest difficulty and writing feedback). Some are caused by changes in the difficulties (Northern Rebirth and The Rise Of Wesnoth eliminating their easiest difficulty and adding another difficulty on top of the previously hardest one, so I would have to play them another time). But most delays are caused by difficulty - difficulty cause delays by having the player to use more days to beat a scenario, but first and foremost difficulty makes the player disengage from the game and stay away for long periods.
In September, 2012, I play my first campaign in the third and last difficulty, Heir to the throne, and I start writing feedback for the scenarios, so from there there is a trace of the periods that I stayed away from the game.
a) 11-month leave after finishing The Hammer Of Thusargan.
b) 3-month leave after finishing The Easter Invasion.
c) 2-month leave after finishing Legend Of Wesmere.
d) 18-months leave after scenario 11 of Delfador's Memoirs.
e) 2-month leave after scenario 17 of Delfador's Memoirs.
f) 3-month leave after scenario 18 of Delfador's Memoirs.
g) 5-month leave after finishing DeadWater.
h) 2-month leave after finishing The Sceptre Of Fire.
i) 2-month leave after scenario 6.2 of Under The Burning Suns.
j) 7-month leave after finishing Under The Burning Suns.
k) 47-month leave after scenario 4 of Northern Rebirth... in what at present happens to be the second easiest difficulty!
Yes, Northern Rebirth has caused my longest disengage from Battle for Wesnoth. Let me tell you, after playing all of the campaigns in the two easier difficulties and most campaigns in all of the difficulties, I have no doubt that Northern Rebirth is the hardest campaign. Not only because of starting small, with 0-level units, but because the amount of enemy units you encounter in every scenario, and their high level, is overwhelming. But there is an additional cause for my long disengage: the undocumented alternate campaign.
Northern Rebirth undocumented alternate campaign
In Battle for Wesnoth 1.8.3, Northern Rebirth had three difficulties, I think the name was: Easy, Challenging, Hard. At present Easy is eliminated and a new, hardest difficulty added, so it is: Challenging, Hard, Nightmare. In October, 2020, I had already played the campaign in Easy and Challenging difficulty and was playing it in Hard with the current version at the moment of Battle for Wesnoth. At scenario 4, Clearing the Mines (the scenario for this thread), a scripted event happened: an enemy came close to Tallin, then I was given a strange chance:
-Cautious (Stay away).
-Brave (Inspire troops by killing abomination).
I soon find out that the first choice would keep Tallin alive, and the second one would have him die. But there was more to it: Tallin would become an undead. Wait, what? The human protagonist of the campaign becoming an undead?
Now, this situation must have happened not only in the version of Battle for Wesnoth current for 2020, but also in the previous years too. Was it there in 2011 and 2012, when I played the Northern Rebirth campaign in the Easy and Challenging difficulty? Possibly so - the development thread I found talking about it was from 2010. Was it there already, and did I not notice? I think most likely for the situation to be already there, but then I either made the right choice and kept Tallin alive, or chose wrong, saw Tallin becoming an undead, and chose to replay the scenario rather than to continue with an undead protagonist.
Anyway, in 2020 I was curious enough to wonder how the story could possibly continue with an undead protagonist, and carried on. What I found was a whole new campaign with the protagonist leading an undead army and a difficulty as much hard as usual.
Scenario 5, instead of The Pursuit, was Hero is Dead.
Scenario 6, instead of Old Friend was Friendship above all.
Scenario 7, instead of Settling Disputes was Weight of Revenge.
Scenario 8, instead of Elvish Princess was Song of Blood.
Scenario 9, instead of Introductions was The sentence. At the end of this scenario, Tallin is given two choices
-Spare necromancers (Gain three loyal necromancers). This choice failed to provide the three loyal necromancers as promised.
-Kill necromancers (Ghouls recruitment). This choice allowed for ghoul recruitment as promised.
Scenario 10, instead of Stolen Gold was Eternal Enemy.
Scenario 11, instead of Eastern Flank was The Purpose.
Scenario 12, instead of Get the Gold was Return.
As I said, the difficulty was hard. I took me a lot of effort and time to push through all of these scenarios with no walkthrough. Not knowing the number of scenarios started bothering me. And then, scenario 12 was like a big showdown with an overwhelming number of enemies. I would need to replay that scenario a lot of times before finding a winning strategy. Closer to a job than to leisure. That was when I stopped playing.
Climbing a mount in bicycle provides both enjoyment and suffering. Playing a videogame with a hard difficulty is the same. In both cases, the experience is vastly improved by having a reference of how far victory is. It is so much better if you know how much effort you need rather that what it seems an unlimited amount.
At the current Battle for Wesnoth version, this alternate campaign is no longer available. I would like to try again, but it is no longer possible.
Aside from the discouraging difficulty from the Northern Rebirth alternate campaign that disengaged me from the campaign, I don't want to provide this feedback on this alternate campaign without stating the following:
Of all the mainline campaigns in Battle for Wesnoth, I found Northern Rebirth's alternate campaign to be the one best written. The writing of Tallin discovering his new existence as an undead was haunting. From there on, the campaign appeared to have no objective, but precisely that lack of an objective made it intriguing. What to do now? Tallin's exchanges with other characters were mesmerizing. When in the middle of a combat Tallin unexpectedly recited the poem 'Something weird is coming' (a poem, from all things!) I couldn't but to froze in awe.
There. It had to be written, and now it is.
On my part, I need to make it clear that I find this campaign difficult.
On your part, you need me to mention the alternate campaign. What alternate campaign? Well, that's precisely the reason why you need me to mention it - most of you don't know about it, for there is not a single mention to it in the walkthrough or the gameplay feedback forums. The only mention I have been able to find is in a post from 2010 in the development forum: viewtopic.php?t=32239 . However, the alternate campaign happened to be a part the Nortern Rebirth campaign. It deserves to be mentioned, so it's time to mention it for the first time in the gameplay feedback forum.
Northern Rebirth is the most difficult mainline campaign
When did I start playing Battle for Wesnoth? I don't recall the exact moment, but it seems that it was with version 1.8.3, so in July or August, 2010 - that means that at present I have been playing it for fourteen years. Thanks a lot to all the people who provide players like me with so much good enjoyment.
How do I play Battle for Wesnoth? First I play all of the campaigns in the easiest difficulty, then all of them the second easiest, then the ones that have a third difficulty.
Which order I follow for the campaigns? First the novice level, then rookie, then intermediate, then expert.
Which order for campaigns of the same level? From the least number of scenarios to the most. So, I begin by the campaign of novice level with only 4 scenarios A Tale of Two Brothers played in beginner difficulty and end with the campaign of hard level with 20 scenarios The Rise of Wesnoth in the greatest difficulty - but I haven't got to the end yet.
I write feedback for a scenario only after playing it in all of the possible difficulties - it wouldn't make sense to me to provide feedback for a scenario otherwise.
It took me about one year to play all of the mainline campaigns in the easiest difficulty. Then, I began playing them in the second easiest difficulty, beginning as I said before with A Tale Of Two Brothers. This campaign was (and still is) the only mainline campaign to have only two difficulties, so by 2011 I could already had written feedback for it - but as of then I hadn't thought yet of providing feedback (recently, I replayed this short campaign just to write feedback for it so it wouldn't be left out). It took me another year to play all of the mainline campaigns in the second easiest difficulty.
You see where this is going - one year to play all of the campaigns in easiest difficulty, another year to play them in the second easiest difficulty... and twelve more years and I still haven't finished playing the campaigns in the third easiest (so, hardest) difficulty. What takes me so long? Some delays are of technical nature (my computer breaking down and having to use a borrowed computer for months until I get a new one). Some are caused by changes in the mainline campaigns (An Orcish Incursion being taken out, Dead Water and Secrets Of The Ancients being put in so I would have to play them in the easiest difficulties before playing them in the hardest difficulty and writing feedback). Some are caused by changes in the difficulties (Northern Rebirth and The Rise Of Wesnoth eliminating their easiest difficulty and adding another difficulty on top of the previously hardest one, so I would have to play them another time). But most delays are caused by difficulty - difficulty cause delays by having the player to use more days to beat a scenario, but first and foremost difficulty makes the player disengage from the game and stay away for long periods.
In September, 2012, I play my first campaign in the third and last difficulty, Heir to the throne, and I start writing feedback for the scenarios, so from there there is a trace of the periods that I stayed away from the game.
a) 11-month leave after finishing The Hammer Of Thusargan.
b) 3-month leave after finishing The Easter Invasion.
c) 2-month leave after finishing Legend Of Wesmere.
d) 18-months leave after scenario 11 of Delfador's Memoirs.
e) 2-month leave after scenario 17 of Delfador's Memoirs.
f) 3-month leave after scenario 18 of Delfador's Memoirs.
g) 5-month leave after finishing DeadWater.
h) 2-month leave after finishing The Sceptre Of Fire.
i) 2-month leave after scenario 6.2 of Under The Burning Suns.
j) 7-month leave after finishing Under The Burning Suns.
k) 47-month leave after scenario 4 of Northern Rebirth... in what at present happens to be the second easiest difficulty!
Yes, Northern Rebirth has caused my longest disengage from Battle for Wesnoth. Let me tell you, after playing all of the campaigns in the two easier difficulties and most campaigns in all of the difficulties, I have no doubt that Northern Rebirth is the hardest campaign. Not only because of starting small, with 0-level units, but because the amount of enemy units you encounter in every scenario, and their high level, is overwhelming. But there is an additional cause for my long disengage: the undocumented alternate campaign.
Northern Rebirth undocumented alternate campaign
In Battle for Wesnoth 1.8.3, Northern Rebirth had three difficulties, I think the name was: Easy, Challenging, Hard. At present Easy is eliminated and a new, hardest difficulty added, so it is: Challenging, Hard, Nightmare. In October, 2020, I had already played the campaign in Easy and Challenging difficulty and was playing it in Hard with the current version at the moment of Battle for Wesnoth. At scenario 4, Clearing the Mines (the scenario for this thread), a scripted event happened: an enemy came close to Tallin, then I was given a strange chance:
-Cautious (Stay away).
-Brave (Inspire troops by killing abomination).
I soon find out that the first choice would keep Tallin alive, and the second one would have him die. But there was more to it: Tallin would become an undead. Wait, what? The human protagonist of the campaign becoming an undead?
Now, this situation must have happened not only in the version of Battle for Wesnoth current for 2020, but also in the previous years too. Was it there in 2011 and 2012, when I played the Northern Rebirth campaign in the Easy and Challenging difficulty? Possibly so - the development thread I found talking about it was from 2010. Was it there already, and did I not notice? I think most likely for the situation to be already there, but then I either made the right choice and kept Tallin alive, or chose wrong, saw Tallin becoming an undead, and chose to replay the scenario rather than to continue with an undead protagonist.
Anyway, in 2020 I was curious enough to wonder how the story could possibly continue with an undead protagonist, and carried on. What I found was a whole new campaign with the protagonist leading an undead army and a difficulty as much hard as usual.
Scenario 5, instead of The Pursuit, was Hero is Dead.
Scenario 6, instead of Old Friend was Friendship above all.
Scenario 7, instead of Settling Disputes was Weight of Revenge.
Scenario 8, instead of Elvish Princess was Song of Blood.
Scenario 9, instead of Introductions was The sentence. At the end of this scenario, Tallin is given two choices
-Spare necromancers (Gain three loyal necromancers). This choice failed to provide the three loyal necromancers as promised.
-Kill necromancers (Ghouls recruitment). This choice allowed for ghoul recruitment as promised.
Scenario 10, instead of Stolen Gold was Eternal Enemy.
Scenario 11, instead of Eastern Flank was The Purpose.
Scenario 12, instead of Get the Gold was Return.
As I said, the difficulty was hard. I took me a lot of effort and time to push through all of these scenarios with no walkthrough. Not knowing the number of scenarios started bothering me. And then, scenario 12 was like a big showdown with an overwhelming number of enemies. I would need to replay that scenario a lot of times before finding a winning strategy. Closer to a job than to leisure. That was when I stopped playing.
Climbing a mount in bicycle provides both enjoyment and suffering. Playing a videogame with a hard difficulty is the same. In both cases, the experience is vastly improved by having a reference of how far victory is. It is so much better if you know how much effort you need rather that what it seems an unlimited amount.
At the current Battle for Wesnoth version, this alternate campaign is no longer available. I would like to try again, but it is no longer possible.
Aside from the discouraging difficulty from the Northern Rebirth alternate campaign that disengaged me from the campaign, I don't want to provide this feedback on this alternate campaign without stating the following:
Of all the mainline campaigns in Battle for Wesnoth, I found Northern Rebirth's alternate campaign to be the one best written. The writing of Tallin discovering his new existence as an undead was haunting. From there on, the campaign appeared to have no objective, but precisely that lack of an objective made it intriguing. What to do now? Tallin's exchanges with other characters were mesmerizing. When in the middle of a combat Tallin unexpectedly recited the poem 'Something weird is coming' (a poem, from all things!) I couldn't but to froze in awe.
There. It had to be written, and now it is.
Statistics: Posted by devavrata — Yesterday, 4:01 pm