Take that, easy AI!

Through the Ages coming to iOS/Android in September

iOS Universal, Android •

Nearly seven years ago I picked up my first iPad, the stalwart iPad 2. The decision to pick up a tablet had nothing to do with Apple’s selling points, but instead was based on a short blurb I spotted over on Board Game Geek. Through the Ages, my favorite tabletop game, was slated to make its way to the platform and there was no way I was going to miss it. That blurb was from a small company called Codito, which nearly did release a version of TtA before their license ran out and digital rights reverted back to CGE. That happened back in January of 2013 and we’re still waiting. After talking with Czech Games Edition at Gen Con, it appears we won’t have to wait much longer.

Through the Ages will be making its way to both iOS and Android on September 14th with a PC/Mac version coming to Steam somewhere down the road. The version we’ll be seeing isn’t much different than the one I talked about last week with a one exception. The “easy” AI that continually kicks my ass (I’m bad, but not this bad) will be made a bit easier so new players won’t be scared off. Other than the usual last minute bug fixes and tweaks, that’s the only major difference.

It’s been a long road for Through the Ages on a touchscreen, but it’s been worth the wait. CGE not only develops great board games, but also plays digital board games and knows exactly what makes a game work on mobile. Much like he did for Galaxy Trucker, Vlaada has created a new game mode so that asynchronous play is smooth as butter. There’s also a chat function so you can talk to friends whether they’re playing against you, or just logged in and doing something on their own. This should, I think, even work between apps, so you’ll be able to chat with friends who are playing Galaxy Trucker while you’re 4x-ing in TtA.

We’ll be covering TtA more as we get closer to release, and will have a full review up and ready on the 14th for those of you who remain unconvinced. We should also have coverage of other CGE projects, such as their upcoming app for Codenames which looks a whole lot like a future addiction.

 

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Notable Replies

  1. Awesome!

    How was GenCon?

    Edit: I just noticed that you won that game in the picture! Congrats!

  2. Gen Con was a ton of fun this year. Took the kids and did a lot more playing than working (which is probably I shouldn’t be mentioning on SP), and got a lot of new games under my belt.

    I did win that game, but it was after the “easier” easyAI was introduced. Scared to even try the Medium AI.

  3. Avatar for js619 js619 says:

    Just received an invite to the TtA beta… better late than never lol. Have yet to set up an account but let’s get a game going?

  4. Avatar for Hardco Hardco says:

    Yeah, they just sent out a new batch of invites for last minute testing. I just sent you a friend request!

  5. Have the device requirements been released, yet? I fear my iPad 4 won’t make the cut.

  6. Avatar for Hardco Hardco says:

    I play on a mini 2, so you should be fine.

  7. Thanks. But the iPad 4 uses an Apple A6X SoC, while the Mini 2 uses an Apple A7 SoC. The A6X is the last 32-bit SoC used, while the A7 is the first 64-bit SoC used. So the app still might be limited to 64-bit devices.

  8. Avatar for js619 js619 says:

    Just laughed aloud at the tutorial when it told me I could finish building the pyramids for 5 diamonds.

  9. Avatar for Hardco Hardco says:

    Oops, I could have sworn they were the same generation… Regardless, CGE claims they are still optimizing for older hardware prior to release, so you may be okay!

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