Str: Lux [by Sillysoft]

Game Review: Lux
Release: July 2004
Genre: Strategy
Developer: Sillysoft
System Requirements: Windows XP/98/ME/2000/NT, Mac OS X or Linux
Players: 1-6
Price: $20


At the first glance, Sillysoft's Lux doesn't appear to be very different from the other computer conversions of the popular board game called Risk. The rules are more or less the same, and the first map you'll see is a replica of the original Risk playing board.

If you want to play against the computer, the basic Lux package comes with 11 AI opponents featuring unique play styles, none of whom behave quite like the others. If you think playing by yourself is boring, you can invite a couple of friends to your place for a gaming session or, if you consider yourself good enough, you can test your skills in a multiplayer game over the Internet, comparing your scores with other players through a ladder ranking system.

While it all may sound like pretty standard fare, unlike most of the Risk clones, Lux offers many options for those who want to create custom maps and random map generators for their own games based on the Risk ruleset, or even program artificial intelligence opponents they can share with other Lux players all over the world.

Graphics: 6/10
Even though the visuals aren't exactly the first thing on the priority list when this genre is concerned, it's easy to spot a significant distinction between the graphics of Lux and the graphics of more professionally designed computer board games. Where there is a colourful graphical user interface with well polished menus, statistics screens and fun-looking battle animations in other similar games, Risk II from MicroProse for example, Lux offers only the all-too-familiar default Windows GUI buttons and tiny generic-looking explosions, giving the whole game a sort of a 'basement production' look.

The good thing about the graphics in Lux are the user-made maps, some of which, like 'Lux hell', feature innovative backgrounds with a seamlessly integrated playing board and some, like 'WWII Europe' or 'Vietnam war', look like a page torn out directly from a war history book. It's a real shame so little attention was paid to the user interface since better presentation would make the game a lot more appealing to the average gamer.

Sound: 4/10
In the same manner as the graphics, the sound in Lux is almost nonexistent and doesn't provide much immersion in the game. There is no background music whatsoever, and the rather sparse sound effects, such as the repetitive explosions and beeps, mostly sound like audio clips taken from a freeware sound library.

Gameplay: 8/10
Perhaps the most important element of a strategy game is the game play itself - for those of you not familiar with the whole concept of Risk, I shall impersonate Timmy the tutorial box, who explains the rules to you in Lux, and give you some basics. The main object is to eliminate all opponents from the map and conquer the world with your mighty armies. The world map is divided into territories connected by their touching borders or, in some cases, by special lines connecting them even though they are not adjacent to each other.

At the beginning, all players take turns in choosing the initial ownership of the map territories, either randomly or manually, with the latter offering a significant advantage to better players since there is quite a bit of strategy involved in picking the positions so that you get a maximum army bonus but still don't leave yourself open to attack. When all territories are assigned, each player gets a number of armies to place on the map and, after the army placement, the main game starts. It is also broken down into turns, with each turn being further divided into four phases - the card phase, placing new armies, attacking, and fortifying.

Following a turn in which you take over at least one enemy territory, you are awarded a card. When your next turn starts, you may 'cash in' a set of three cards to add more soldiers to your army pool. Trading cards for additional armies can be very handy in some situations and can even the odds if you're losing, or turn them completely to your favor, especially when you consider the fact that, when you eradicate an opponent from the map, you gain ownership over the cards he was holding.

Placing new armies is the first army-related action you'll be doing in a turn, and after this phase you can try to conquer any territory adjacent or connected to the ones you have your armies in. A series of dice rolls is then performed to determine the winner of a specific battle. Since bonus armies are awarded for some special conditions, like holding a complete continent under your control, you should plan your attacks to maximize the amount of armies you'll be getting each turn. Fortifying, which is the last phase, is just a fancy word for moving the armies from one territory to another, usually done to reinforce the defensive power of a territory close to the front line. When you're finished with this step, it is time to end your turn and pass the spotlight to the next player.

Since this is a turn-based game, the controls are very simple and straightforward. The game does what you want, when you want and how you want it to be done with little input except for pointing and clicking. In fact, if you ignore the army placement shortcuts achievable by using control, alt and shift keys, I'm rather sure you can do everything there is to do in Lux just by using a single mouse button.

Options: 8/10
Apart from just playing the game, there's quite a number of other things to amuse yourself with in Lux. You can download and install user-created maps and AI programs via a built-in plug-in manager which will automatically list the available plug-ins and install them if you have a registered copy of the game. Being able to browse through the available maps even with the trial version is a nice feature - that way you can easily check out what's available before you purchase.

If you're feeling creative, you can try to design your own Lux map with the map editor, importing the background image and drawing territories on top of it. In case this is not challenging enough for you, there is an option to download the LuxAgent SDK used for writing AI programs, through which you can view or modify the AI opponents in the main Lux package or write your own programs from scratch. The game also supports random map generator plugins created with the LuxMapGenerator SDK. Both of these development kits seem a bit hard to use for the casual player, but won't pose much trouble for people with intermediate programming skills.

As far as the multiplayer capability is concerned, when you decide to join a network game, Lux will automatically search for any existing public games and, in most cases, you will find at least a few players online even if you're playing at odd hours. If not, you can easily create your own game with just a few clicks and absolutely no hassle with the Internet settings, call your friends to join you or simply wait until a few more people pop up.

Value: 8/10
For $20, you are not only buying the game, but a lifetime of free updates, maps, plug-ins, and an opportunity to meet and play with hundreds of people interested in Risk-based strategic gameplay. If the updates keep rolling out and the developers, as well as the community, keep working on improving the game, this could turn out to be a sound investment.

Concept: 6/10
First of all, it has to be said that this is no Reiner Knizia's Samurai. Compared to board games with an easily identifiable and elaborate setting like that one, Lux looks and feels rather bland. In the standard package, not much has been done to enhance the basic Risk rules, and there is no atmosphere to speak of. The game neither makes you feel particularly smart when you're winning nor does it make you strive for better results when the computer AI beats you so, unless you're playing online or with friends, it probably won't hold your attention for a significant amount of time.

You can't, however, go horribly wrong with a classic board game ruleset like Risk, and what makes this game stand out from the Risk clone armies is the great versatility of the game engine and the development kits, allowing for various user modifications and upgrades.

Fun: 6/10
The replay value of this game is to be credited almost exclusively to the multiplayer aspect and the user-made maps. The ladder rankings do create a competitive environment as there is always a winner in a specific timeframe but, since most of the players in the online games are very experienced, it might not be as fun if you're a Risk beginner unless you are playing against friends who are also learning the game strategies.

It would have been nice if the game had a more engaging single-player mode, whether focused on replaying a famous war campaign or just having a set of fantasy maps sharing the same theme, but the developers seem to have put the emphasis on the tools provided to create content instead of the content itself. There are no 'total conversion' map packs or anything to suggest that the main game may get some kind of an overhaul anytime soon, though some of the downloadable maps are very well done, being based on real historical battles and bending the Risk ruleset as much as possible. Still, the novelty soon wears off and you just move on and start downloading the next map.

Overall: 7/10
Basically, if you're a serious Risk enthusiast who is looking for a like-minded community to interact, cooperate and compete with, this is a perfect game for you. Anyone with a slightly deeper interest in Risk will feel right at home at the official Lux forums where people discuss their maps, AI and general strategies and, if your list of hobbies ever featured being a member of a Risk game club, it's a safe bet that you'll find Lux fun, too.

As for the gamers who might be only marginally interested in board games - since there's nothing to lose, you should still download the game and try it out. Take a quick glance at the Sillysoft website, check out the forums, and see if there are any maps that suit your preferences or if the whole community looks appealing.

Lux has a lot of potential for future releases. If it offered something more appealing to the casual gamer, perhaps by completely separating the development tools from the main game and giving the game a new GUI, it would have a chance of reaching a much broader audience. It is, however, well suited for the hardcore board game crowd as it is, and could certainly survive just on the attention of this very faithful, though perhaps small, portion of the player base.Added: March 18th 2005
Reviewer: Damjan Flegar
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