What Would Really Help New Players

[Atrocities]

What would really help us new players is a basic walk thrugh of how to play the game up to a point where we have learned the basics and have gained a good understanding of the game play.

Right now I am literally a blind man in a room full of hazards looking for the exit. I know nothing about the game, and am reading the Posts here as I play.

The game has grabbed my interest so now it simply must keep it.

Well back to reading and playing.

[Atrocities]

I just discovered the guides that came with the game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Must read.

[Norfleet]

What you REALLY need to do is actually play the game. Against actual players. Because while guides are all fine and good, it's no substitute for the tried and true method of Improvement Through Getting Your *** Handed To You Repeatedly.

[Cheezeninja]

One of my first suggestions would be to set the independants to 6 or 7. The AI can actually be harder with it set to 3 (the default) becuase they can expand alot quicker.

[Thilock_Dominus]

It took me some time before I understood how to play Dom2 when I played the demo of Dom2. I clicked on everything and the first 5 games I played was a mess http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ...But slowly I learned.

So just hang in http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Atrocities]

Thanks guys. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif All I need to do now is come up with coin of the realm and just buy the game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

From what I have read, and seen so far, this game looks like it could be a hell of a lot of fun.

God knows I need a good game to take up some of my free time..... Since all I have is free time. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

When I was working, I used to dream about not working and having all the time in the world to do as I please, but in reality, now that I am not working, I have discovered that free time is directly linked to fun time, and fun time is directly linked to how much money you have. Since I have none, literally, I do nothing all day long but sit on my computer posting in the SE IV forum, or playing older games and dreaming about buying new ones.

Aside from some chores around the house, and helping with such things as cutting fire wood, mowing, cleaning, and cooking, I do much of nothing. Yet I still find that I have very little true free time to just sit at the Computer, as much as I am accused of, because I stay up late and get up late. I much prefer the night time to be on the Comp as there are no distractions, no one needs anything, and the GD phone never rings.

However, now that it is summer, more and more I have discovered, much to my own displeasure I asure you, that staying up late on the comp has become more of a hassle as I am needed during the days now to cut wood, make deliveries, go do this and that, and on occations baby sit.

I wish I was able to work again. I miss the simplicity of it. Get up, shower, go to work, work, (Deal with day to day political BS), come home, eat dinner, do some PC / TV stuff, and go to bed.

I think if I do buy Dominions II, I will find that it is as everyone here as said, an addictive life sucking monster from a demension like the which I have never experienced before. Well, we will just have to see.

It has also occured to me that 24 hour days are far to short.

Well I am off to bed. Looking forward to getting the learning curve over with and getting down to some serious magic making, enemy killing, dominion conquest.

[Endoperez]

There exists one walkthrough made by Bruce Geryk that guide you through early game, but I think it stops before you reach any of the powerful spells. So you learn the basics of playing, and some strategies for the early game, but mid- and late-game are left for yourself to think through.

And I suggest playing against AI until you can defeat the first AI nation that goes for you in singleplayer. If you can do the same while defending yourself against two or three other AI nations you have much better chances, but it is easier to learn by losing to human than by winning computer. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Gandalf Parker]

The problem with anything like documentation and walk-thrus is that this game wouldnt have a manual, it would have an encyclopedia. Even if we all collaborated it would take a year. If I sat down to write up Pangaea with the usual suggestions that appear here... then of course there is the Pangaea and blood magic subguide, the Pangaea and stealth armies subguide, the Pangaea and Carrion Woods theme subguide, and the Pangeae New Era (mostly see the heading under Ulm) with a few notes.

The Jotun walkthru works with the demo and I think will remain the standard recommendation at the moment. Maybe one for Ulm would be good. Other than that the best bet is to tell us a nation/theme and we will gladly overload you with debate about the best way to progress. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Boron]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
The problem with anything like documentation and walk-thrus is that this game wouldnt have a manual, it would have an encyclopedia. Even if we all collaborated it would take a year. If I sat down to write up Pangaea with the usual suggestions that appear here... then of course there is the Pangaea and blood magic subguide, the Pangaea and stealth armies subguide, the Pangaea and Carrion Woods theme subguide, and the Pangeae New Era (mostly see the heading under Ulm) with a few notes.

The Jotun walkthru works with the demo and I think will remain the standard recommendation at the moment. Maybe one for Ulm would be good. Other than that the best bet is to tell us a nation/theme and we will gladly overload you with debate about the best way to progress. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">hm i think pan cw and ermor ae are very good newbie races because they are so straightforward .
of course to play them really good you need lots of strats with them .
but against the ai they are really good .
ai is bad against ermor + cw .
especially ae ermor needs in sp only 1 magic path : death

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by Boron:
hm i think pan cw and ermor ae are very good newbie races because they are so straightforward .<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Thats one of the things I like about Ulm. Low learning curve. If they are coming from other games then playing Ulm as if they were a tank commander tends to work fairly well. And it works with the demo.

Ermor is the nation that most newbies try soon after getting the full game. Since more of its actions are automatic, like gaining troops, its good for them. (Its also often their first post as they come in and announce how out of balance it is because it kicks everyones tail.) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ August 01, 2004, 14:36: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Boron]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Boron:
hm i think pan cw and ermor ae are very good newbie races because they are so straightforward .<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Thats one of the things I like about Ulm. Low learning curve. If they are coming from other games then playing Ulm as if they were a tank commander tends to work fairly well. And it works with the demo.

Ermor is the nation that most newbies try soon after getting the full game. Since more of its actions are automatic, like gaining troops, its good for them. (Its also often their first post as they come in and announce how out of balance it is because it kicks everyones tail.) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">yeah ulm is like the human race from most fantasy rts games .
but at least i had no chance as newbie with ulm hehe .
ai builds hordes of troops .
ulm has always only few troops . so the ai swarms you and you always lose your first games as ulm. especially because most newbies ( i did so ) build the ulm infantry first .

against horde ai nations (especially e.g. pangenea , ermor , mictlan ) they just swarm you with 5:1 army size and you always lose as newbie .

[KroolDeath]

Yes, the learning curve on this game is astronomical in size, but my God, once you start understanding some of the deeper parts of the game is it completely amazing.

I've posted this before, but I had actually put the demo down because I couldn't figure out how to do research (I must've clicked on every friggin thing I could find except the word "Defend" on the Commander icon).

It wasn't until a conversation with some friends (over beers of course) that someone brought up the glory days of Masters of Magic and I thought to myself "Could the dom2 demo be a possible...replacement?".

I immediately began downloading reference lists and after examining the sheer number of troops, magic items and spells I realized that this would be better than MoM. I went to the forums and began learning the tricks of the trade and bought the game. Within a week of having it, I was in my first MP game (and as Norfleet said, waiting to have my *** handed to me).

I have much, much more to learn. I couldn't tell you what Pretender chassis makes a good SC and what's the best way to find magic sites without a Rainbow Mage. Someday I will. AAR's have been a great resource.

But damn, this is fun.

Krool

[Atrocities]

You all lost me back there! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif Time for some catchup and a hot dog. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
You all lost me back there! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif Time for some catchup and a hot dog. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Sorry, we slipped off into jargon and acronyms. About another question?

[Reverend Zombie]

Originally posted by Norfleet:
What you REALLY need to do is actually play the game. Against actual players. Because while guides are all fine and good, it's no substitute for the tried and true method of Improvement Through Getting Your *** Handed To You Repeatedly. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">What does it mean that I follow this method, yet never improve?

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Reverend Zombie:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Norfleet:
... tried and true method of Improvement Through Getting Your *** Handed To You Repeatedly. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">What does it mean that I follow this method, yet never improve? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">The polite answer is: switch to non-strategy games. Anything that prefers reflexes over careful deliberation.

There are many blunt, rude answers to the question. I'll leave them for others to imagine.

A middle-of-the-road answer is that you need to pay closer attention to why you're losing. How did your opponent(s) beat you. What mistakes did you make. Then stop doing whatever that is, and try something different.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Reverend Zombie:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Norfleet:
What you REALLY need to do is actually play the game. Against actual players. Because while guides are all fine and good, it's no substitute for the tried and true method of Improvement Through Getting Your *** Handed To You Repeatedly. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">What does it mean that I follow this method, yet never improve? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Well, you know the saying: For every winner, there are many losers. Odds are you're one of them.

So don't expect to win outright. You gradually improve through the process of getting your *** handed you repeatedly. Some individuals will always consistently hand you your ***. This will result in you improving to the level where you can consistently hand other people their asses. As you continue getting your *** handed to you, you'll learn how to hand out the asses of those who were formerly around your level, but weren't spending their time getting their asses handed to them.

Remember: Winners never quit, quitters never win, but people who never win and never quit are idiots.

[Atrocities]

This stuff is really interesting. One would think you all play this game all the time. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[PrinzMegaherz]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
This stuff is really interesting. One would think you all play this game all the time. [Big Grin] <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">One would be right http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Sheap]

I only partly agree with Norfleet. If you play players who are much better than you you don't really learn anything. You just die and lose morale (and then everyone else in your squad routs). You only learn by playing against people who are somewhat better than you. Then you can see the differences in strategy in an environment where you can still have a chance to evaluate what is going on and adapt.

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Sheap:
If you play players who are much better than you you don't really learn anything.<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Not necessarily true. It depends on the "expert" player's willingness to answer questions and ability to explain to the novice what the novice did that's inferior. Zen was/is a good example of such an expert mentor. And despite what has been said about him by various persons, I learned a lot about Ermor and sundry other topics by conversing with Norfleet.