Alliance Vs The Dead

[Steerpike]

Hi, its been a while since I have played Dom2 and I thought I would create a game.The "Ermor?" thread started by Goblin kinda inspired me.

The Idea:

Either an impossible Computer AI plays Ermor, or maybe a person.

The rest of the players and I think that four or five would be a good number are Allied or at least their fates are tied to each other. For if one empire falls... its game over and the Alliance has lost.

To Be Decided:

I am not sure which would be better, a larger map (not enormous) where Ermor could grow to be a juggernaught or a smaller map that has the alliance scrabbling to save whoever was misfortunate to start next to Ermor.

Should known Ermor combating races like Marignon be banned from the game to make it more of a challenge?

If anyone has any other ideas to add please do.

If we get more people interested in this idea we could also add Pan Carrion woods to the mix. This would also mean we would have two human controlled baddies.

The dead:

Either AI or Player: Ermor with one start province per player.


The Alliance:

Steerpike: To be decided
Huntsman: To be decided.


Pike

[Huntsman]

I'm growing a bit weary of cut-throat MP games so I'd love to do a co-op. Consider me signed up (for the "good" side) no matter the settings.

I don't have much experience vs the AI so I can't give any feedback on Impossible setting and whether or not it would provide a challenge. I do know that in the few SP games I've played on Default difficulty that Ermor has always seemed to provide me with a good challenge with regards to swarming me with multiple hordes but the battles weren't all that difficult, or interesting....just priests casting banishment. Blech. With that in mind, maybe throwing another evil nation or two would make it more challenging/interesting. Maybe Ermor, Pan/CW, and a blood nation?

Is it possible to set AI on the same team? If not, then if we decide to go with multiple bad guys you'd definitely need players.

[Endoperez]

AIs can be set to not attack each other. They can't do anything else, though.

[Morkilus]

This game sounds like a great idea; I like how you can incorporate the undead without them becoming the random spoiler in your typical free-for-all. I think I'm in too many games right now anyway, but we'll see how things end up as the roster fills. I would definitely suggest 2 human players on the bad guys' team; I don't think the AI could handle 12 or more real people, even with the no-pretender-left-behind rule. It would be interesting enough keeping everyone organized and not accidentally killing each other. You would have to make, you know... plans.

[Wish]

why not do a 6 person game, axis vs allies. the axis can be C'Tis, Pangaea, and ermor, all with their death related themes, and the allies can be anyone else.

[Ironhawk]

Make sure your undead fighters have some supply-item forgers

[Cainehill]

You could always set Ermor up with more than one starting province, while the human players start with just one. Pick a map and starting positions carefully and it could be real interesting. Theater of War perhaps, with Ermor occupying the entire central sphere, 6 humans in the outer spheres with just the one starting province furthest out.

[Steerpike]

Fantastic Idea Cainehill I will get to work on that straight away. I think Theatre of War would restrict the humans from helping each other maybe.

DO you think a starting province per player would be too much?

Ok Huntsman your in, so we have at least two so far.

Wish for Blood Slaves: Giving Ermor more starting provinces should take care of the challenge aspect in this game. Having a 3v3 is too much of a normal game I feel, I would really like to get a game where people really have to cooperate against a mighty foe.

[Steerpike]

Do you think it would be too much to have the starting provinces all have castles? Is that too much or possible even?

I havnt changed any maps before.

[archaeolept]

yes, you can give ermor starting castles, and starting troops, and starting mages http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Personally, given how bone-stupid the AI is, I recommend giving Ermor enough to be seriously scary - because if ermor doesn't manage to hit the players hard right away, it will have absolutely no chance http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Endoperez]

Each Ermor-controlled province should have a temple. If the provinces are not connected, the dominion will spread further and faster, and Ermor has multiple force-gathering points.
One thing I'm not sure about is if the Ermor AI will do suicidal attacks, and leave a fort without mage (and thus without further "recruitment".

Dom:PPP had a scenario in which Ermor was the Big Bad Guy. Ermor had multiple starting point in a big map, each province had special leaders, magic site(s), fort, etc. I can post Steerpike the details if you want to. The map would better be big, though, as most of the Death artifacts that mention their wielder's name come from that spesific scenario... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

[Boron]

Hello Steerpike http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.
QM and me discussed a similiar idea yesterday in IRC.

If the big bad guy shall be ai controlled i would suggest that it shall be someone else and not Ermor AI. Reason: Fighting vs. the Ermor AI is quickly boring. Even fighting an Ermor Death Theme played by a human player can be boring.
The AI will mainly just attack with hordes of undead and do nothing else apart maybe casting Burden of Time.

I would suggest another idea:
We could try some kind of "Barbarian Invasion" scenario.

Map: Zen's Europe

Alliance 1: Roman Empire
Pythium - Eastern Roman Empire
Ermor BE - Western Roman Empire
Alliance 2: The Barbarian Hordes
Number of Members is open, at least 3-4 Players, could theoretically also be 6 or maybe even more.

Vague Concept, imageshack unfortunately only supports imagesizes up to 1024 kb so i had to make it a low quality jpg. http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/2947/bik3lf.jpg

Western and Eastern Rome would be allied and would have to defend vs. the Barbarian Invasion. The Barbarians may be also allied but this is up for Discussion.
Most Barbarian Nations would only start with 2-3 Provinces but they would have a large army.
If the Barbarians would also be allied we could make it a special victory condition game:
Barbarian Win:
If Rome and Byzantine and Carthago and Alexandria are occupied by the Barbarian Alliance
Roman Win:
If Rome and Byzantine hold the 4 previously mentioned provinces + killed 2/3 of the barbarian tribes.

[Endoperez]

Boron said:
Vague Concept, imageshack unfortunately only supports imagesizes up to 1024 kb so i had to make it a low quality jpg.




Pity, that. The size did make it somewhat hard to read.





http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Cainehill]

Endoperez said:

Boron said:
Vague Concept, imageshack unfortunately only supports imagesizes up to 1024 kb so i had to make it a low quality jpg.




Pity, that. The size did make it somewhat hard to read.
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif



Sheesh, nasty! Have to pan the browser three screens to the right to find the "Quote" links, etc.

Boron, please consider _shrinking_ the JPG next time, as opposed to just doing it low quality. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Morkilus]

Looks like a neat idea, but I wonder if the Romans get all of their territories from the start? That would truly be an epic task for the barbarians, if they had to fight their way through indies and the Romans just had to build defenses.

[Boron]

Ok decreased the Pic to 1024x768 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif


Morkilus said:
Looks like a neat idea, but I wonder if the Romans get all of their territories from the start? That would truly be an epic task for the barbarians, if they had to fight their way through indies and the Romans just had to build defenses.


Yeah the intention is that the Romans get all territories from start. The Barbarians would populate the rest of the Map, Man would e.g. own Ireland and the 2 Scotland-Provinces.

I just didn't draw borders for them because the number of barbarians is not defined yet, anything from 3-6 barbarian players sounds possible.
There would be probably zero independent provinces or as maximum 1-2 with a special guard and special sites eventually.

So the game would start as a huge battle from turn 1.
To compensate for their smaller starting territory the barbarians would get slightly stronger starting armies.

[Huntsman]

Use Photobucket.com http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

BTW, I like the barbarian concept as well.

[Folket]

I would like to join in this game, and I think the barbarians should not be allied, first barbarian to capture Rome or Byzantium would win the game. Or that the roman empires stand for 50 turns.

[Huntsman]

Folket said:
I would like to join in this game, and I think the barbarians should not be allied, first barbarian to capture Rome or Byzantium would win the game. Or that the roman empires stand for 50 turns.



That would be a neat variation but I think a co-operative effort vs The Ultimate Bad Guy(s) is the central theme of this game.

[Folket]

If that is the case then I think the victory condition should be that if Rome defeats even one opponent then the romans have won the game. Making it crucial for "the barbarians" to cooperate as the roman empires are strong then each of them, but togather they are stronger.

[Huntsman]

Folket said:
If that is the case then I think the victory condition should be that if Rome defeats even one opponent then the romans have won the game. Making it crucial for "the barbarians" to cooperate as the roman empires are strong then each of them, but togather they are stronger.



That's a good idea in order to provide incentive for helping others out when they really need it, even when you know it's going to set you back.

[Morkilus]

I'd be totally interested in this game, if you need anyone else to be the Barbarians. I expect you'd want experts to play Rome. Perhaps we could have an IRC room or a private forum to discuss Barbarian strategy after it gets started.

[RonD]

The barbarians idea is a lot more interesting than the all vs Ermor.

I'd be interested in playing the Pythium part.


[edit] I just saw Morkilus' post. I'm not a real expert, but I play one on TV.

I have played Pythium several times in MP. And I slept at a Holiday Inn Express once.

[Arralen]

Sounds interesting. Have not decided if I want to be an imperialist or a barbarian, though http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Suggestions:
Add Machaka in the South, so it's a 2 front war for western Rome as well.
Instead of C'tis, use Arco.
human pretenders only.

[Folket]

I think romans should have human pretenders but the barbarians will have a great thematic feeling if they have wyrms, manticores, cyclops and other monsters.

Problem with adding Machaka in the south is that noone will be able to help them if they get into trouble.

[Boron]

Since i kinda hijacked this thread i apologise and open now a new Thread for the Barbarian Invasion game to discuss the Rules etc.. When we will have agreed to the rules i will edit the Europe map for the scenario.
I already tried it as SP and it worked quite well http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.