Silent Seas AAR

[Nerfix]

Oh my Umor, that Devata looks like a can of kick-***. Demon whip, were'd ya get a blood/fire mage to make it?

A map of your conquests would be nice.

[st.patrik]

The Demon whip I think I mentioned earlier... I either got it as a random event or in a battle.

It turns out quickness effects don't stack, although it took me a few turns to figure that out. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

there's a map coming up in a turn or two - I can't go back and take a shot because I'm up at turn 71 now http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[Nerfix]

Ok, I understand.

[Ygorl]

In Dom2 each attack against a target lowered the defense of the defender by one against subsequent attacks. Is this still true in Dom3? If so, Balastha could still get beat up by a horde of little guys (imps, hoburgs) that can all make attacks, or by guys with lots of attacks.
Still, quite nice!

[DominionsFan]

st.patrik said:
Turn 60

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/444947-60jade.jpg





Gandalf kicked some *** there! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[st.patrik]

Ygorl said:
In Dom2 each attack against a target lowered the defense of the defender by one against subsequent attacks. Is this still true in Dom3? If so, Balastha could still get beat up by a horde of little guys (imps, hoburgs) that can all make attacks, or by guys with lots of attacks.
Still, quite nice!



I think this works the same in Dom 3. Maybe I need to give him even more http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[NTJedi]

st.patrik said:

I think this works the same in Dom 3. Maybe I need to give him even more http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif



His biggest weakness is no elemental resistance.

I would remove the anti-missle amulet since he can cast an easy spell for the missle protection. An item of reinvigoration will serve much better.

[st.patrik]

yeah i ended up changing his equipment, especially when I researched Arrow Fend, which was his job to cast for the whole army.

Elemental Resistance is not nearly so important in MP as in SP though. Vanheim is more likely to spam phantasmal warriors or ghost wolves than he is to cast lightning spells.

[Nerfix]

Sounds like he was a good investement then.

[st.patrik]

Turn 61
T'ien Ch'i tried to wrest the city that was once his capital from me this turn; I batted his attack aside contemptuously, and stripped the magical equipment off the dead bodies of his commanders. I now possess a set of plate armour imbued with the power of fire and two large swords designed to fight demons.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/445158-61demonbane.jpg

Vanheim also attacked Cathedral Gap again, but was beaten off more easily this time.

Balastha the Devata is working his way south to join up my army in T'ien Ch'i's capital. Once he arrives I will divide the army into two and while one guards the capital the other will sweep up T'ien Ch'i's remaining provinces. Then it will be down to just Vanheim and me.

Speaking of Vanheim, his false god is wandering about alone next to my provinces in the west. Unfortunately I do not have any fun remote attacks to throw at him.

[Nerfix]

That Demon Bane looks like a superb weapon.

[Cainehill]

By extreme damage, do you know if it's 2X or 3X to demons? Seems strange and "not right" that holy swords (from another thread) do 3X to undead _and_ demons, while demon slayers do just _2X_ to demons. The less specific flag seems like it should do less damage to each, but affect more critters.

[st.patrik]

I don't know what the specific damage to demons is for the Demon Bane, and I haven't had much of a chance to try it out in this game since neither Vanheim nor T'ien Ch'i is big on summoning demons.

One interesting thing is that there are several spells and items which target demons specifically - which is a very welcome change for all of us terrorized by Ice Devils etc. in Dom II

[VanderVecken]

Thamks for the AARs. Well written and enjoyable. And I'm learning a bit from reading them too! Keep up the great work.

[BigJMoney]

Well, even if they changed it so that the Blessed Quickness and the Weapon/Spell Quickness don't stack, I hope the heroic version of it still does. I guess it makes sense that the blessing doesn't stack any more. If it did, he would get...

6 attacks per action, with 2 actions every round, but 3 actions every other round. That's 30 attacks every 2 rounds (an average of 15 attacks, basically).

Since it doesn't stack, he should be getting 12 attacks per round versus a maximum of 2 unique squares.

=$=

[st.patrik]

VanderVecken said:
Thamks for the AARs. Well written and enjoyable. And I'm learning a bit from reading them too! Keep up the great work.



thanks! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[st.patrik]

Turn 62
A quiet month: I took over another water province; T'ien Ch'i again tried to take back his city, but it was a feeble attempt.

I am calling another Devata. Dhritiman the Siddha is settling down from site searching in the forest ramparts I took from T'ien Ch'i and will defend the frontier, and in his spare time make amulets of missile protection to protect the Yakshas.

I am giving orders for the Yakshini who holds the frontier to the east of T'ien Ch'i's now conquered capital to advance southwards, even though she has only a small force - I think T'ien Ch'i's resistance is broken.

It seems that of all the heroes in the world, my four trusted lieutenants are the only ones alive: Anuprabha the Yaksha, Guruprasada and Bemra the Yakshinis, and Devasura, who is still a hero even though his is crippled. Sadly Ananda is no longer recognised for the great hero he is, but the good news is that he has developed what is known as a 'third eye' which enables him to see beyond the reaches of his normal sight, and makes him more sensitive to, and therefore resistant to hostile magic.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/445375-62map.jpg

[Nerfix]

Great going there. The two don't stand a chance against you!

[BigJMoney]

I meant to ask this before and I guess I didn't: Does enemy PD show up on the map? I'm assuming your own PD doesn't.

=$=

[st.patrik]

it doesn't show up graphically I don't think, but it'll of course tell you in the description box.

[st.patrik]

Turn 63
Another Devata has answered my call: Devarama. My armies truly will be unstoppable. I will outfit him and send him to the front as soon as possible.

One of my Markatas (Amoghavarsa) witnessed a battle between T'ien Ch'i and Vanheim. It would seem that T'ien Ch'i has enlisted the services of The Whispering Legion, a notorious mercenary group of otherworldly beings.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/445582-63whisper.jpg

Hansanadini moved her small force of Yavanas on the frontier into enemy territory, and encountered some resistance - it would seem that the local population organised some kind of militia to resist her advance. Nonetheless she took the province, and found two Water Bracelets on the wrists of an enemy mage. These are always helpful for Yakshinis such as Hansanadini, although the effects do not stack, so only one is really useful.

Balastha the Devata is moving into enemy territory, backed up by Bemra the Yakshini, and Bhadrayu and Avilasa the Yakshas, and 90 Yavanas. I have given him instructions to perform the incantation to call Celestial Music - we will see which of our troops it affects, and how much (since the water 9 blessing already gives partial quickness). His destination is a T'ien Ch'i fort which is being besieged by Vanheim. Looks like the besieging army is 260 strong, but by all accounts including a lot of militia and serf warriors, as well as heavy infantry and presumably Hirdmen and Huskarls.

In other news I finally found a wizard able to cast Augury, an incantation for finding sites of fire magic.

[BigJMoney]

st.patrik said:
it doesn't show up graphically I don't think, but it'll of course tell you in the description box.



Maybe in a patch or the future they can use a different icon to represent PD. Maybe a number of little shields or helmets can represent how much PD is there.

=$=

[st.patrik]

maybe...but the risk is that the screen become too cluttered. No harm in suggesting it though.

[NTJedi]

st.patrik said:
[It would seem that T'ien Ch'i has enlisted the services of The Whispering Legion, a notorious mercenary group of otherworldly beings.




So are computer AI opponents actually good at bidding for mercenaries in DOM_3 ?
I know with DOM_2 they were poor at making bids for mercenaries allowing the human players to usually acquire them.

[st.patrik]

Turn 64
My tests have been positive! My Yavanas went from 14 action point to 21 when blessed, to 28 when Celestial Music was cast. The incantation also affected the Gandharvas and Apsaras, as well as the Yakshas and Yakshinis. Here is a shot of Balastha casting the spell.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/445831-64battle.jpg

Balastha is now crossing the border into the province where Vanheim is besieging T'ien Ch'i's fortification. He is co-ordinating with Hansanadini and Ananda, who will have no frontier left once this city is captured.

My researchers this turn discovered the words of power that will protect a whole army from missiles. This knowledge is being rushed to the front, where Balastha can put it into practice immediately. My researchers are being tasked on discovering unique magical artifacts.

[Ballbarian]

mmmm... Stacking quickness makes my mouth water almost as much as the new lighting effects. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Daynarr]

Btw, all spell effects look better now. Remeber that slime spell effect? It looks cool now.

[Agrajag]

st.patrik said:
Turn 64
The incantation also affected the Gandharvas and Apsaras, as well as the Yakshas and Yakshinis.


Also, it made pretty blue sparklies http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[DominionsFan]

Ballbarian said:
mmmm... Stacking quickness makes my mouth water almost as much as the new lighting effects. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif



Indeed, the new lighting effects are awesome. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

[Nerfix]

Coolnes. I hope to see Orb Lightning in action...

[BigJMoney]

Ballbarian said:
mmmm... Stacking quickness makes my mouth water almost as much as the new lighting effects. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif



I thought the point he was making was that they don't stack. From 14 to 21 due to bless means +50%. To then go on to 28 means a total bless effect of only +100%. Had he not cast the bless but only the other spell, it would have gone from 14 straight to 28. The test he was conducting wasn't about stacking quickness, anyway. It was whether the Yavanas were considered Celestial Dancers or not.

=$=

[st.patrik]

true true. Maybe in light of this spell (Celestial Dancers) I should have gone for a fire blessing instead of water... although it takes a while to get up to Ench. 6 or whatever it is to cast Celestial Dancers - plus the fact that the only national mages that can cast it are summons. Probably better early to mid game the way I did it, and better mid to late game with a fire blessing.

[Nerfix]

st.patrik said:
true true. Maybe in light of this spell (Celestial Dancers) I should have gone for a fire blessing instead of water... although it takes a while to get up to Ench. 6 or whatever it is to cast Celestial Dancers - plus the fact that the only national mages that can cast it are summons. Probably better early to mid game the way I did it, and better mid to late game with a fire blessing.

Choices choices. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

But that's what we love in this game, right?

[st.patrik]

Turn 65
Success! I dislodged Vanheim's army of more than 300 troops from T'ien Ch'i's fortified city. I lost 11 Yavanas in the process, but their death toll was much higher: 281 warriors and 7 commanders. The walls are already in disrepair, so I am taking advantage of this to storm the city. Soon T'ien Ch'i's last stronghold will be taken. After this he only has two provinces, which will quickly fall, and then it will be down to Vanheim and me.

Devarama is heading south this turn. I have outfitted him a little differently from Balastha, as you can see below:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/446538-64Devarama.jpg

Since I realised that quickness does not stack past a certain limit, if he is blessed and casts Celestial Music, the boots of speed do not do very much for him. Instead I gave him Birch Boots, which reinvigorate the wearer a little, and provide some poison and cold resistance.

My researchers discovered how to call a global enchantment that will aid in the forging of magical items. Anuprabha (with the aid of some earth boots) has enough familiarity with earth magic to complete the incantation, and will begin immediately, and then I will be able to outfit myself and my commanders with the best equipment that can be made.

Last month I sent 6 Yakshas and Yakshinis who were helping with research towards the front. They will be better used there, in the fight against Vanheim. Half are going to the west, through the pass in the mountains, and will form two army groups, headed by Devasura and Dhritiman respectively. The other half are going to the south, where I will have three groups, headed by Bishen the Siddha, Balastha, and now Devarama. Vanheim will surely fall.

[Folket]

It seems to me that the quickness do not stack at all. Try casting the celestial music first. My guess it that it would give ordinary quickness which will double ap to 28.

[Nerfix]

Birch shoes? Interesting. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[st.patrik]

Folket said:
It seems to me that the quickness do not stack at all. Try casting the celestial music first. My guess it that it would give ordinary quickness which will double ap to 28.



I realised this after my field test of celestial music. The reason I had hoped otherwise is that heroic quickness can get over double your starting AP. However, I guess this is not accomplishable by other means.

This is exactly why I switched out the boots of speed for the birch boots.
also consider the discussion about blessing, where I was exploring the merits of a fire blessing instead of a water blessing, because once you can cast celestial dancers the water blessing becomes somewhat redundant.

so yeah, it doesn't stack http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Nerfix]

Air bless could have been good, very good. Maybe not Air 9. Just Air 4 or 6 to get the Air Shield. Fire, pretty much always useful..hmmm, perhaps I'll try Kailasa with a Naga and 4 Blessings here and there...

[st.patrik]

I thought about air, but I figured I could archer decoy with those Bandar, which mostly worked pretty well, but it would have been easier to just have air shield from bless. If I could get a water9 + fire9 blessing that would be pretty impressive, but difficult to do, especially considering most of the fun summons are astral, and the most powerful national mage in astral magic is the Guru at astral 2. Gettting a water9 + fire9 + astral4 blessing (for example) would be pretty hard, especially considering you want a strong dominion to recruit lots of sacred troops.
Although the one thing I definitely would change in my pretender design if I could go back would be the sloth scale: I took sloth 1, but could easily have gotten away with sloth 3, which would have given me 80 more design points to work with.

[Endoperez]

Nerfix said:
Air bless could have been good, very good. Maybe not Air 9. Just Air 4 or 6 to get the Air Shield. Fire, pretty much always useful..hmmm, perhaps I'll try Kailasa with a Naga and 4 Blessings here and there...



There are no Naga pretenders any more. There is a race of Nagas, and I really hope you didn't expect to see lots of size 6 monstrosities as recruitable creatures... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

Water 8 works well, even with Celestial Music (as I take it bestows the form of quickness that increases defense). Water 8 wouldn't be worth it just for the blessing, but Water 6 might. Patala has Water/Astral pretender, with whom it is easy to get both high Water blessing, and enough Astral in a Dormant form to be able to summon the national summon at higher levels of Conjuration. While Water Blessing mightn't be optimal, it can still be very good. It's also an easy answer to any demon problems you might have.

[Nerfix]

Sadness. I knew the nagas were weak pretenders but I would have prefered to see them fixed rather than being axed. Ah well.

[Endoperez]

Nerfix said:
Sadness. I knew the nagas were weak pretenders but I would have prefered to see them fixed rather than being axed. Ah well.



As I said, if there are nagas that can be recruited, there can't be divine Size 6 Nagas. I think you'll like what I just posted to the screenshot thread, however. It's one of the new pretenders.

[Daynarr]

Nagas are part of Patala (lete era of Kailasa) nation now.

[Cainehill]

Endoperez said:

Nerfix said:
Sadness. I knew the nagas were weak pretenders but I would have prefered to see them fixed rather than being axed. Ah well.



As I said, if there are nagas that can be recruited, there can't be divine Size 6 Nagas. I think you'll like what I just posted to the screenshot thread, however. It's one of the new pretenders.



Eh - that's like saying that because there are recruitable humans, there can't be semi-divine human pretenders. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Nerfix]

Cainehill said:Eh - that's like saying that because there are recruitable humans, there can't be semi-divine human pretenders. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Yes.

[Folket]

For me it seems that a earth blessing should work great. Reinvigoration for your mages and your sacred heavy infantery. That will also work well with the quickness spell.

[st.patrik]

Folket said:
For me it seems that a earth blessing should work great. Reinvigoration for your mages and your sacred heavy infantery. That will also work well with the quickness spell.



reinvigoration is helpful, especially for mages. But it seems less helpful for Yavanas, since they don't wear much armour, and thus don't have much encumbrance. I don't think I've had a battle in which they have gotten tired so far in my game. Then again, I haven't really experimented with an earth blessing much.

[st.patrik]

Turn 66
Apparently one of my provincial rulers has been hiding his true nature: he has been revealed as a Vampire Count! He attacked and overthrew the militia in the province he used to rule with a force of Thralls and lesser Vampires. This kind of thing cannot be allowed to happen. I must send away immediately a strong force to destroy this vile creature of darkness.

Aside from this vile creature commiting such treason the news this month has been good: Balastha captured the fortified city of T'ien Ch'i without problem. Here is a shot (zoomed out really far) showing the city:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/447080-66fortcity.jpg


I also wanted to include a shot of one of my Yavanas, now with some experience, and having had several enchantments cast upon him:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/447084-66Yavana.jpg

Hard to know who could stand against an army of these proud warriors and live to tell about it!

Vanheim attacked one of T'ien Ch'i's remaining provinces (one of my Markatas was there to see the whole thing). Vanheim succeeded in the end, but T'ien Ch'i nearly prevailed. (I think the elephants routing and trampling his prophet in their mad rush off the field made it a little harder).

T'ien Ch'i attacked me in his former capital, but I was able to withstand the assault easily, even though Anuprabha was in the labratory casting his global enchhantment, which, by the way, succeeded perfectly. I will now set many mages forging many interesting items.

[DominionsFan]

Nice progress. st.patrik could you show us the power graphs?

[st.patrik]

I can, but only for turn 78, which is where I'm at currently (trying to stay ahead so that I can post fairly regularly here).

I have been trying to not look at them too much... more of the rpg element...

Maybe I should post them when the game concludes, so that the progress of the whole can be seen?

[Nerfix]

What's that sword icon?

[st.patrik]

I believe it's Armour-Piercing weapons. One of my Yakshas cast Weapons of Sharpness which makes all weapons AP.

[DominionsFan]

st.patrik said:
I can, but only for turn 78, which is where I'm at currently (trying to stay ahead so that I can post fairly regularly here).

I have been trying to not look at them too much... more of the rpg element...

Maybe I should post them when the game concludes, so that the progress of the whole can be seen?



Okay. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

[BigJMoney]

Oh, I was thinking it was Astral weapon, but that's right, AW has some kind of flame around the weapon.

I was going to say the Yavanas' one weakness is ranged attacks, but then I noticed they have bucklers, and I bet even bucklers have a good protection, shield bonus.

=$=

[Endoperez]

BigJMoney said:I was going to say the Yavanas' one weakness is ranged attacks, but then I noticed they have bucklers, and I bet even bucklers have a good protection, shield bonus.



Bucklers are just bucklers. They are the smallest shields available. They help, but Yavanas are still pretty vulnerable to archers. Now Gandharvas, with that insane armor especially for Early Age, THEY are scary.

[st.patrik]

yeah missiles are their worst nightmare, despite the bucklers (although I'm sure it would be worse without them). Once you can cast Arrow Fend (which I have, in the screenshot) you're in good shape, and before then using archer decoys works mostly pretty well.

Besides, even without those things the Yavanas close really quickly, so you don't have very long before they enter melee.

[st.patrik]

Turn 67
A mostly uneventful month: Vanheim attacked T'ien Ch'i, T'ien Ch'i attacked one of my undefended provinces (I left it undefended in my haste to attack T'ien Ch'i's fortified city), Vanheim attacked me with a small force in what used to be T'ien Ch'i's capital; a few magic sites of power were found by ritual-casting mages; a couple of unexpected, but unimportant events occurred...

What is important, and exciting, is that if all goes according to plan I will crush T'ien Ch'i's remaining forces next month, and his so-called 'god' will be banished forever from this realm. This shouldn't be hard: as far as I can tell he only has two provinces left, both adjacent to provinces I hold. Balastha will attack one and Bishen the other (with appropriate forces of course). Then the name of Di-ya, the abominable god of T'ien Ch'i, will be blotted out forever; the so-called Patron of Necromancers will become the plaything of death itself; the pretentious Turner of the Flood will be swept away by the mighty flood of my armies; the much-vaunted Lord of the South Wind will be blown away and the pathetic Lord of Terror will become a by-word of terror to the enemies of Kailasa!

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/447450-67map.jpg

I have re-outfitted Balastha - instead of boots of speed I have given him Winged Shoes, and a sword that makes him lucky. The plan is to cast spells and then fly to the rear of the enemy and kill. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

In the seas, Apala is summoning a legendary Queen of Water to aid in the conquest of the oceans. In the west many items of power are being forged for the coming battle with Vanheim.

[Nerfix]

Good going. Your enemies have no chance whatever against you.

[BigJMoney]

I'm starting to think you should have set the AIs to impossible, hehe.

=$=

[DominionsFan]

BigJMoney said:
I'm starting to think you should have set the AIs to impossible, hehe.

=$=




The main problem is, that human tactics is just too much for the AI. Example: human players are using mass mage squads against the AI, and the AI is just not smart enough to do anything against it.
This is why mages in my total conversion mod will be very expensive. The players won't be able to field a mage army.
The mod will focus on regular/national/summoned units mostly. This doesn't means that the human players won't be able to beat the AI of course, however I plan to make other nasty things as well to enpower the AI in a special way. . http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
You will see that a TC mod can raise the AI to new levels. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[st.patrik]

Turn 68
An eventful month!

My attacks on T'ien Ch'i proceeded exactly according to plan, without a single loss. Without any province to return to, Di-ya let out a final howl of anguish and entered the Void, never to return.

Thalassa the Queen of the Sea answered my summons. She will promptly be given good equipment and sent out to destroy my enemies.

A fugitive from the hidden kingdom of Elludia arrived at my capital, asking for asylum. I granted this request, on condition that he use his, eh, unique talents in my service.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/447781-68stalker.jpg

In not so good news, one of my provinces was attacked by a all-too familiar band of Heroes, who quickly overran my Markata and Atavi militia. Yes our friend Bogus the Troll and associates are now squatters on my land. Of course this cannot be, so now that I have finished with T'ien Ch'i I will turn my attention to such matters before war with Vanheim commences.

[Nerfix]

One down one left to go! It seems you had mixed luck this turn.

[JaydedOne]

An ethereal assassin. Dirty. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

I take it a random event brought him to you?

[Daynarr]

Your sacred troops can make short work of Bogus. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
Just make sure they have someone who can cast Divine Blessing with them.

[Daynarr]

Oh yeah, and don't forget to equip commander(s) with anti-missile items as they are going to get hit with at least 2 arrows before they manage to cast air shield.

[Taqwus]

If you like Stalkers, at least in Dom 2 there's the 'Hidden Kingdom of Elludia' site, which lets you recruit both Stalkers and, er, Elludian Moon Mages, if memory serves.

[st.patrik]

Turn 69
Finally my researchers have discovered the lore of unique magical artifacts. Needless to say I will be making some. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Another deathmatch has been organized for the arena. This time I will send Devarama. I think he should be able to take most of what Vanheim can dish up, especially if he gets into melee right away. I will give him winged shoes and tell him to bless himself and attack rear.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/448108-69Devarama.jpg

While Devarama is away fighting for the honour of Kailasa I will organize my armies: prepare an army to take down Bogus + friends and finally kill that Vampire Count from several months ago. This and outfit my commanders with expensive and powerful artifacts.

I am empowering one of my wizards in hopes that I will be able to make the fabled Hammer of the Forge Lord, which will make item forging incredibly cheap for the wielder.

[Nerfix]

Whoo, great going!

[DominionsFan]

Devata will surely kick some *** in the Arena. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[st.patrik]

Turn 70
Vanheim must have figured that he wouldn't win the deathmatch, because he sent an independant commander without any equipment to the arena! Devarama was trained and ready for anything - imagine his surprise when he took the field and saw his opponent. Of course he won, but what an anticlimax! I was hoping for a showdown with Vanheim's prophet.

Vanehim did, though, attack one of my provinces that I had left mostly empty. I recalled my commanders to the nearest fortified city to redeploy, and in my absence the province was lost. Not a big deal though - I can take it back anytime I want; Vanheim's army is not too large.

In other news, last month was a productive one in terms of magical artifact forging: I managed to make the sword Ember, which strikes with both fire and ice; the tome of high power, which increases skill with air and astral magic; Fenris' Pelt - a huge wolf pelt that makes you berserk and calls wolves to you; the boots of Calius the Druid, which give reinvigoration; Krupp's bracers, which aid in protecting and reinvigorating the wearer; finally the Green Eye, which, when put in place of a mage's eye will cast spells of its own accord, and make spells cast by the mage more powerful.

This turn I will be able to forge the powerful Hammer of the Forge Lord.

Boreda the Yakshini and two of her sisters are moving with a small army into the province held by the Vampire Count this month. I am also moving Devarama into the province held by Bogus and friends, to get a closer look and determine perhaps what the best offense should be. He will stay in the back and perhaps pick off one of the raiders before retreating.

Counting my men I have 342 Yavanas, 118 Guhyakas, 43 Bandar, and just 6 Gandharvas. I am forming 5 small Army groups - 4 in the field and 1 in reserve. Two will take Vanheim on the western side of the mountains, and two on the eastern side. Once they get close to Vanheim's capital they can form two large army groups. Devasura will command the reserves, since he is crippled and can't get around so easily. Bishen and Dhritiman the two Siddhas will command two groups, and the two Devatas, Devasura and Balastha, will command the final two groups. In addition I have several Warrior Mages mounted on horseback and armoured as knights that I will deploy. They can cast personal buffs and then charge into combat. They can take care of uprisings, emergency measures and remaining independant provinces. But for now I wait. I wait until the various uprisings have been taken care of, and until I have forged more equipment to outfit my commanders. In the mean time Ratheldun the Elludian Stalker will go before me, knocking out key enemy commanders and throwing the army of Vanheim into disarray.

Here is a view of the kingdom of Vanheim as it stands at the moment:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/448304-70vanheim.jpg

[Nerfix]

Ah, pity about the commander. Anticlimax indeed!

But great going with the items!

[st.patrik]

Turn 71
Success! The hideous Vampire Count was destroyed! Here is a shot of one of my Yakshinis banishing the lesser vampires.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/448528-71banish.jpg

Success also with Devarama: while scouted the province he was attacked by a Dark Knight mounted on a Griffon. He slew the Dark Knight swiftly and then left the province. Here is a shot of the action:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/447094-71raider.jpg

Honestly I think that Devarama and Balastha on their own could probably take out the raiders, but I will put together a support team to help. Ananda, the Yaksha who has a third eye, is now equipped with an Ethereal Crossbow, which means instant death for anyone hit (unless they have very high resistance to magic). Ratheldun the Elludian Stalker is heading out this turn, armed with a lucky sword (and a sword of swiftness), a pair of boots of quickness, and some missile protection. I think he should be able to take most anyone down so long as he can get to them quick enough. He's certainly going to be hard to kill, being ethereal, and having some thick armour now (18), plus pretty impressive defence (27).

Apala and Thalassa the Queen of the Sea are attacking an ocean province this month. Hopefully resistance will crumble at their arrival...

I am being slow in preparing for war - having too much fun making magical items http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Nerfix]

Is that the new Banishment effect? It looks great!

[st.patrik]

Nerfix said:
Is that the new Banishment effect? It looks great!



yeah it looks way cooler than before http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Nerfix]

Much cooler.

[st.patrik]

Turn 72
Due to an miscommunication I have lost another province to Vanheim http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif
I instructed Devarama for the battle against the raiders to bless himself, attack once, and then retreat. I didn't communicate clearly enough to him that this course of action was primarily appropriate for that particular encounter, and so when, on his way back to my city, the province he was in was attacked by Vanheim, he blessed himself, attacked once, and retreated. At which point, of course, everyone else decided to leave too, because if the enemy is enough to make the mighty Devarama flee, well, it must be pretty bad. Still here is a shot of the one turn he did attack, and the hopeless fools entangled in vines because they had the temerity to attack him.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/448854-72Devarama.jpg

Thalassa and Apala took the ocean province without problem. The next one, however, has Shark Knights, so might be more of a challenge.

Ananda wanted to try out his Ethereal Crossbow, so I am sending him into one of Vanheim's provinces for target practice. He is to fire a few shots and then retreat back to my city.

In other news, I finally recruited a Warrior Mage with skills in both Air and Earth magic. I have been wanting to forge some combo items, such as Silver Hauberk, and perhaps Shield of Valour, and perhaps a staff of Elemental Mastery. I forged a ring of Wizardry last month, which boosts allpaths of magic.

I think I will send my Warrior Mages into the province next door (which is as yet independant - full of trolls) and see how they do on their own as a fast response unit. No equipment - just a round or two of enhancing magic and then charge into the enemy ranks.

[Nerfix]

Pity about the province, but good going with other things.

[st.patrik]

Turn 73
Much happening in my kingdom:

Ratheldun successfully assassinated one of Vanheim's despicable priests. Let this act strike fear into the hearts of any that would preach against me.
Thalassa and Apala took the water province they attacked without much trouble, despite the presence of several shark knights.
Vanheim attacked me with a small force, including some Clockwork Horrors, which don't seem to have a sense of awe when in the presence of my glorious Yavanas. Still, I triumphed easily.
My Knight-Mages rode out to try to grab an independant province held by some trolls, but were horribly unsuccessful. I guess trolls are pretty tough adversaries. Oh well, no great loss. Nothing can stop the Kailasa war machine!
Finally Ananda attacked the neighbouring Vanheim province to try out his ethereal crossbow, only to find it deserted. Naturally he claimed the province for Kailasa.

The time has come to attack these troublesome raiders. I am sending in Devarama and Balastha, as well as three Yakshinis and one Yaksha. One of the Yakshinis is able to cast a newly-researched spell which melts your adversary's bones. This sounds painful, so I will try it out. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I am hoping to reap a rich booty of magical items.

Ananda, disappointed that he didn't actually get to kill someone in his attack on Vanheim's empty province, is attacking another one, hoping to put his ethereal crossbow to good use.

Thalassa and Apala are continuing their conquest of the seas. After the province they are about to attack there will only be one left unconquered, which unfortunately contains Amber Clan Tritons, which are bad news. I may need to go back for reinforcements before attacking them.

Here is a shot of the multi-pronged attack on Bogus and friends:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449180-73map.jpg

[coobe]

just wanted to say big thanks and great aar ^^

ps: kick bogus´ a** http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Nerfix]

I don't think you'll even need luck vs Bogus. After that you'll most likely head after Vanheim.

[curtadams]

Warrior-Mages aren't really worth what you pay for them and they really aren't worth much at all unless you trick them out - basically they're 200 gp heavy cavalry who can get one or two decent combat enhancements for substantial fatigue. Or they're 200 gp low-end mages with good armor and high ENC. That said, I *love* them because it's so much fun figuring out how to turn each one into a decent thug!

[st.patrik]

yes I feel kinda the same way - they're not really that good, but I like 'em http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Endoperez]

st.patrik said:
yes I feel kinda the same way - they're not really that good, but I like 'em http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif



What are their randoms now? I haven't seem them yet.

[st.patrik]

Warrior Mage randoms are
+1 FAWE 100%
+1 FAWE 100%

so basically 2 random elemental picks. I think this is the same as it was before, though I don't exactly remember.

[st.patrik]

Turn 74
Good News! Bogus and his cohorts died easily. Here's a shot of Bogus just before he fell to the combined blades of Devarama and Balastha.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449893-74bogus.jpg

Sadly my troops only managed to salvage one magic item from the battle: Bogus' Greenstone Armour. Still, this is a fine memento of this conflict.

Ananda's much vaunted ethereal crossbow is not so impressive: he only managed to kill one enemy before retreating! Vanheim counter-attacked and took one of my border provinces I wasn't really defending.

I summoned some Gandharvas this month, and will summon more this month, and then next month (hopefully) attack. I also summoned a great eagle, because why not?

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449895-74eagle.jpg

I myself am traveling to the front to oversee the preparations.

[Nerfix]

Good going with Bogus.

Have you considered replacing the ethereal crossbow with something else?

Perhaps you could use the Great Eagles with those Siddha's or Devarama's (that's the name of them right? I already forgot the name of the blue skinned fellas http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/redface.gif ) as an airborne task force. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[st.patrik]

Nerfix said:
Good going with Bogus.

Have you considered replacing the ethereal crossbow with something else?



any suggestions? I probably need to get him to cast Eagle Eyes on himself before firing - maybe that would help him hit something.

[st.patrik]

Here's a shot of Devarama's defence, with all factors added in:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449899-74devaramadef.jpg

[Nerfix]

Can you make Vision's Foe or Piercer? Or maybe Bow of War if you can make it. Perhaps even Thunder Bow, IIRC it has high accuracy as well damage=strenght.

Using Eagle Eyes might be a good idea too, actually, it is a good idea. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[st.patrik]

I might try 'vision's foe' - I'll see what has the best prec. bonus.

[Nerfix]

st.patrik said:
I might try 'vision's foe' - I'll see what has the best prec. bonus.

The Air/Death path it needs is wonky, but it's a good weapon, albeit slow.

I would imagine that it would be as frustrating as trying to have BBQ party in Niefelheim against Agartha... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Then again, you're not fighting against them.

[st.patrik]

hmmm... yeah air/death isn't a combo I have...

Maybe I'll try a thunder bow...

[Nerfix]

Thunder Bow + some strength enchanting item(s) works fine unless you run into lightning immune/strongly resistant enemies.

[st.patrik]

since the game is being shipped I will try to speed up the endgame - my goal was to have the game finished by the time people got their games.

[st.patrik]

Turn 75
Vanheim attacked a couple of times, once casting a spell which made my Yavanas believe they were chained with magical bonds and couldn't move. But it was not enough to save win the battle for them. Below is a shot:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/450164-75falsefetters.jpg

Ananda again ventured out for target practice, but again found the province he attacked deserted.

I am sending out two army groups this turn: one from the western fortress to take over the troll-held province, and then on to further conquests. This group is led by Devarama, along with two Yakshas and two Yakshinis. They have 100 Yavanas/Guhyakas and some Bandar.
The second group is composed in exactly the same way, but is led by Bishen the Siddha. This group is leaving from one of the southern fortresses and heading into Vanheim's territory. In the next month or two I should be able to send out two or three more such groups.

[Nerfix]

That's the new False Fetters effect? It looks good. Let's hope all goes well with Vanheim.

[st.patrik]

Turn 76
Success on every front! Both my attack in the south against Vanheim and my attack in the west against the trolls went off without a hitch. Well ok there was that one time that some of my Bandar got a little to close to a magically induced hail of frost and a couple died, but in general everything went very smoothly.

I also attacked some independants in the north - the last independantly held province left in my territory. This one had an interesting mix of inhabitants: knights, woodsmen led by a druid, and barbarians.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/450468-76indies.jpg

The reason why so many different kinds of people were in the same province is that now when you attack independants and they rout, they flee to neighbouring independant provinces. Undoubtedly many of these guys didn't start here - but this was the last stand of many fugitives from other battles.

In the south there was a lot of tension in T'ien Ch'i's former capital this month. I have been carefully keeping Devasura and the Devatas apart, but this month, for the first time, Balastha and Devasura came face to face. Devasura, I may remind you, is a fallen Devata that was cast out of the Celestial Sphere and stripped of his powers. Eventually he turned to blood magic in an attempt to regain power. Balastha is a Devata, one of Devasura's brethren before he was cast out. I think Balastha is a little perturbed that I have accepted Devasura, and even more agitated by the fact that he (Devasura) is my prophet. If Devasura was in full health it might have come to blows, but as it is he has to be carried around by a pair of Bandar apes on account of his war wounds. Nonetheless, I am sending Balastha into Vanheim's territory at the head of another battle group, in part to separate the two. He will be heading south this month.

The other two army groups are also attacking this turn - continuing the offensive. As yet I haven't encountered any real strength from Vanheim. I suspect it is concentrated in his fortresses to the south. I also know he has been attacked by independants several times, and so much of his strength may have gone towards fighting them off. However, his so-called 'god' is up near my border, and so it is always possible that there will be an attack. I welcome the chance to destroy this upstart!

Apala and Thalassa are attacking the Amber Clan this turn - we will see if they can prevail.

[Daynarr]

st.patrik said:
Turn 76
The reason why so many different kinds of people were in the same province is that now when you attack independants and they rout, they flee to neighbouring independant provinces. Undoubtedly many of these guys didn't start here - but this was the last stand of many fugitives from other battles.




Actually no, this is a result of having several events happen in independetn province. Since indie provinces can also get random events, this one got struck by knight and barbarian events. Since they were all indies, they joined their defense instead.

[Nerfix]

That sure was a curious mix of indies. The new barb and woodsman sprites look great.

[st.patrik]

erm, yeah, thanks for clarifying that Daynarr... a little confusion on my part... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/redface.gif

[Manuk]

The reason why so many different kinds of people were in the same province is that now when you attack independants and they rout, they flee to neighbouring independant provinces. Undoubtedly many of these guys didn't start here - but this was the last stand of many fugitives from other battles.



That could be fun. I would like that in a patch.

[st.patrik]

Turn 77
I accidentally pressed 'e' and the turn hosted before I could write it up. From what I recall Vanheim counter-attacked, though not effectively. I was successful in all my battles, except against the Amber clan, who killed almost all my troops including the mighty Asp Turtle, and sent me off the field of battle. I had a successful assassination, and am trying another.

[Nerfix]

Shortest update ever. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Pity about the Asp turtle.

[st.patrik]

Turn 78
After the confusion of last month I hardly remembered the orders I had given, so the reports this month, while good, were a little unexpected:

Ratheldun managed to assassinate a Vanjarl. Even I was impressed by this, since Vanjarls, being powerful mages of Air, tend to summon ghostly wolves and sometimes air elementals, which often are enough to stop would-be assassins in their tracks. In addition to this they are really hard to hit, on account of the glamour ability. Below is a shot of the beginning of the battle:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451313-78deathofsurt.jpg

Ratheldun very swiftly slew the elemental, and then about 6 wolves, before closing for the kill.


I myself was assailed this month by Vanheim; I stopped by the troops in Cathedral Gap to bolster their morale, and Vanheim, clearly thinking that they had an opportunity to destroy me, attacked. Sadly their pitiful force was no match for my might, and were beaten off most easily.

Two of my armies attacked: one in the west, who took a province from Vanheim without trouble, and one in the south, who took a province containing some Forest Ramparts from Vanheim. My force there, led by Bishen, was strong enough to destroy the gates of the fortification: we will be able to storm the gates this month.

Balastha has another force in the south, and will also be attacking a province this month.

Dhritiman is also ready: he will be leading out the fourth force from the western fortress this month.

[st.patrik]

Turn 79
Victory to the glorious armies of Kailasa! All of my armies defeated their foes with minimal losses!

Bishen was counter-attacked before he could storm the ramparts, and used his magical gems to protect against this attack, which meant that he didn't have any for the assault. I was nervous about this, particularly considering that one of the spells he is supposed to cast is Arrow Fend, to protect my unarmoured Yavanas against missiles. Especially before storming a fortification this is a good spell to have in effect. However, this potentially disastrous situation turned out to be ok, because Vanheim, in his haste to counter-attack left his garrison without any leadership, so as soon as I started advancing they retreated. I took the fort without a single loss!

Devasura and Balastha successful took their respective provinces with little resistance. The real coup however, was with Dhritiman's army: he attacked in force, but not necessarily expecting a lot of resistance, and found Vanheim's pretender with only a few bodyguards. Of course he pressed the attack, and even though he took the field himself, Vanheim's false god was slain. Below is a picture of the unfortunate just before his life was taken.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451316-79vangod.jpg

With the loss of their god Vanheim's morale must be low - we will sweep the dissenters away and emerge as the one true ruler of this world!
Accordingly, Balastha is storming the castle in the province he just took; Devarama and Dhritiman are pushing south, and Bishen is moving westwards. After this turn Vanheim should only have 3 provinces left, and only one castle.

[TheBigBlueBox]

This doesn't say much about the AI considering how easy a time you're having...

It also seems like the Kailasa are overpowered...

[Ygorl]

The AI seems a lot better to me than in Dom2. I think st.patrik is playing on normal difficulty level?
edit: "difficult" difficulty level.

I've played two quick games, and the first one I lost because the guys I was fighting against dominion-killed me!
I had a 6 dominion, a living prophet (though an imprisoned pretender), and a couple extra temples, too, so I was quite impressed. As for Kailasa being overpowered, I don't know... I'm stomping them as Marverni in my second game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
High morale troops are good for not being awed.

[st.patrik]

Any nation is overpowered if you know how to use them effectively. In this game I opted for a heavy bless strategy, which meant that I got a late start (imprisoned god) relatively speaking. Everything has a trade-off: if I had been attacked early on by a thug pretender I may not have made it, but now I have the troops and power to dominate Vanheim.

The AI is not bad, but is never to be compared to the challenge of a human opponent. There are a lot of things I would have done differently if this would have been a MP game. I probably could have given myself a harder time by setting the AIs to mighty or impossible.

I've said this before, but I think that the AI opponents are tough in the early game, because (if you set them to above normal) they have more resources than you, so can expand faster. If you make it to the middle game you can be on even footing - matching their numbers with your strategy. Once you get to the end game (ifyou get to the end game) they are easier, because you have (as an intelligent human being) figured out how to defeat their strategies.

[st.patrik]

Turn 80
Apparently Ratheldun has been in contact with some of his shadowy brethren in the hidden kingdom of Elludia - Another individual from that land appeared, asking for asylum. He calls himself Sedestar, although I have no doubt that that is an assumed name. But, as with Ratheldun, I offered him a place in my land, with the understanding that he will put his unique talents to work in my service. A taciturn fellow, he nodded his agreement and went to the armoury to outfit himself with appropriate equipment.

With regard to the war with Vanheim, it would seem that I am right: the people's will to fight is diminished - resistance has been mild at best. It will not be long now before the end comes. Here is a view of the last of Vanheim's domain:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451419-80map.jpg

Just for fun I am casting 'Imprint Souls' on Vanheim's last castle. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[st.patrik]

Turn 81
Imprint Souls is a fun spell! Looks like the effects were that it converted (i.e. made fanatics of) 12 people, killed 44 people, and made 52 people mad. The result was that the madmen and fanatics attacked the province. Here's some shots:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451211-81madman.jpg

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451424-81madpriest.jpg

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451393-81madbattle.jpg

Here's the main screen, which shows Elohar (the mad priest) sieging the castle, which is good. However, also notice that his button has a special colour, which means that I can't get him to do something else if I want to. Because he's mad.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451121-81orders.jpg

In other news, I took another Vanheim province, and he counter-attacked in a different one - but not with enough force to break my grip. Same old story. Am moving in this turn to wear down his walls.

[Ballbarian]

Here's the main screen, which shows Elohar (the mad priest) sieging the castle, which is good. However, also notice that his button has a special colour, which means that I can't get him to do something else if I want to. Because he's mad.



That is very cool! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

[st.patrik]

Turn 82
Vanheim tried vainly to break the siege on his castle. Pathetic.

Elohar the mad priest is fervently Calling on his God (i.e. me) to return, even though I have not left this world, and therefore have no need of being called to return. But there's no telling the guy - he's intent on his task!

I am giving the order to storm the castle. Balastha and Bishen command. If this attack succeeds, Vanheim will be no more.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451427-82map.jpg

[Ballbarian]

lol http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif
Do mad or insane commanders ever move. I mean do they ever roam from one province to another or initiate an attack on an enemy controlled province?

[st.patrik]

I'm not entirely sure about that. I haven't played much with madness yet. I do know that sometimes you can command them, and sometimes you can't

[st.patrik]

Turn 83

"This is the way the world ends…not with a bang, but a whimper."

Here is my attacking army, in front of the gates to Vanheim's castle:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451435-83attackers.jpg

Here are Vanheim's defenders:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449898-83def.jpg

Cowardly to the last, the inhabitants of Vanheim left their defence to a few clockwork horrors and a crusher.
I don't really need to show the battle. We all know what happened.

I will show some other images though:

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/447448-83map.jpg

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/446600-83pretlist.jpg

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/448611-83hof.jpg

My main four commanders:
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/451431-83Balastha.jpg

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449638-83Bishen.jpg

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449909-83Dhritiman.jpg

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/449902-83Devarama.jpg

And finally:
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/450163-83finalmessage.jpg

And that is the story of how Ghanivallika came to rule the world.

[BigJMoney]

Yay, good story! Way to end it with a touch of madness; very nice. Thanks for doing all the work to get this to us.

=$=

[Nerfix]

Wonderful! Great finale, even if it was a bit of an anti-climax. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Where did that Siddha get the Horror Mark?

[Agrajag]

*Applause*
Great story, thanks for all the effort of putting it up for us to see http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[DominionsFan]

st.patrik, you've forgot to post the power graphs. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Anyways nice AAR, thanks for it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

*edit* typo http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/stupid.gif

[okiN]

st.patrik said:
Elohar the mad priest is fervently Calling on his God (i.e. me) to return, even though I have not left this world, and therefore have no need of being called to return. But there's no telling the guy - he's intent on his task!


How can you be certain it's you he's calling? Could be he's just feigning loyalty and will be fhtagning before you know it!

Anyway, thanks a lot for the AAR, I enjoyed reading it. Can't wait to play for myself.

[Nerfix]

Oh yeah, thank you very, very much for making this AAR, it has been very enjoyable and informative. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Daynarr]

Nice AAR. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[st.patrik]

thanks all http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif it was fun to do.

re. DominionsFan - it would apear that the score graphs take out nations that are no longer in the game, so at the end it showed only me! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

This didn't seem particularly interesting, so I didn't post it. I can though, if you like.

re. Nerfix - Dhritiman got the horror mark from wielding the Mage Bane sword, which horror-marks anyone who wields it. Thankfully he didn't actually get attacked by a horror, although it would have been an interesting fight...

[okiN]

st.patrik said:
Thankfully he didn't actually get attacked by a horror, although it would have been an interesting fight...



The good thing about being horror marked by the Mage Bane is that it makes killing horrors much, much easier. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[DominionsFan]

st.patrik said:
thanks all http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif it was fun to do.

re. DominionsFan - it would apear that the score graphs take out nations that are no longer in the game, so at the end it showed only me! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

This didn't seem particularly interesting, so I didn't post it. I can though, if you like.

re. Nerfix - Dhritiman got the horror mark from wielding the Mage Bane sword, which horror-marks anyone who wields it. Thankfully he didn't actually get attacked by a horror, although it would have been an interesting fight...



Damn, it should show all nations until they were wiped out. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[Caduceus]

Do the little icons above Ratheldun signify weapons/artifacts he has? I hadn't seen that before. How great is that?!?

[Caduceus]

Thanks for the AAR, it has been great!

[Nerfix]

Caduceus said:
Do the little icons above Ratheldun signify weapons/artifacts he has? I hadn't seen that before. How great is that?!?

Yeah, it's the Commander Tokens and it has appeared before you know. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[NTJedi]

st.patrik said:
re. DominionsFan - it would apear that the score graphs take out nations that are no longer in the game, so at the end it showed only me! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif





A player is unable to review the end game graphs if all other graphs have been removed. I would report this as a bug since it's a loss of data which was previously available.

[st.patrik]

I'm pretty sure this is intentional on the part of the developers. I suppose that if you have a large game, then it would be helpful to not have all the dead nations cluttering up the display, so instead non-active nations are removed from the charts. It makes sense, it's just not helpful in cases like this where you want to look back over the course of the game and see how everyone did.

maybe an option to toggle on/off defeated nations would be nice.

[NTJedi]

TheBigBlueBox said:
This doesn't say much about the AI considering how easy a time you're having...

It also seems like the Kailasa are overpowered...



We all know most computer opponents have serious problems expanding into water provinces. The map he was playing was tipped in his favor since he expanded into these nearby water provinces.

Thus if you want to play a super easy map then setup a map with islands surrounded by water and start each nation on its own island. And to make the game even easier have yourself start as one of the water nations.
Ermor and Jotun are the only land computer opponents I've seen somewhat effective with expanding into the water yet even they are no match for how quickly a human can expand into the water.

[Agrajag]

I don't think making dead nation disappear from the graph is a good idea. You can identify which nation is dead by seeing which one flat-line http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[Endoperez]

Agrajag said:
I don't think making dead nation disappear from the graph is a good idea. You can identify which nation is dead by seeing which one flat-line http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif



Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. ..
Flat god, no prophet! Someone bring the priest! We need emergency dominion, NOW! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif



Also, St. Patrik, I think this is one of the few complete Dominions AARs. Most stop at one point or another. Very few are this detailed. I can't think of any that last this many turns. Good work!

[NTJedi]

Agrajag said:
I don't think making dead nation disappear from the graph is a good idea. You can identify which nation is dead by seeing which one flat-line http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif



I completely agree... I will eventually report this as a bug since it's a loss of data which was previously available.

[st.patrik]

Endoperez said:
Also, St. Patrik, I think this is one of the few complete Dominions AARs. Most stop at one point or another. Very few are this detailed. I can't think of any that last this many turns. Good work!



thanks http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Hopefully I haven't given you any ideas that you're going to use on me in the MP game http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Daynarr]

Well, it's actually good feature if you play huge games with 50 nations in them. Getting rid of dead ones makes graphs much more readable. I think that dead nation's graphs should return at the end of the game though.

[DominionsFan]

Daynarr said:
Well, it's actually good feature if you play huge games with 50 nations in them. Getting rid of dead ones makes graphs much more readable. I think that dead nation's graphs should return at the end of the game though.



Yep, however the best would be to have an option to turn it on/off when we want. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

[NTJedi]

DominionsFan said:

Yep, however the best would be to have an option to turn it on/off when we want. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif




Yes I like this idea... I would be a little sad to finish a long game yet have no graph to judge which computer opponents played the best.

[Endoperez]

st.patrik said:Hopefully I haven't given you any ideas that you're going to use on me in the MP game http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif



Actually... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif I MEANT to upload an Oracle, I really did, but it seems I clicked on the wrong name. It seems the Oracle would've been better so far, but I quess I'll just have to try and do with what I have. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smirk.gif

[Folket]

There was an option in Dominions 2 to turn of nations from the score graph. Why would they want to remove that?

And if they have not removed it, there is no reason to autoremove destroyed nation. Better is to have destroyed nation turned off by default and let the player turn them on if intrested.

[Epaminondas]

Hmmm, so Devatas have the same base stats as the hero Devasura, except the difference in magic stats...