Exploits, New and Used

[Bwaha]

Hi, I was looking for a thread just on exploits and couldn't find one. So I will start one.:D

Here's a new one, equip a commander with items to boost his command, then load him up with troops, remove said items and send him off. The troops stay with the commander. I'm useing this to kill off LA Rylah krill.:D

[Bwaha]

Here's another: Hell-bind heart or Charm Bogus and his crew. Then copy their scripted orders onto your commanders. Attack commander, fire commander. This is a proscribed exploit, ask your other players if its okay to use. I use it in SP games.


Anyone else have any? :D

[archaeolept]

I would consider life after deathing your mages in order to avoid upkeep as an exploit... but if a game doesn't proscribe it, I guess it's all fair. It's probably a bit of a pain to do, and likely you'll have some losses, but still...

[Adept]

Here's another: Hell-bind heart or Charm Bogus and his crew. Then copy their scripted orders onto your commanders. Attack commander, fire commander. This is a proscribed exploit, ask your other players if its okay to use. I use it in SP games.


Anyone else have any? :D

I wouldn't use that. Those orders were removed for a reason.

*remembering the heady days of Dominions (I)

[Trumanator]

What was happening?

[Endoperez]

Imagine Call of the Winds, divided to ten squads, each squad of hawks commander to "Attack Mages". Imagine archer-army scripted to Fire Commanders.

Staff of Storms was a necessity, but on the other hand, Summon Lesser Air Elemental was A1 spell that didn't require a gem, so non-Air nations had troubles even if they managed to get a Storm somehow.

[K]

Imagine Call of the Winds, divided to ten squads, each squad of hawks commander to "Attack Mages". Imagine archer-army scripted to Fire Commanders.

Dom2 had much fewer units, so being able to attack mages or commanders was a big deal. Back then, skele-spamming with a high death mage was a way to defeat whole armies; now it's just a diversionary tactic.

Having used these commands extensively in Dom3 in both MP and SP, I find that they don't really have much of an effect on human or AI players. Both kinds of players use guards far more than they ever did in Dom2 and there are far more commanders being used per battle.

[Zeldor]

Endoperez:

You cannot copy commander orders to troops [and afaik if you just enslave that company, they don't have their orders, I also don't know if they get them back if GoRed].

[lch]

You can, however, set the commanding Giant Hawks to use the orders, and the accompanying Black Hawks to guard commander. They'll follow him everywhere and attack anything within range, so they'll attack what he attacks.

[Endoperez]

I was answering Trumanator's question, which was about Dominions 1 (Dom:PPP). In there, any commander or unit could be given order to attack or fire enemy commanders or enemy mages.

I doubt that's what Bwaha meant by used exploits, though, so perhaps we should continue on Dom3 discussion.

Does anyone know how to avoid having your champion sent to the arena? I've tried taking away the champion's items, but that doesn't cancel his orders.

[Gregstrom]

Give him new items, maybe?

[lch]

Here's a new one, equip a commander with items to boost his command, then load him up with troops, remove said items and send him off. The troops stay with the commander.
Works with Death-boosting items and undead armies, too, AFAIK.

[MaxWilson]

Taking away his items doesn't work? Huh. The one time I did it, it was by accident, and I thought it was probably because I put his items in the lab. Maybe if you drop items, or transfer them to other commanders directly (not via the lab)?

-Max

[Falkor]

Here's a new one, equip a commander with items to boost his command, then load him up with troops, remove said items and send him off. The troops stay with the commander.
Works with Death-boosting items and undead armies, too, AFAIK.

It doesn't work. Just tested it.

Edit: It doesn't work for mundane units either. Must have been changed with a patch.

[Bwaha]

Confirmed, Falkor you are correct, I looked at the patch and it doesn't say anything about this. I know that I have used this trick before the last patch. And it worked. :confused:

[Meglobob]

If you openly talk about exploits on the forum, they will be banned in future patches...

As many so called exploits, are players favourite tricks, best to say nothing.

[Bwaha]

I hope not, I feel that these tricks are fun, thats why I started this thread. I like this game just as it is. :D

[JimMorrison]

If you openly talk about exploits on the forum, they will be banned in future patches...

As many so called exploits, are players favourite tricks, best to say nothing.

Maybe the title of the thread could be changed to "Tricks of the Trade". ;)

Of course, some little tricky things add to the quirkiness of the game, and are just fun and interesting tactics. But some things, like the inflated Leader limit trick, maybe they should be banned, as they are just blatant exploitation of what really is a bug, as opposed to just "doing something not directly intended".

[Gandalf Parker]

True enough. We often spoke of dropping items to get the AI to pick them up, and sending items to them to fill their lab so they cant make things. Those got fixed in patches.

[lch]

If you openly talk about exploits on the forum, they will be banned in future patches...
*makes plans to reformulate the buglist in an exploit fashion*

[Bwaha]

I like the title, I think the multiple meanings inferred as funny. Although I will change it if you people want to. :D

[sector24]

Put a Crystal Matrix on a priest (with no other magic paths), and give him two communion slaves. He will cast multiple fatigue 0 spells every turn. Very nice for fighting Ermor.

[HoneyBadger]

One thing I'd like to talk about are items that can be double-equipped, like Bracers of Protection. I personally think that a select few miscellaneous items *should* be multiply equippable, such as bracers, which would normally be worn as a pair, anyway, as well as certain rings, etc.

Certain items just make sense to allow this, but I don't want it to remain as an exploit. I think there should be "dual-equip" ability tag that could be applied to items, that would allow the powers of more than one equipped item to add together.

I don't believe this would affect balance detrimentally, since it's still items occupying slots, and diversification is usually of much more value. So I feel it would add to strategy, to have such a feature, rather than create overpowered SC's.

[Gandalf Parker]

Actually that might be a good idea.
The bugs that can be shown as being exploited might get more attention than those that are just irritating.

[Ironhawk]

Put a Crystal Matrix on a priest (with no other magic paths), and give him two communion slaves. He will cast multiple fatigue 0 spells every turn. Very nice for fighting Ermor.

Wow, really? He will actually cast more than once per round?