Tiny Crowded World - EA - Ctis - Bullock Winner !

[Bullock]

Another game for Noobs and intermediate players. (< 15 MP games)

They will be 3 specificities for this game:

- Diplo oriented: If you don t like diplo stuff, this game isn't for you.(because you are going to be dogpiled :))
- Easy research (unless majority want normal, say your choice when you subscribe)
- Fast paced: turn length will start at 24h then 36h later on but should be caped to this.No postponing unless you have a very, very good reason. (holidays are not since it s planned). Try to find a sub if you can't play (or at least warn me so i can try to find one)

Also, i ll do a quick check on profile allowing to enter only those with an empty police record to make a smooth game.

Now about nations: All but water nations are allowed and if you want to pick one from a mod you are allowed to. (Unless there is some doubts about the balancing)

Players: 10
Era: EA
Map: Streamlands - 93 lands, 10 Seas - http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yi1rrthia9p86hr (updated link, Thanks to Shatner for the corrections)
Magic site freq: 55
Research easy
Renaming On
Graph Off
Hall of Fame 15
Everything else set as default
Mods: CBM 1.84 (plus maybe some nation mods)
Diplo: Everything is allowed.
Victory Condition: Last standing or survivors agree for a winner.


Please send me a PM or post into the forum before going AI. (you shouldn't go AI 'til you are totally defenseless => send your last troops trying to inflict maximum damage)
Game exploits are also forbidden (Bogus orders and so ...)

First to pick first served.
You can change nation until we start the game.

Players:

Bullock - C'tis.
Anaconda - Agartha
Horrorfend- Caelum (formerly aaminoff until t43)
Umsolfunolanis - Hellheim (Dead)
Dojango - Yomi (Dead)
Horrorfend - T'ien Chi (Dead)
Ossa - Fomoria (formerly Longbrodie until t55)
Tratorix - Mictlan (Dead)
Samhain - Abysia
Herbidu - Ulm (Dead)

[Anaconda]

Agartha, please.

[aaminoff]

Sounds like a great game concept.

I ran a game on Streamlands a year or two ago and found a few map errors - connections where there should/should not be. I posted them to the map thread. I don't know if the corrections got incorporated into the canonical files for that map.

Now I have to wrestle with my conscience about whether or not to join in the game. Argh.

[Bullock]

Oooh you are right aaminoff. There is still few errors on the map.
I ll try to do make the corrections myself. (never tried though)
Btw why you wouldn't join us ? ;)

[PriestyMan]

There are a few versions of streamlands running around, including one by Maerlande with i think all of them fixed and set starts. you might want to check it out

[Talrivian]

I'd like to join as Mictlan.

[Catquiet]

I'll give Lanka a go.

[aaminoff]

Well, I wrestled with my conscience and won. Let me tentatively say Caelum. I may have to drop out before the finalization of players, but I think I will be OK.

[Umsolfunolanis]

I would love to join the game. But why no water nations?
If you allow it, I will take Atlantis.

edit: nevermind, I take Hellheim

[Bullock]

I don t want water nation because they have 10 sea province guaranteed while people on land will have less than that and will have to fight hard to keep them. Also they can move too easily anywhere on the map trough lakes and rivers.
In brief i think they will have too many advantages on such a game with this map.

Btw i m glad to see u in.

[dojango]

I'll join. I'd like to give Yomi a shot.

[HorrorFend]

Sounds fun, T'ien Chi please.

[LongBrodie]

I'd like to join. I'll decide on a nation later.

[tratorix]

I'll take Mictlan please.

[Bullock]

Only one spot left !
i ll create the game shortly you can work on your pretender now. (prolly on gandalf serv so you need a password on it)

[Samhain]

I'll need a couple of days to get my pretender designed, but if I can I would like to play as Abysia.

[Bullock]

Great we are full and ready to start.
The game should be opened today, i will update the main post with the address soon, expecting to be able to start it this WE.

Gentlemen get your pretender ready !

[Bullock]

Ok guys game is UP:
http://www.llamaserver.net/gameinfo.cgi?game=Tiny_crowded_world

The link in the main page of the map has been updated. (Dunno what would happen if you use the old one ... so don t forget!)

Has you can notice i ve finally made the game on Llamaser so you don't need password anymore. If you have already done your pretender, please do it again without pass.

[Herbiedu]

Will you accept one more player or is this game allready full? Would be very interested to join!
Greetings Herbiedu

[Bullock]

Lol that s going to be very crowded :)
Ok but you are the very last one.

[tratorix]

11 players on streamlands? Time to gear my build toward a rush I guess. :D

[Catquiet]

I'm going to switch over to Niefelheim.

[Catquiet]

Never mind back to Lanka again.

[Herbiedu]

Fine i'm going for Ulm then.

[Herbiedu]

Is there an other link to the map? It does not work attm.

[Bullock]

Is there an other link to the map? It does not work attm.

the link is working for me.
otherwise you can dl it on llamaserver (last map of the list if i m right)

[aaminoff]

Are you sure llamaserver has the most current file with corrected adjacencies?

[Bullock]

Are you sure llamaserver has the most current file with corrected adjacencies?

Yeah i uploaded it.

[aaminoff]

I downloaded the map file from the link in the first post. I seem to be missing these connections:

91-95
34-33 (near a mountain, but there is clearly a border)
52-54 (water province)

We can just live with the map as it is, but I really like this map and would love to see it fixed for the future.

[HorrorFend]

Is there an other link to the map? It does not work attm.

Check and make sure you have the *.tga files as well as the *.map on the main page. Presumably the corrections are just to the map file.

You get both files at:
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=10093&d=1273362377 Just make sure to then replace the *.map file with the corrected one.

[Catquiet]

I'm going to withdraw, I can't seem to put together a pretender that works on a crowded EA map and a new game has just opened up that looks like it would be a better fit for me.

[Herbiedu]

If Catquite risigns than we are full and ready to start arent we?

[Bullock]

Lanka has been deleted.
We are still waiting for one pretender.

[Bullock]

I downloaded the map file from the link in the first post. I seem to be missing these connections:

91-95
34-33 (near a mountain, but there is clearly a border)
52-54 (water province)

We can just live with the map as it is, but I really like this map and would love to see it fixed for the future.

91-95 is fine to me
34-33 A link could have been done here indeed.
52-54 Here too.

But the 2 missing links are arguable.

If a skilled person want to make the changes before we start, fine. Otherwise we are going like that. ;)

We are actually waiting for longbrodie.

[Herbiedu]

Did you write a PM to Longbrodie? How log are we gonna wait for him until we defenetly start?
I'm just asking because he did not react at all since his massage that he wanted to join and decide on a nation later.

[Bullock]

Did you write a PM to Longbrodie? How log are we gonna wait for him until we defenetly start?
I'm just asking because he did not react at all since his massage that he wanted to join and decide on a nation later.

No but i will pm him.
I m planning to start the game today anyway.

[LongBrodie]

Sorry for the delay, I was traveling all day yesterday. I decided to go with Fomoria. Finishing up my pretender now.

[aaminoff]

OK, who cast Hurricane on all the New England provinces? Since I'm playing Caelum, I have the paths and the gems, but I live there, so duh, I'm not going to drop it on myself. I don't think anyone else has A3 paths, so someone must have taken A3 on their pretender and done some early site searching. :D

Anyway, seriously, if there are massive winds and power/network outages that might be a legitimate reason I won't be able to get in my turn on Sunday evening/Monday.

[Bullock]

Yeah it could be :)

Well i will switch a little earlier to 36h/turn and will be vigilant in case your about to stall. If any1 is in the same case let me know it.

And good luck to all our American friends to go trough this weather event.

[Anaconda]

Without a warning the evil and hideous irondemigod of Ulm threw his horde upon my on-eyed, peacefull giants. As the one and only true god, Fron of Agarhta descended againt them, they dropped their weapons of malign and loath, and ran. But not very far.

...so it begins....

[Anaconda]

Could you postpone for 12H or so, it seems something came up for Caelum.

[Bullock]

what let you think that ?

[Anaconda]

Time was runing out.

[aaminoff]

I'm not sure if you did grant me a delay or not, I thought I made all the deadlines. I have been with limited internet connectivity but sufficient to get in my turns.

[Umsolfunolanis]

I'm away until sunday evening and can't submit my turn, but please force hosting and don't wait for me. I can't do anything anyways and I will be dead in 1 or 2 turns. Was a nice and quick game :)

[aaminoff]

Given your position you could set yourself to AI, I don't think it would make a difference. Only then you won't get to watch the final few battles. :)

Thanks for a fun and exciting war.

[aaminoff]

Caelum's Gem Emporium Now Open for Business

Do you need just a couple more of a particular type of gem? Worried about the cost of alchemy to get it? Worry no more! At Caelum's Gem Emporium you can buy any gem for the low low price of 100G. Contact us by PM or in-game message, or email to alex@basespace.net. Supplies are limited so get your orders in today!

- Alex, Caelum

[Bullock]

Haaa Umso you are always dying too early :)

@Aaminoff lol at your business ;)

[Anaconda]

please postpone the turn 12 h just to be safe - I am away till tomorrow.

[Anaconda]

One eyed giants from the deepest but clean and well lighted caves under the earth would like to know what are the current alliances and whos fighting with who?

[LongBrodie]

I'll be out of town without internet access for a couple of days. I'd appreciate it if we could postpone the next turn by 48 hours.

[Bullock]

i ll had 24h to the next turn to do a 72h turn when it pop, should be fine.
Since it was supposed to be a game without interruption i m somehow breaking rules by according you a delay. If some people complain i ll let you stall.

[Bullock]

Aah damn i was waiting to see if some1 complain about the postpone and forget it ... i postpone this turn for 24h just in case.

[aaminoff]

Hi folks. Is there a chance I could get a 24h extension? my family has been sick and sleeping poorly.

Do we really intend to stay on a 36h schedule indefinitely?

[aaminoff]

Actually never mind, sleeping arrangements were rearranged so I could use the computer. Got the turn done.

[Bullock]

About turns rate, if like 1/3 of players want to increase it, we can.

[Samhain]

The 36 interval is good for me and should be for quite some time. But, I'm also ok with the occasional planned hosting delay to help us all keep it there without having to stale.

[aaminoff]

Could I please have a 26h extension? Mondays are the really bad day for me - no time at all with comp access 7am - midnight, and I'm busy tonight. I should be able to deal Tuesday morning.

[Bullock]

Alright i'll postpone

[tratorix]

Well, I'm done. Man I suck as EA Mictlan. CAn't do anything once I get past the part of the game where massed jaguar warriors stops being the solution to anything.

[Samhain]

Thanks for playing through to the end, Horrorfend. You simply had the misfortune of not only starting next to EA Abysia, but to to be in a position where I really wanted to attack you early to fortify my borders. Even Niefelheim gets rolled by Abysia in the early game. You did pretty much the best you could by casting Rain and making your sacreds 100% fire proof. But, you never really had a chance.

[dojango]

Well, I'm done. Man I suck as EA Mictlan. CAn't do anything once I get past the part of the game where massed jaguar warriors stops being the solution to anything.

I wouldn't worry about it too much; you got mobbed pretty effectively before you could get a blood economy going. Not much can withstand that sort of onslaught.

[tratorix]

Well, I'm done. Man I suck as EA Mictlan. CAn't do anything once I get past the part of the game where massed jaguar warriors stops being the solution to anything.

I wouldn't worry about it too much; you got mobbed pretty effectively before you could get a blood economy going. Not much can withstand that sort of onslaught.

Well, if the other game I'm currently in as Mictlan is any indication, I wouldn't know what to do with a blood economy once I got it running anyway. :) I think it's better if I just stay away from nations with a heavy blood focus for the time being. I already have enough trouble allocating mage time without adding blood hunting to the mix.

[HorrorFend]

You did pretty much the best you could by casting Rain and making your sacreds 100% fire proof. But, you never really had a chance.

Yeah, rain and fire ward are the way to go, in fact had I realized that sooner I might have held on for a lot longer.

[aaminoff]

Well, things are getting really complex. I would like to vote for bumping up the turns to 48h. Anyone else?

Thanks,
- Alex, Caelum

[Anaconda]

I vote for it.

[Bullock]

Ok if no one is against i ll extend to 48 hours from the next turn.

[LongBrodie]

Fomoria's chances at being a dominant power in this world are slim to none. Because of my unsuccessful early war with Mictlan, I find myself in the late-mid game with little territory and few soldiers. However, I do have an impressive array of powerful giant mages and can last quite a while from a defensive standpoint.

In light of this, I would like to offer Fomoria's services to the other nations at large in forging magical items. I have a large number of powerful Air mages and access to powerful Water, Nature, and Death magic, as well. If I cannot dominate the game, I can at least ensure my continued existence through my continued usefulness.

You provide the gems required for forging and a gold price which we will agree upon through private messages, and I will forge the item and send it to you. Consider this the grand opening of the Fantastic Fomorian Item Forge (TM). ;)

[Bullock]

Who have dared to steal me the craft of the rod of death & rod of dark regency ??

lol the robe of callius as well as many others are gone this turn ... there is some kind of rush in crafting ^^

[Anaconda]

How are the prices in general? I might not wipe you out if you sell me something, you know.

[LongBrodie]

Well, Anaconda, since the idea is that I'll be forging items that you probably can't get on your own without a great deal of investment anyway, I think it's fair to ask a pretty hefty sum of gold in return for my services, say a baseline of 50 gold per magic level required for the crafting? And say, double that amount for boosters, since they're so much more valuable. So a Weightless Scalemail or Chainmail of Displacement would cost 100 gold, and a Winged Helm would run you 400. I think that's pretty reasonable.

Of course, I'd have to charge more for Water and Nature items, since I have less mages with those paths. Maybe an extra 25 gold per level for those items. So... 225 for a Wave Breaker, for example.

Of course, this is open to haggling and you may want to bribe me with gems, instead. :)

[Bullock]

Well, Anaconda, since the idea is that I'll be forging items that you probably can't get on your own without a great deal of investment anyway, I think it's fair to ask a pretty hefty sum of gold in return for my services, say a baseline of 50 gold per magic level required for the crafting? And say, double that amount for boosters, since they're so much more valuable. So a Weightless Scalemail or Chainmail of Displacement would cost 100 gold, and a Winged Helm would run you 400. I think that's pretty reasonable.

Of course, I'd have to charge more for Water and Nature items, since I have less mages with those paths. Maybe an extra 25 gold per level for those items. So... 225 for a Wave Breaker, for example.

Of course, this is open to haggling and you may want to bribe me with gems, instead. :)

lol it's the first shopping mall i see in this game :)

[Bullock]

Well, since i don't have any spy (because none of my province can product any...) i won't tolerate anymore spies on my lands... From now on any spy caught on my lands will be considered as an act of war.

Ctis

[Samhain]

Something seems odd here with my 10% random magic picks on commanders. It's turn 38 and I have yet to recruit a mage with one that has actually gotten a pick. That's with some 50+ Deer Tribe Shamans, Anointed of Rhuax, and Master Warlocks. Could this be a bug or just bad luck?

I don't have any mages with any other percentage picks.

[Anaconda]

I have noted the same thing with Jaguar tribe shamans and Lion tribe witch doctors. I get one additional magic skill for every 25 trained, or even less /in different games thou/.

[dojango]

In a game I played as LA Pythium, I didn't get a 1N1B reveler until year 2, and that was with a 1 in 4 chance.... Sometimes random is random. Remember that each additional recruit is still a 1 in 10 shot.

[Anaconda]

In a game I played as LA Pythium, I didn't get a 1N1B reveler until year 2, and that was with a 1 in 4 chance.... Sometimes random is random. Remember that each additional recruit is still a 1 in 10 shot.

I wonder if any1 exprienced RANDOM occurrance where he gets these additions more often than not, because random should be random.

I personally believe theres something worth of looking at in these statistics.

[LongBrodie]

In another game I was playing as Fomoria, the first Fomorian King I recruited had 2 picks in air magic, so I had a level 5 air mage from the very beginning. I also seemed to get more than 1 in 10 with a second random pick in that game. So sometimes it really is just random.

[Samhain]

Each recruitment should be independently random of every other. Still, I'd expect with the sample size to get something resembling the percentage chance of the pick. For example, I'd expect to see 10% to have the 10% chance picks. That's generally been my experience in other games.

It doesn't seem like it could be a client side bug at any rate. So, since no one else has been seeing the same, I'll just have to fall back on skill and planning as luck clearly is not on my side in this game. Unfortunately, in the past luck has served me much better.

[Bullock]

Is it the season for the birds' migration ? i have found tons in my lands.

[aaminoff]

Hi. I'm afraid I have just run out of time. Getting my daughter to bed took longer than usual tonight, and I absolutely must have a hard stop now so I can drop them off at school and get to work tomorrow. Sadly Monday is the day I have an evening committment, so I will need until mid-day Tuesday. So please add 36h if you can.

I also PMd Bullock.

- Alex

[Bullock]

Aaaah too bad i was waiting hard for the next turn :)
But it is postponed.

[aaminoff]

Sorry about the delay Bullock.

So, you will rightfully be annoyed with me, but I have to start looking for a sub.

1. This is only my 5th MP game of Dominions ever.
A) why didn't I get eliminated earlier by a more experienced player/combination?
B) From lack of experience I underestimated the level of micromanagement. I thought the micromanagement would not be as bad without communions, but no.
2. I have small children
3. RL > game

I will continue to get my turns done on as close to the schedule as I can manage while I look for a sub.

[Samhain]

1. A) Caelum is a bad choice if you want a decent chance to be eliminated early. Mammoths, high mobility, and air evoc is tough to tangle with until mid to late game when their weak troops and lack of diversity make them less threatening of an opponent. Players tend to target nations that are weaker in the early game and strong later, which is how at least I regard Tien Chi, and gang up on the brutally powerful nations such as Lanka, Niefelheim, Hinnom, and maybe Mictlan.

B) I've learned to plan low micro into my strategy. For me, that means a simple and effective expansion strategy with an easy path to SC's later. A handful of well equipped guys with high mobility just means less clicking. Knowledge of the game helps too. But, you also have to accept putting in turns that are far from masterpieces. Try to stick to no-diplo games. And, never, ever play a team game.

2. Children, jobs, school, etc. are all more important that Dom3. For the same reason you cite, I've had to bow out of a couple of games now during periods where my responsibilities waxed a bit. I for one sure don't blame you for making the same sound decision and appreciate you taking the time to find a sub yourself.

If your RL responsibilities allow it, I hope to play against you again one day. You are a good sport.

[Bullock]

Well since the forum is full of threads looking for sub, i'm already expecting the worse for our game.

i'm wondering how much time are you willing to wait for a sub before turning Caelum AI ?

Also i had in mind we could switch the owner of a small nation with caelum, if aaminoff is interested ofc.

Any thoughts ?

[aaminoff]

That is a great idea. The player of Agartha for example could certainly sub in for me. Probably Fomoria likewise.

Bullock, I will continue putting in turns, I may ask for delays now and then, but I hope we will find someone eventually.

[Anaconda]

I am sorry I wont sub this time. I do it every now and then, so I dont have anything against it but I am currently perma sub in a long game + handfull of my own projects, one starting next week, so I am by far too busy to learn a new nation and being a valid sub for their player.

[aaminoff]

Thanks for considering it Anaconda.

So it looks like Horrorfend, the eliminated player of Tien Chi, may be able to sub in for me. I sent him the turn file to look at. Hopefully Bullock can confirm this and set the email address and so forth.

I will fill in Horrorfend on the current diplomatic situation.

[Bullock]

HHaaa that s good to hear.
Welcome back then Horrorfend. Send me your mail and i will make the change.

[HorrorFend]

So it turns out my earlier exit was just a short leave from this Crowded World. I'll be taking over Cealum for aaminoff, please PM me with any treaties or ongoing strategies you might have with Cealum.

[Bullock]

Great the game is back on track (still waiting for Fomoria though) and it seems previous relationships will stay as they were :)

Horrorfend is fine with a 36h/turn so i have set it back.

[Bullock]

I've added few hours to the turn since 2 players are running short in time.

[Samhain]

Thanks, Bullock. I'm three time zones over to the left today and had to work late.

[LongBrodie]

Because Bullock keeps forcing the turn to host before I can send my turn in, I'm going to set myself to AI. This is bull****. Good game, all.

[Anaconda]

wat?

[Bullock]

Oh i'm sorry you take it like that.
But since everyone was playing very fast and you were waiting last minute to submit your turn i thought u had lost interest in the game, especially with only 3 province left.
Btw i asked you by pm and u didn't answered.

[LongBrodie]

You asked by PM AFTER you hosted the turn. You have to realize that some people have lives and jobs and can't always complete their turns very quickly. That's why there is a time limit. You cut me short without asking, then sent a message, then did it again before I could reply. If that's how you're going to run this game, I'm done.

[Bullock]

Dude you get connected several times to the site after i sent you the message and you also had time to play the 2nd turn i forced, at least with the time you planed for the previous turn, but you didn't. All those facts let me think you get bored of this game so i went forward.

But now that i know you are still involved in this game i won't do it again. If you want to talk further more about this PM me. Incident closed.

[Bullock]

Turn postponed for Horrorfend who have some power issue this friday night.

[Bullock]

Longbrodie is again the last and is stalling in all games he is involved in, so i m going forward.

[Anaconda]

...well my honest opinion is that no force hosting should be executed under normal circumstances. Forcing the host negates the whole concept of hosting interval, which, on the other hand, is there for a reason: no need for manual hosting and giving players freedom of schedule.

IF HOSTING INTERVAL IS TOO LONG, it should be adjust however, but not hosted manually without an occurance of rare exception (what ever it might be). Its not wrong to be the last.

If player still stalls, we should find a solution for stalling other than force hosting.

Also, force hosting brings up a serious question of integrity. Because its a great way to seize the opprtunity for the host him/her self or for his party, force hosting should be a outcome of consultation of the player base and not a sole decision of the admin.

If some1 is just too exited to get a new turn in, he should find other things to exite him/her.

....Just my thoughts....

[Bullock]

js i thought every1 was happy to go faster instead of waiting for a nation of 3 lands, who obviously was going to stall again,while everybody is playing fast.

but it seems i m wrong ... so lets wait !

[Anaconda]

If every1 is happy to go faster we should shorten the hosting interval.

[Bullock]

no because it could be handy to have extra time if needed without asking for a postponing.

[Anaconda]

no because it could be handy to have extra time if needed without asking for a postponing.

Exactly, and that is why we all and every1 of us should have the equal right to use the given time as we please without being intimidated by the fear of unexpected force hosting.

If some1 doesnt play, meaning he actually stalls, thats another matter.

[Bullock]

oh come on the guy is leading a 3 lands nations in a late game and currently stalling in all games. You know i won't do that to an active player stop saying some obvious stock comments that don't fit with the situation.

Btw if he's stalling next turn i propose to set him AI.

[Samhain]

In my opinion, if a player is repeatedly staling, you either find a sub or set their nation to AI. Without exception, you do not force hosting while they still have time on the clock to get their turn in.

The number of provinces that the nation has is not relevant. In any case, a nation with no chance of winning can still affect the outcome of the game.

[Bullock]

i m in a total disagreement with both of you ... But i will bow to the consensus ...

[Samhain]

Regardless of how we got here, we have 3 stales in a row for Fomoria. I'd suggest we put the game on hold until a solution is found. If Longbrodie is out, we should at least attempt to find a sub before setting the nation to AI. Even with 6 provinces, a human player would be much preferable to the computer.

[Bullock]

...
i put the game on hold for 72h to see if we can find a sub then.

[LongBrodie]

My computer died and I've been without access to a computer all week. Go on without me. Good luck, everyone!

[Bullock]

Thx to Ossa for subbing Fomoria!

[HorrorFend]

Welcome Ossa. Hate to do this now that we have found a sub for Fomoria but can we move to a 48 hour hosting schedule next week? I'll be traveling and internet available will be intermittent and while I may not always need it, an extra 12 hour buffer would be appreciated.

[Samhain]

Personally, I would prefer an indefinite change to a 50 hour hosting interval. That would allow us the option getting turns in at the same time every other day, a nice regular pace. It's basically the same as 48 hours but without 2 hours to prevent the creeping deadline effect.

[Bullock]

Alright. Switched to 50h.

[Bullock]

omg i was pissed by the stole of the well but it was stipulated in the contract ...
i hate u

[Bullock]

Also thank you Dojango for fighting 'til the end ! See you in an other game =p

[Samhain]

omg i was pissed by the stole of the well but it was stipulated in the contract ...
i hate u

When making a deal with the Devil, or God of Abysia, always be sure to read the fine print before signing ;)

And, thank you Dojango for the rousing war. You didn't give an inch without making me pay dearly for it and asked for no quarter in return.

[Bullock]

AAaaaaaaaaaah my turn file is corrupted !!
Cant play my turn :(

[Ossa]

Wow... I never expected to beat Abyssias force within my castle walls. But I did, and I did it big time;)

[Samhain]

Yeah, that was quite an ambush waiting for me in there. I seem to have a knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by going in light on the final attack. I should have issued a lot more fire gems. I certainly have them to spare.

Though, losing a bunch of those F2 mages was part of the plan. I am done with research and am getting tired of paying so many. I sure didn't expect to lose Pedoseion though, or the battle for that matter.

[Samhain]

Wow, nice second ambush. I would never have guessed you had the gems left for a Sea King's Court, especially after all the water gear I pulled off your Kings in the early stages of the war. I also learned a valuable lesson, that non 0 Enc commanders with Boots of Quickness need extra reinvigoration. Poor heliophogus :(

Anyway, thanks again Ossa for subbing in for us. That was much more satisfying than taking out an AI opponent.

[Bullock]

Thx Ossa for this great subbing ! Too bad i wasn't able to see those 2 fights :(

[Bullock]

Well i think this "gentle-men's war" is coming to an end.
Thx Samhain for keeping your word 'til the Caelum fall as promised.
and Thx Anaconda for keeping and honoring the nap 'til the end.
Also a special Thx to horrorfend for subbing a big nation such as Caelum with lot of micro.

It's now time for the ultimate battle between Fire and Necromancy !

How do you feel it Samhain ?

[Samhain]

You will be scorched mercilessly, or not. It would really help if a certain pair of Ember Lords would move from where I last put them, however.

[Bullock]

Lol very nice turn to watch :)
However in our fight land 30 my grendelkin Qesban did an excellent fight but in my report he seems to be dead and i looted all his stuff ... wth ??

[Samhain]

That was quite a turn, I believe the largest turn file I've ever had.

It didn't go too badly for me. But, unless you can put the game on a hiatus for a couple of weeks, I'm going to have to bow out and respectfully declare you the winner. You certainly deserve it. That was quite a blitz.

With more time, I should be able to put up a good fight. I'm confident at least in the near term I can advance in a few areas of the map though while losing in a couple of others. But, with work trips the next two weeks and both my son's birthday and holiday events on the weekends, I won't have the opportunity for a while.

[Bullock]

Sure np, it s going to be a very nice war i don't want to miss that !
Anyway i'll need a break for Christmas either.

I'll put a huge timer, send turns when you can and we try to get back to the normal pace in january, is that good for you ?

@anaconda don't bother more yourself with this game, turn AI i won't blame you.

[Samhain]

That certainly works for me. Thank you, Bullock. I'll try to make the delay worthwhile.

[Anaconda]

Well, if I turn AI it will be a hassle...

[Bullock]

Well it's even better if you stay :)

[Anaconda]

I could say I was there until the end... I hope - or not.

[Samhain]

I could be wrong, but I don't think the end is that far off in terms of numbers of turns. Just to make a response that does justice to the full on blitz Bullock is employing I'm going to need a lot more time for a turn than the hour or so I've been doing in the game thus far.

And, due to a couple of trips added to my schedule lately and some other family commitments, I won't have that kind of time for a bit. If you just want to avoid going AI, you are well past the hump in that regard.

This is also why I am Ok with declaring Bullock the winner. Since, to even have a shot at victory, as slim is it is, I'm asking for alteration of the original terms of the game in my favor. Arguably, I did so already with the request for 50 hour hosting interval but did my best to not take advantage of them.

Even though you are far from having any chance of victory, I don't see why you avoid getting in a fight altogether. Personally, I like wars without the pressure that being in line to win brings. Ossa, I think, showed how effective even the weakest nation can be when their meager resources are put to good use.

In other words, attack me and the game will be over that much more quickly.

[Bullock]

haaaa there is big discrepancies between the battle in motion and the reports.

in the battle i see you grendel being disintegrated and the report you have no commander loss ... that sux so much.

And i also have several ember lord not moving ...

[Samhain]

I asked about the Ember Lord issue myself in the CBM 1.84 thread.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=47252&page=6

Unfortunately, the mod file for our game on the server seems to be missing the flying tag for the Ember Lord. So, if you try to move him two provinces in the same turn the server will deny the move. Just move them one prov per turn and you should be Ok.

And, I'm not sure what to make of the reports myself. I hardly watch the battles much less dig through those. But, I don't see any missing Grendelkins. Sorry.

[Bullock]

Aaah ok thanks for the embor lord issue

Concerning the grendelkin you lose in Fomoria you don't see him being desintegrated ?

[Samhain]

Yes, I definitely see him get zapped near the end.

I've lost a couple of thugs this game just as mysteriously to me as his resurrection. For me, it feels like karmic justice. But, I'd say that you were just plain robbed.

[Samhain]

Well, Bullock, it appears that I've been able to turn things around tactically. And, with Astral Corruption, Forge of the Ancients, and Eternal Pyre all up I my strategic position seems strong, arguably advantageous. While it is fun, I'd be happy to call it a game if you will accept a tie.

[Bullock]

Well i don't have the same outlook of the situation.
i have twice the number of territories, i think i have twice gems income (and prolly more, thanks to my strand of arcane power who s running from the very beginning) , and prolly 3 times your incomes. You had some small victories but it s about my turn production i have 4k of cash to build mages and troops each turn... (5k this turn with randoms) It would be fun to have graph at this point.

i think you might grab few territories in the next few turns, but you don't have a chance on the mid - long term.

now concerning your enchants:

Astral Corruption: First time i play with this global up, i ve set some bane has bodyguard and with the right spells you get rid of most the nasty stuff. i ve only lost one good mage since it's up and few small, and i ve got a bunch of them casting small invocs (you noticed some of them ;))

Eternal Pyre: i have the well of misery who is even better, while the pyre give gems that you already massively have.

Forge: i ve got hammers and strong mages, and the remaining advantage of the forge is largely compensated by the difference between our gems incomes.

In conclusion i refuse your tie proposition and offer you to surrender. :)

[Samhain]

I didn't realize you had such a resource advantage. I meant to to a hard territory account, but didn't get around to it and a rough count is tough on my little netbook screen. I thought we had more parity than that.

In light of your assessment though, I have to agree. While I'll gain some ground in the near term, I won't gain enough to compensate for that resource advantage. Victory is essentially impossible for me. So, I accept surrender. Congratulations. You played a great game.

[Bullock]

Wooot my first MP victory :)

Thanks for the game Samhain you ve been a tough and fair challenger.
I hope to see you in a future game !

Thanks also to all the other players, it was a great game !

& Long live to the cold blooded.