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Old June 14th, 2008, 11:45 AM

Calchet Calchet is offline
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Default Pax Malazica.

(Hi. First post for me around here, since I've had nothing to say until now. Might as well jump right in at the deep end!)

I'm currently in the middle of a project to bring some of the nations from the Malazan Book of the Fallen into Dominions III. Things are progressing smoothly, though I find myself wanting some input from others, concerning a few things.

I'm structuring the project as follows:
[Completed] Phase I: Get started. Write the list of phases.
[Completed] Phase II: Make a list of units, commanders, heroes, pretenders and spells for the Late Age Malazan Empire.
[Completed] Phase III: Implement the results of Phase II into the game as pure words and numbers, using input from the forum to patch up obvious problems of either balance, mechanics or fluff.

[In Progress] Phase IIII: Create graphics for all content implemented in Phase III, and get them working in-game.

[Unstarted] Phase V: Polish the Late Age Malazan Empire, making sure it works well and is reasonably balanced. Release version 1.0.
[Unstarted] Post-release Phase. Start working on the Middle Age Malazan Empire, while updating the previous content if required.

The current situation is that the third public release is done. Feel free to try it and comment on anything you think is missing, badly implemented or awesome.
I'll freely admit I have little knowledge of competitive dominions games (as I mostly beat on the AI), and my sprite editing skills are also weak. This means comments on balance and sprites are most useful to me, right now.

The file is attached to this post, if everything worked out. Version one and two are also retained for reasons unknown.
Attached Files
File Type: zip PaxMalazica-v1.zip (8.0 KB, 291 views)
File Type: zip paxmalazica-v2.zip (8.5 KB, 291 views)
File Type: zip Malaz-Public 3.zip (14.9 KB, 419 views)

Last edited by Calchet; January 17th, 2009 at 04:13 PM..
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  #2  
Old June 14th, 2008, 12:07 PM

Calchet Calchet is offline
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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

And now, for the things at hand.

I have a first-draft unit list that looks as follows - do you find anything missing? Is there a hole the nation needs to have filled, or is there something from the original work you find should be here, but isn't?

Commanders:

Fist (40 leadership, slightly better stats and equipment than a commander at the same cost)

High Fist (160 leadership, a 10-point standard ability. Otherwise identical to Fist, except being quite expensive and capital only.)

Wickan Commander (A horse-commander, with a javelin attack and a lance. Basically a light cavalry commander, but with slighty different equipment and better attack/defense statistics.)

Priest (Your average priest, but with a small chance of a random magic path - can get any non-blood path, but is not to be relied upon. Represents the fact that priests in the original work seem to have some magely power, most of the time, and somewhat makes up for the abysmal priests and lack of sacreds.)

Cadre Mage (Cheap mage with S1 and 100% 1?FWAE)

Capital-only High Mages of four different paths - Telas, Ruse, Serc and Tennes. Not old, these have 2 in their main path, 1 in astral and a random pick from three paths, with a 33% chance to end up as a third point in their main path. Currently costed at 320/1)

Claw (An elite assassin-mage! These have a dagger and a light crossbow, and a solid chunk of mage presence - 2S1A, as it stands. Otherwise identical to the plain-old assassins.)

Marine Sergeant (Just like the Marine troop below, except with a leadership score of 10 and somewhat better morale - these exist to lead the sneaky marines around.)

Moving down to troops, we find:

Rather generic medium and heavy infantry, both with good defense and a shortsword/shield combination for arms. Slightly better morale than their counterparts, though.

No archers!

Malazan Marines (Elite infantry armed with shortsword and a solid crossbow, these troops are stealthy and handy when raiding, having a map-move of 2 and forest survival.)

Wickan Horseman (See their commander above. While I've still to see if it's possible to accomplish in a reasonable manner, I'd like these to each summon a free cattle dog at the start of battle, giving them some added value in the shape of producing disposable arrow-magnets.)

And, finally and (perhaps) obviously...

Sappers. Not very fast, not very strong, with very questionable morale and no magic resistance to speak of, they each have two area-of-effect munitions to throw - a near-miss will wipe out most regular troops, regardless of armor. Also come with a hefty siege bonus, and can sneak around alongside the marines.

There will be a grand total of one new pretender: Empress Laseen herself, something as unusual as an assassin-pretender. (Not that you can't buy her some solid magic picks, of course.)

Heroes more or less pick themselves. Two adjuncts, one High Mage, the Clawmaster, the head of the Chain of Dogs, and to round things out, a one-eyed archer.


So, after that rather lengthy post, what I ask is - am I missing anyone or any unit type that should be there? Is someone or something there who shouldn't be? Is something I'm describing impossible to accomplish? Do you have any other comments?
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Pax Malazica, bringing the Malazan Empire to Dominions 3.
Fate/Sprite Works, a mod including my left-over practice sprites as summonable units.
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  #3  
Old June 14th, 2008, 02:39 PM

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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

160 leadership is extremely high, the sort of thing you normally only see amongst SCs, gods, heroes and the like.
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Old June 14th, 2008, 03:19 PM

Calchet Calchet is offline
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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

True, I suppose, though I can't really find a better way to implement what represent the ultimate in top-end general technology other than jacking up the leadership - combat boosts are more or less wasted, since it's not going to touch thugging with a twenty-foot pole, and they're not mages in any way, shape or form.

Would an ability to "summon allies" some regular heavy infantry, or perhaps domsummon them, be better?

(Or any other suggestions on how to make an expensive capital-only commander that doesn't really do anything other than lead armies worth purchasing over a mage?)
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Old June 14th, 2008, 03:32 PM
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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

You'd need that kind of extreme leadership for capital-only non-mages to be recruited instead of one of the FOUR capital-only mages this nation has access to.

Conceptual Balance mod tries to achieve that by giving a hero an extra knight every turn or something.
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Old June 15th, 2008, 08:51 AM

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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

This sounds nice though.. could very well be a nicely balanced nation. Maybe a commander with sailing since the malazan are all over the world and them flying allies the malazans have? (i'd say the high fist to make him a bit more versatile so he might be recruited once in a while and it represents that usually large armies shipped out are led by a high fist)

I think the cadre mage should be more random though, I don't see why it should be S1 considering the books. They are just whatever they are and in varying strenght. I know the astral might be to simulate they work together but I don't really see any real communions in the books, just mage working together without actually merging powers. Most other paths seem more apporiate

I'd say
100% EFAWNSDB
100% EFAWNSDB
50% EFAWNSDB
10% EFAWNSDB
10% EFAWNSDB

might represent the rag tag assortment of mages form all different paths they are in the books. To increase reliability a bit the 50% might be coupled to one of the 100%'s so there is at least a 50% chance of having 2 in a path. (no idea if that can be modded though, but the gath have it)

it's not reliable so that is a minus, but acces to all paths is a good thing too. And some of them will be unexpectedly powerfull as a certain bridgeburner cadre mage)

They shoulnd't be that cheap and expandable either (as you imply) since in the books it's clear the mages are very valuable to the army and protected by the regulars at all costs.

Also the marines seem to be about the only troop I'd recruit when I read this (and the books)
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Want a blend of fantasy and sci-fi? Try the total conversion Dominions 3000 mod with a new and fully modded solar system map.
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In for a whole new sort of game? Then try my scenario map Gang Wars.
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Old August 22nd, 2008, 02:22 AM

Calchet Calchet is offline
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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

Well, I'm back after summer, and with a first released version! (Attached to the first post.)

Know that it is rough and completely devoid of graphics, but it should still be a playable nation.

You can probably spot at least ten glaring balance issues after five minutes, and that's awesome, because I want to know about them.

As always, all comments and suggestions are welcome.
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Old August 22nd, 2008, 01:00 PM

Aezeal Aezeal is offline
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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

I've not tried but how can it be playable without graphs?
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Want a blend of fantasy and sci-fi? Try the total conversion Dominions 3000 mod with a new and fully modded solar system map.
Dragons wanted? Try the Dragons, Magic Incarnate nation.
New and different undead nation? Try Souls of Shiar. Including new powerfull holy magic.
In for a whole new sort of game? Then try my scenario map Gang Wars.
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  #9  
Old August 22nd, 2008, 02:18 PM
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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

One can always use graphics as placeholders. DrPraetorius created some very fine mods that lacked real graphics.
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Old August 25th, 2008, 05:25 PM

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Default Re: Pax Malazica.

I am currently trying this mod out in SP and one thing that stands out is the lack of decent PD. I only get militias at 30 PD which is very poor. It can't stop anything.
Other than that I haven't found anything really worrying, maybe the troops are a bit expensive but that can be countered with proper scales.
What I really like is the sappers and the Claw, they are awesome! Though I think the Claw could get a boost statwise. C'mon, they are Claw! The sappers should also get a bonus when sieging.
My next plan is to have a squad of Claws port in on my enemy's capitol and wreck havoc with their awesome astral magic!
I shall play some more and try to come up with some useful info, but so far it looks like a really fun and promising mod. The sapper/marine combo holds quite some potential for MP, as does the versatility of the mages.
Really looking forward to when you implement some of the heroes.
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