If Giants existed in BC times...

[cleveland]

Balanced opponents.

Sure they're imbalanced. Sure you're dead if they attack and you can't get any help. But who says it won't be a whole lot of fun?

[Aezeal]

I don't think this game is intended to be totally balanced.. I think KO even said so. While personally think all nations should be somewhat balanced (more so than they are now) I think the idea cleveland has is right.

[Juffos]

Dominions isn't designed for one-on-one battles. Thus, nation balance isn't that necessary as it is in those dueling games such as Starcraft. Successful diplomacy can and will cripple even the mightiest nations in this game.

[Kristoffer O]

I always thought Ashdod was more powerful than HInnom, even before the Hinnom nerf. But the complaints were more focused on H at the time. Ashdod will probably receive some kind of nerf, but I haven't given it too much thoughts lately. Suggestions are welcome. Many H-nerf suggestions were much in line with what I was thinking, and some gave me new input and new ideas.

So don't be afraid to suggest possible changes.

I will try to think a bit about SP people as well, since they have expressed concerns that their most interesting adversaries being nerfed. Hmm, perhaps a start army bonus on diff-lvl would help, since start army is one thing that was nerfed with Hinnom, andf it is an easy way of giving a powerful nation a slower start. I hope it would not be too hard for JK to add.

[Sombre]

I have to say, claiming they're balanced because everyone can gang up on them pisses me off a bit. You're greatly limiting the variety in the game if every single time ______ is forced to fight an alliance of people, the first person ______ attacks gets crushed without being able to do **** about it (but that's ok because his allies will avenge him) etc

You're limiting the strategic options there and toning the variety in the game down, not increasing it.

[Sombre]

Originally Posted by Kristoffer O

I will try to think a bit about SP people as well, since they have expressed concerns that their most interesting adversaries being nerfed. Hmm, perhaps a start army bonus on diff-lvl would help, since start army is one thing that was nerfed with Hinnom, andf it is an easy way of giving a powerful nation a slower start. I hope it would not be too hard for JK to add.

Was there actually any consensus that the giant nations are challenging to SP players? I play SP and I've never seen Hinnom (pre nerf) or Ashdod have any more success than the average AI nation. In fact they have done worse in basically every single game.

[MaxWilson]

Originally Posted by Kristoffer O

I will try to think a bit about SP people as well, since they have expressed concerns that their most interesting adversaries being nerfed. Hmm, perhaps a start army bonus on diff-lvl would help, since start army is one thing that was nerfed with Hinnom, andf it is an easy way of giving a powerful nation a slower start. I hope it would not be too hard for JK to add.

That would be awesome! Especially because then you could also crank up the indy difficulty level, slowing down the human player's expansion without much hurting the AI.

-Max

P.S. Nerf Ashdod all you want, except *please* don't make Zamzummites cap-only. It radically changes the feel of a nation when its best recruitable-anywhere mages suddenly become cap-only.

[DonCorazon]

Its challenging too since new players don't always realize what a threat a particular nation is, not to mention, having to organize an alliance against Ashdod every game becomes painful after a while. Games with Ashdod tend to feel like team games (when you can even rally the support) since you need to organize, coordinate, etc.

And while I am not a StarCraft player, I always thought that the balanced but unique nations is what made it such a success. I certainly don't think Dominions needs to be so finely tuned, but Ashdod at the moment feels extreme - like Shaquille O'Neal playing hoops on a European kindergarten court

[AdmiralZhao]

I'd have to second Sombre. Ashdod shouldn't win by default when one of their neighbors decides to act in their short term self interest rather than making sacrifices for the good of all the other nations.

[KissBlade]

Either weaken Niefel/Hinnom/Ashdod's early game /significantly/ (probably using Yomi has a measurement) or weaken their late game. As it stands, they have the best early game with troops that pretty much just don't die if you use them right to the best late game with recruit able SC chassis'. The pop kill doesn't even compare to the fact that Ashdod has one of the best battle mage chassis in the form of Zaz's. And does Hinnom really need healers???