Loemendor PBEM (Finished)
 

***On hosting***
If I receive no mail, message or PM from you before the 24h host countdown has ended telling me that you can't get in your turn, I WILL HOST. This is to maintain "game flow". Pauses are permitted to a certain limit (at maximum a week), but YOU must inform ME or I WILL HOST. If anyone has a problem with this inform me before the game start and we can maybe work something out. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

******

Players: 9
Map: Modified Loemendor
Age: Late
Independents: 7
Graphs: Enabled (unintentional)
Renaming: On
Magic Sites: 50%
Random Events: Common
Resources: Average
Research: Average
Hall of Fame: 10 slots
Victory: Standard
Nation Assignments: Fixed
Hosting: Every 24h
Mods: Worthy Heroes & Blessings Hotfix
Diplomacy: Sheap's Rules of Diplomacy

Link to Worthy Heroes 1.6
Post#470523

Link to Blessings Hotfix (inside the black tome)
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...?Number=507964

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http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/8...ultibq3.th.jpg

The map we will be playing is a modified version of Loemendor by Kaljamaha. The modification is done by me with kind permission from Kaljamaha. The reason is that I want us to play with fixed starting positions and nations. Hopefully it will be a interesting and thematic experience for everyone involved in this PBEM.
I tried to balance the map the best I could without it becoming uninteresting.

The nations I wish you to fill are:
* Pangaea (Ewierl)
* Ermor (WSzaboPeter)
* Man (JayThomas)
* Marignon (Darrel)
* Utgård (Valerius)
* R'lyeh (thraveboy)
* T'ien Ch'i (llamabeast - the host)
* C'tis (Dedas - the game master)
* Ulm (GameExtremist)

I will take the nation that is left (this means that the first 8 that answer will get to play).

Hosting will occur every 24h. This may change to 48h eventually.

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Some tips to the players:
In my modification the terrain is now much important to the specific nations than in the vanilla version. Some examples:

*C'tis has both desert/waste (for its waste survival units) and swamp (for its swamp survival units) close by for added protection.

*Utgård quickly needs to gain some food for its troops as they start in snow (waste). This is very possible if the player examine the map closely for simple expansion ways.

*Marignon should take advantage of its sea faring capability as they start by the coast.

And a lot more that I will let you find out yourself.

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No rules will change once the game has started.
Any suggestions before start of game are appreciated.

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Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Which era?

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

It's in the top of the message. It is late age.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Ermor please. (I love this map!)

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

This looks like fun! Sign me in as Pangaea, I haven't played them in MP yet.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

every 24 hours, perfect.

Marignon.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I'll take Man if open.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Hellboy, are you still interested?

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I'd like to take R'lyeh.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

No, it's tempting, but I think I'd best resist the temptation. Have fun, though!

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I'd like to try Utgard, please.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Where should we send our pretender designs and emails addresses? Thanks.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I will PM everyone my E-mail in a moment.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Oh I forgot, Sheap's Rules of Diplomacy will be in effect in this game. I'm adding it to the first post. If anyone who has signed up and do not agree with these rules kindly leave.

No rules will change once the game has started.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Can't....resist....signing up....for another.....game.....


Ulm please...

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I don't know if I can sign you up, GamExtremist, as your doctor says no. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Oh well... Ulm you say.

I think I see a pattern here, as the two nations not taken yet, C'tis and T'ien Ch'i, are both close to Ermor.

So to those that hesitate:
* Rivers block movement when there is no bridge available.
* C'tis has powerful priests and every T'ien Ch'i mage is a priest.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Aarg, I've been trying to resist too... sign me up for T'ien Ch'i please!

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Ooh actually, can I have a few minutes to choose - I'm not quite so sure between C'tis and T'ien Ch'i after all.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Of course. I will send you my e-mail in the meantime. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Dedas - what house rules for Man. I understand there is a summoning bug but since I haven't played LA Man I'm not familliar with the particulars.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I think I'll go with T'ien Ch'i, if that's okay with you Dedas.

Re LA Man: I think Summon Black Dogs and Summon Barghests are swapped, so one of them is pointlessly expensive, and one of them is ridiculously good. The best thing to do is probably summon neither until the next patch (which will fix it) comes out.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I won't be a fascist and tell anyone don't summon this or that (or you will publicly lynched). Instead I'm just gonna tell you to be a gentleman about these things. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
In other words: if something is obviously broken (to your advantage), before using it, ask yourself if you would have liked anyone to use it against you. The answer is probably no.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Huh... maybe it's just me, but it looks like LA Pangaea is actually buggy. Doing a bit of SP test, it looks like Quick Roots actually has no effect whatsoever on manikin.

Oh well, guess I'm stuck with them! Give me a little more time pretender planning though...

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Sure thing.

And the quick roots thing is not so bad in the light that almost every nation has at least something that is not working.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

4 pretenders out of 8 in. When everyone has sent theirs I will start the game.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I found this "hotfix" for blessings. Anyone now more about it?

Post#500877

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

If I recall correctly I played in a game where it was in play, but in that game I played Man, and it had no effect for them. Mainly I think it's for undead blessing, and has some spells that are cool. If we would use this I would be happy, and I would make a new pretender design. I think that with NNNNSS in the pretender design Contact Fungus would make a very good spell. Not to mention the ability to summon some very good cavalry for Ermor. (Eternal Knights, that are ethereal)
So I vote a BIG YES!

Since I sent you my pretender design half a day ago, if you think that the book mod's spells are overpowered, then I will not make a new pretender design, and without that I think we can agree on the mod more easily.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I have no problem with the bless fix per se, but I do have a problem with those spells. They are certainly cool, but that's the problem: nations are pretty well balanced (while I agree Marveni is too weak, LA Ermor is not), anything cool that pumps up one nation is likely to be unbalancing. Contact Fungus absolutely would make a good spell... but again that's the problem, it adds a powerful new tactic to one nation.

Ermor would become significantly more powerful if it has a bonus extra spell to buff up all undead on the battlefield in a whole new (and very strong) way. I don't think we should use mods that provide one nation with a major extra edge.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I can assure you, that in my actual pretender design there is no NNNN, and I promise I will not use that particular spell.

Plus, there are 4 mods in the BlackTome package:
BlackTome.dm <-- that enables Blessing to affect Undead.
(no new spells, spells modified: Blessing, Divine Blessing, 105, 109, 112
The other 3 (BlackTome_E.dm, BlackTome_M.dm, BlackTome_L.dm) contains the new spells. So I we decide only to use the hotfix, then only the blacktome.dm should be used.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

We will not use any new spells as this is too controversial at the moment.

The "hotfix" however is a completely different matter, but only if it fixes something that before was broken. If anything beyond "vanilla" is added, then no, we will not use it.

I'm deciding this right here right now because I believe everyone involved really wants to play the game and not argue game balance. Hopefully you understand what I mean? If not voice your opinion and we can hopefully come to some understanding. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

That's fine then... that Death Knight thing may or may not be unbalancing too, but I don't know; I don't know their stats and don't want to dig through that thread to find out. I'll be happy with whatever the group consensus is on that spell. I trust your word, no worries http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif And the bless fix will be both fair and handy for all.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

So what was the eventual conclusion on the hotfix? If you want the hotfix without the spells, just ask Dr P - I'm sure he'll be happy to produce a version with the fix but no spells.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

There is no conclusion on the hotfix yet. I will contact the Dr. and if it works as said in my earlier post we will use it.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

WSZ's characterization of the hotfix is entirely correct.

It does the following -
- blessing can now affect undead.
- divine blessing can now affect undead.
- unholy blessing (selected three times by number) can now affect living units.

With playtesting I found that this was the way to get the AI to bless all of my stuff when I told it to do so.

It's attached.

The other three mods are not ready-for-primte-time anyway.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Great! Then we are using it if no one has anything other to say.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Thanks, DrPraetorious, I think it's a great mod, but unfortunately underused one.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Great! Then we are using it if no one has anything other to say.

Thank you for posting, Herr Doctor. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I have updated the first post with important information.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

When will the game start?

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

As soon as everyones pretenders are in.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Only Darrel left.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Well, hate to say it, but I have a small break coming up. I'll be out of town Mon-Tue, but I'll be able to play turns Sunday night and Wednesday evening. I was hoping the ball would be well underway before then, but these things gather momentum at their own pace http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

No problem mate. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
I'm writing them down so you won't miss something.

Hopefully Darrel gets his pretender in soon so we can start. I'm eager to try out the lizards... *slithers away*

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I am sending the pretender right now.

[Edit - sent]

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Ok, all pretenders are in! I will start the game right after my visit to the university. In other words in a few hours.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Okay, I have a problem. I want to set the independents strength to 7, but I cannot find the switch to do this. Not in the GUI and not when I designed the map file. Anyone got a clue?

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

I think it comes up as an option in the GUI after you hit "Start Game".

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Yes I know. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif But as this is a scenario with fixed position it doesn't. You have to set it in the map file with a keyword. The problem is that I don't know this keyword and it isn't written in any of the documents that come with the game.

If this can't be solved quickly we will have to play with the default value (5).

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Oh I see.

Okay, I think I got it to work, but it's messy.

On the command line, do dom3 -STq --indepstr 7

Then open up a GUI, and join the game using each of the pretender files. When you've done them all, click "start game". Back on the command line, you can choose the map to play on. Then once it's started to can just quit the command line, and treat it like a PBEM from then on.

Re: Loemendor PBEM (Signup)
 

Okay, I just did a test with indeps 1 on Dawn of Dominions, and it did indeed seem to work (there was hardly anyone to fight).

It's worth doing I think, because indeps 7 plays quite differently to 5.