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Old November 4th, 2006, 04:05 PM
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Default Re: Conceptual Balance Mod 0.9

Magic is not underpowered per say if you ask me, people just propably have hard time getting used to Quickness not affected spells. This is why I feel that further nerfs to spell aren't needed since we the heyday of quickened lightning bolts and skeletonspam are gone.

If I'm made to look with the "magic is weak" perspective I see that some spells are IMO too high up in research tree in the base game. Boil, especially Boil, Cleansing Waters and Pillar of Fire. Elementals could be made gemless spells now that it's just plain impossible to see recreations of the Caelian Air Elemental Spam. The non-damage spells also tend to be overshadowed by damage spells, but I think your changes to False Fetters, Bonds of Fire etc. are very nice.

I think that when it comes to modding balance we have two different aproaches. If I for example want Raptors to use the Caelian Seraphs & Lightning Bolts aproach less I make the Seraphs 1 A 1 W 50% Air and give Raptors something lucrative in other research trees than evocation such as actually usable national spells in Alteration or Enchament.

If I think that some of the summons are truly too strong I take away a bit away from that edge of the summons and give national units some interesting abilities that synergize with the nation and see how things go. If these moves are too much or too little, tweak.

I see you've tried the meet in the middle aproach I would use but I've found your aproach too restrictive and radical so far, especially with magic, even if there are good things. But I'm really unhappy how you've managed to invalidate nations with strong or even moderate Earth as combat magic users and how you removed Marignon's ability to bootstrap Which Hunters to Fire 3 which was few of their saving graces IMO.

I must congradulate you for your productivity with the mod though, and I like the changes you made to some spells like Boil and Bonds of Fire. I also like the changes to magic items.

I'm not sure if IW would have wanted these changes either. I'm not sure if invalidating diversity for nations is a good idea, and the changes to sitesearching spells just trade gems for time and microing and thus are just frustrating changes in my opinion. I don't also see what would be so bad in ending with a diverse empire after conquering large areas and *investing* in diversity. At least you can't bootstrap a blood economy from a mage with a Sorcery random like you could in Dom 2 and I don't expect to see Caelian Ice Devils without a mix of luck, empoverment and investement.

What comes to my mind immediatedly as overpowerful is the Order-Misfortune-Death scale pattern and some of the blessables, namely Helhirdlings, which you toned down. The *mix* of Water & Fire blessing is also very deadly even if the two aren't so deadly alone. Good yes, but not so hugely powerful as together. What I'd like to see here is Order getting a *MODERATE* reduction in power and Growth and Luck made more lucrative with Death and Misfortune conversely made less lucrative. Another issue is that some nations have practicaly only old mages like MA & LA Abysia and Pythium...could we please, pretty please with a Void Cherry on top get Anathemant Salamanders and Theurgs that won't kick bucket because of bad luck?

Regarding my savegame I thought that javelins out of all things could also be bugged...did you mod javelings? I forgot.
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