Early Game, Mid Game, and End Game... What's the goal of each?

Arryn · #1 March 16th, 2004, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Norfleet:
I crash and burn on a race with extremely poor magical ability, such as Ulm. I just don't do Ulm very well.

I like Ulm, and they aren't all that bad magically, just rather severely limited in scope. Plus they are great at item-making, which compensates for a lot. It's not a nation I would choose to play against humans, but against AIs they are fine.

Playing Ulm is pretty straightforward: bash anything that gets in your way with your konigstigers (guardians) and jagdpanthers (black lords), and keep Albert Speer & Co. (your smiths) busy upgrading your cannon and armor. Your main short-term goal (and weakness) is to gather Italians (indies) to use as your luftwaffe and kriegsmarine.

Norfleet · #2 March 16th, 2004, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:
I like Ulm, and they aren't all that bad magically, just rather severely limited in scope. Plus they are great at item-making, which compensates for a lot. It's not a nation I would choose to play against humans, but against AIs they are fine.

I don't find their item-making prowess THAT wonderful, given their lack of randoms that would increase the variety of forge targets. Forge of the Ancients as an early goal can help, but invariably I find that the inflexibility of their national magics, coupled with their high point demands for early production of their resource-expensive units, leaves me too thin on magic for my tastes. My best study of Ulmish behavior to date has been Condors....and he asks *ME* for advice. I do okay against the AI, but I am far from the master of Ulm.

Arryn · #3 March 16th, 2004, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Norfleet:
My best study of Ulmish behavior to date has been Condors....and he asks *ME* for advice. I do okay against the AI, but I am far from the master of Ulm.

Heh. I felt the same way when Charon was asking me for my opinions on R'leyh. I'd've done a R'leyh AAR a fair bit different than he has (even had I chosen the same map), but I do not think I would have done *better*. Just different. I know for certain most players would not do Jotunheim as I do if for no other reason than it's a blood nation and I don't use blood magics (I like the spells, but I refuse to hunt and sacrifice virginal girls.

)

Norfleet · #4 March 16th, 2004, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arryn:
I know for certain most players would not do Jotunheim as I do if for no other reason than it's a blood nation and I don't use blood magics (I like the spells, but I refuse to hunt and sacrifice virginal girls. )

Meh. Hunting and sacrificing virgins is nothing compared to global genocide.

Like my sig says....

condors · #5 March 17th, 2004, 02:22 AM

in sp its a different world than mp.

The way i play ulm, I learned strickly with earth magic and earth gem income. I had a thing for cyclops pretender. This may have slanted my tactics and view of things. I see any other gem income as a bonus. With the added gems coming in there are alot of things avaible to ulm but none of them can be counted on. Using those gems with summoned/indy/empowered mages gives ulm its flexibility. I just won a sp karan all nations impossible ai using fetishes to create an aboundance of fire gems, Ermor who normally dominates sp was delt with easily giving me 9 hall of fame smiths with my pretender. Mecanical men and a fire ring is easy access for ulm, battlefield/large area fire spells worked wonders.

ywl · #6 March 16th, 2004, 05:12 PM

The advantage for Ulm, at least for standard theme is 120 free nation points, with no string attached.

Most of the other nations who have free points, such as Abysia or Caelum, requires a strong dominion to avoid income penalty and/or to fight effectively. For Ulm, the drain -3 is optional. It helps your defense slightly but you can live perfectly well without it.

Consequently, you can afford an expensive pretender, and more importantly use a pretender with low dominion strength (e.g. mage or dragon).

This is the advantage in additional to the production bonus and very decent infantries, availability of crossbow (sappper, somewhat expensive with seige bonus). Their smiths have no random pick. But with your better pretender, you can easily get around of that limitation.

Peter Ebbesen · #7 March 16th, 2004, 05:34 PM

Blood-Ulm, or Ulm with lots of scouts harvesting blood slaves, makes for one mean devil-factory through forging Soul Contracts. Takes a while to get going unless you have a blood pretender to forge the initial contracts and make blood enhancing items, but once you have a decent blood income it isn't all that expensive to empower a smith to L3 in blood and boost him to L5 with items (Armour of Souls, Brazen Vessel), give him a dwarven hammer, and forge Soul Contracts for 40 blood slaves apiece.

It can even work in MP against the unwary opponent who does not consider Ulm a blood nation, if you just make sure to hide your devils really, really, well until you have a high production going.