Couple of questions

[Daynarr]

Jurri said:
Heh, you guys have got too fast machines; I'm reasonably certain that one of the hints the game provides between turns is exactly that

Actually there are 2 tips in the game about that feature.

[Cainehill]

But a lot of tips that you can't read on a mid-range Pentium/Athlon unless you're playing on something like the Faerun map - really ought to be a 'pause' option, or an option to view all tips.

(So people don't have to know that the tips exist in text form on a web site somewhere.)

[Agrajag]

Cainehill said:
(So people don't have to know that the tips exist in text form on a web site somewhere.)

You can just write that down as a tip

[OG_Gleep]

Thanks for the info, everyone has been really helpful and I am starting to shake the rust off. A couple more questions have surfaced in my new game that I wonder if any of you could help with.

1) Summoned Commanders - Typically what do you use the bigger, buffer generals that have the stats for a melee monster, but also have 3-4 in a path? Like say the Troll King, or any of the Unique Elemental kings? Do you use them as static mages? Or use them as melee machines and just self buff?

2) Weapons - I prefer not to deck out every commander with a Life stealing weapon. I typically save Wrath Swords for Bane Lords. There are so many weapons however, but I am curious what Artifact class weapons do typically like to forge?

3) How do you guys move troops to the front when you have a large empire? I have troops that are capitol only, so I still use my capitol as a recruiting zone. I am fighting a war on two fronts, and it is about half way inbetween both fronts. But...it still takes forever to get them to either front. Also, I had to pull resources from one front to the other, and that took forever....I had to basically hold out till relief from the western front arrived. I am wondering if there is a more efficent way than hoofing it.

4) I am able to pretty much summon anything at this point in the game, except blood stuff. What do you guys tend to rely upon in the various schools?

5) I am having a huge problem with friendly fire. I normally end up causing most of the casualties in the two of my most relied upon summons....Clockwork horrors, and Pale Riders. Both give me very cheap flanking units. But....once the 3rd round hits, the friendly fire starts mounting. I set both units up to race down the flanks and engage archers and/or rear units. They get mauled when the come back to help out the infantry, and when they are chasing fleeing units. Is there any orders or placement that can help minimize friendly fire?

6) As Ulm, could you give some suggestions for scripts for the smiths...all my combat smiths have fire 2 Earth 3.

[Cainehill]

OG_Gleep said:
3) How do you guys move troops to the front when you have a large empire? I have troops that are capitol only, so I still use my capitol as a recruiting zone. I am fighting a war on two fronts, and it is about half way inbetween both fronts. But...it still takes forever to get them to either front. Also, I had to pull resources from one front to the other, and that took forever....I had to basically hold out till relief from the western front arrived. I am wondering if there is a more efficent way than hoofing it.

4) I am able to pretty much summon anything at this point in the game, except blood stuff. What do you guys tend to rely upon in the various schools?

These two tie together : on a large map, having troops walk is impractical, but there's two magic paths that can move armies : astral and nature. (In theory, 3 paths, but the death spell is bugridden and essentially kills the army.)

So : if your national mages can't get high enough in nature or astral, get yourself an Ether Lord or Couatl for Gateway-ing troops, or a couatl, ivy king, lamia queen, or tree lord to move troops via Faery Trod. Gateway is limitted to travel to friendly controlled labs, Faery Trod is limitted to forest-to-forest travel, but if the game goes on long enough, Thaumaturgy-9 has Astral Travel, with no restrictions. Also : The GateStone gives free Astral Travel at const-8, if you get it.

[shovah]

smiths with magma eruption=good, as for kings/queens they are best as scs but guys like trolls good support casters. as for no using life draining weapons if using cb then i agree as they have been toned down, almost all artefacts are useful and to get troops to the front try to get flying ship. good summons are: massed vine ogres (cast by vine-kings or units with the vine hat thing), abominations, ghost riders, tartarians and a few others

ps:try to give all your thugs/sc's luck, regen and reinvig

[OG_Gleep]

Does any spell allow you to move multiple commanders? Due to the limited Army setup screen, I tend to gather stacks independant of eachother, and then move them to a central staging area. For example, right now at one of my rear forts, I have 2 smiths summoning what i intend them to lead, a Black knight Commander with his calvary, and am in the process of filling out a Ulm commander with infantry. I have additional mages moving to a midway rally point at which they will sit till the Ulm infantry is done.

If they are all personal spells however, I will have to change the way I recruit recruiting only infantry in rear areas, limiting rear recruiting to indie mages. I would also have to setup a series of labs behind the front lines where stacks could form up.

It is hell trying to issue orders when commanders are presant that aren't ment to be in that particular stack.

[quantum_mechani]

OG_Gleep said:
Does any spell allow you to move multiple commanders?

No.