How do you guys/gals do it?

[Gandalf Parker]

I think that few people have seen the "end game" screen in Dominions. I tend to play until Ive "won" but I know who won long before that end-game screen.

[dirtywick]

In general I don't play more than 10 nations, usually more like 6 or 8. I've played huge maps before and generally, after you take out your immediate enemies, you'll see the rest of the AI nations fighting amongst themselves and your power greatly outmatches theirs. It's an exercise in patience to go an steamroll them all and I think the time is better spent starting a new game with a new nation on a smaller map.

[Endoperez]

Sometimes I use victory points in SP games. They give me limit. It's sometimes good, sometimes bad, as the game might end while I still want to try something.

[dirtywick]

Endoperez said:
Sometimes I use victory points in SP games. They give me limit. It's sometimes good, sometimes bad, as the game might end while I still want to try something.

Good point there.

Remember the Map for Dom2 Theater of War (found on that page) That was a large map based on victory points, and it was really well designed. I think as time goes on hopefully we'll see more maps like that from talented people.

[GamerMan12]

There are some ways of speeding up play. Once you get to a certain size, then mostly use the nation overview screen (F1) you can enter most commands directly there - and it is easy to see what hasn't been moved or a mage that needs to be researching instead of defending etc.
Also things like selecting all mages in a province and then that allows you to cast summons of whatever for all of them as it directly cycles through the spell casting window for all the mages selected.

GM12

[Ironhawk]

I dont use the nation overview screen that much since, even in a large game, there will only be a handful of provinces that are really, really important. Powerhouse forts, provinces with lots sites, etc. Personally, I find that a strong protocol for doing all my turn tasks speeds things up significantly ie: check battles, plan attacks/counterattacks, recruit/summon, move reinforcments, blood hunt, taxes, research. That way I dont get bogged down in trying to think about everything at once.

[Potatoman]

I tend to play on smaller maps with 2-3 computer opponents, 4/5 victory point win conditions, and easy research. This makes for quick but entertaining 2-3 hour games.

[Uh-Nu-Buh]

I think a couple of things would really help speed games up:
1. auto-search for scouts/spies
2. auto-search for mages scrying for magic sites
3. auto-search for mages wandering around looking for magic sites.
4. being able to direct an army/unit to an endpoint and having intelligeng path-finding. Right now you have to direct them 1-2 province at a time, turn by turn. Maybe it would weigh like this: first would be friendly provinces, second would be provinces with enough supply, third would be provinces with fast terrain (e.g. avoid swamps, mntns, etc.), fourth would be least number of provinces. You could check the path and change it afterwards.
5. if 4 is too complicated, then how about scripted orders--then you could just tell an army/unit: script--move prov1, prov2, prov3, prov4, prov5, end.
6. in fact, scripting would be awesome. You could tell one mage to forge item wine bag every other turn. You could tell another mage who has summon vine men via an item, to just summon vine men every turn. You could tell a fortress to recruit 1 mystic and 8 myrmidons each turn.

This would go a long way towards easing the administration of a huge empire. In my current game, I am taking 15-60 minutes to do all the minutia (tactics, logistics, strategy). Then, when I hit E it takes 5-10 minutes to think and resolve battles etc.. I have an Athlon 3400 with 2GB of ram, and it is churning!

[upstreamedge]

I don't worry about speed at all, because as I have said elsewhere that long turn hosting is what makes dominions such a good game. I am doing homework, going and talking to people and generally not being eaten by the game because the turns are so slow