Machaka screwed more than ever ?

[Twan]

Personnally the only problem I have with Machaka is the lack of death gems, which seem to be a site distribution problem (or just bad luck for me). I've noted playing Ermor and C'tis that I find many little death income sites with astral or water searches and the very good death gem sites only with d3 mages ; the d1 sites seem to be mostly battlefields giving just 1 gem. With Machaka you'll have lots of d1 mages, a small number of d2, only 1/40 black sorcerer d3, and you have no astral or water mages to find lifeless lakes etc..., what, coupled with no death gem capitol income makes death gems very rare (I've never found a death income site with a fire or earth search, don't know if some exist, I've found one or two dying forests with nature but they seem rare). So you have to hope having luck with Dark Knowledge, and DK cost 1 more gem than all other site detection spells, without a starting death income you won't be able to cast it a lot without alchemizing your other gems (and if you are unlucky you lose your rare death gems in the process without finding good sites). Don't know if I am cursed but in the 3 games I've played with Machaka I had less than 10 death gems income after 30 or so turns, each time with more than 30 provinces all explored d1 at least and some with dark knowledge, and you need a lot those gems for boosters as d2 is the minimum to make this path useful on the battlefield.

Machaka has also the general "no air" weakness, a problem worse for nations with very light (weak against arrows) or very heavy (not cost effective against lightning) troops, the two kinds of troops Machaka have, but it's something that affect any non air nation. When there are anti-fire spells with water/earth, and when water magic is the easiest to develop, allowing all nations to use anti-cold spells/items, the only anti-shock / anti-arrows spells/items are in air magic, and air magic is ridiculously hard to develop with the boosters only forgeable at A4. The air nations are boosted by the new randoms system giving no way to all non air nations to have protective spells/items to counter wind guide or lightnings without an enchantress or crystal amazons province, or incredible amounts of gems for the empowerements (80 to have a mage able to cast thunder ward, 120 for arrow fend, 170 to start to forge air boosters... hum). I think it would be a good idea to add anti-arrows items/spells out of air magic, in example in fire ("arrow combustion"), an anti-shock version of "fire ward" accessible with two non-air path, or an air booster needing just a level 1 like the water one.

[curtadams]

Machaka has good access to Legions of Steel, which is a very effective anti-arrow spell. Lightning is a weakness, but I think it's good that most nations have weaknesses, and with Machaka able to field almost unlimited amounts of LoS'ed chaff (cheap warriors plus supply items), it's a pretty mild weakness. Lightning Machaka often means frying 1 or 2 10/3 warriors - big whoop.

I agree Machaka would be far stronger with death gems. However, 27.5% of sorcerers, and all Dark Sorcerers, have D2, so D2 is easy to come by.

[Twan]

The only units Machaka have that may benefit from LoS are hoplites and heavy spider riders, who are already good against arrows. Units with only natural protection like spiders without riders are not affected, as well as the machaka archers and the light infantries without armor.
Also only 1/4 BS has D2, they have F2E2D1 + 1?.

[NTJedi]

On a side note:
All spiders should have at least 50% Darkvision... I guarantee spiders do quite well in cave provinces.

[B0rsuk]

I think it's nature magic that deals with increasing base protection. Fortunately Machaka has nature mages. Of course, it's just 10...
But there's an another spell: I don't remember the details, but it's Earth/Construction, high level, and grants 20 protection.

[Endoperez]

B0rsuk said:
I think it's nature magic that deals with increasing base protection. Fortunately Machaka has nature mages. Of course, it's just 10...
But there's an another spell: I don't remember the details, but it's Earth/Construction, high level, and grants 20 protection.

You probably mean either Army of Gold or Army of Lead, both of which are high-level Alterations.

[Twan]

The nature protection spell increase the chance to see your infantry killed by your own fire spells, and has a too long range to position your mages to cast it on archers only (the stupid witch doctors like to cast protection on hoplites, not really increasing their already high prot but giving them -50% FR). Of course once you have marble warriors or army of lead/gold the protection problem is solved but it's probably a little too late in most games (and you are probably using living statues, mechanical men or others summons at this point).

[Amhazair]

God, I love this game...

I started a game with Machaka earlier today (no particular reason), and after some playing I discover one of my now riderless spiders has the affliction: "Lost a couple of eyes" (game effect is the same as 'lost an eye' for regular units)

How in the name of god can you not love a game that does that?

More importantly: Why, oh why did I only find out about this game last month? I could have been playing it for years now, instead of throwing my life away with some of the (comparatively) dumb games I have been playing.


Okey, okey... I admit this was totally offtopic, but I still felt the need to share my enthousiasm about the lost couple of eyes

[Agrajag]

Amhazair said:
God, I love this game...
..."Lost a couple of eyes"...

Just don't lose your head
You won't be able to wear a helmet

[Amhazair]

Nor a dashing hat with a red feather either...

Erm... I mean... not that I would want to do something like that... Of course not... People and their silly hats allways... mumble