Machaka screwed more than ever ?

[Meglobob]

Agrajag said:

Now that I've actually noticed the point about death gem income (:X) I have to say that in Dom2, I found death gems were the most plentiful gems I've had, but in Dom3 I'm always having trouble finding death sites.
Could just be my bad luck though :\

I am probably getting yours and Twans good luck when it comes to death gem sites.

I personally find air/nature gem sites lacking, rare as gold dust in most of my games.

In MP I usually get around those problems by gem trading, someone somewhere will always trade with you, usually.

[upstreamedge]

MAchaka can struggle in the early game, and is IMO more at the mercy of a starting position than others, I think that an awake SC pretender is a good way to counteract this in MP. Those Hoplites just kick so much ***...

[Twan]

About fire vs air, fire is of course more destructive, and may kill the ennemies faster if they just cast offensive air spells (air lack a big ae medium level spell as efficient as falling fires). But most air nation have also access to water 2 mages to cast rain, some may have earth+water for fire ward, and fire indie mages also seem more common than air mages. At high construction levels, any nation having a fire 1 mage can empower him death 1 and forge fire boosters, when a non air nation will need a level 4 mage to start to forge them. Air can finally strike at a very longer range before high levels (once the fire nation has access to spells like pillar of fire this advantage of course disappear ). Finally the kind of national troops Machaka has will suffer against air in mid game (Machaka hasn't medium troops able to survive well against arrows, and the heavy hoplites cost too much ressources if they are to be killed by lightnings, lots of indie infantry with shields will have to be recruited).

At really high levels there are counters to counters, like the use of shock immune summons, earth-fire, death-fire or nature offensive spells, mass protection earth spells etc... But Machaka will have big difficulties if targeted before by an air nation.

[Endoperez]

Air nations:

EA/MA/LA Caelum all have Water
EA Lanka: no Water
MA/LA Man: no Water
EA Vanheim/Helheim, MA/LA Vanheim: none have Water
Pythium: yes, it has Water too
EA Arcos: Water via Mystics' randoms, good chance of Water/Earth
Tien Chi of all ages: stronger Water than Air
LA Marignon: some Air and some Water
Shinuyama/Jomon: Water, Air via randoms


I don't think Air/Water is a common combination. However, as Rain only takes Water 1 caster, even a single random is enough.

[Twan]

Hum yes, not all have water mages, but Man at least has water in the crone randoms (up to a very rare level 2), and Vanheim can have fire on dwarven smiths (and may even have fire 1 + death 1 on an exceptionnal one).

[Meglobob]

MA Man does have water, when you get construction 6 its very easy to get high lvl water mages, forge water bracelets then forge robe of the sea, MA Man now has a lvl 4 water mage...

[Endoperez]

Water is easy to boost, yes, and I hadn't noticed Water random on Crones. But Robe of the Sea is Water 3, and that will be harder to get with just Bracelet.

It doesn't matter, because 2 Water gems let any W1 Crone cast Rain.