What is really new?

[quantum_mechani]

jowe01 said:
Just stumbled over the anouncement that Dom 3 is approaching release. Then read the features list and looked at the screenshots. Big disappointment.

What is really new in Dom 3 compared to Dom 2? The graphics seem to be largely unchanged (at least they are as horrible as in Dom 2). Ok, I also do not care too much for graphics. So what are the revolutonary changes in game mechanics? Frankly, I cannot find them. Everything is just Dom 2 with some minor improvements like you would expect from a bonus patch or at best from an extension. Is there anything really important which is truly new?

It's true, the basic mechanics and engine are largely unchanged.

That doesn't mean there isn't a ton of things for dominions players to look forward to. Having played dom3, and going back for an occasional dom2 game, you really feel the difference. It's a lot of little things added together that make it a new game, not one big thing you can point to (personally, I would have been disappointed if they had opted to spend much time revamping the graphics engine instead).

If I was to point to the most 'stand out' new changes, I think it would have to be the new random system, the gold/resource/fort changes, and concept of eras. Each of these changes the way the game is played quite dramatically. The first opens up new ways for each nation to (and each type of mage) to be more unique. The second makes for larger battles, and gives lighter troops a real niche. And the last one gives the whole game a great sense of history, each age has a story and a unique feel, and add to dominions already epic feeling.

These aren't the only things, there are other new features and details too numerous to mentions (the age system, reworked routing to make more sense, gods can awaken, random maps, darkvision, magic site modding, rebalance of summons, armor spells give vulnerabilities, you can now reduce province defense on the turn you buy it, astral horrors much more unique and deadly, when you create a game it now takes your there automatically rather than back to the main screen, satyrs causing unrest, hordes of new units, spells, nations and items, blood hunting difficulty linked to magic site frequency, death blessing reworked, more tool-tips/transparency in the interface, etc.).

If you are looking for something that looks and plays radically different from dom2, you won't find it. Myself, I'm just glad they kept what made dom2 so great, and made it better.

[Manuk]

Well, if you play SP, just that the AI builds castles will get them attack you with different armies for each nation instead of everyone attacking you with the same crap (slingers, militia, etc).
It was odd that ashen empire attacks you with tons of light units and that an army of vanheim had only a very few national units (skin shifters, hirdman).
I hope that now they bless their units or design a god to have fire 9 instead of 8, or instead of lvl 3 lvl 4.

[Nerfix]

The Awakening mechaning seems to have changed the game dynamics quite a bit too.

[Morkilus]

Improved AI is a huge deal for me. The graphics were improved, by the way. If you were looking for something like Warcraft 2 -> Warcraft 3, well, you're not dealing with Blizzard here.

So OP: I'm curious, besides graphics, what were you looking for in improvements?

[okiN]

Morkilus said:you're not dealing with Blizzard here.

Damn good thing, too.

[Agrajag]

okiN said:

Damn good thing, too.

I second that

[Nerfix]

Why the Blizzard dislike? They've made quality games if you ask me.

[Gandalf Parker]

I agree with others. I dont think it was meant to be somekind of an etirely NEW game. Its Dominions 2 with enough improvements to be Dominions 3.

I think that mainly we are entering a new era (oops, a pun since Dom3 introduces eras) in the games development. When Dom1 and Dom2 came out there were many player suggested improvements. And they got put in on a regular basis. Then each of them started developing a wishlist full of items which couldnt be put in without large rewrites to the way the game did things. When Johan got frustrated at getting more "cant do" than "can do" suggestions, he seems to start a new version So even though there might not be a visible difference to you, I see it as a step that was needed so we could go forward. And I have no problem paying full-game price for that work.

On the other hand, Im thrilled with additions for solo play. Better AIs, more AI settings, larger maps, more random events, randomly generated maps.

[Boron]

Morkilus said:
Improved AI is a huge deal for me. The graphics were improved, by the way. If you were looking for something like Warcraft 2 -> Warcraft 3, well, you're not dealing with Blizzard here.

So OP: I'm curious, besides graphics, what were you looking for in improvements?

Between warcraft 2 and 3 are at least 5 years.
And imho blizzard was never famous for their graphics .
The graphics of all their games were only average.

[PhilD]

Boron said:
Between warcraft 2 and 3 are at least 5 years.
And imho blizzard was never famous for their graphics .
The graphics of all their games were only average.

Well, I find I liked the graphics of Warcraft 2 (and, even more, Starcraft) much better than Warcraft 3. 3D in strategy, be it RT like Blizzard does or TB a la HoMM, doesn't make it for me (but then, when it's all I can get, I still buy the games from time to time - a little eye candy and light solo game doesn't hurt when I'm bored).