Leadership levels upped, I see?

[DominionsFan]

alexti said:

I've tried a large map with Machaka (F9N9 sacred spiders) and things went pretty well again (even better than with Jotuns I think). I'm surprised how much different the game is when you're not allowed to use summons. Now I have tons of gems and now I understand why AI likes to give a lot of gems to every magic caster Drain 3 seems to be a way to go because there's no big rush to research anymore and later gems can be spent to forge research boosters. Amazingly, it seems that with this strategy it's actually easier to win vs impossible AI. I have never tried this strategy before, but it works really well. Once again I've easily run over 3 neighbours (Arco, Man and Pangaea) with my spiders (and they rarely die) and now (by turn 40) I have the largest empire with large spider army (ability to recruit them in capital only hurts a bit though) and I can afford expensive mages to provide serious firepower support, so effectively I've already overcome advantages impossible AI had. I'll try to play a bit further to make sure nothing unexpected happens...

Dominions doesn't stop to amaze me I used this tactics in MP blitzes, but why I've never thought that it may work in a larger game?

wow interesting. I will try it also. I've never used this tactic in the MP games to be honest, and usually we play on "small" maps. Hm..perhaps I should give it a try in MP also.

[alexti]

DominionsFan said:

wow interesting. I will try it also. I've never used this tactic in the MP games to be honest, and usually we play on "small" maps. Hm..perhaps I should give it a try in MP also.

What strategies did you use in small MP games? To my knowledge, fast bless strategy is one of the top methods in such settings...

[DominionsFan]

alexti said:

What strategies did you use in small MP games? To my knowledge, fast bless strategy is one of the top methods in such settings...

Well "small" map for us means 120 land provinces for a 4 player game, 180 for 6 players and 240 provinces for 8 players. [Water provinces are between 16 and 42] Usually I've never used any fast strategies, since imho I couldn't win a game this way against the lads who I am playing with. I doubt that it will work, but I will try it tomorrow, we will have a 4 player TCP/IP game.

[alexti]

DominionsFan said:
Well "small" map for us means 120 land provinces for a 4 player game, 180 for 6 players and 240 provinces for 8 players. [Water provinces are between 16 and 42] Usually I've never used any fast strategies, since imho I couldn't win a game this way against the lads who I am playing with. I doubt that it will work, but I will try it tomorrow, we will have a 4 player TCP/IP game.

That's not really "small". Usual small map for 4-player blitz is Urgaia (AFAIR, approx 60 provinces). 120 provinces for 4 players is more like "sparse medium" map. Fast bless strategy can still work, but I'd expect MP-specific problem.

If your opponents play slow strategy you'll likely quickly steamroll one of your opponents and after that remaining 2 will quickly forge alliance against you. You may try to make something like the following: expand quickly toward opponent A. When he sees your scary early armies he will get concerned, but you can offer to stop expanding any further in that direction in exchange either for defensive treaty vs opponent B or aggressive pact vs opponent B. In the first case you can expand like mad toward B, be unreasonable in negotiations, leave your provinces open and make sure you cut-off all his paths for expansion. In the latter case you just attack B. But, of course, it's just a feint and you won't be dedicating much forces to that war. Your real goal is quickly conquer opponent C. By the time the dust settle you should be able to take over C and make good inroads into B (who has to fight 2 fronts). At this stage opps will probably realize what's happening and A will change sides, but he'd still need to reprofile his army vs you, so you should have a chance fighting vs both of them for the rest of the game.

[DominionsFan]

alexti said:

That's not really "small". Usual small map for 4-player blitz is Urgaia (AFAIR, approx 60 provinces). 120 provinces for 4 players is more like "sparse medium" map. Fast bless strategy can still work, but I'd expect MP-specific problem.

If your opponents play slow strategy you'll likely quickly steamroll one of your opponents and after that remaining 2 will quickly forge alliance against you. You may try to make something like the following: expand quickly toward opponent A. When he sees your scary early armies he will get concerned, but you can offer to stop expanding any further in that direction in exchange either for defensive treaty vs opponent B or aggressive pact vs opponent B. In the first case you can expand like mad toward B, be unreasonable in negotiations, leave your provinces open and make sure you cut-off all his paths for expansion. In the latter case you just attack B. But, of course, it's just a feint and you won't be dedicating much forces to that war. Your real goal is quickly conquer opponent C. By the time the dust settle you should be able to take over C and make good inroads into B (who has to fight 2 fronts). At this stage opps will probably realize what's happening and A will change sides, but he'd still need to reprofile his army vs you, so you should have a chance fighting vs both of them for the rest of the game.

Yeah, that isnt really a "small" map, I thought so. However we always play with these settings. Anyways I will surely try some "blitz" strategy, its funny that I've never tried it. Btw we never set up alliances after the game is live. We set up the alliances before the game, so for example a 4 player game can be 2v2 or 1v1v1v1.
Actually I've never played with you lads, since [in Doms 2.] I had too many TCP/IP games with the fans here. [I meant my country fellas]
Most of us are already preordered Doms 3., but I will surely gonna play against you guys. Well at least I hope so, because I don't have too much time to play in these weeks.
I am focusing a lot on real life. [training, girlfriend, parties..oh and school]