So, I seem to have hit a nerve as Seravy refuses to discuss the fact that they and many others abuse the fleeing cavalry trick. And actually like it so much that a proposal that fixes it without consequence is simply refused without discussion allowed.
What other stupid abuse do you know that risks to ruin the reputation of that the game still enjoys as very difficult? A good way to find them is to see what people consider challenges for themselves, and refuse to use, so I'll start with what I've heard from zitro:
1. blocking the gates with a flying unit
If it's blocking the gate then it's not flying, land units should be able to engage. Unless the entire fortress is flying of course.
- casting a save or die/ damage spell and then fleeing
If I spend the time to cast a spell then I'm committing at least partially to the battle and the AI wizard should also be allowed to cast a spell at least. I should be allowed to flee only if it is the first action I perform in a turn. Combined with baiting tactics this can waste AI doomstacks easily.
- baiting enemy stacks
When you see an enemy doomstack on the sea, it's easy to make it wander around following a trireme with some spearmen on it. At turn 50 that can make or break a game as the AI is sending its 30 sprites after your city with 2 summons in it (given the disparity of resources), so every hijacked doomstack matters.
- running around in tactical till turn 25
this is more of a boring thing than a cheap one. Fleeing odds should consider the relative speed and movement abilities, up to 100% then you wouldn't be forced to spend your next 5' moving each trireme back and forth. AIs don't have this possibility in strat combat - they can't even attempt to flee, I think. But given that this doesn't happen, then this cheap abuse of tactical substitutes it.
- focus magic nagas
Sorcery has become the number one quick aggression realm, and still is the number one long term realm. All S plus specialist and summoner = nagas for 43 mana and FM for little more: turn 40 unbeatable army, and you know how to concentrate forces unlike AIs. If you're so slow that that is not enough then don't worry, there's soon to be researched the water elemental, by far the best uncommon at +2 to ranged but hey, it's Seravy's baby...
Give me more examples and I'll add them to the list.
Are you so pathetic that you need these tricks to make you feel smart? Answer the poll to let me know!
Because planning two PBEMs in one thread won't work.
There seemed to be some interest in a PBEM game for newbies in that thread. I think that's a great idea and I would like to join such a game. We could either have a team game with a vet and newbie in each team, or just let us noobs fight it out among ourselves.
As a starting date, February 14 or later would work for me - assuming there'll be no internet problems at my new apartment.
I plan to get the expansion, but I'm not interested in the small DLCs, so I'd be up for either a vanilla+Aztecs game or Rise and Fall.
Let's talk about Torin the Chosen(by whom?). I feel he is weaker, than in vanilla. You can not cheese a non-common spell as starting spell anymore. Torin is melee only without flying, flying units no longer suicide into him. I feel Torin is not THAT much stronger, than other champions anymore. Sure, he is hard to kill and a great caster and buffs your units well, but is it that good? Heroes got weaker in general. AI is now more dangerous and you do not have time to endlessly farm perfect items for your hero. I feel summon champion and incarnation do not really justify their rare status. In most situations I would rather have two efreets, than Torin.
So I attacked a lair with 6 unicorns using 9 addamantite ultra elite hammerheads. What would happen in vanilla? The unicorns would suicide into my dwarfs, easy win. What happens with mod? The unicorns teleport around. I spread my forces with one dwarf in every corner and edge. Carefully wait for them to teleport into attackable position. And win after 20 turns. And just imagine if AI was smart enough to recognize that my dwarves are spread thin and actually attack a single unit while the rest are not there to counterattack. While better AI makes sense for wizard opponents I would rather have stupid vanilla AI for lairs.
10 Death books lunatic game with only 2 retorts. Used dwarf but with fair size, minerals and wetness resulting in very few minerals around my starting place.
Attached save at this time and at turn 1 for reference.
The start is pretty difficult - island, no good nodes or treasure, probably saved by some neutral cities that I could reach quickly with triremes, and in particular a troll one that gave me wonderful undead troll shamans healing my ghouls. I did capture a sorcery node sacrificing a lot of lol skeletons - no archers is painful - this probably saved my ass. But soon after turn 40, I started getting beaten at sea by green's warships (without wardec of course) until I could make my own - probably some further 20 turns down the line.
Strategic combat is way too easy. Nothing ever dies attacking, including unbuffed/unequipped wizard heroes or magicians. Save or die spells don't seem to happen. Web (no save and still die) doesn't seem to happen either. Stuff that would die on turn one in tactical just lives on, delivering lots of damage as it's usually the glass cannons.
Strategic combat and death then is a level beyond. You are washed in undead, and the only issue is mana as the game uses it on each attack including naval combat when it could be avoided. I wanted to try wraiths and I've won without even researching them. I'll go on anyway to test them, and see if I can get some undead archangels just for the lols...
Yes, I've read the thread on the mechanics of it, but it's more about the AI point of view, while I'm speaking from the player's.
Given this situation:
1. should strategic be allowed at all?
2. should it give a combat give a malus to the final score?
3. should these considerations beat the fact that it makes the many small battles towards the end of a game less of a nuisance?
4. maybe it should give a malus that gets higher the earlier it's used, from 100% at turn one?
On the last one, I personally don't think so - at the very beginning it's actually making games more difficult, as it prevents node whittling, fleeing from cities while the attackers rampage to keep their ownership (I consider this an exploit though) and multi-attack fortress strikes.
Question related only to the save file: why has lo pan come back from banishment into an outpost rather than, to his hamlet in the south? Note that the werewolf there was done after his return, from the outpost's swordman, so it's not for a better garrison.
I am contemplating trying a blue & white build based on silly buffing and spell lock on top. Because there is no kill like overkill.
I'd like to have at least 5 life books for stream of life (economy part of the build) and 5 sorcery books for spell lock. That leaves 2 picks, where alchemy should be very strong. Spell lock alone won't work well enough, so I'd really like to boost it. Runemaster would be great, but 2 picks, and I'd really want alchemy. That leaves specialist. Which is a bit funny on a non-mono build, but should be worth it as my units live or die by that spell lock. Question is, can I make specialist act on sorcery instead of life?
I have a save where if I attack enemy engineer with my ghouls it freezes the game permanently. 5.12. Is it a known issue? Should I send save to mod author?
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