Game over once you have a doom stack

[Question]

It seems the game is effectively over when you have a doom stack that the AI cannot kill even by zerging it with multiple stacks.

Primarily because the AI still builds early game units like halbrediers when they could be churning out nothing but paladins instead.

And your late game ranged units just annihilate everything before they can get into range....

[momfan]

The challenges in MOM are generally in the early and mid game. The late game by definition is a period of mopping up.

1. Early game

Can you survive raiders and rampaging monsters?
Can you expand before the AIs take all the good land?
When can you get your first hero/node/neutral city?

2. Mid game

Can you survive the initial AI attacks?
How soon can you build up your heroes/stack of doom?
How soon can you take your first AI fortress?

3. Late game

How many times can you banish a wizard?
Can you get every city to size 25?

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Personally for me the challenges (especially at Impossible) are mainly in the early/mid game, when building that extra unit or casting that extra spell makes a difference.

Along the way I get kicks out of finding new items (as Insecticide now makes the full range available) and also coming across the free occasional hero (ex-prisoner/for hire) that I actually want to keep. I also enjoy discovering new combat strategies rather than using the standard paladins/slingers/longbowmen etc.

Other challenges - playing with the weaker races. In the current game I'm playing, the first neutral city was a gnoll city, so I learnt to use Wolf Riders. Later on they're too weak, but in the early/mid game they are very decent, and 3 movement is very good on the overland map.

[Aureustgo]

^^

I would concur with those thoughts. The vast majority of the challenge in MOM is between 1408 and 1412 or so. There is not much challenge if you can survive through 1412.

[Catwalk]

I definitely agree with the sentiment that killer stacks = victory. The main challenge for me is in limiting my options for creating a killer stack, which usually includes some kind of hero restriction and picking one of the weaker races. I just got crushed with orcs, by far the weakest starting race. They have nothing but long-term economy going for them. High Men are also slow, but they at least have Pikemen and Priests midway to tide them until Paladins.

[kyrub]

Killer stacks are a nuisance for gameplay. I always found the designers could have done more. Anti-stack (overland) spells are wimpy, the combat spells that hurt all units at once are an exception. Also, windwalking is simply too powerful for any mana price. It should have been restricted to carrying N units, preventing numerous ultra-quick stack. Stasis is bad as well.

A combination of rightly designer anti-stack measures would force you into usage of more stacks.

[Question]

And the fact that heroes are so powerful doesnt help.

I mean, late game i can have a single hero solo a 9 unit stack.

Doesnt help that the AI spends most of its time casting summon warbears or something...

[momfan]

And the fact that heroes are so powerful doesnt help.

I mean, late game i can have a single hero solo a 9 unit stack.

Doesnt help that the AI spends most of its time casting summon warbears or something...

1. Difficulty Level

Try playing Hard or (preferably) Impossible. You will see much more than War Bears wandering around.

2. Self-Imposed Restrictions

Since you find the game so easy, try giving yourself some restrictions:

a. Hero Restrictions

i. No Incarnation or Summon Champion. Reject champions for hire.

ii. Only zero-fame heroes (Brax etc).

iii. No heroes.

b. Unit Restrictions

i. No units that require a Wizards Guild, Fantastic Stable or Armorers Guild.

ii. Only swordsmen and spearmen.

iii. Only swordsmen and spearmen, and no rare/very rare summoned units.

iv. Only swordsmen and spearmen, and no summoned units.

c. Race Restrictions

i. Play Klackons, Gnolls or Lizardmen

ii. Play Klackons, Gnolls or Lizardmen, and raze all captured cities

d. Wizard Restrictions

i. Take weak picks like Charismatic, Famous, Infernal/Divine Power etc.

ii. No Spells. Only Spell of Mastery allowed.

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If you still feel all these are too easy, combine them e.g. play Klackons at Impossible, using only swordsmen and spearmen, casting no spells, and hiring no heroes.

[Question]

Freya with a power base of 350+ keeps spamming summon war bears, so i dont think difficulty has much to do with their choice of units.

Side note : Is there a way to edit the cost of starting picks? And does the AI always use the same books/picks?

Edit : If they have the mana they do cast the high end summon spells, although i almost never see the units in action. Not sure whats happening to them.

[momfan]

Freya with a power base of 350+ keeps spamming summon war bears, so i dont think difficulty has much to do with their choice of units.

Side note : Is there a way to edit the cost of starting picks? And does the AI always use the same books/picks?

Edit : If they have the mana they do cast the high end summon spells, although i almost never see the units in action. Not sure whats happening to them.

Spells
===
Are you playing at Impossible level? At lower levels of difficulty the AI may not accumulate mana fast enough to cast many potent spells. At Impossible level, the AIs quickly build up thousands in gold and mana, and they definitely do cast the more powerful spells, and more frequently too.

For example, in my current game, Oberic has hit my fortress city 3 times with Chaos Rift. Each time I dispel it he casts it again. My Charm of Life spell has been broken twice, once by Merlin, once by Oberic. Merlin is re-summoning Torin after I defeated him. Freya summoned Basilisks early on, and in combat she casts Cracks Call on powerful ground units like paladins and golems. She also summons Earth Elementals to help - there was one combat where she summoned 2 of them.

And my super-buffed Chaos Channeled Champion Longbowmen get hit with Dispel Evil in combat, which is way more effective (usually kills 3 figures) than some damage-causing spell, since they have 48 hearts total (Champion 4 hearts, Charm of Life +1, Lionheart +3, total 8 hearts per figure * 6 figures = 48). Smarter choice than Doom Bolt, Warp Lightning etc. There is more stuff I'm sure, but this is what I can remember offhand.

Picks
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The OSG explains how it randomizes picks for AI wizards. Please read it. As I mentioned before, at Hard and Impossible they get more picks, and the picks are more random.