Things you can't stand about Master of Magic

[Asfex]

MoM's magic system is strongly inspired by Mtg, but it still managed to get a couple things wrong in the process. why is Wind Mastery in Sorcery (blue) rather than Nature (green) ? Because wind powers are in blue in Magic: The Gathering. No rational explanation.

The green has a powerful spell: Earth gate, the Blue has "guardian wind" and "air elemental" ,which belong to "Air" magic school. So, wind mastery must be blue.
(however , blue has Enchant road, whereas Death have not any "Increase overland speed" spells)

I like mom for: 1.every spell and creature has an upkeep.(nad this can be used to cancel the spell) 2. there is a good dispel-magic formula. 3.Also, very "overenchanted" unit become very vulnerable to dispel. 4.Also, there is a spells ,that effectively counters too strong army. (like Holy Word and Great Unsummon).

About AI: The game mechanics have two part: the "calculate actions" and "represent results". The second is very different for "Just a stable game" and the "Game with AI or Multiplayer". For Example, almost every procedure in the MOM has a different realize for Human and for the AI. I.e. the code for AI is about half of the total MOM code.(and have own bugs).

[kyrub]

2. there is a good dispel-magic formula.

Why? The dispel formula is one of the weekest aspects of the game.

Too random, there should be a mana cap and some deterministic mechanism plus some disadvantage for the dispeller. Also, AI massive mana boni make dispel one way mechanism, I almost never use it against them, while they keep destroying my global spells with it.

Mathematically, the MoM dispel is correctly set, but the in-game logic is frustrating.

[zitro1987]

I think a dispel without chance factor would IMO work better:

-5-10 base strength plus xx extra strength
- if strength > unit enchantment cost - remove unit enchantment + reduce strength by unit enchantment cost
- 2nd/3rd unit enchantment (if any), if strength > unit enchantment - continue cycle until strength depleted.

Disenchant
- add your strength, remove all enchantments with cost under strength.

Disjunction
- This is a tricky one, I'm not sure what to suggest.

If "true" (sorcery), multiply strength by 2-3.

[Asfex]

Mathematically, the MoM dispel is correctly set, but the in-game logic is frustrating.

Yes, its true. But this is problem of game logic, not the dispel itself. However, triple strength version is too owerpowered.
The dispell formula is a duel "power vs power", hence the formula is right.
Very rare overland spells is a spells "to show you almost win", and gets the corresponding advantage.So, will not be surprised, enemy wizards try to dizjunct it like crazy.

of couse, if the best strategy would dispell any new enemy spell, then , whats differ between "confusion","posession" or "weakens"?If the spell will live only one turn, whats matter the effect of spell?
However, the some disadvantage for dispeller is good. like "base dispel cost does not count to the dispell strength". And "disenchant area" may overcome against unit's resistance before to dispell unit-enchanted spells.But the last is against the game balance now (becouse of death-magic spells).
Of couse , Magic Immunity is bad in the current realize. however, the alternative " magic immunity dispell any unit enchantments when cast -(and can be dipelled by enemy unit enchantments already in effect by dispell magic formula), and protect for the other spells" will broke the strong divizion for "good spells" and "bad spells" in the mom.

The interesting variant: disenchant area does not dispell any unit enchantment -just nullify it.(ie , its dispell giant strength in the combat, but the overland giant strength reappear after the combat, if it was cast overland before), wheread disenchant area overland -truely dispells unit enchanted spells.

[Asfex]

I think a dispel without chance factor would IMO work better:

-5-10 base strength plus xx extra strength
- if strength > unit enchantment cost - remove unit enchantment + reduce strength by unit enchantment cost
- 2nd/3rd unit enchantment (if any), if strength > unit enchantment - continue cycle until strength depleted.

Disenchant
- add your strength, remove all enchantments with cost under strength.

1.So, you must cast the dispel with "strength =max spell cost", - then dispell All enchantments.Else = almost nothing. This lower the game richness.
And, if someone cast overland (like MagImmunity =250 cost ), can you cast Disenchant Area 250 strength at once?
And, you can cast 5 dispell to dispell all Nine giant strength for a cost of 5-15 mana... brrrr.
2. Do you purpose to store the "remain strength of unit enchantment" for each enchantment? Or the "order of enchantment"? It need too much memory (and a way to show it,and change it).Ok, to change "remain strength" you have "Spell Lock" already.
Conclusion: dispell must be chance-based.
However, the dispell choise randomly any unit enchantment , then dispell it ,then (if sucess dispell) make this cycle again. -Its not a bad idea.But dispell must be chance-based for this. (variation: Disenchant Area starts from overcombat enchantments, Spell Lock must be choosen the first)

[kyrub]

of couse, if the best strategy would dispell any new enemy spell, then , whats differ between "confusion","posession" or "weakens"?If the spell will live only one turn, whats matter the effect of spell?

By disadvantage I certainly meant some sort of fatal delay and extra mana cost. So that you cannot dispel it in the next turn.

Something like this:

Overland formula
Rules:
a) dispel_cost = 50+ mana
b) dispel is deterministic, it succeeds automatically after N turns
c) if you are trying to dispel a unit with several enchantments, the biggest mana_cost counts.

Code:

30*spell_cost
turns to dispel = -------------
                   dispel_cost

So when you try to dispel an enemy spell:
- if you spend same mana_cost as the enemy you will wait 2,5 years (30 turns) to see the end of it.
- if you spend only half, you will wait 5 years
- if you double the cost, it's 15 turns = 1,25 year
- if you spend triple the cost, it's 10 turns waiting
- you need 6 * cost to get only 5 turn wait

(it would need some calibration - I'd propose to use square costs - , but as a model it seems to work well)

The interesting variant: disenchant area does not dispell any unit enchantment -just nullify it.

Not bad but I actually like the situational Disenchant Area. It is the Sorcery dispel variants that get problematic - as you said.

[letsdance]

no building queue
AI not defending their capital well enough
no real defense bonus in capital
(possible to give fortress an effect? i couldn't find it, but i guess it works like a city enchantment)
so frustrating to mod, because data is scattered across different files

[I like Serena]

FYI, I've implemented a basic building queue mechanism in the Tweaker.
If you check the check box, it will automatically select what to do when a previous building finishes, or it will build a cheap unit if there is no garrison.

[Asfex]

c) if you are trying to dispel a unit with several enchantments, the biggest mana_cost counts.

I am about in-combat disenchant area: overland flight cost 250 mana,in-combat disenchant will cost 300mp?when will i gain 300 in-combat casting skill? In 1415 year?

[Tjorin, the Fjordless One]

The clicking. The game's great. Just fix the bugged spells and for the love of Torin, why didn't they implement a building queue before MOM2? And even that game desperately needed building queue templates that moved from start to finish you could just plug in.

And the Orcs. All the races have something. Cheap units without any perks would have been cool but the decision to pull even the standard specials like first strike from cavalry confounds me. They make great cities but so do Nomads and High Men. All they're really good for is capturing.

I would definitely advise "super stack" summoning naysayer players to try an all-death game though. Boost mana gathering to 100%, up your tax rate as high as you can and burn gold to cast Wraiths ASAP. Their life-stealing should reanimate the majority of enemies they kill. Don't USE the reanimated units, use them to stack your cities up so you can boost tax rates further without any food or gold cost. It's a staggering financial/early growth advantage. Wraith-form ghouls are a little cheaper and reanimate more reliably but less powerful against light to medium dungeons/nodes or more powerful enemies.

Or try all-life with early invulnerable enduranced Guardian spirits that move 4 tiles a turn.

Also, try more alchemy games. When your gold and mana are basically in the same pool, you get a different perspective on unit balancing. Even the weakest mana-based units are going to tend to be more powerful right out of the gate compared to early-game units and they can be good gap fillers when you need them.

Unless of course you're talking about Barbarian Spearmen with eldritched/holy-weaponed/magic-weap-via-alchemy-guild/perk with Flame blade and giant strength thrown in for overkill. Those guys are the best deal in the game (8 axes flying for 1 food!). Well, not counting slingers of course. But I'm assuming we all know slingers and halfings in general are totally broken and that we're all okay with that.