Age of Wonders: Planetfall SG

[Bobchillingworth]

Just gauging interest, don't have any particular concept in mind.


I don't have the expansion(s), and don't intend to get them any time soon.

[MJW (ya that one)]

don't care about sgs anymore as the AI cannot deal with stack-splitting. also the new patch accelerates the game so you get to the stack-splitting stage even faster. So unless you get chessed-rushed immediately you win. I can be backup in case someone drops through or if two people want to play.

[Bobchillingworth]

What do you mean by "stack splitting", like spreading out units in a carpet of doom or something? I've found the AI so far to be vastly more challenging than Age of Wonders III; I could consistently beat AoW III on the highest difficulty, but have been regularly getting my butt handed to me here on Hard. The AI don't develop their empires very well at all, but they're quite skilled at invading.

[MJW (ya that one)]

AI doesn't know how to move its units in a triangle or hex, so it's very easy to set up 12 vs 6 situations (or such) against them. You just have to hold out until there's a reasonable amount of units on the field. Your operations don't fail on your territory, which makes it easier to hold out.

AI failing to develop empire makes things easier but the main hump is getting 20 or so units and being able to support them.

Edit: It takes me around 35 turns to reach "the hump".

[Bobchillingworth]

Ah, I see what you mean, although my experience has been that the AI usually supports its forces with at least double hex formations moving concurrently. My problem has been that the AI is surprisingly good at tracking the power graphs, and so whenever I lose too many units clearing a lair or dungeon or whatever all of my neighbors immediately start advancing their mobile forces on me. That, and the AI no longer mindlessly smashes its armies against whatever targets are closest- now they've happy to simply burn all of your sectors if you try camping your main military force in a fortress city. Also I've seen them use nasty tricks like sending three armies at one city, while a fourth quietly teleports or disembarks in my backlines while I'm distracted.


Honestly, it's probably the best AI I've seen in a 4X game in a long time. It spends all of its Cosmite upgrading random units though, so it usually doesn't have enough to expand past five cities or so.

[naufragar]

I'd be down.

I must not be as good as you two. The AI on the hardest difficulty is frequently a worthy opponent for me. If you want further challenge, you can put all the AIs on a team. This makes the game a perma-war.

[Bobchillingworth]

Hah, I think you're both better than I, then; I've only won a couple games on Hard. Been taking a while to fully sink in that you can't play this game like AoW 3 and expect to do well.


Would you be up for putting on a clinic, MJW? You and one more person joins and we've got enough to roll; I'd like to show off Planetfall to the rest of the forum, since it's the most innovative 4X game I've played in a while.

[MJW (ya that one)]

I can play. The only thing I really care about is 8 turn limit because 10 turns is too much.

Hard if you want to be sure to win, hardest otherwise. Bob should go first if it's on hard and go last on hardest. naufragar can choose to play before or after me.

[Bobchillingworth]

Let's wait a few more days to see if we can grab at least one more person- Lewwyn? Superdeath? (I have no idea if you have this game, but you join everything else... )

[MJW (ya that one)]

Well it looks no one else will show up. START THE GAME!!!