Dominions 4; Good luck, im behind 7000 supayas!

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:00 pm #60452

Bottom post of the previous page:

Its ok maccus you just didnt script your troops othetwise they would have stomped me

srifenbyxp · Post by **srifenbyxp** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 1:18 pm #60467

Maybe you people could shoot me a message over steam the next time you play?

ColonicAcid · Post by **ColonicAcid** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 6:20 pm #60529

im only hosting it on fridays because >timezones

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 6:45 pm #60539

dezzmont wrote:Interesting. We will see how you do next time we play. If I recall nothing I have told you is controversial, but I may be misremembering. The only tactics that I remember telling you that go against the Dom 4 grain were good in 3 (Like rainbows, I remember mentioning you could make a rainbow) or how to use national non-mage assassins, which are generally not seen as great but you really were into at the time. But I may have herfed the fuck out and said something stupid. Who knows.

It wasn't anything super horrible but as an impressionable new player you were trying to educate me on your own personal high level strategies while discouraging me from trying things along the way.

There's a difference between trying to teach someone how to play a game and just giving them advice that could potentially get them to win their first game. I wanted to learn, and you were trying to coach me to win. For some people those are one and the same..."If you win you must know what you're doing!" but not for me.

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:16 pm #60589

Ah yeah. I did give examples on how some theorycraft played out that may have been too easily turned into just rote strategies. That makes sense.

Balut · Post by **Balut** » Tue Jan 20, 2015 1:06 am #60638

Slightly relatedly, Dezz, do you know anything bout Illwinter's Conquest of Elysium? Shit's cheap on Steam presently. http://store.steampowered.com/app/211900/

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Tue Jan 20, 2015 2:50 am #60662

I have heard of it but don't own it nor have the funds to pick it up.

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:41 pm #61266

Maybe a game tonight?

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:55 pm #61268

We should play a game on a large map as all random nations some night.

Test our luck/adaptive strategy.

Balut · Post by **Balut** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:33 pm #61287

I have neither of those things though.

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:02 pm #61297

An0n3 wrote:We should play a game on a large map as all random nations some night.

Test our luck/adaptive strategy.

In the middle age?

Someone could roll a bum nation. Same in EA. It would have to be LA, the nations may not be easy to use or the most balanced but there is no garbage nation that can't win the game.

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:14 pm #61302

dezzmont wrote:
An0n3 wrote:We should play a game on a large map as all random nations some night.

Test our luck/adaptive strategy.
In the middle age?

Someone could roll a bum nation. Same in EA. It would have to be LA, the nations may not be easy to use or the most balanced but there is no garbage nation that can't win the game.

we could try having fun one night and do random nation random age

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:20 pm #61306

Then we should also do a small map if we are going for this kinda zany round type.

Maccus · Post by **Maccus** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:07 am #61404

Zellion wrote:Its ok maccus you just didnt script your troops othetwise they would have stomped me

you can do that?

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:14 am #61407

Troop scripting is the term used for how you set up your units before a fight.

Mage scripting is of course the most important thing you can do and even casting the same spells doing certain orders can be the difference between your mage slaying the enemy army and your mage killing all of his communion slaves so early nothing gets cast.

Troop scripting generally refers to the following elements: The makeup of each squad (Most high end players don't always have the entire squad be one unit type. Tramplers for example are often dispersed through a line), the squad's formation, where it stands, and it's attack order. By default your entire army will try to all occupy the central square and will be a jumbled mess. Units will charge forward until they are in range to make an attack and then will do so. Archers stop at this point while melee keeps moving forward.

Leaving scripting default is a shitty plan becuase your units stumble over each other and fast units can get trapped behind slow ones or archers for a bit. It also is bad because, by nature, a square has a smaller surface area than a long thin box of the same overal area and thus the blob has most of your army busy moving rather than attacking.

Balut · Post by **Balut** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 5:57 am #61830

Man, I never use formations. The minus to morale makes me sad, and I don't like how a bunch of them are all thin and shit, like lines and stuff.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:45 am #61840

That was a piece of advice I had to unlearn. I was told using formations was useless and the penalty to morale was too devastating.

That's bullshit. Formations are great. The penalty to morale doesn't matter if you're hacking through enemy troops because of your smart strategy. Also you can give troops specific orders (like having a cadre of asshole flying bat retards on the flank with the order to fly over the entire battlefield and descend on the enemies rearmost mages and archers) in addition to having commanders casting specific spells and things.

Balut · Post by **Balut** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 12:19 pm #61909

Well yeah, the other shit's great.

Although like ~85% of the time my wizzes ignore the casting orders I give them, so they can just spend like, all of their turns casting defensive buffs on themselves, until they pass out from exhaustion and someone armless cripple meanders up, jams a stick in their ethereal ear and stomps on it because they're fucking unconscious.

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:39 pm #61925

I don't recall saying formations and scripting were bad. In fact I recall

Spoiler:

me saying you had to do that shit.

It is something you do need to watch out for. Morale is one of those "Mostly matters if it is really low" things. Plays heavily into some important things like long reach weapons and having the guts to attack some units.

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 2:03 pm #61930

If your wizards are out of range or dont have any targets for whatever sspell you tell them to cast, they will cast whatever they want in its place.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:34 pm #62010

>build SC make him my prophet
>have him lead an army of badasses
>fight starts
>he stands in one spot casting every buff ever invented on himself
>army goes off and wins the battle without him

FUCKING THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK YOU ASSHOLE

ColonicAcid · Post by **ColonicAcid** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:35 pm #62011

>implying sc's need an army to do what they do
they should win the battle in the first 5 turns using awe.
you made sure your SC had awe/fear right?

also tonight im down to host who wants to play again

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:41 pm #62015

You need to script your SC to prevent that by ordering him to attack after casting the buffs you want.

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:31 pm #62436

>mfw I start a war with dezz because im afraid of rlyeh becoming too powerful and he says "have fun"

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:40 pm #62439

>mfw Zellion seiges my castle two turns before I am capable of horror marking literally everything he has and takes the last spot I have on the mainland.

Superweapons get, but it is an uphill battle now and the only throne I have access to now increases death scales in my dominion.

ColonicAcid · Post by **ColonicAcid** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:01 pm #62450

>mfw zellion attacks me before I can attack him after I amass soviet amount of longbowmen.
I was halfway there.

Balut · Post by **Balut** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 1:51 am #63602

I'm basically getting shrekt as EA Ulm by Arcosephale and Machaka from both ends right now but I've finally managed to field a Rain of Stones dude and routed one of Machaka's bullshit huge armies with him. Some Shield Maidens totally died luring off those gryphons so they wouldn't eat him, but goddamn, felt really fucking good.

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:43 pm #63774

Hey Dezz, lets say I wanna play ea ermor. Barring the fact that taking temp scales that arnt good for your nation is bad, which side is better? Heat to help my fire evocations and stuff, or cold because of undead?

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 6:15 pm #63836

Cold is generally considered the best to go for with water nations because there are more nations who like being hot than being cold. Problem is that you are using fire magic, so if you are rocking evocation you are in for a bad time. Consider, if you do go cold, focusing on fire enchantments and alterations instead of evocation.

Balut · Post by **Balut** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 5:07 am #64048

LA Ulm is just as baller as other Ulms. ARROW STORMS.

Will report on retarded Communion spam and Draculas Draculas Everywhere later.

Spoiler:

**EDIT**
This just in, 75g S1 mages that are recruit anywhere are indeed hilarious. SO MUCH RESEARCH. SO MUCH COMMUNION. SO MUCH ENSLAVE MIND.

**ADEAT**

Spoiler:

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:43 pm #66273

That was ridiclous. When are we going to play again?

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 1:21 am #66461

I'm down to play literally anytime.

srifenbyxp · Post by **srifenbyxp** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 8:46 am #66582

Lets say this coming friday (not today) when I get paid and I can buy it legitly, that or everyone hwos playing download the same version I have.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 4:07 pm #66651

Did you guys finish our game without me or start a separate one? What happened there?

I still think an all-random in a random age would be FUN. There's still a lot of nations I haven't tried and goofing off with yet.

PRETENDER BOWL never finished, where we had two pretender nations each with two disciple nations under them.

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 4:32 pm #66660

We mostly stopped playing entirely I think. We should really play a game tonight or tomorrow.

Zellion · Post by **Zellion** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:44 pm #66681

We should do disciple game tonight.

dezzmont · Post by **dezzmont** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:47 pm #66682

I could play a heat pretender for some disciples. I know we got multiple people playing people who enjoy certain heat scales.

srifenbyxp · Post by **srifenbyxp** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 9:12 am #66843

I'd like to play, but cant until friday.

Preamble · Post by **Preamble** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:18 pm #74930

So who is up for playing a game in the only non shit way to play a.k.a PBEM.
Fuck blitzes get money.

XSI · Post by **XSI** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:39 pm #74970

I got this thing from a friend

He set me up on a game vs AI as Pangea
I've got 80 terrasques but they have trouble sieging, it takes forever just to get into the walls, but usually only 2 or 3 of them are needed to wipe out the entire defence force

I also seem to have about 150 dryads sitting around doing jackshit in my capital now that research is entirely completed. With 1000 gems of most magic kinds, I have no idea what to throw at the enemy to get rid of them any faster, the terrasques can singlehandedly wreck everything but they can't seem to break forts

Balut · Post by **Balut** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:41 pm #74989

Spam flying troops and have them siege, but not assault once the gate is down.

There's also a bigass axe and a blowing horn (2 handed weapon that needs Earth gems and a misc item that needs... I'm not sure, maybe air gems?) that give bonuses to breaking gates. You could forge those and give them to commanders, possibly with flying boots to get them to the siege faster, if you wanted. That'd be kinda micromanagey though.

Also hello, this is the other friend of that friend.

Preamble · Post by **Preamble** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:23 am #75371

Anyone down for a blitz/starting a Pbem this weekend?

srifenbyxp · Post by **srifenbyxp** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 2:39 am #79405

Icepop wanting to be the undead people but picks glorious nippon. Pretty sure this is how the undead population grows

This should also should go into the mislabeled file name thread as Dead chat ERP

srifenbyxp · Post by **srifenbyxp** » Sun May 03, 2015 8:26 am #85466

It goes against every fiber of my being to double post but this- this is too amazing to let drift off into the dreaded 2nd page.

Spoiler:

Steelpoint · Post by **Steelpoint** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 7:04 pm #136068

Necro post from hell but I've been playing a bit of Dominions 4 (and a lot of Conquest of Elysium 4) recently.

I'm currently playing singleplayer against nine challenging AI's (whatever's above normal) as Middle Age Man. Not the strongest nation pick from what I'm can pick up but I enjoy it.

I'm still expanding but I've found the other nations, my army consits of a group of Longbowmen arching it up, a front line of Tower Guards for tanking arrows and a flank of Knights of Man.

I'm seemingly enjoying the game, even though I have no idea what to do with research and am just going for nice sounding spells my guys can cast.

I've also played a lot of Conquest of Elysium 4, playing mostly as Baron but with a sprinkle of Demonologist and the High Cultist.

Super Aggro Crag · Tue Nov 24, 2015 8:12 pm

i like agartha

Incomptinence · Tue Nov 24, 2015 9:28 pm

Agatha is the soccer mom of dominions cruising everywhere in her four wheel drive.

Super Aggro Crag · Tue Nov 24, 2015 9:36 pm

i like to be underground cyclops salamans

Incomptinence · Wed Nov 25, 2015 3:06 am

Me too that was a compliment to one of my fave sides.

Amelius · Post by **Amelius** » Wed Nov 25, 2015 10:42 am #136249

Really good game, wish it had normal MP instead of play-by-mail. Also the skill cap is ridiculously high it's kinda insane. Wish there wasn't so much focus on blessings and the AI was better. Also wish I could set my units to autopatrol instead of having to re-set them constantly.

I always wonder if those single-target or self-target buffing spells are EVER useful, or even the low-powered 1-fire or 1-earth spells like earth shard are helpful at all, with rare exception. I mean, I had a whole horde of earth readers casting earth shard and they did shitall no matter where I pointed them. Learned that lesson quick, though fire 1s are alot more helpful since you can make the cheap 1 free fire gem per battle item, equip it to everyone, cast phoenix, then spam level 2 spells (or 3). Though, I will say general strategy in this game for magic feels kind exploit-y, i.e. make x that increases your level so you can make y, so you can equip that to summon z who has higher levels who can now summon someone with even higher levels with those items who can then cast power:word death on the whole world with those items again.

Also some of the undead races are no fun to play against mid-lategame. Spamming that necro spell that kills everything is really kinda unfair since it kills income, and any of the undead nations that get !1!FREE!1! undead spawns are ridiculous. One good death-based nation can ruin an entire game for everyone, literally a troll/griff strategy. Basically gotta rush em ded, but with all the freespawns you basically have to tacticool-ly assassinate all the acolytes and shit to slow them down. I do, however, like that there's barely a semblance of balance in the game, makes it feel more organic and... dynamic and less bland.

Super Aggro Crag · Wed Nov 25, 2015 4:21 pm

i play with zellion