You're using Essence in the way we use mana.
Any unit is going to have some sort of mana cap. We use Essence as that cap. The player is deciding whether to invest their essence into their minions (ala Morgoth) or keep it for themselves (Manos).
Hey Frogboy,
I see your point. I actually don't have as big an issue with the current Essence scheme, but something still seems to be missing to make it feel right.
I am actually having more of an issue with arcane knowledge. Spell levels come much too quickly as do most spells IMO.
So many men so many minds...
Anyway I find it strange that people want to gain spells slower. The amount we get now pretty much allows to have the spells we need based on situation. Making it it slower will result in a guessing game. Hmm... will I need to lower some ground or to raise it? I can't afford both... Will I find an air shard or fire shard? Which one should i prepare for?
I believe learning a spell should not be such a big decision, considering the random environment of Elemental. We do run out of spells rather fast, but I believe that we simply need more spells on higher levels, not slower progression.
I obviously disagree with Reianor on this point, spell learning should exactly be a big decision. Some core staple spells should be already known (i.e. arcane bolt, lesser heal, etc.) or easy to research out of the gate, but beyond them... I would much prefer this be a major investment in what you focus on.
By making spells harder to learn after these staples, the ones you queue up become a very thought out decision. I think Reianor's construct really detracts from the strategic value of spells in the game. There is little investment from the player in what spells will be necessary, what kind of sovereign/caster do I want to become?
On his guessing point, I believe the following:
- Instead of guessing whether you'll need to raise or lower land, you'll have to do some exploring, take stock of the territory, and make a determination which one you would like to use first.
- The spellbook construct I referenced in my original post would solve the shard proximity issue.
I feel this change would really force the player to think about what they need. Right now, I just pick the few that I want to cast immediately (e.g. summon familiar, enchant farm) then queue up nearly every other one and forget about them. I like the queue mechanism, I just would prefer to have the order or which spells I choose matter more.
I do agree with Reianor that there should be more spells at higher levels... I just would rather my spell portfolio vary widely from game to game and rarely be the same.
EDIT: fixed typo
