Frogboy Frogboy

Elemental: Game Play Example – Part 5

▼

Elemental: Game Play Example – Part 5

from JoeUser Forums

Note: This part of the AAR is being run with the Day 0 build so you will see features that weren’t in the gold edition

Yithril vs. Capitar Climax

For years, Roland’s kingdom of Capitar had grown at the expense of the Empire of Yithril. Emperor Verga had been occupied with events in the west.  When his son was killed in battle, he began to revisit the “Thief in the East” issue.

image

The battles would go on for over two years.

imageEven Verga’s wife would come out to fight [AI note: Going to make it so that the spouse doesn’t come out, especially if she has no weapon].

Verga’s wife would escape the battle but the rest of their army was wiped out.  It was then that Roland realized that Verga had moved the bulk of his forces from the West…to the East.

For while Roland was nipping at the edges of the Empire of Yithril…the Empire of Yithril had conquered the Kingdom of Gilden.

imageimage

 

Veterans of War

As the war progressed, both sides were able to recognize the considerable [to the point we thought it was a bug] benefits of experience.

image

With experience came durability. Veterans knew how to survive far better than raw recruits. As a result, the hardened veterans began to be seen as a valuable resource onto themselves.

image

The wealth of the kingdom was going into combating the growing westeron threat. Yithril had taken Haru and lost it. Roland had put out the word that the Kingdom

Verga meets Roland

imageThe two Channelers would meet in battle. Sorcerer vs. Sorcerer.

image  Roland

 

image Verga

The Kingdom also came with a Catapult

image

Verga’s Sorcery wiped out Roland’s crusaders.

image

image Roland’s allies, the Black Widow Fiends, had traveled and fought beside him for years. Now, these immensely skilled [level 5] friends were down to two.  The situation had become so desperate that Roland himself had to enter the field of battle…

A NOTE FOR PLAYERS:

Risking your sovereign when attacking enemy territory is VERY RISKY.  YOU SHOULD NOT DO THIS.

imageIF you (The player IS the sovereign) die in battle in enemy territory you die. It is over.

Roland has an escape route. He could safely leave the battle and fight another day.

 

imageThe catapult finished off the heart of Yithril’s force.

 imageimageRoland’s Wilding ally was down too.

  image

This was one of those moments that could change the course of the world.

Only Roland and his catapult remained. Out of mana, he had no spells up his sleeve. However, Verga was out of mana as well. His morale and that of his catapult were low [which is a penalty on attack].

Yithril still had for soldiers in the battle including Verga himself.  Roland knew he might not ever have another chance.

Roland decided to fall back at first. Could the catapult soften Verga up enough to even the odds?

Morale was getting dangerous.

image

 image

[AI note: He should go after the ranged unit first]

imageRoland vs. Verga: ONE ON ONE! 

imageVERGA FALLS! 

 

imageVERGA ESCAPES!

 

[The Stardock dev team actually watched this live as it was pretty bloody exciting actually]

Yithril had lost its eastern fortress.

157,201 views 87 replies
Reply #76 from Elemental Forums Top

Read this thread, i notice, that different kind of ppl interested at different things. Someone want graphic so detailed, so is detailed in first-person shooter with RPG elements - like Oblivion. Other want Sims-detailed dynasty tree, with regents, legacy 2 kingdoms, maybe taking prisoners, gathering ransoms and other  stuff  things. I think it all will good to see, but  this only moments from gameplay, spots and no more, so it is not so matter.

I will better to see some global changes in gameplay, like changes between Sins of Solar Empire, and its first addon - Entrenchment. As you can remember, this addon add many defensive structure and change gameplay, it give front-line, and gathering of fleets for breaking into enemy supply lines and home planets.

I think first turns in Elemental have amazing point of interest, but when your Empire grow - nothing can stop you, and game become not so challenge as on start. In fact game know how end after first few battles: if you won - nothing will stop you, if not - nothing can save you. I know, that many war-conflicts in history depends from 1-2 great battles, but this game have more strategic potential to be long played interesting game. So this my few suggestions about gameplay:

1. Bigger Empire need be more hard to control, it need more attention. It implement by rise unresting level, depend from number and ranges between cities, and can control by special buildings/units/technology. Unresting level can rise enough to separate town from you control to be neutral faction, with own ruler. It good point, because give us 2 important thing:

 a. First - even if you win all your enemies, game not  over. You can try to hold this huge Empire, and it not so easy at all, with influence of dynasty - you even can fight with you sons or brothers for throne of Empire. You just can have another win-condition, without conquer, like handle throne for n-turns, or fight-out absolute evil like pirates in SoSE, or something else.

 b. Second - as in Civilization, one of good point of strategy - don't devastate AI player and try put all towns to your control, but leave other faction with his small number of towns and peace treaty. It give your troops, gold or research from em. It like idea some self-goverment parts of your Empire

2.  Defeated sovereigns (or their children)  can return to rule after some turns. Like in Master of Magic - sovereign return after some number of turns in cosmos. In this game it can just be represent like unknown population of Empire, and children of falling sovereign can hide in population, feared by conquer. This childs can take lead of riot, and take pair of your cities, and maybe get some good troops, what be very chalenging, if you already have war on another side of Empire, or you Empire already have civil-war, or maybe just exhaust after number of wars.

And it maybe even more interesting at all, because imagine situation - you start as unlucky sovereign and you Empire conquered, you sovereign killed, actually game over and it time to load or start another game. But! For example - you play with you 5 friends, and they want continue, but what you should do?

In this situation you can wait some turns and choose you sovereign again (from children of you sovereign, or someone new), who can lead riot. You can prepare ppl and doing some stealth work - place your ppl near towns of player, buy equipment, doing some quests and wait for good time to move. (maybe your troops will be invisible, or just like neutral adventurers, but you will control them). And you have limit of turns for start riot. When this turns out - your troops will be visible and enemy players can attack em.

So you just wait for good time to move, hit to back and conquer few towns from big empire, ask for alliance of another players and just be like one of the factions before. So even falling players can enter into game like rulers of minor factions and give some more interesting to all players in game.

---

Frogboy (aka Brad) - thank your for the best grand strategy game ever, and for great job with community.  With this game our dreams (as players) about ideal strategic world can be real. Many thanks! )

And i'am too exited and want play it  right now  :D

soz4my english

Reply #77 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Galahed, reply 77
stuff
End of Galahed's quote

Always remember these guys made GalCiv (2).. you can be sure that as your empire grows, there will be more and more things working against you (like in GalCiv). Also Frogboy is playing on normal difficulty (no AI 'cheating').. and even at this stage of AI developement looks to me a pretty challenging game.

Nothing but thumbs up so far and with further patches and mods it will only get better.. heck I'll probably do some modding myself.

DeskScapes - Bring your desktop background to life.
Reply #78 from Elemental Forums Top

It will be nice to have links on prev. and next parts of this topic in the main message. 5*

Reply #79 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Xommep, reply 79
It will be nice to have links on prev. and next parts of this topic in the main message.
End of Xommep's quote

 

Click the elemental dev journal tab at the top of the post and it shows them all.

Reply #80 from Elemental Forums Top

Elemental has been on my radar for a while with a strong chance of purchase.

This last gameplay preview sealed the deal. Pre-order!  :D

Reply #81 from Elemental Forums Top

Brad,

Thanks for playing the game and posting the results, it's got me frothing at the mouth.  I especially like your philosophy on AI. I personally can't stand games that make a substandard AI and then make it increasingly harder by taxing you or making resources cheaper for them. 
 
I just wish you released for download Friday night.  With a Sunday night release I have to make up something to miss work mon. - wed.}:)
Reply #82 from Stardock Forums Top

Pretty cool battle. The tension of losing the game was in the air.

Reply #83 from Elemental Forums Top

So.... I'm going to be unable to play from 24th Aug to 12th Sep, or so (much personal stuff to be done, really no time for gaming :-( ). It's afternoon for me atm. I'll be busy this evening. Hopefully have time to play tomorrow morning.... Moral of the story: Hurry up with the download! :-) :P. Spent a lot of time playing the beta and i'm too excited about the release to wait three whole weeks to play the retail after release! :P Not that I want it to be rushed or anything but... *loads impulse just incase* :) :P

Reply #84 from Elemental Forums Top

omg release the game!! :d

Reply #85 from Elemental Forums Top

Has elemental been released for Beta-testers yet?

Reply #86 from Elemental Forums Top

tasunke, in another thread frogboy said that he thought it would be available in aproximatly another half hour( he actually said in onepost 90 minutes, but that post was an hour ago)

harpo