A game using the latest patch 1.08

from Elemental Forums

I have done a lot of reading, but not posted much. I find the game very addicting even with all its flaws, but I think the addiction is wearing off because of a lot of the issues.I have played quite a few turns into a new game with the patch from last night and will present where my kingdom stands as we go along here. Note: it took me 3 "starts" before I felt like I had a playable position to start. The first one was in a pile of swamps and the second had almost nothing for resources nearby.

First, 1.08 is a step in the right direction, but also broke a few things and some other things don't seem well thought out. The two common resources that most players are short on every game is food and cash. Materials steel? Painful early, but I don't generally bother building any material producers or working on it from a tech standpoint of view. Same for steel. I have played parts of 10-12 games and have seen less than 20 of the "special metals" total. I have gotten crystals maybe 1/3 of the time if that and I rarely use them since what they are used for is very expensive items, which I don't have the cash to buy now. I have actually been able to use mounts in 1 game. Making merchants eat food just compounds the issues with the shortages in the game and making researchers require maintenance puts a strain on cash as well.

Ok, I picked Tarth. First off, they don't get any type of HP bonus like it says they do. I am on turn 191 on a large map, normal setting.

My science output is 31.9 a turn and 33 arcane a turn. Income to the kingdom is 60.6 a turn with 28.5 going to pay the troops and maintenance.

Pop 1171, Food +21, Material 639, Metals 235. 14 settlements, power rating 162. Other Kingdoms are 38, 71, and 196.

I have pretty much finished off Gilden who was pushing me with their borders, so I basically set up to take them out.

Love the fixes with being able to fix swamps, etc so I can get settlements down next to or close to bonus tiles.

Game stability is better.

Issues I have with 1.08:

Forget researching later weapons. They have all been nerfed. War Hammer, Broad Sword, Battle Axes are all 5 attack. Need to fix that.

Pushing the pricing on Bows to 30 and 40 gold is a nerf and strong discouragement to not use them. Sorry, either put them at reasonable pricing and fix the issues surrounding their use or remove them from the game for now until you get it figured out. 4 bowmen may be very expensive, but they are still very deadly. There are plenty of threads on the topics of bows.

I have seen a kingdom wiped out within 5 turns (got a message). I suspect that they ran into a 13 hp wolf and got their butts kicked. Speaking of 13 hp animals very early in the game, how many peasants would it take to kill one of those? Certainly not going to risk a character trying it.

With the lack of "wild life", experience gaining exercises are kept to a very minimum for new troops and characters. Not sure of the fix there, but character development is one of the fun parts of the game and its fairly stunted right now.

Cash issues are worse without the "monster" economy although the extra mines somewhat compensate. Still, try outfitting a character with any amount of equipment and it takes a ridiculous amount of turns for your kingdom to come up with that money, even without expenses or building anything else. I don't advocate the "monster" economy, but it absolutely had an effect on play to a point, both from an experience point of view and cash. 

I have had two children "come of age" during the game so far. Both sport a 1 overland movement. Ridiculous and with experience hard to get, you can't really fix it.

A this point in the game, even tho I am behind one of the positions, I have no doubt I am going to win this. I have a veteran core of troops now and the ability to concentrate enough troops to defeat the other big player and that is if I don't mop up the other two very weak positions first.

Thanks for your time.

elemental
9,894 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Pushing the pricing on Bows to 30 and 40 gold is a nerf and strong discouragement to not use them. Sorry, either put them at reasonable pricing and fix the issues surrounding their use or remove them from the game for now until you get it figured out. 4 bowmen may be very expensive, but they are still very deadly. There are plenty of threads on the topics of bows.
End of quote

Nerf? They were always priced that much.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top


 Note: it took me 3 "starts" before I felt like I had a playable position to start. The first one was in a pile of swamps and the second had almost nothing for resources nearby.
End of quote

 

I'm not sure I understand.  You don't need resources and terrain only affects movement and not much else, certainly not city production.

WindowBlinds - Free yourself of the default settings, customize your desktop.
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top



With the lack of "wild life", experience gaining exercises are kept to a very minimum for new troops and characters. Not sure of the fix there, but character development is one of the fun parts of the game and its fairly stunted right now.

I have had two children "come of age" during the game so far. Both sport a 1 overland movement. Ridiculous and with experience hard to get, you can't really fix it.

End of quote

A thousand times this. Experience is far too hard come by right now and needs boosting.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting p22, reply 1

quoting postPushing the pricing on Bows to 30 and 40 gold is a nerf and strong discouragement to not use them. Sorry, either put them at reasonable pricing and fix the issues surrounding their use or remove them from the game for now until you get it figured out. 4 bowmen may be very expensive, but they are still very deadly. There are plenty of threads on the topics of bows.
Nerf? They were always priced that much.
End of p22's quote

Sorry, miss-stated that. How is it a sword cost is very cheap and a bow is 3 or 4 times the price? Price structure for bows are way out of wack and in part it is that way because they are so strong right now. Making them cost so much is a patch to the game system and makes no sense at all. It also causes the other positions not to build them. (or at least I have never seen them) This gives a player even more of an advantage, despite what they cost.

 

Quoting wayninja, reply 2

quoting post
 Note: it took me 3 "starts" before I felt like I had a playable position to start. The first one was in a pile of swamps and the second had almost nothing for resources nearby.
 

I'm not sure I understand.  You don't need resources and terrain only affects movement and not much else, certainly not city production.
End of wayninja's quote

If you don't start next to or near food and a gold mine at the start of the game, it is really, really tough to get going. I had two game starts where I had neither close, so I quit them and restarted until I got food next to me. My capital did not have a gold mine near it. I did manage to be by a warg spawn point, but of course, my faction can't use them. Starting in a swamp is not my idea of fun since the last time I checked, you had to "terra form" it to a hill and back or you can't build on it.  When starting, your leader just doesn't have the mana for that type of thing early since it takes 7 per tile to fix it.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

well it is a bit lucky when you start yes -

but i started one with only a food at my main city - i expanded my search and suddenly about 15 tiles away - i came across this

1 arcane
1 tech
1 gold
1 wheat farm
1 fruit cove
1 Forest

(suffice to say this is my biggest city in that game now.
AND
when i researched my Questing tech line i got

1 EXTRA goldmine.

And about the animals early game yes - I have a weird feeling that those 13 hp wolves are suposed to be bears ??
(how about)
2 hp wolf
4 hp wolf (instead of the bear)
13 hp Bear (instead of the killer wolf)

is it me or does this make more sense??


 

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

/agree with Redwind and Klydon... ESPECIALLY the part about researching advanced weapons... I mean Cmon SD WTF?  at least be honest about what happened or why?

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top
Quoting Klydon, reply 4

If you don't start next to or near food and a gold mine at the start of the game, it is really, really tough to get going. I had two game starts where I had neither close, so I quit them and restarted until I got food next to me. My capital did not have a gold mine near it. I did manage to be by a warg spawn point, but of course, my faction can't use them. Starting in a swamp is not my idea of fun since the last time I checked, you had to "terra form" it to a hill and back or you can't build on it.  When starting, your leader just doesn't have the mana for that type of thing early since it takes 7 per tile to fix it.

End of Klydon's quote

 

I just don't find that this is true.  Sure, it's easier to start near resources, but some adventure techs guarantee a gold mine and since cities have no maintenance costs, building them everywhere is pure gravy.  I'm not saying that resources don't help or don't speed things up, but cities are basically mines in and of themselves. You don't need to level them up to build most of the basic production buildings so space isn't really an issue either.  You basically level up cities that you care about and spam level 1's everywhere else...

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

   One of the best "things" about this potentially great game, you can mod just about everything to fit your requirements. EXCEPT THE MP, DAMN IT!!! :) For example...added a new talent called Eagle Eye for +2 visibilty...very easy.

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting wayninja, reply 7

Quoting Klydon, reply 4
If you don't start next to or near food and a gold mine at the start of the game, it is really, really tough to get going. I had two game starts where I had neither close, so I quit them and restarted until I got food next to me. My capital did not have a gold mine near it. I did manage to be by a warg spawn point, but of course, my faction can't use them. Starting in a swamp is not my idea of fun since the last time I checked, you had to "terra form" it to a hill and back or you can't build on it.  When starting, your leader just doesn't have the mana for that type of thing early since it takes 7 per tile to fix it.

 

I just don't find that this is true.  Sure, it's easier to start near resources, but some adventure techs guarantee a gold mine and since cities have no maintenance costs, building them everywhere is pure gravy.  I'm not saying that resources don't help or don't speed things up, but cities are basically mines in and of themselves. You don't need to level them up to build most of the basic production buildings so space isn't really an issue either.  You basically level up cities that you care about and spam level 1's everywhere else...
End of wayninja's quote

 

The adventure tech that has a sure start next to a gold mine is sort of silly from the standpoint that you can just start games until you get one next to you. It should either be changed or go the same way the organized trait went. The food issue can and will absolutely cripple an early start if you don't have any to start and didn't pick the extra food advantage as a leader. (I will probably be picking it every time as 2 food to start is huge). It may  not cost gold to put level 1 settlements all over, but it does cost food. On top of that, a lot of those level 1 improvements all now have upkeep costs that go straight back to needing extra food to run. (merchant needs food to run for 1 cash and science needs 1 cash to generate 1 tech point. The only things you can really create are materials, which is helpful early game, but not later and arcane research, which helps a lot).