[1.09t] Details

from Elemental Forums
  1. Supposedly, Studies evolve like Pokemon once the city reaches Level 2. In 1.09s with Gilden, that didn't happen ever. In 1.09s with a custom Faction it didn't happen. In 1.09t with a custom Faction, it doesn't happen. I haven't been able yet to try it with a non custom Faction for 1.09t.
  2. I get no warnings when one of my treaties end. I'm trying to check if I get any in the minievent icons to the right (I didn't consider that at first) but still, maybe it deserves something more noticeable (much like Janusk telling me of how dangerous the forests have become... again XD )
  3. Playing my custom Faction of Men, which is egalitarian, I decide to build a female scout (with the proper equipment). I let you know that capes selections for women are capped in comparison to men. "Traveler's Cloak for women? Sorry, we don't have of those."
  4. Enemy Sovereigns/Champions seem to be book collectors. If they get any, you will always find them on their item menu. They should use them.
  5. The quest about Maggie's Key, in the part with the wolves after the Alpha Wolf, once completed the light effect didn't go.
  6. *sigh*

    Interesting how a barely developed Empire can sell such stuff.
  7. I play in Normal with everything on normal levels:
    • stop AI "cheat"ing in equipment, pleeeeease. :pout:
    • More roooooooooooooom!!! Damnit. Seriously. It becomes totally annoying to try to play anything that it's not warwarwarwarwarwar.

      If all the medium maps are going to be like that (and latest experiences say so), I better hit bigger maps with same number of opponents.
    • Maps are empty. Or almost empty. In my latest games there are barely resources that are not near the starting positions of players.
      Where do I settle? Ah, it doesn't matter because there is nothing anywhere. Only resources spawning techs help "a bit". And if you are playing in a non standard way, maybe not so much beyond food (which seems to be the only reliable one).
  8. Moriah's Lost Spell Book: the message before fighting the Darkling group? Well, a wolf appears in it. Should be a Darkling?
  9. Starting in an area of forests = Overkill. Forget about any strategy you were planning. From turn 1 your only task is to create an army just to defend the first city. Then a second one to be able to leave the city to kill the enemy armies of bandits/bears/spiders.

    Make it worse? Have all your neighbour AIs do nothing against the random monsters, obliguing you to be the one to destroy them so YOU can explore safely, send caravans or just build on resources outside your city.

    One could argue that the AI armies suck and cannot face the roaming ones, true. But even when they are able to deploy something of power, they don't usually go hunting lone targets, so why would they bother with the armies?
  10. Foreign Relations screen: click on any of the relations modifiers in "Relations with us" and you will make the button "Speak to" to become grey an "out of service". You must click anotehr faction or menu option to restore it.
  11. Playing without any kind of magic is... a pain. And if you play without magic and in a non military way, it's even worse. My latest game (that of the last pic) was without magic and Master Quest as the goal, avoiding wars (so no destroy them until they cannot oppose me and then switch to Master Quest). Despite the game being a "so far so good", I must say that of "What a fool.". See point 9 of this list.
  12. Dynasty system must evolve. asap. It's still best to start with Female Sovereign with the abilities you like best (and can work best in daughters), marry a farmer (best ability for city builders like me) and keep any child you have because of their awesome bonuses vs the smaller benefits of some diplomacy bonus and the chance of increasing the number of Royal Champions. Not for 1.1 I know but 1.2? Expansions? Mods?
6,257 views 14 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

If nothing else, I would really like to see the dynasty system allow for heirs to take over. And another note, I find it a bit absurd that when defeating an enemy sovereign, the entire empire disappears (They should randomly split into minor factions, join neighboring factions etc. Same with the military units).

 

Those suggestions that I mentioned should wait until 1.2 however. I agree with most of your points.

Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

All very nice observations especially 7. Every game I play is like this as well. For 1 though I play as a custom kingdom faction and don't have this problem. As for 9 I like tough monsters and I'm not afraid to say it!

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

7, 9, 11, and 12 don't seem like simple details. They're substantial design problems, and it's good to see an 'old hand' listing them (as well as the real details that are out of sorts).

You know I'm irrationally hung up about the way the magic's been working so far, but the lack of a random map generator that can build out some real gaming space is a close second in my top frustrations with the game so far. Probably tied with my impression that the dynasty system is a vestigial organ and nothing like the major game element I'd hoped to see early on.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Why does anyone play maps other than the glorious custom built Prirod?

(Available for download from the online mods section)

 

You can't find a better balance.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting seanw3, reply 5
Why does anyone play maps other than the glorious custom built Prirod?

(Available for download from the online mods section)

 

You can't find a better balance.
End of seanw3's quote
To comment on unmodded content*. At least that's what I do.

 

* as: content Stardockian by default? XD

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Well I have been playing TBS games for decades and I still haven't found a very good one. My problem is with uncontrolled environments. I do not enjoy random placement that sometimes is strategically valid. I took the time to reply with my ethos and a solution to random maps in general.

Why have a computer build something when it might be crafted by human hands?

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top



Supposedly, Studies evolve like Pokemon once the city reaches Level 2. In 1.09s with Gilden, that didn't happen ever. In 1.09s with a custom Faction it didn't happen. In 1.09t with a custom Faction, it doesn't happen. I haven't been able yet to try it with a non custom Faction for 1.09t.

End of quote

 

Where the cities level 3? I though that was a bug too, until I realised you need a level 3 city

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting seanw3, reply 7
Well I have been playing TBS games for decades and I still haven't found a very good one. My problem is with uncontrolled environments. I do not enjoy random placement that sometimes is strategically valid. I took the time to reply with my ethos and a solution to random maps in general.

Why have a computer build something when it might be crafted by human hands?
End of seanw3's quote

It's a matter of taste. You appear to value repeated approaches to problems in a controlled environment, but many other TBS fans love the genre precisely because some TBS games do a very good job of letting players try out repated approaches in varied environments.

The main reason I want to have "a computer build something" that "might be crafted by human hands" is that I want the human hands to make tools (map generators), not products (maps). It's a replayability thing. I want serious variety in the unfolding of any given session with a TBS game, but I want most of the work to be done by the silicon I own and not the hard-working humans who made that silicon useful.

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

Well I have been playing TBS games for decades and I still haven't found a very good one. My problem is with uncontrolled environments. I do not enjoy random placement that sometimes is strategically valid. I took the time to reply with my ethos and a solution to random maps in general.
End of quote

It's a rock and a hard place. Computers will never dynamically build content that is as interesting, varied or complex as what one person could sit down and create.

Elemental is the kind of game that demands mass amounts of content be generated to keep players happy though. It would also demand a full-time mapper, and most people would STILL be driven into the arms of some randomization app.

Luckily you get some control over the randomness. I re-start games until I get a GOOD distribution of resources at start. From there, I let the randomness dictate the strategies and character of the game, and Elemental has never disappointed in that regard. The combination of resource clustering, distances, terrain and other stuff makes each game force you to stop and make tactical considerations. You wouldn't get that kind of replayability relying on just hand crafted maps. You'd play one Kingdom game, one Empire game, and basically have seen everything the game can do.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting sjwt, reply 8
Where the cities level 3? I though that was a bug too, until I realised you need a level 3 city
End of sjwt's quote
My custom faction has its capital at level 4 and still Study as buildings (and no upgrades). Altar in that game has his capital at level 3 and also studies.

Maybe it was changed and I totally missed the note about it (wouldn't be the first time, like Int requirements of spells not being applied to the Sov)

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

I thought that too, Wintersong, and then I realized Library is now a tech that you have to unlock.

 

As to the issue of maps, you are right. You will have seen all parts of Prirod after one playthrough, but the type of resources changes. This, to me adds a sufficeint level of variety without having the need to abort a game because the computer-god left you on an island while the empire gets a whole continent. The issues with this specific game is that the map creator is funcitoning but not very functional. I would rather have a map that can give me stable results: choke points, resources in areas that ensure that area will be an important piece in the larger game, varied and equal distribution, enemies far away enough to build up and a few close enough to pressure me to succeed, a wide variety of heroes in every corner of the map, areas that are not just worth exploring for the quests and goodies I put there, but meaningfull long after for various strategic reasons, enough resources that are not randomized so that you know you can find a few of every type by the late game, EVERY SHARD, elementium guarded by things most foul, a world that has character and feels like it has been inhabited and destroyed, beaches every so often to allow sea to be usefull in a game, island treasures, minor factiions that can defend themselves, love.

All of this is garranteed and yet every game seems totally different because the randomness of types of resources and the distribution of tech based resources make the map anew each time.

I have yet to get more than two of the mentioned features in any random game. (It was really wierd to just get enemies that were close enough and love X| ) 

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

If you haven't checked out Elementerra seanw3, you really should. It won't randomly generate perfect maps, but it gives you control over how the actual terrain is generated. (Mountain-i-er, more ocean, less ocean, more deserts, more hills, ect....) All through sliders showing you the changes in real time. Elementerra spits out a lot of maps with choke points, can make maps far larger than Elemental does by default, ect...

It's really a great app. I haven't talked about map generation issues because, honestly, Elementerra blows Stardock's map generation code out of the water. I probably couldn't play Elemental today with the quality of maps the game creates by default. So I feel you there, but luckily, Cephalo was all over making maps better. (Not perfect, but better.)

Reply #14 from Elemental Forums Top

I will and thank you/merry christmas. I wonder if Stardock would update using his code?