Once again I will try to get a multiplayer game of Dominions going here. This time Dom 5. O0
Simple setup to get us going quickly:
Game info
Name - Beliwyr Grogs (http://www.llamaserver.net/gameinfo.cgi?game=Beliwyr_Grogs)
Type - llamaserver PBEM (Play By EMail)
Schedule - 48 hrs turn timer at the start (variable due to work) and more time as we progress and orders get more complicated and planning needs more time.
Players: 4
Diplomacy - 5 Turns Non-Agression Pacts, no rules otherwise; be a snake, get you head chopped off like one. ;-)
Game Settings
Age - Early (Lots of magic and wood, less steel)
Independent Strength - Default
Research - Default
Magic Sites - Default for the age
Money - Default
Resources - Default
Supplies - Default
Random Events - Default
Re-naming - ON
Score Graphs - OFF (You'll need to use spies)
Hall Of Fame - Default
Nation Selection - All
Mods - None
Map - Biddyn
Victory Conditions - Thrones, 5 pts
General Rules -
Note1: The hosting time limits are slightly indicative, but we are pressed to make them whenever possible. In other words; if you can't make the turn limit, be sure to post in this thread to let me know in advance so I can extend the time in the llamaserver, otherwise Llamaserver will push the next turn and you will not have given any orders.
Better yet is sending me an email, which you have gotten in a PM.
I have an irregular working schedule with stops abroad sometimes, so I might put in the odd request for a few more hours/days as well. I hope we can all be flexible about this. If not, then please say so up front, this game might not be suited for you.
Note2:Stay fair, people. If you cannot swallow a defeat, then you will be a newbie forever. In spirit of my previous sentence, please do not go AI after a single major battle lost
Note3: Remember to keep an eye on the turn interval. I will update changes in interval in this thread.
Be sure to report EARLY if you will not be able to send in a turn in time.
WE CANNOT USE THE ROLLBACK FEATURE! Due to possible savegame corruption.
(Thanks to 3V4JKZ2 for the above format )
Note 4:
I want to put a very good project into the spotlight made by a player called momfreak.
Mod Inspector to read up to date unit and magic data from the game files. Very handy! (https://larzm42.github.io/dom5inspector/)
This webpage enables you to select some mods that you will be using for the game and then display accurate information about all the spells and items in the game.
You can also view the stock vanilla game data with this webpage.
Super handy as reference.
Note 5: When the game is setup you will all need to send your pretender to Llamaserver.
You can send your pretender file as an attachment to: (Put in the name of the game in the title, leave the body empty)
pretenders@llamaserver.net
You can find your pretender file in your \Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Dominions 5\savegames\newlords folder.
it has a file format <era>_<nation>_0.2h
It will overwrite and old pretenders for the same era/nation.
After all the pretenders have been sent in the game can be kicked off and you will receive your turns in the mail.
Just send your turn back to turns@llamaserver.net (probably just reply to sender)
Only send in the .2h file. The .trn file is only sent by Llama to YOU.
For a FAQ on Llamaserver go here: http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=35160
Banned Exploits - I depend on your sportsmanship, dishing out as well as on the receiving end.
Admin - Yskonyn
Player List
1. Yskonyn - Caelum
2. Ajidica - Ermor
3. W8aminute - Vanheim
4. Solops - Agartha
I'm in! Since I'm probably one of the more experienced players in this game I'm super-flexible as to which nation I play. I haven't played Fomoria in a while so I'd be good with them, Rus, or Ermor.
I'm interested. I bought but only played Dom4 a couple of times. I played some Dom3, but that was years ago, so I am almost clueless for Dom5 (I.e. I think I qualify as a near-noobie). Setting up a starting leader will probably destroy me before I get started :) I have never played any PBEM. I am going to be on the road and might need to switch PCs from time to time. Is that possible?
Adjidica Welcome, you have first dibs! :)
solops glad you want to join. Very much possible to switch pc's as your turns will be mailed out by the llamaserver system to an email address you specify. You will then have to manually copy the turn into your savegame, play it and send it back to llama.
The system works like a WeGo system; llama will collect all the player's files and once it has it will process the turn and send out new files automatically.
This also means that regardless of us setting the 'stale timer' (to let the system process a turn even if people haven't submitted), the system will go ahead and process once all turn files are submitted, regardless of time left on the clock.
This also means that each player will have to keep an eye on the timestamp that is given in your last received turn from llamaserver, as the clock will be ticking from that time onwards and therefore it will change from turn to turn (something I had to adjust to when I first played!). No specific time for turn resolution, so your deadline might be in the middle of the night the first turn, and during the day on your subsequent turn. Keep an eye one that.
The technical side of HOW we're going to get the system going will follow later. For now think about which nation you would like to play and start thinking about making a Pretender God.
Definitely count me in as well. :)
I usually like playing Vanheim but I might pick another nation for this game. I'm flexible.
I'm thinking Helheim or Agartha, but I really have no clue as I have never booted Dom5 yet :the type of map can make a difference, if I remember Dom 3 correctly. Sigh......I guess I'd better play some to see what the heck I am getting into.
So, if we stick with 4 people do we want to add AI or do I need to recruit from other places?
Quote from: Yskonyn on October 15, 2019, 10:54:55 AM
So, if we stick with 4 people do we want to add AI or do I need to recruit from other places?
I vote for 4 humans and 0 AI but if the others do want AI nations involved (other than the default neutral provinces) then I'm up for that too.
Wow. I played a few hours this morning and it was UGLY.
Re. Players: I was hoping for five or more, but four will do. AI players... they could fill out a roster, but it would be very embarrassing to lose to one. I guess I really do not care.
Hmmm....actually upon further thought maybe an AI nation or two would not be a bad idea considering that many of us are complete noobs at the game.
There is an argument that including AI nations in a multiplayer human game makes for easy pickings for those who are skilled enough to outwit the AI but on the other hand I'm sure that Ajidica and Yskonyn will be gentle with us. ;D
It might not be a bad idea to have the experienced players of the game to not ally with anyone but allow the new players with little or no experience to agree to ally with each other? Just throwing that out there...
In my testbed I used a random map and found that my human pretender was trapped by terrain - mountains, rivers, forest. There was only one adjacent area I could move to. And that area was ocean-bound. He was by himself, no slow troops. Bummer. Can you build roads in Dom5? Can't find it in the manual.
Answer: No roads buildable. I cannot build my way out of the trap.
Quote from: solops on October 15, 2019, 01:40:13 PM
In my testbed I used a random map and found that my human pretender was trapped by terrain - mountains, rivers, forest. There was only one adjacent area I could move to. And that area was ocean-bound. He was by himself, no slow troops. Bummer. Can you build roads in Dom5? Can't find it in the manual.
Answer: No roads buildable. I cannot build my way out of the trap.
The Random Map generator, while much better than in previous versions, can generate some really terrible starting spots. However, I'm not sure what you mean by 'trapped by terrain'. Assuming you took either neutral temperature scales or +/-1 scales, rivers should be crossable in winter and mountains should be crossable in summer. I'm not aware of any other terrain type that would flat-out prevent movement.
Also, I recommend taking an awake expander, such as the Thrice-Horned Boar with Nature7 for a Regeneration bless, when learning the ropes of the game.
Further, @W8taminute, I still have nightmares about your blessed stealthy berserking Vanhere! Many brave (and expendable) skeletons fell beneath their axes before I was able to beat them off!
Re. Expansion- yeah. I tried a dormant pretender and my progress was ridiculously slow. I cannot understand how people manage decent expansion with Agartha without an awake pretender. There is bound to be a secret to expansion with a dormant leader.......I am leaning toward Agartha for the challenge, even if there is a solops-sized bonfire at the end of the road. Though my memories of Dom3 are hazy, Dom5 seems quite a bit different
Quote from: solops on October 15, 2019, 09:11:00 PM
Re. Expansion- yeah. I tried a dormant pretender and my progress was ridiculously slow. I cannot understand how people manage decent expansion with Agartha without an awake pretender. There is bound to be a secret to expansion with a dormant leader.......I am leaning toward Agartha for the challenge, even if there is a solops-sized bonfire at the end of the road. Though my memories of Dom3 are hazy, Dom5 seems quite a bit different
I did some quick testing with Agartha and though I got moderately lucky with my nearby indies, I did pretty well with a Dormant Earth Pillar with E4 (meaning 6 earth bless points for Agartha) that I put into Reinvigoration x3. I maxed scales and too Heat3 because Agartha is cold blooded and I wanted to avoid cold as much as possible. For expansion I used 5 or so Olms with a blob of infantry. The Olms Mind Burn the enemy so their defense is 0, allowing your Agarthan infantry (who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn door) to actually kill the enemy.
Not saying that is a
good pretender, mind. Merely an option.
Roads and Province Tax has been removed in Dom 5 in relation to Dom3/4. Those are two big strategic changes.
As for expansion and movement; as Adjica said getting boxed in on the map is rare, but it does happen. That said, I'll try to generate a map with as little water as I can. But once we start everyone should assess their starting location. If there are severe problems with a location we can agree to reroll the map and start over.
As for AI nations; its true that if you have a little bit of experience with the game an AI nation as a neighbour as opposed to a human opponent could be an advantage, but only mid to late game. From my experience the AI is pretty decent at expanding. Its just not capable of using a Pretender very well with a nation's strenghts and weaknesses, but that usually comes into play later on.
Still to balance it out we could have 1 AI for every human player?
Instead of generating a map, we could just play on one of the ones that shipped with the game, like Peliwyr. Avoid the boxed-in problems and has generally balanced start positions.
EDIT: My personal opinion is to not have any AI players, but I'm good with whatever.
I am good with whatever on the map and the AIs. I just figured out my Agartha problem AND learned a valuable lesson: the olm are ranged troops. Duh! Now you guys know what kind of noob you are dealing with :)
I am perfectly fine with no AI.
Peliwyr is a nice map, but quite big for only 4 players. Its also full wraparound (North-South and East-West) which might be a struggle for solops.
I think a non wrap around map might be better suited? Technically we could make Peliwyr non wraparound, but that will make the map unbalanced.
I normally play with an E-W wrap-around. I guess I am fine with the E-W and N-S wrap. As far as large...could be good, could be bad. Will favor early expanders, for sure unless we put in some AIs. I am good with anything. I see this as a great adventure, like a pacifist going to visit the starving cannibals.
Thats a great mentality solops! :notworthy:
In that case we're going for the Peliwyr map afterall. I'll setup the game on llamaserver.
Please all, send me the email address you want to use to receive the game's turns by PM.
Also one last thing: Do we want to play a Thrones of Ascension (if so how many points) or Conquest?
Also, a note about giving up. Life happens or whatever other reason comes up that makes one rather quit playing. If you want out, please put yourself on AI first. That way the rest of the players at least have a functioning opponent left, instead of a stale one.
I have no illusion we will find a substitute easily on this forum, so I am fine with going AI for this particular game.
My vote is Thrones of Ascension victory. If we have four players, six thrones total with four level ones and two level two thrones, requiring five points to win? Should result in some good fights over the level two thrones and the 5 pts to win reduces the likelihood of a throne rush coming from nowhere if one could get away with just two thrones.
Also, I misspoke when referring to maps! Peliwyr is the 6+ player map. I meant Biddyn which is set up for 4+ players.
Further, I don't remember sending W8taminute my email address when I played games with him. I would prefer not to be distributing my email address around as it has my real name. W8taminute and I never had any problems with random people joining our game while it was being setup.
Lastly, since nobody else has claimed it, I would like to play as EA Ermor. (This is the nice Ermor, no cancerous horde of freespawned skeletons!)
Game has been created!
http://www.llamaserver.net/gameinfo.cgi?game=Beliwyr_Grogs
Nevermind the name, I made a mistake and joined Peliwyr and Biddyn together. :)
I'll take Caelum.
I remembered to require all your emails. Seems not, so thats great.
Start thinking about pretenders guys!
Not quite sure what to do. I have my Pretender "2h" file ready, but cannot find a place to "enter" it on the llamaserver link above. What am I overlooking. Yskonyn, you have my e-mail in your PM inbox. The proposed map say 4-8 players. I don't know how the heck they could get 8 players on it. I started up a 4 nation game and ran into a neighbor in 5 or 6 turns. Took a bit more to find his city.
BTW, I found the save files at C:\Users\MyName\AppData\Roaming\Dominions5\savedgames\ using Win7.
Awesome stuff guys! I was away from the internet all day yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of discussion I see here this morning. When I get home tonight I'll submit my pretender for Vanheim.
Ajidica I laughed out loud when I read your comment about my blessed Vanheres. ;D
Solops, please read note 5 in the original post.
You make your pretender then send its file per email to llama as described.
Once all pretenders are in and I press go the first batch of turns will be sent out.
You then place that file into your savedgames folder, play the turn and send the result file back to llama per email.
Just make sure you have our game's name in the subject title. The rest Llama will sort for us.
OK. Thanks for the clarification. I read that earlier post and thought "Huh...that can't be right, can it? How would the llama know what to do with this? How would the llama have time to sort all of these files for all these games and still make a mortgage payment?"
Now I can see how it is automated by the game name in the subject title, right? If someone does this all by hand, they deserve a medal and some free M&Ms .
Pretender submitted.
Looking forward to starting!
My pretender is submitted too. :)
OK, you guys are making me look bad. I'll do it after supper.
Done. My Pretender is sent.
You know, my nation would probably be in better shape if I let the AI play the first 7 turns :)) .....but where would the fun be in that? Plus, I'd never learn anything. Humbling, that. I have been through seven game starts now and I seem to be improving. Beware, the blind, Unseen Empire of Agartha is stumbling from our caves into the daylight! Get too close and we might trip and fall on your knees!
Hah! That would hurt the enemy more than you!
I'll upload my pretender today and kick off the game.
Have fun everyone!
Yskonyn, if you have not started the game could you hold off for another hour?
Later: OK, never mind. I sent in a revised Pretender. If it does not 'take', I'll live with what I had.
No rush. Revise as much as you want. Be advised that each new pretender will update the file extension.
So the first is Agatha_early_age0.2h then it saves 1.2h etc.
Always send the latest if you revise. You can re send pretenders as long as the game isnt started without issue.
OK. Read this after I sent you another P.M.. Will I get a new confirmation from the llamaserver? The numbering of my pretender files reverted from 42h to 02h because I deleted some old pretender designs. I will check it all out and get back to you.
OK. Ready here.
Diplomacy: Will it be conducted only in-game or via e-mail? I have no one's e-mail and Ajidica mentioned some concerns.
Nothing like messing things up and trying to fix it to force one to learn the ins-and-outs of a system
The problem with in-game messages is that there is no log to re-read messages from earlier turns. At least this was the case in earlier Dominions versions. So that's why I usually have done Diplo via emails, but as Ajidica has voiced concerns about this we will use the in-game system. You just have to make some kind of log yourself if you want I suppose.
Quote from: Yskonyn on October 18, 2019, 11:45:58 AM
The problem with in-game messages is that there is no log to re-read messages from earlier turns. At least this was the case in earlier Dominions versions....
Yes that is correct. There is no conversation log in Dom5 to allow you to reread inter-player messages from previous turns. I tend to keep a notebook and pencil handy for when I need to jot down reminders.
Oooh! Yeah, a cool notebook, maybe one with a sinister cover to take notes in. ....just have to keep it away from the lawyers or they may try to impeach me. Hmmmm...wait, No! I'm a godling! They can't impeach me! BwaaHahaha! I just have to be wary of sharp axes.
Ok guys I fucked up! :hide:
I must have made a typo with entering the admin password, cause the system doesn't accept the one I am fairly sure I entered, or rather, intended to enter.
So now I am unable to actually start the game proper.
Does any of you fine blokes know a way to get into contact with Llamabeast directly, so I can sort this out?
I am really kind of surprised that a game as old and good as Dominions cannot generate more than four players from the Grogheads community :(
Yes that amazes me every time as well.
With Dom 3 we had a period of high activity , but for some reason it died out.
Hopefully I will get answer from Llamabeast today. If not I'll create a new game and we'll get that started instead to speed things up.
I want to do this right, so: The FAQ says:"Once you've taken your turn and hit 'End turn', you should find a 2h file in the same directory that you put your trn file in. It'll have a name along the lines of 'mid_machaka.2h' (depending obviously on the age and the nation you're playing). This is the file that contains your orders, and you then need to email it to turns[ at ]llamaserver[ dot ]net."
What I have is an "End Turn" button. If I hit that, it's going to process the turn. Won't that mess things up? Instead, should I click on the " Save Game and Quit" option and send that in?
Nope, press End Turn.
Dominions is a WeGo system, so the host (me, but I've delegated that to Llamaserver) need to collect everyone's .2h files to have a 'complete turn'. Then the game loads all those .2h files, resolves the actual outcome of everyone's orders and a new .trn will be compiled and sent out.
OK. I really hate to do this as early on a lot of ground can be covered, especially on a Saturday. But, we are packing the car to leave for two weeks. I can (and am) playing on my laptop, but I will shortly be out of communications until this evening.
As far as communication where a log is important goes, presumably we can do messages on this forum. Also, I'm good with messages on Steam. Same username and avatar there as I have here.
How do you add someone as a Steam contact, Ajidica?
Our game seems to be developing nicely. The lines are slowly being drawn. O0
Lines have been drawn alright!
Let it be known to all that Caelum is at war with Ermor. :arr:
Let it also be known that Caelum is well aware of the pact between Ermor and Vanheim. Vanheim would do well to let go of the foolish pact with the humans.
Official Notice from the Office of the Undersecretary for Public Notices: Please excuse any spelling errors in the in-game text communications as the text messaging system there vacuums the big one. Having to re-type the entire message to correct an early, unnoticed typo exceeds our race's patience rating.
^I know what you mean! LOL
Vanheim will stay neutral in the current conflict between Caelum and Ermor. Meanwhile our forces have respected the border agreement with Agartha.
Heads up, I've put autohosting on hold for a bit due to work.
It'll give me a day or so to sort my turn.
No worries Ysk and thanks for the status update.
I staled afterall due to us getting stuck somewhere at work. :-[
Took a look at my turn now and it looks like it was a very bad moment to stale. Alas, such is life. We can't roll backl due to corruption risk.
That is unfortunate and sorry to hear that Ysk. Would increasing the turn timer to 3 or more days help? I think you currently have it set to 2 days iirc.
Yeah, I could stand to wait a bit longer once in a while. It's better than seeing someone get messed up over a turn deadline.
Yeah well, this was my own doing. Things just heated up at work and I forgot about setting the timer correctly in time. We're good.
Having that said; if anyone wants to increase the turn timer, be sure to let me know.
I am afraid I will have to invoke some delay once again.
This weekend we have people staying over so I probably wont have time to play.
As this game is moving slower than we had intended, I want to let everyone know that I will be gone with no access to my computer from November 21 through November 30.
(I had sort of hoped the war with Caelum would have knocked me out early so I could go AI without much loss for the game, but it seems the war is not going to be one-sided.)
Thanks for the heads up.
I expect normal intervals again from monday onwards on my end.
Pfew, just played turn 20, but I have received quite a beating ... :notworthy:
That serves me having a big mouth. :P
Ok, @Ajidica you have now besieged both of my forts. I don't see any way to break the sieges.
Please state if you intend to press on (in which case I'll concede and turn AI) or you are going to back off and engage in diplomacy. :)
As I mentioned in the in-game messages, I will be gone on vacation from November 21 through November 30 and will be unable to enter turns. I would ask that the game be delayed until I am back from vacation.
Sorry for any inconveniences this causes!
No worries, we'll put it on hold.
Thanks guys!
I look forward to resuming the game.
Good game so far. I really like how things are turning out with this one. Look forward to resuming after the Thanksgiving break. :)
Great fun! Wish I understood what is going on. Like sausages, I guess, more fun if you don't know what's involved.
Well it seems my threats have come too early and I grossly underestimated the military capability of Ermor. :P
I'll keep playing until the end of course, if only to prevent anyone getting an unfair advantage due to going AI, but at this point the Storm of Caelum has pretty much subsided.
Good lesson was that I *really* should have waited until at least Storm was researched.
Second lesson was that my Bless effects were ineffective (Magic Weapons), because the Ice weapons of Caelum aparently are already treated as Magic Weapons. :S
The world must now wait to see how the vacuum left by Caelum will be filled. 8)
I wish to congratulate Ajidica on a successfully executed siege on my capital.
Caelum capitulates. :hide:
As I am no longer a factor in this game I'd like to hand over managing to one of you guys.
The admin password is: Grogmin2019
Good luck to everyone! I'll keep monitoring this thread!
Quote from: Yskonyn on December 02, 2019, 05:17:51 PM
I wish to congratulate Ajidica on a successfully executed siege on my capital.
Caelum capitulates. :hide:
As I am no longer a factor in this game I'd like to hand over managing to one of you guys.
The admin password is: Grogmin2019
Good luck to everyone! I'll keep monitoring this thread!
Tough break Ysk but thanks for putting this game together for us. I do have experience managing Dominions games so I can step up for that position if everyone else agrees.
Fine with me.
Hi Yskonyn,
Could you set your nation to AI if you are done for good with the game? One of us could do it as well but that would mean somebody would get an unfair advantage and see what lands you have and what is in them.
Good fight Yskonyn! I was worried at the start of the war and got an incredibly big break in that you staled when you did.
Caelum has been turned over to the AI without any fortresses left, so I don't think anyone will have any unfair advantage. Ermor conquered all lands fairly.
Have fun and good luck guys.
Question: I wanted to check the provinces Ermor was claiming in an in-game text from several turns before. The only way I could figure to do it, was to re-load the trn file from that earlier turn, read the message and then re-load the current turn. Is there a better way to do this? A log or something?
Quote from: solops on December 08, 2019, 12:18:52 AM
Question: I wanted to check the provinces Ermor was claiming in an in-game text from several turns before. The only way I could figure to do it, was to re-load the trn file from that earlier turn, read the message and then re-load the current turn. Is there a better way to do this? A log or something?
Not that I know of. It's kind of frustrating but that's what I do too when I can't remember what was said a few turns back and I forgot to write it down in my notebook.
On another note:
Vanheim declares neutrality in the current war between Agartha and Ermor. We will however strike at the first sign of weakness displayed by either party. ;)
(after all you can't trust those Norse-men now can you? They're always looking for someone to pillage)
Hmmm.. this scripting stuff for mages is interesting. I have never used it before. I can see that it might be essential for certain force mixes, but it looks like it takes some experience to get it right. Well, no time like an all out assault on my nation to start experimenting! Charge!
I'm still trying to wrap my head around scripting my mages. This is the part of the game that if you can good a good understanding of you will do well. The Dominions Mod Inspector comes in handy.
Sigh...News Headline: Agartha Slowly Sinks Into a Sea Of Blood. Investigations Demanded. Other News: Bats Poop on Old Lady Rockhead's Salamander Pie.
Great Game everybody! You fought very well Agartha; and Vanheim had me very nervous in the last few turns as I was attempting a throne rush. I never quite realized how useful recruitable holy 3 priests are!
Once we have time to digest this game, I'd love to be in another. Perhaps have it in the Middle Age? Shinuyama looks like it has some fun toys.
Man that was a really good game boys. I'd love to play another with you all and anyone else interested. MA sounds good to me.
I am interested. I know nothing of the MA Dom 5 stuff. After a quick look I'd say Ermor and Agartha look interesting. I need some time to do a little research. I hope we can get at least five and maybe a map with a little more room?
.......Hmmmmmm....this is....different.
Generally MA Ermor and LA Lemuria are banned from multiplayer games as they are cancerous population killing nations.
Quote from: Ajidica on January 07, 2020, 09:40:10 PM
Generally MA Ermor and LA Lemuria are banned from multiplayer games as they are cancerous population killing nations.
Had no clue. Thanks. Maybe Ulm or Agartha or one of the new nations. Doing some research.
I've played Ulm before in single player and had fun experimenting with them. They seem to have very powerful troops. Ajidica told me that they also have very powerful forge mages that reduce the cost gem cost of items.
I was thinking of taking them but if you want them solops then feel free to grab them. Ulm is, IMHO, a good nation to play for beginners because of their good troops.
I've also experimented with Tien Chi and Vanheim in the MA but if I might try something different. I'd also like to suggest using a map with E-W wrap only. I find the maps that have full wrap to be a bit confusing.
I tried a couple of games. Vanheim casually crushed my Agartha in a 5 player game. My Ulm annihilated everything in another 5 player game. It is amazing how differently each faction plays. It is like a completely different game. It would seem that Ulm is a beast, especially in a short game, close quarters. If a game lasted long enough, their weakness to magic would be a leveling factor.They are a conventional economic/military powerhouse. That said, I had more fun losing with Agartha (becoming a tradition, that). Ajidica gave me some other ideas I am trying out.
Nice report solops.
I've been playing around with MA-Vanheim. They are a beast when it comes to expansion however I can't figure out what to do with them when fighting a multi-front war against other pretenders. Spells are limited with them which means I can't counter stuff like poison cloud easily.
That being said I think I won't go with Vanheim in our next game. I'm going to play around with some of the other nations over the weekend.
Question: what difficulty/personality do you set your AIs on?
Quote from: solops on January 17, 2020, 01:41:41 PM
Question: what difficulty/personality do you set your AIs on?
I always just keep the default ai setting for both difficulty and personality. To this day it still provides me with a good challenge but more so in the mid to late game. I'm not ready to play against a harder ai as I still need to have the room to experiment and learn.
I heard you guys were considering another game from Ajidica. I'd be interested, even though it will be my first MP run. If we're doing MA I'll take Xibalba even though I know they're supposed to be bad. I've played them more than other factions at least.
Great! I am still playing around with nations. I'd like to know what kind of map we are using before picking a nation.
This will be my second MP game. Some of the other guys are pretty experienced, but they seem to be using the game as a testing ground, which gives me a chance to compete....I think :)
What counts as experienced? I can't put up scripts and runs like Lucid or Perun on YouTube, but I can generally win SP games and know how to path boost and break into new magic for a nation etc.
Quote from: TheMeInTeam on January 29, 2020, 04:23:44 PM
What counts as experienced? I can't put up scripts and runs like Lucid or Perun on YouTube, but I can generally win SP games and know how to path boost and break into new magic for a nation etc.
That's pretty good. I would count you as experienced then. Ajidica is the most crafty out of all of us here. I would guess that solops and myself are equals and you sound like you are not that far behind.
Well this makes four of us for this game. Ajidica, solops, TheMeInTeam, and myself. Enough to start a game I think no? :)
I would really like 5 if we can snag Yskonyn...maybe?
I am afraid I have to pass, gentlemen. I have 5 PBeM games running, of different titles. :nerd:
BUT if you guys do another one after this one is finished, hit me up again! :bd:
I tried to recruit a 5th for us but he doesn't feel ready for MP and I don't think anything I say will change his mind for now unfortunately. Even the fact that I'm not necessarily ready for MP either :p.
Thanks for trying :)
Well I'm ok with just the four of us if everyone agrees. Otherwise it's looking unlikely we'll find a 5th person soon.
Ok. Re map - how about something with just EW wrap? And maybe a teeny bit more distance between starting points? As a beginner I kept thinking I was going to get rushed as the neutrals were pretty weak and there were no AIs.
AIs rush all the time too haha. Should be doable with NAPs, though bigger map will emphasize the mid-late game more. I don't have a preference since I don't have any MP experience from which to formulate one. I do like E/W and N/S wraps though, because there's less chance of someone getting dumped in a location that traps them with water and/or sticks capital on literal edge of the map (fewer resources in cap circle).
The map that W8aminute and I used for a couple of our games is an east-west wrap and had plenty of space. It was getting to like turn 20 before we even saw each other!
If you think it is ok for four of us I'm ok with it. TMIT has a a point about edges, but I really found that last double-wrap map disorienting. I'll go along with whatever the rest of you want.
Quote from: Ajidica on February 07, 2020, 09:16:30 PM
The map that W8aminute and I used for a couple of our games is an east-west wrap and had plenty of space. It was getting to like turn 20 before we even saw each other!
I liked that map and yes I agree there was plenty of room to move about. Four players should fit nicely.
Shall I start up a game? MA, independents strength 6, renaming generals on, no score graphs, minimum random events, and anything else you guys want?
Research? Thrones?
On throne, for the last game we went with six total thrones - four level 1 and two level 2, requiring five points to win.
I was able to execute a throne rush, although that was only possible because I had recruitable Holy 3s. If I go with MA Shinuyama as I'm planning, that problem is neatly avoided!
Oh, and my vote for research is to keep it at whatever the default is.
Research - fine with me.
Thrones - should we add a throne and up the win requirement by one? This is a question, not a recommendation.
Quote from: solops on February 09, 2020, 11:17:10 AM
Research - fine with me.
Thrones - should we add a throne and up the win requirement by one? This is a question, not a recommendation.
I might not be necessary because there will be four of us fighting for the thrones making it harder unlike the two player game I played with Ajidica.
Quote from: Ajidica on February 09, 2020, 11:01:36 AM
On throne, for the last game we went with six total thrones - four level 1 and two level 2, requiring five points to win.
I was able to execute a throne rush, although that was only possible because I had recruitable Holy 3s. If I go with MA Shinuyama as I'm planning, that problem is neatly avoided!
Oh, and my vote for research is to keep it at whatever the default is.
Yes I liked that amount of thrones. We'll keep research on where it is. I'm not sure who I'll pick but it won't be Vanheim. My experiments with them in the MA didn't turn out too well. I might go with MA T'ien Chi.
I am inclined toward Agartha, though testing reveals real weaknesses. Ulm was strong, but I missed the magic.
I read T'ien Chi but I think Kung Fu.
Quote from: solops on February 09, 2020, 12:53:56 PM
I read T'ien Chi but I think Kung Fu.
Haha! My testing with them did reveal some weaknesses but I'm hoping I'll be able to deal with them in this game.
One thing though. I forgot the name of the map Ajidica and I played on. Don't have a copy of it downloaded either unfortunately.Nevermind. I think I found the map in my PBEM save folder. It's called Random4 or it could be what I named it.
Here is a screenshot:
(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/784126029077358929/BD8524DC29CAE9187FE35B845B0CB996233ED85D/)
That looks pretty big for two players. Is it going to be OK for four?
I think so but we'll all probably bump into each other by turn 10 I think. Also this map only wraps from E-W.
Quote from: solops on February 09, 2020, 12:51:23 PM
I am inclined toward Agartha, though testing reveals real weaknesses. Ulm was strong, but I missed the magic.
Ulm really likes some help from pretender regarding paths, but having access to inexpensive crystal/slave matrix items and searchable astral does give them a realistic end game in magic. All it takes is one ring of wizardry to path boost fire/earth to highest level. Can also be used to path boost any indy with nature, death, or water quickly, in addition to native earth/fire, and astral is something you can (poorly) site search from the beginning.
Also don't trust anybody wrt throne rush, it's not THAT hard to give bishop fish an amulet to go above water :P.
Quote from: solops on February 09, 2020, 03:50:35 PM
That looks pretty big for two players. Is it going to be OK for four?
We're going to be limited in what maps we have for a 4 player game. Not many are made for 4 players and many have 4-way wrap to avoid corner-camping.
Also, the map we played the last game on, Beliwyr, was fairly large for a 4 player game as the map was designed for up to 6 players. As I understand it, the rule of thumb for map size used in multiplayer games -at least on the ones LucidTactics and GeneralConfusion uploaded to youtube- is ~15 provinces/player.
^I'll keep looking then for a map that comes as close to the 15 provinces per player in a 4 player game.
15 at a minimum, I'd say. If it was closer to 20 it would not hurt my feelings. Beliwyr size was OK other than the double wrap. I would prefer nothing smaller.
I am going to try a solo game vs some hard standard AIs. Any of you guys ever play anything above the regular difficulty AIs? What makes the 'hards' hard?
Quote from: solops on February 11, 2020, 09:43:49 AM
15 at a minimum, I'd say. If it was closer to 20 it would not hurt my feelings. Beliwyr size was OK other than the double wrap. I would prefer nothing smaller.
I am going to try a solo game vs some hard standard AIs. Any of you guys ever play anything above the regular difficulty AIs? What makes the 'hards' hard?
The AI gets more stuff. On the higher difficulties the waves of bodies can be pretty ridiculous. It skews the game a bit in that the AI still doesn't use strategy well, so super combatants and battlefield magic like rigor mortis, heat from hell, etc are disproportionately good against AI, who won't counter them or contest globals effectively. You do have to be careful though, simply because there's so much crap that if you get double teamed it will attack you in like six places per turn with huge piles of junk. Your mages can kill that, but your PD very likely can't and if you lose more provinces/turn than you take you will eventually lose outright.
I don't usually bother with more than 1-2 difficulty level increases as a result. That's not something human players can do, they will instead actually research stuff and go for counters rather than sending 100's to 1000's of units all over the place willy nilly and ignoring losses.
Hmmmm.......
Quote from: solops on February 11, 2020, 09:43:49 AM
15 at a minimum, I'd say. If it was closer to 20 it would not hurt my feelings. Beliwyr size was OK other than the double wrap. I would prefer nothing smaller.
It is worth remembering that the more provinces per player, the more complex and longer the game goes - which in itself exponentially increases the complexity. Too tight maps are a pain, but too big maps can also be a problem.
Big maps can also magnify expansion mistakes, someone who expands well near someone who expands poorly on a 20 person average map could easily see something like a 25-15 split. This is rougher than 12-17 or something. Also emphasizes scales more, so if we do a bigger map players might want to favor nations that can expand with scales.
I'm okay either way, should be fun first go regardless.
Found this map (ancient land (random))on Llamaserver:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.llamaserver.net%2FmapThumbs%2F3.png&hash=02e64470388a8c5c9b722096f0c5fcc235363591)
It's got 64 land and 6 sea territories. That makes it about 16 land territories per player in a 4 player game.
That map looks great!
^Cool! I'll set up a game for us later on today. :)
New game posted "Grogs4way" http://www.llamaserver.net/gameinfo.cgi?game=Grogs4way
I have not been paying attention. I need to remember how to do this...
^You have to submit your created pretender of the nation and age you wish to play to pretenders at llamaserver.net
Errr, there may be a problem with using that map. I don't see a download link for it am I'm pretty sure we all have to have the individual map on our own computers for the game to work. At least, I'm pretty sure that happened for us on the 2-way wraparound map.
I think you're right. I changed the map to Biddyn which is something like the third or fourth map down from the list. We used this map in our last multiplayer game.
Apologies for the delay, I was sick last few days and didn't realize this had suddenly gone active! I'll join when I get home. As it's my first MP game I might flounder a bit figuring it out.
My second game. Still floundering.
I had to look up a guide on using llamaserver, but was able to figure it out. Need to create pretender in game, send 2h file to the llamaserver email address with game name in subject.
I also found a java tool that supposedly makes grabbing saves from emails more convenient, haven't played with that much yet though. I'm sure that will become a lot more attractive if I ever join multiple games.
Quote from: TheMeInTeam on February 26, 2020, 11:34:29 AM
I had to look up a guide on using llamaserver, but was able to figure it out. Need to create pretender in game, send 2h file to the llamaserver email address with game name in subject.
I also found a java tool that supposedly makes grabbing saves from emails more convenient, haven't played with that much yet though. I'm sure that will become a lot more attractive if I ever join multiple games.
Good stuff. You'll have to let us know if you ever try that Java tool how you like it. Sorry I didn't include instructions for uploading pretenders. Totally missed that.
I noticed some interesting maps on the Llamaserver game setup page. How do you download them?
And we need a new thread for our new game!
Quote from: solops on February 27, 2020, 12:11:04 AM
I noticed some interesting maps on the Llamaserver game setup page. How do you download them?
Not all of them are downloadable. Those that are downloadable will have a link in the description.