Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

I tend to do manual site searching as well, but sometimes I'll throw in a site-search spell or two if I have them. I don't make those a priority to research, though.

Researching, for me at least, is sort of what I do with a mage when I have absolutely nothing else useful left for him to do. That being said, researching is what most of my mages do most of the time. It's just I'd rather be site searching or forging items or summoning monsters.

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just to push things a little further, here's a scenario to consider:

You have 10 mages with N2 and 20 nature gems in your inventory (or 10 mages with D1 and 30 death gems, etc.).

What do you do? Set one mage to casting a monthly site searching ritual, and the other 9 to research? Or set all 10 to search 10 different sites, and keep them searching as long as you have gems to cast the spells, and un-searched provinces? Or something in between? And why?

Thanks

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

I search with all mages in 99 of 100 scenarios. The exception is if im in a war and thers a certain spell i need to win.

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

yeah, long term you gain by getting the sites asap, if you're going to spend say 20 mage turns searching anyways, doing it as fast as possible is alot better than slow and steady.

You loose the same amount of research but gain more gems.

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

If at peace, with no immediate threat, I site search 10 provinces.

If at peace but some of my border provinces could be at risk in the short term, I site search all my provinces but not the border ones.

If at war I summon/forge/research depending whats best to win the war and do no site searching.

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

Plus site searching can reveal sites with other recruitables, giving you units, and even paths, that you did not have access to.

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

Fully agree with megabob

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

If I'm lazy, I set two of them to site search monthly because then I only have to look up 2 unsearched provinces. If I'm trying to optimize I have all 10 cast site-searching spells immediately. The gem cost is the same, but I get 2-3 extra turns of income (on average) out of any sites I do happen to find.

Since 3.08 came out I'm usually lazy.

-Max

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

I missed the addition of automatic site searching until I read the posts, so I still search manually. Will try it tonight.

I have a question. If I have searched a province manually with typical mages, levels 1 to 4, what are the chances I will find additional sites with the level 9 searches performed by spells? I have manually searched provinces with the level 9 searches about 2 dozen times in previous games following a manual search and I've never once found an additional site.

Re: Researching vs Site Searching
 

If you've searched manually with a level 4 mage, you've found everything that's there.

I don't know about actual chances. The higher level sites tend to be rarer, but better so I think it's worth casting, even if you've already searched to level 3.

You'll find by far the majority of sites with level 2 searches though.