Re: Something that needs redoing
 

But you will kill off your population

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

Well population won't win you any wars, gold will however. So if you treat your population like any other resource you will see that you must invest, transforming it into castles. Castles means more resources and resources means more troops. With troops you can get more provinces and thus more population to tax.

If you play defensive and are not expanding rapidly I can see that killing population will mean trouble. But that trouble is nothing compared to the offensive players heading your way.

Also, in late game gold isn't needed much (except for upkeep), gems are. To get more gems you want magic sites and that means lots of provinces - see above.

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

Using them for patrolling is good as long as you have no enemies which can attack those provinces... for large maps having them patrol essentially weakens the province for an easy takeover.

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

I agree. But early on they are decent on patrol, later you could use them as cheap chaff in your armies.
Oh, and they will eventually get some moral when patrolling due to experience. Add that to friendly dominion and they suddenly have 10.

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

Forget the militia being weak, it's more of the fact that, for instance, Acro gets hoplites in their province defence! why can't Machaka get their hoplites?

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

I agree... anything would be better.

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

MA Arco gets Peltast, 2xCardaces from PD under 20, hoplites and a Priestess for PD above 20.

Machaka gets 3 militia and 1 Warrior for PD under 20, hoplites and normal commander for PD above 20. If this was changed, something like 2xWarriors, 1xArchers for PD under 20, hoplites and perhaps a Witch Doctor for PD above 20 would be much better.

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

Machaka is a nation that always cried out for a random in blood magic, maybe at the cost of a random in nature... Spiders make me think of blood for some reason.

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

> Forget the militia being weak, it's more of the fact that, for instance, Acro gets hoplites in their province defence! why can't Machaka get their hoplites?

Otherwise you would never see militia and that would be a pity. What would you compare to flies then, I ask http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

All nations are created equal. Some nations are more equal. Machaka might not be the epitome of equality, but is still quite equal. Their graphics OTOH is rather unequal.

> Spiders make me think of blood for some reason.

You don't mean rain, do you?

Re: Something that needs redoing
 

The FEDN magics are very thematic for Machaka. Blood, not so much, but if it was available for some randoms (e.g. the basic sorcerer), it would not be out of place. But it would pose the problem of adding more magic to them than most of the other nations get.

Currently the long-awaited Gath is the one being worked on, and presumably we will get Vanarus after that. Unless of course this thread happens to inspire Kristoffer to make an Early Era Machaka.

An EA Machaka could possibly have FAN with ED minor, that would be thematic in relation to most African mythologies in the early stage, with Earth and Death (closely linked in such mythologies) becoming more significant later (i.e. Middle Era).