Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

Well, in one of my previous MP I played Tir na n'Og and was on top of every aspects including research, had 3 globals up and a huge gem income. Nonetheless due to my judgment error my enemy out-maneuvered me and killed 40 of my best stealthy mages + pretender one at a time, canceled all my globals and stole all my items...

that's one example illustrating correct tactical judgment is just as important as having a good selections of spells.

In fact it was CU who fought me in that game which ensured his final victory, I believe? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

I'm going to have to go with planning, too...particularly because it's what I have the most trouble with, and what seems to have the steepest learning curve.

(Maybe tied for first with battle scripting and troop placement) -- things like forging, thug equipping, pretender design, and early expansion strategy can be cribbed from posts and guides by more skilled players, but planning and the details of BF scripting can't, because that requires tactical and strategic thinking that can't be imitated.

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

Hehe, so true.

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

Diplomacy is the single most important skill. You can be the best planner or have the best knowledge of dom3, but none of this will help you when your 4 neighbors gang up on you and tear you to pieces.

In fact, I would say that if you are a good technical player and a bad diplomat that your skill actually works *against* you, in terms ability to win games. Because your nation will grow quickly and be strong... which will make all your neighbors nervous and ready to ally against you at the slightest provaction. Without diplomacy to defend you from this, you rely only on luck.

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

Fal - that was just bad luck, that event in that game.. it wasn't good maneuvering on my part.. I can't remember now exactly what happened, but I remember thinking I would be pissed off if that happened to me.. It was an unfair bug sort of thing.

Oh wait! I remember now...

You were stealthing to attack me, all your mages were stealthy, but I was patrolling.. and I caught your whole army with my whole army --- but instead of initiating a fight between us, instead it had my whole army fight each one of your commanders individually. There were like 30 battles in a row. It was rediculous.

Oh, and the plus side for me on top of defeating your army without a fight, basically, was that all my units immediately got like 3 experience stars from all those combats. I think you get experience for each combat you are in.. that should really be capped on a per turn basis, but whatever.

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

I 2nd Ironhawk and have also chosen diplomacy as the most important skill. My opinion is based on experience more than anything else. This skill of course doesn't work in non diplomacy games, what makes those games extra interesting and also much faster.

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

I think Diplomacy is the number one key to survival and victory.

I think also you cannot recover from bad pretender design. While outthinking your enemy is important you do also need the tools to do this, that is where the pretender comes in.

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

Lol yeah CU, it was a painful lesson that I could never forget, actually I attacked you with a small army, try to lure your out of the castle with my small army, then attack you off guard with my stealth army, but you also issued attacking me, so your entire army was stopped by mine and set to patrol.

It wasn't just bad luck on my part, it was a tactical error, I just didn't plan it through. Well played http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

That would have been one of the biggest and most important battles of that game, Fal.. it's sort of a shame we didn't get to see it. Who knows what would have happened. You may have well won that game if the battle actually had happened.

Re: The most important Dominions skill
 

I think diplomacy has been overrated.

Diplomacy is important. However, we all cut our teeth on the SP game where diplomacy barely exists, and it's easy for a MP noob to overlook it, where it will cost them dearly. But I don't think you need to be particularly good at diplomacy to prosper.

Diplomacy is dependent entirely on how much power you have to back it up. No-one is going to support you in a war if you won't be an effective ally. Holding back a potential enemy with potential allies is no use if he thinks he can take you easily enough.