Re: New patch
 

or in the case of Hinnom just send as much food as possible too them and watch them go on a rampage

Re: New patch
 

I wouldn't accuse M$ of _intentionally_ breaking things during their release cycles, although there usually is a long list of things that don't work anymore when they release something new. There is a lot of software for them, too, though.

I'd rather accuse M$ of bogging down their code trying to keep things from failing too much. I read this hilarious blog entry from a tech guy working at M$ a while ago where he described two cases requiring them to come up with workarounds to keep software running on Windows from crashing, which seems what they're doing for a job, more or less. If I remember right, the gist of it was that the devs at a specific unnamed big company (my guess is Borland) came up with an unorthodox workaround to get a window instance or something like that, like poking around the stack for that. A probable reason given in the comments was that this might have to do with having to work with closed source themselves. So the M$ guys had to debug the other's software, find out WHY it crashed, then understand WHAT they were trying to do, then include a workaround in Windows so that the program would continue to work instead of crashing. And then ***** about it online. Ahh, what a wonderful world.

Re: New patch
 

Follow-up on this, I found the article again. As I thought, I came across it on Raymond Chen's MSN blog "The Old New Thing". But since the search on that blog doesn't work at all (??) I wanted to write him an email about it and while googling for THAT I found the original thread "How Microsoft Lost the API War" on Joel on Software that links to "When programs grovel into undocumented structures..." on Chen's blog. Another link goes to "What about BOZOSLIVEHERE and TABTHETEXTOUTFORWIMPS?" there, which is also entertaining to read.

On behalf of games breaking upon Windows Updates, he writes about that in an older article named "Why not just block the apps that rely on undocumented behavior?", which is referenced on the Wikipedia article about him, too.

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I really like the Hinnom mythology. It's a cross between the Biblical antagonists of the Israelites, Vampire: The Masquerade's Antedilluvian 3rd generation fathers, and Warhammer 40k's Horus Heresy.

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I do like the mythology. The only nit I'd pick with it is the reference to "Celestial Powers". Seems to me "The Pantokrator" would fit better with the rest of dominions mythology. Nor does "Powers" go well with the Israelite background.

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Can someone explain the Merkavah?

222 astral pearls for something inferior to a Seraph. You can get the Searph for 100 astral (wish) + 20 nature (GOR).


I also wonder if something happened to the AI. I'm trying out the Gath and things seem strange. I had just about surrounded Agartha's 3 provinces when they went to war--I had at least 20 at that time! In the other direction I found Panagea's two provinces, although I didn't get to smash him while he was that size because I was busy dealing with Agartha.

I finally dominion-killed R'yleh in year 12. His farthest expansion at that point was 11 provinces from home, a point he had attained years before--there are still neutrals out there that I am now collecting with R'yleh out of the way.

The map is Glory of the Gods. Nobody else has completed their research even though the world is approximately divided in thirds right now. Admittedly I am pressing my dominion over a good swath of their empire and I've got Wrath of God & Purgatory up but their research rate hasn't dipped since I cast them, they are just going slow.

Re: New patch
 

Hey, I just noticed that Gath's Benjamite slinger has precision 12 and ambidexterity. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif Cool.

"And the children of Benjamin were numbered... Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss."

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/judg/20/15-16#15

-Max

Re: New patch
 

Loren,

It's 222 astral pearls for something that may (or may not) be inferior to a seraph, PLUS 4 super-awesome mini-thugs in their own right. The 4 Ophanim are definitely worth the price--in my test runs I had the Chayot just stand there watching while the Ophanim rolled over hundreds of chaff units everything in sight without taking a single wound as far as I could tell. You have noted that the Chayot has four forms and can survive a Soul Slay? That's not to say that somebody might not Wish for a Chayot directly, but I must say I'd rather have both the Chayot and his bodyguard. Call Merkavah is incredible.

-Max

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Damn MaxW!!

that's some impressive research and imagination from KO & JK to include something like that, and a good eye by yourself to catch it.

I'm trying to picture KO/JK reading their bibles while in preparation for making this new nation.

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Omnirizon,

Thanks! I can't claim much credit, though, because I've always thought the Benjamites were pretty cool. They slaughtered most of the other Israelites in the war, and it took the combined armies of everyone to fight them off. (Then the others killed off all of the Benjamines except for six hundred men.)

I agree, I'm also impressed. I'm sure KO and JK are always this thorough and I just don't usually catch it because I don't know anything about Japanese/Nordic/Aztec/etc. history.

-Max

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I've probably done more research this time than before. I begun work on it before the 3.15 was released and I didn't want units to appear in sprites and stats before the nation was finished, so I went for descriptions first this time.

Not making graphics and only making descriptions made me read more than usual. Also I'm quite fond of Middle/Near eastern ancient myth and history.

I've used the bible, the Zohar, book of enoch, some modern writhings on Ugaritic religion and the rephaim texts, and of course an osprey book (ancient armies of the middle east) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Since I'm quite fond of the nations I've been afraid that they would be too strong. I hope the drawbacks are enough to make them not overpowered. Since I'm not very used to design thugs/SC, and the nations are based on few mighty men I'm not sure how to properly balance them. There is no real precedent. Niefel giants are more powerful with their cold aura, but the Fomorians are probably inferior.

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I'm not familiar with the Horus Mythology. The antediluvians draw heavily from biblical myth. I don't think I have actively used the masquerade as an inspirational source. I have played it and liked the vampire setting, but most of what's in there comes from the biblical/near eastern tradition. Monstrous giants that devour everything including their own offspring until killed by a great deluge, is not an invention of the masquerade.

Edit: come to think about it, the degeneration theme might be influenced by vampire, but the giants do shrink when they go from mythical time to historical time. Goliath is less mighty then the Nephilim.

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Yes, its sad. Gath's best unit is a slinger = ).
(tongue in cheek, but its almost true).

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Oh, that's where those came from! I thought they were from another summoning. I hadn't noticed them when they showed up as I wasn't expecting any non-commanders.

Ok, I'll retract my objection.

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I don't know an easy way to view heroes. I wonder if Ashdod or Gath has Nimrod, the mighty "hunter" (i.e. killer), as a national hero.

-Max

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So far, my impression is that Ashdod is tremendous *fun* because they have so many options, kind of like Lanka. I'm not thinking at this point that they'll be unbalanced. As you say, Niefelheim is better at thugging/SCing because Niefel Jarls have the cold aura and better equipment out of the box, and also Jotun Jarls and Skratti are recruitable everywhere. They have fun battlemages and good, solid troops, but supply is a problem (nice to have a nation where gluttony actually matters because it's not combined with Need Not Eat). The summons provide a great endgame strategy to shoot for, but that just means the endgame will be more thematic instead of generic Seraphs and Tartarians. In terms of thugs and SCs I think the main advantage over Niefelheim is that Adons are not afraid of heat (or cold), but they need a chaff-killer.

-Max

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Note that everything i know about Vampire: The Masquerade and Warhammer, i learned from the game, or Wikipedia, respectively http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.

It was to the flavor text of the Angels of Civilization to which i was referring the Warhammer Horus Heresy stuff, the way the Prime Angel has a close second, and then corrupts the rest of them - and end up being banished out of the normal plane of existence. The fluff text is pretty interesting as a story, the way you wrote it, because it's also a revealing point in the fictional origins that was unanticipated. The story of the Avvim and the creation of the Nephilim, not out of love or lust, but out of a desire to commit sin, is what's particularly interesting.

Yea, it was the theme of degeneration, but also of "diablerie", that reminded me of the Vampire series. The Son of the Fallen pretender is described as hunting down and devouring all his kin. The "mythology" of the Vampire games is that the 3rd generation of Vampires after Cain (the Antediluvians) will eventually awaken, hunt down, and devour all their degenerate offspring.

You all did a great job of realizing these Biblical figures, though. I imagine these will remain the most realized forms of these obscure Biblical giants for some time. Hinnom feels the most classically "evil" of all of the myriad nations created so far, and they're pretty cool to play. Thanks for making them!

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I don't think Hinnom really feel evil at all. Most of their nation is made up of Avvim who are basically 'high men'. The classic superior-in-every-way super humans. They do have rather corrupt rephaim lording it over them.

They have some similarities with Arga Dis. Blood giants ruling over a proud and gifted race.