Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

I tend to agree with WL, new games are mostly crap, and that's even a compliment for them.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

I'd like to add my two cents on the subject of game quality:

I think the reason games in the past had more depth was because they had to. If you have crappy graphics, you have to make up for it with game play or else there's little left to hold a player's attention. As graphics have improved, the visuals are enough to get people's attention, so they don't need gameplay quality anymore... so it's not there.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

There were many games with depth, sure. But there were many crappy ones too. Some games were quite revolutionary, but you can't say they were better than newer versions. Civ1 was the worst of Civs. Same for most of games that got new version [well, Discples and HoMM got totally ruined].

We are certainly seeing much less trust from gamers to gaming industry. And gaming industry working hard to lose even more of it - suing pirates, adding DRM instead of making games people would really want to buy. Or dumbing down classic games. Really, why can't they just add new graphics to HoMM3 WoG? Sure, it won't appeal to many players, but instead of making uber stupid Homm5 and 6, they should make a proper HoMM and some other crap for those that can't play it.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Oddly I remember hearing the same things at least a decade ago.

Including all the "it's just pretty pictures, where's the gameplay" rants.

A lot of it is Sturgeon's Law. It's also a matter of taste. 4X/TBS games are out of favor right now. Maybe that's linked to the mass market, maybe it isn't.

Some of it's economic. It's much better to sell lots of games that people won't play for very long than one that they'll play for years. (Unless you're getting online subscription fees.) Sure, you can sell add-ons and sequels, but you need a real big hit to make that work.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

I so don't get this. Civ I was the first computer game ever grabbed me, I thought it was great. For what it was, I thought it was the best. Civ II was more polished etc., Civ IV is the best now, but Civ I was the best for me, for what it did.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Well of course, it's all about the economics.
Better to make small, crappy games, that are more easily made and flip a few coins, than invest time (where time equals money :)) to make a proper all rounded up game which probably won't fetch a profit as big as some crappy games would have in the time invested. So every new game (mostly) offers a crappy old lousy play style and super awesome graphics, which is really what gets peoples attention (it glitters...)

Much like the frakking movie industry which is all about the special effects and getting a famous actor, not so much about the storyline...etc
sad, sad times... :(

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Unfortunately subscription fees may be the only thing that can save good games - costs now are just extremely big. You can get over $100M for a game, so it's a budget like movies. And games like Medal of Honor have 4h campaign for $60. Well, and MP that get obsolete in few months. I would probably pay a monthly fee for a nice shooter [W:ET] that had good servers, constant new maps etc. I would pay a monthly fee for Dominions online too.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Funny how I own 9 of those listed. That makes me wonder about the others..
-ssj

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

You should get them, they're great :D

Also, to prolong the list here are some more names: Archon, AdoM (+ angband, nethack etc), Dungeon keeper, Total annihilation, starcraft.

Also, dom I PPP with the so lovely feature of maps actually changing to reflect your spreading dominion - It's really nice to see your cold dominion creeping over ever larger stretches of the map :)

And Lords of Magic is worth another mention as it has a nice "groove" to it.

krpeters & Executor, I think your explanation makes sense. It seems I share your point of view.

thejeff, if it's 90% crap then where are the 10% quality games?- Please, please point me to a good FTBS made lately. Or let's raise the bar, to a good FTBS made by a big company lately.

Zeldor, there's an extra value to the playing an innovative game for the first time. It doesn't have to be perfect or polished but it would leave a lasting impression - like reading a great book with a twisting plot. It gets worst when the sequel is dumbed down or more buggy than the predecessor.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Basically WL, I'm saying that the FTBS genre doesn't really exist anymore. I honestly can't think of one that has come out in the last couple years.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

I think that's the basic problem. Admittedly I don't pay a lot of attention to the gaming scene so there may well be some mainstream FTBS games, but 10% of a couple games is probably 0.

How many lousy FTBS games that we don't even remember came out back in the day?

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

*sigh* sad but true

I just read an article today re. WoW basically praising bizzard for having come up with this golden eggs goose. So yeah, FTBS is dead. Long live the new king - pay by the month/hour/minute MMORPG.

I guess I'll be playing more dominions for the years to come, hope the player base would remain :)

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

But when everything is said and done...I NEED DOMINIONS 4. Who else feels this way? And in the end, what are we going to do about it? What CAN we do about it?

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Find a game with a sufficiently pliable engine and mod it?

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Eador. Basically Dominions meets HeroesM&M. N/A on english though.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

So, we can translate it, as I proposed in another topic ) There's a lot of text there, though.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

"Elemental - War of Magic" is one FTBS game that has come out recently. Current version, 1.09, is still rather bugged, shows weak AI and generally does not seem to me to be better in any respect than e.g. AOW2. However, the developper seems to be dedicated to drive the game forward through patches, so there may be potential in it.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

I'll probably aim to buy it @ next year's xmas offer.
For this year's Xmas I'd have wished for a new patch for dom with maybe a new nation (EA Machaka?, MA Bogarus?) :happy:

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

I want those girls that want Dom3 in those ads :(

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Then you need to buy 5 Dom3's and give them to pretty girls.
We should ALL do that. :re:

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

TBS is still going strong, if not necessarily FTBS in particular. Look at Battle for Wesnoth, its not immensly deep by any stretch of the imagination, but for freeware it is incredibly impressive. It generated fairly massive interest as well. Civilization is still going strong, Elemental: War of Magic came out, and while they might not all be good, it shows that interest remains. An occasional gem gets spit out, just like every other medium and every genre within every medium.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

All the pretty girls I know already have dom 3 :(

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Not this discussion again.

I think you are wrong. Search the word niche on the forums, for my arguments and further discussion :).

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

I'm not waiting for DOM4, but I sure wouldn't mind a 3.28 patch. Currently Illwinter is still patching Conquest of Elysium 3, and I presume that they'll eventually return to DOM3.

I hope...

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

why on earth would you bump this topic for such a vacuous post

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

iirc there has been an update on the changelog page for dom3, so there will be another patch.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Any ETA on its release?

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Nahh. They dont seem to operate that way. No schedules. No ETA's. Not even WAGs

They are more when they feel like it. Altho they do say that please and thank you makes a difference

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Yeah, but I only say please and thank you when I mean it, not when I try to get something from somebody.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

my speech becomes nothing but an endless screaming cacophony of please and thank you when i want things

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Apologies for necroing and not so subtle advertising, but yesterday, Eador was finally released in english through GOG.com. Goes for 5 bucks first week.

(and there is a sequel/remake in the works, trying to be steam-greenlighted, but that's something for the future)

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Adding links would make it even less subtle.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Original: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/eador_genesis
Sequel: http://www.facebook.com/MastersOfTheBrokenWorld (most up to date info)

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Graphics are appealing (to me ;) ). Does any dom3 vet planning to try it ? and maybe comment/rate it ?

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Saw that yesterday, and given how Masters of the Broken World had been on my to-follow list since February, it was an instant buy.

Now, to sign up for Snowbird Games and see if I can get into the MoBW beta... :D

Yeah, I'll give Eador a few spins. But if we talk about it here, we should have a separate OT thread for it.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Saw that yesterday, and given how Masters of the Broken World had been on my to-follow list since February, it was an instant buy.

Now, to sign up for Snowbird Games and see if I can get into the MoBW beta... :D

Yeah, I'll give Eador a few spins. But if we talk about it here, we should have a separate OT thread for it.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

No Dom4 here. Tried it. More like Heroes of Might and Magic with the tech tree of an RTS. Each game you complete unlocks a few buildings that you can use in the next game. I am on my second game (shard) and am already losing interest. It feels like an MMO level grind to unlock things.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

The campaign is kinda slow at times. The remake is going to have less filler shard conquest in between campaign events.

You might find the skirmish-type mode more to your liking (under "single player"). One randomly generated shard of possibly enormous size with up to 15 opponents and all buildings are unlocked.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Ok, I will try that.

Out of curiosity, what does the game provide that makes it similar to Dom3? I see the HoM&M parallel, just not Dom.

Re: Will there be a Dominions 4
 

Risk-style global map (well, it is fairly common to strategy games in general, but not that common among the fantasy ones, which all tend to be action points map movement) and the need to search your provinces for cool hidden stuff are primary similarities.

Minor ones are gems as spellcasting resource and the fact your role is of a pretender god of sorts :)