Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Aha, finally found it for you... knew I'd seen it somewhere but couldn't remember where.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showt...gic+resistance

And there is still one modifier that you are both aware of and forgetting about.

Incidently, was very impressed with the way you opened the war, I was expecting a slightly different bag of tricks from you.

It's a bummer that llamaserver stuffed the turn where I lost 80 W5E's, I did send an arrow fend mage to that battle in my updated turn file, but it wasn't processed after the server became unstuck.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Nice catch !
Great to be shown once again that not only the manual is not up to date and incomplete, it also can be plain wrong. That's one of the thing I don't like about this game.

The last modifier, AFAIK, is astral path, which, I don't have any information about. Therefore ignoring it :D. Even if it's not, obviously, in my favor at all.

About the war, I wasn't expecting at all what you've thrown at me either. I happened to counter it, which was more luck than anything. I do have to change tactics now. Thanks for Arco's forts though ! Early war with Ermor deprived me of the ressources to build them myself.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Not what I'm talking about, there is another fundamental thing that modifies unit MR; you'll kick yourself when you realise what I'm talking about.

As for the losses so far, yeah, I'm really disappointed with the pegasus riders performance, I expected much better effectiveness from them, they just don't seem to run into mid game well at all.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

The only things I see are blessing and scales. Blessing does not work outside of combat except for prophets, robe of the shroud and a few other cases. Scales, well, do not matter since in provinces I was in, have 1 magic, which has no effect on MR.

Pretty sure that -.5 rounded down is -1.

Zero would be rounding up. And I just did some testing and it is rounding up...

Damn manual...

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Start a game with magic 2. You'll see the penalty is written on all units : -1 MR, due to scales. Not that anyone ever takes magic 2 in a game. With magic one, there is nothing written, so, no penalty. It's called rounding up, not down, I agree with that.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Then again, they were always met with overwhelming forces on my side, 25 of them against at 3 to 5 times as much caelian archers and 6 to a dozen mages scripted to take units out of the way. Caelian troops are so weak that a basic raiding party has to number in hundreds... which of course 25 units can't compare to. Well, some units may, but not pegasus riders.

About the strategies I used to start the war, I badly lacked number. With better preparations, accurate research priorities and such, and less dumb scales, I would have had more than twice as much of the Kings, secure protection against you would have been coming fast, and so on. This is mid-game already, what I have is barely a token force produced by 15 provinces... imagine the forces I would have with the gem access you've got :angel ?

I got lucky I surprised you until now, but I'm going to run out of resources. Let's hope that the surprises I'm preparing don't run out until I get enough resources to compete with yours. Otherwise I'm screwed.

I wasted some kings and associated items during assaults against Ermor which did not show the kinds of results I got when I assaulted your lands, as I this is the first MP game in which try thugs. I'm doing much better on that regard in the other game I'm in thanks to the experience here though. Also, thanks to you I will have to add a complete chapter for astral protection ;).

Magic struggle against Tien'Chi also is not really my best match, air and astral magic being the kind of magics that hurt Caelum the most.

Finally, I relied on archery too much, Caelum is a archer-strong nation that has mages which thrives when archery does not work. I should have made that change turns ago.

I'm writing a complete turn by turn AAR since the game started anyway, then a guide when that game is finished or I die.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Keep in mind that I've been at war the entire game with 3 seperate nations now, as well as some skirmishing with Ulm, and they have all cost me, I don't think my resource lead is as big as you think.

But it has been fun... :D

I'm also just starting to get my mid game on line, so it should get very interesting.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

So... how's your pretender ?

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I was gone this weekend, and forgot all about getting a turn in. Don't worry about me staling. It really will not make a difference.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

For some reason the timer was extended on all games and set to 18:25 GMT. Which means, you've not stalled yet.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I went AI. I am out of commanders. It has been fun.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Yes a nice fight til the very end which cost me a lot of troops (almost all in fact ;) ). well played

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Kinda scary.

I'm sieged everywhere, and I'm still first in army size. Looks like all of you went for elite troops or something...

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Not really, keep in mind that graph is literally army _size_, so your position on it has always been inflated because Caelum basic infantry are size 3.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I thought that might be the case, and even considered trying to retake some territory with my pretender and my bane lord, but I just did not have it in me to postpone my defeat any longer. I have two other games where I have much better positions, so I was not as motivated to keep up this one anymore.

Enjoy my capital. The dead toads that cover everything in sight are a gift from Mictlan.

I really had no idea what I was doing when I started this game. By the time I really started to figure things out, I was already too far behind to ever catch up.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I know that. Still, I was at 900+ last turn and most of you guys barely around 500 - 600... Still are actually.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Umm, from what I've seen.

Ulm was using lots of warrior maidens ealier, but he slowed down after gift of health went up, presumably to spam more researchers.

Ermor has been building, using and losing principes pretty regularly. Probably at a lower build rate than you, but I'd say that's mostly because of the higher cost.

Mictlan and myself have mostly been using sacreds... not sure what C'tis was using.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Hum well. I'm nearly done with this game and was thinking about publishing the Caelum AAR from turn 1 to 45-something. I does contain some information like capitals position close to mine, and some of Tien'Chi tactics, but what beat me up should already be mostly known to the remaining powers with decent scouting, and significant research should have been done since that. Also, you do not have to go and read it ! Especially since I lost :angel.

However, I can delay if you guys wish it.
:angel

Glory to the winged people and Berezavant !

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Would be happy to read it :)
I guess only TC can be against this publishing so lets wait to hear from him.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I too would be interested in reading it, but I can wait until after Tien Chi conquers the world and expunges it of all memory of those who opposed him.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Um, only two things I can think of that might cause an issue.

I still don't know exactly where Ermor's cap is, due to some good patrolling.

I'd prefer you didn't reveal what is currently seiging the old Tir capital, as Ulm may not be aware of it.

Other than that though, I don't have a problem with you posting all your AAR.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Ok, then I'll wait.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I'm really sorry, but I can't send my turns because of a travel for 1 week.
If you can wait, it will be great, but if you can't, it's okey to search a substitute.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I'd vote for 1 week delay.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

let s wait

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Happy to wait

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Arg... I thought it would be ok to wait until this morning so I could get answers, and nope... Sorry !

Next hosting postponed by 144 hours anyway.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

You should be okay to post the AAR now both my concerns are no longer an issue.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Great ! I'll post them on monday though, I got lots of things to do tomorrow and this week end.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I m seriously losing interest in this game.

In part because i m a sub of ermor and the previous guy wasn t playing at all as i do.

But mainly because this game is way too slow. Mictlan can you keep us posted ?

Btw if Ulm is fine to proclame Nightfall winner of this game im fine with that.

How do you feel about that game ?

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I'm okay with whatever you guys want to do, since I have a pearl income of ~60 a turn and am due to finish researching Alteration 9 next turn, it's totally reasonable for you guys to concede if you prefer.

On top of the gem income you can see, I'm also pulling about ~80 blood slaves a turn.

Mictlan has already swore fealty to Magic8Ball about ~20 turns ago, when I saved him from Ulm.

Want to give kudos again to Kasnavada as well, his thugs absolutely smashed me at the start of our war, unfortunately for him I had already started researching thug counters before he broke our NAP. And _damn_ that was a lot of magic on your pretender.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

It actually was the first time I successfully fielded thugs in a MP game. I was going for a rainbow pretender for magic diversity and items, but ultimately it somewhat slowed me down. Next time I'll go with something like a E9N4A4 pretender... which enables the kings be as effective as the kings you've seen with half the items. The "national" anti magic unit spells is also really annoying. Finally, the indy troops you found... those are just amazing.

I need to find out how to kill golems too, I had problem with those in earlier games and still have... well.

Whatever, you deserved to win that war :angel:

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Yeah they worked beautifully, only downside to them is the cost, as they cost 125g each, but they are offensive powerhouses with a decent bless.

If you can get a pair of eagle kings to E3 they should be able to nail golems with shatter provided you manage to engage them.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Good idea, shatter is in their range with boots of earth (whose massed use is needed anyway for Caelum) and summon earth power. Both are useful for a King anyway (invulnerability > iron skin).

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

I'd be willing to concede to Tien Chi as well. I never really recovered from the Mictlanese war, and I just don't seem to have any thugs or SCs within reach. Going to have to rethink my pretender design in the future. Wish I could have observed Tien Chi's crushing of his neighbors, it would have been... instructive... to be sure.

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

Actually you will somewhat see him beat me...

Re: Vanilla_Strawberry -> Started
 

For those that may be interested, my pretender build was:

Magic8Ball
Imprisoned Dom 10 Oracle
W9/S9
Order 3
Sloth 3
Heat 3
Misfortune 1
Magic 1

I have all my turns archived and saved, although it's split between my desktop and laptop, if anyone wants to take a look at them I'd be happy to zip them up and email them to you.