Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

And yet another update... I hadn't checked the appropriate box in the options screen. I should be good now.

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

Hi, earwicker. I was thinking about signing up for your game, but I wanted to confirm: are you indeed not using the conceptual balance mod (CBM)? There are obviously a lot of exploits in vanilla that us newbies might have a hard time handling. :)

I love your idea for a no staling record! Here is a link to a current game so you can check up on me. I'm Pangaea.

http://www.llamaserver.net/gameinfo.cgi?game=FirstBlood

And here's the game thread so you can confirm that that's actually me.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=46315

Let me know about the CBM. I'll have to give this some thought if you're really going vanilla. ;)

Thanks!

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

I'm really wary about mods... is the game really that out of whack, or are the people modding it trying to make sure that their favorite nations don't lose as often? That's not an accusation, but a genuine question... I'm way too new to know the answer.

How drastic are the changes? I get your point about the exploits, but I think the other side is that maybe the changes are too much for someone who is a newbie to handle; in other words, is Abyssia going to play so differently that I might as well forget my MP and SP experience with them?

Well, it's something to think about... what does everyone else think? Either way, it would be great to have you, your record is stellar. Let me know :)

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

Well CBM seems more popular than the base game. With the base game its essentially a rush to collect as many gem generators as possible (clams being the most popular) and then heading straight for a tartarian factory ASAP.
CBM has been around for ages and has almost become the standard mod for many many games, nearly all use it in some form or another.
All my MP games have been with CBM 1.6 and/or Endgame diversity mod (EDM) and I have to say that compared to the vanilla game they really do add quite a lot, more viable strategies and less micromanagement as well as a fair amount of balancing out all the really ridiculous stuff. A big change is making the gem generators unique. Several nations are rebalanced true but not usually major changes, lots of it seems to be focused on making weaker nations viable choices rather than making any particularly powerful.
CBM 1.7 is not what I would reccomend at this point as it is a major departure from what most people would expect. -no hammers and other weird things.


EDM is really good as well for giving alternatives for tartarians, they're still good but not the only option anymore. Its not a major mod it just adds a few lategame summons to give non astral or death nations a chance to get some SC's. It seems really well balanced to me.

So yeah CBM 1.6 and possibly EDM 1.1 would be mods I would support being used.
CBM 1.6
EDM

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

I think Saros hit it right on the nose. There's certainly nothing wrong with vanilla, but from what I've seen, it tends to point every single player in the same direction for the endgame. There is also a large amount of micro management resulting from massing gem generators. CBM 1.7 would be what I recommend. The endgame diversity mod (EDM) is included in that.

Of course, CBM 1.6 plus EDM would work also. And so would vanilla! Ultimately, the choice is yours, earwicker. I guess the only thing I would add is: I have yet to see a game offered here (newbie or otherwise) that does not use CBM. But then I haven't been around very long.

I think I would enjoy playing in the game no matter what you choose. But the choice of mods (or no mods) would influence my nation pick and pretender design. (Note that you need to have the mods loaded before building your pretender because they affect the cost and composition of some of them.)

Here's the link for CBM 1.7 (which includes the EDM):

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showt...eptual+balance

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

If we changed to CBM I would NOT play Bandar Log.
Not shure if I would play at all.

I would need time to read up on the changes CBM did do.
(Besides no GemGens, no DwarfenHammers)

EDM allone I would not mind, since (I think) there are extra units in this mod, but no changes to existing ones.

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

Double post oops

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

CBM 1.7 has some really really weird changes to it like agartha getting a free darkness casting with 20 PD. The no hammers also really needs a higher magic site setting to compensate for it. Blood nations also suffer badly from removal of sanguine dowsing rods which cuts into their slave income.

EDM by itself would be fine although I do really like the no gemgen's in CBM

edit:

EDM is essentially this, just a few more summons in various schools.
http://www.llamaserver.net/diversityPreview.gif

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

I'd prefer the vanilla version. The people of Shrapnel just have a hardon for their precious CBM.

Re: Cradle to the Grave--For noobies with a record of no staling!--6/10 Taken
 

For me to play vanilla or CBM+EDM is both ok. But i think also it depends on the people joining this game: very new players may havent collected experience with the CBM and thus it would be very unfair against them as the changes between vanilla and CBM are quite huge.

As stated before for me personally, vanilla or CBM+EDM is both ok but if the decision is made towards CBM i would vote for 1.6.