Server problems...
 

Server appears to be down. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Re: Server problems...
 

Looks like my internet connection went down at home. I'll check it out as soon as possible.

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

The server has been rebooted. I'm not sure what crashed it.

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

With the help of the dead we managed to fend off the first wave of Tien Chi's forces against out capital. Unfortunately it was at great cost. And it was only one wave of many marching towards our lands.

The time of elves is at an end. Our leaders are already boarding ships for a far away land.

Soon the evil Tien Chi empire and there puppet slaves Caelum will sweep across the lands.

Fortunately it has been great fun! And our leaders have learned many things to help them in their future lives.

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

Bad news follows good news follows bad news, thus the great cycle churns. The giants proved to be craftier than we had given them credit for. After their initial army was destroyed they regrouped and rethought their strategy. Apparently they have allied themselves with a tribe of amazons, for the as our huge host of jaguar warriors marched into the giant's lands we were met not by an army of giants, but by an army that numbered 3 amazon women for every giant in its ranks. As the sky was filled with arrows the amazon sorceresses formed a powerful communion and unleashed truly horrific destruction upon the heads of our holy warriors as they struggled to cross the killing field. The few that managed to make it were met by a frozen wall of grim giantish linebackers as they continued to be decimated by the amazon hell-women. This was truly a grim day for our people...virtually all of our jaguar warriors fell amid booming giantish laughter.

Our people are known as a crafty lot as well however, and as the giants sought to press their advantage and re-invade our lands we lay an ambush for them with our flying eagle tribe warriors. Upon sighting our army the sorceresses quickly tried to form up their communion, but it was too late. Our eagle warriors swooped into their flanks, felling warrior maids with a ferocious vengeance.

Alas, their numbers were great and even with our ambush we were barely able to push them out of our lands at a grievous cost to our warriors and many of the sorceresses managed to escape. Though ferocious, the eagle tribe is not numerous and we will not be able to count on them to continue to hold the line against the arcane power of these communions. Fearing what will happen once the giants are able to regroup once again, I have ordered a deal be struck with the lower planes. This is a fearsome pact, but the bloody god commands it.

We have signed treaties with several of the arch-devils, and a gate has been opened in the holy ziggurat through which our allies enter the world. In exchange for their help, the souls of all who oppose us shall be sent to hell as their lifeblood flows into the sacrificial pits. Tremble giants, for the legions of hell march and they come for you body and soul.

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

The legions of hell and the abyss support us both...let the northern blood wars begin...the time of devils and demons is upon us...

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

Great battle Maltrease. I was hoping for the better results, 7 out of 42 of your leaders is not enough. That nasty Father of Winter of yours was blocking the gates with thousands tons of crashed ice. I'll have to come up with the way to take care of him during my next attempt to storm the castle.


I am also disappointed that the "kamikaze" attack that I have come up with has failed due to bad luck on my side and due to 2 battles for the same army. I was looking forward to seeing several suicidal birds blowing themselves up in the middle of your cavalry. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Anyway, well fought. The fallen warriors of Helheim will be given honorable final ceremony by Tien Chi Soldiers, for they fought bravely.

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

Server is down.

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

Server is back up. It's my router that actually goes down.

Pausing the game during the holidays
 

Is there any way this game can be put on hold over the holidays? I would assume some people will be on vacation or traveling. Myself I will be able to play a turn this Friday morning, if there is a new one, otherwise I will be away from a computer starting Friday until the 30th. I'd like to see if the game can be put on hold, or delayed to a 3 or 4 day quick host, so I only stale a turn or two... unless I find a replacement (doubtful). Let me know who else is needing the game paused thru the end of year.

No wars on my horizon, the giants have made threats to the Mictlan nation, so I watch that from my borders. My scouts report great battles in the west, at a fort where many deaths (and undeaths) occurred. They also report more carnage is likely to continue in that land, I'm curious to hear their next report.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

I would'nt mind increasing the time between auto-hosts to avoid\decrease stales.
Especially since I'm usually one of the last to submit their turn :X

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

The Eastern Blood Wars are starting to heat up. The giants have learned a great respect for our holy warriors, and likewise we have learned the power of their ally’s communions. We both consolidate briefly, fearful to tread too aggressively into our opponent’s land as we have each had dire results with such aggressions in the past. We both however have been working on new plans in an attempt to unbalance each other.

Hearing Angerboda’s brash claims to have her own allies in the lower planes, I have ordered spies to report on the giant’s activities. Our scouts have mapped out their lands, and report that there is indeed a portal open in the giant’s capitol providence through which fiends enter the world. This has enraged the bloody god, though it should not be surprising that some of the weaker enemies of our demonic allies choose to accept the thin blood offerings of the giants. The weaker fiends are not picky. I have ordered a cabal of priest kings to drown this offending province in a sea of toads, making productivity impossible. Sadly this has not stopped the summoning of fiends, but it has sown disease amongst the conjurors and made it impossible to recruit new conjurors. I have ordered that the cabal redouble their efforts and drown every fortress in the giant’s lands under a mountain of rotting toads. There shall be no further mage reinforcements for our adversaries.

As the rest of our sorcerers turn their attention to summoning a force with which to invade the giants land for once and all, our scouts report dire tidings just east of our border. A huge army of fearsome undead marches on us, supported by a handful of fiends, presumably the fruit of the giant’s alliance with the weak-blood demons. Not the ordinary shuffling longdead, nor even their giantish counterparts, but undead horsemen and rotting, animated elephant carcasses. Presumably the remaining amazons will support this wall of rotting flesh with arcane might in a fearsome attempt to once again gain a toehold in our proud nation’s lands.

I have ordered our border guards pulled back, this will not be a fight that jaguar warriors can win. I have also ordered some raiding forces forward to invade the giant’s lands away from their large army. They cannot hope to conquer our lands by taking one province for every two of theirs which are taken, and they dare not split up the lumbering mass of their army. Come forward into the killing lands with your menagerie of monsters if you dare, Angerboda. You will not find the price of Mictlan lands cheap and I am curious to find if my counter to your undead will be as effective as I hope.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

I will be away from 12/22-12/26 but would not mind seeing the game paused until the New Year.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

I will be putting the games on quickhost only today, until the first week in January.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

I'll be unable to make a turn 4.1-8.1 :X
(Though there is an uber-tiny chance I might be able to make one)
I'd appreciate it if you waited, but I wouldn't hold it against you if you didnt.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

Graeme, could you please double check what version your server is currently running?

This turn very wierd thing happened. My armies stormed Helheheim's capital or the 2nd time, and this time they killed their god and all people inside and won the battle, according to battle replay. Yet battle results said that the battle was lost for me and Hehlheim's god is still alive.

Both me and Maltrease (Helheim) ses the same battle replay and battle results. We both are running 3.04 verion of course.

I am goinmg to report is a nasty bug, but before I do it, I would like to confirm that you are running 3.04 patch, since the very same "bug" happened to me in other game earlier, and the reason turned out to be that our host was accidently running older version of the client.

So could you double check it please?

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

I'll check what version I'm running. I've also started up the timer again.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

As far as I can tell, the server is currently running version 3.4 It's possible that the last turn ran before version 3.4 came out, since I don't remember the date.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

I see.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

Ok, our thread has been awfully quiet recently.

So in an attempt to break the mood and to add back a bit of RP/AAR flavor, here is the copy of my recent letter to Helheim, which has been delivered to him this turn.



"To the Lord of Hell.

Know that the adamant resistance of your capital's defenders has finally dried out the endless well of our divine patience.

The wraith of Heavens is upon you and your doomed city. From this day forward, the city that was known as Helheim will bear a new name, and this name will be spoken by mortals in terrified whispers for the centuries to come - "Gomorrah"!






(As you've probably guessed, the message was accompanied by multiple Fire From Above spells from every fire mage that I had capable of casting it. Too bad I didn't have "rain of brimstone" spells, or I would cast it as well, to stay closer to the original story. =) )

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

The great prophet of the bloody god strode to the top of the holy ziggurat. The bloody god had demanded hell on earth, and that was what would be delivered. For several months the cabal of priest kings had turned the rains falling on the lands of the giants into toads, and this barrage was starting to tell. Now it was time to step up the offensive, and bring forth the legions promised to our aid. The giants thought the few weak blood fiends they had forged a bond with were the might of the lower planes, let them tremble as they witness the true power of the abyss.

Hundreds of virginal sacrifices were brought forth to the sacrificial pit, a steady stream coming in over several months. The blood running down the sides of the ziggurat awakened something dark, something hungry, and our sorceries sent it forth into the land of giants.

Great rents opened in their fields as the hordes of hell poured out into their land. Everywhere their blood hunters and site-searchers were slain and their peoples pillaged as devils and imps sought fresh blood. The hunger of the burning legion is insatiable, and they spread like locusts all around the frost giant lands, every month more and more pouring out from the abyss. Meanwhile an army of the stouter fiends began to form around the holy ziggurat, forming the core of the force which would shortly march on Niefelheim.

The undead army pauses, sensing something is very wrong and hesitant even in their unlife to press into Mictlan land in the face of the burning eye now visible above the holy ziggurat. Our forces build in the face of their hesitation, as their homelands are pillaged and their castles begin to rot. Soon our infernal army shall march forth and the time of the giants will be at an end. In the mean time their small folk cry out in terror as the hordes from hell pour out from their very hearths, their wells fester, and a malign presence changes the atmosphere of their lands and all feel unlucky.

Re: Pausing the game during the holidays
 

...the devils, fiends feasted with great gusto in the cold frigid lands of the giants, blood was spilt and devils gorged themselves. Huge giants tried to become small in order to avoid there fate. The temperature fell, a horrible, errie, blood curdling wail was heard over miles and miles of countryside. The horrors had come...now it was the Mictian's fiends turn to know fear...the horrors hunted down the all the devils and fiends taking there corrupt souls to a place worse than hell...

After the feeding frenzy, the horrors departed, leaving a desolute landscape barren of life, owned by noone. Such was repeated all across Niefelheim and Mictian lands...

The fall of Helheim
 

After a long and bloody siege, the proud capital of Helheim Empire has finally fallen to Tien Chi armies. By the order of the Emperor, from this day forward this day will be celebrated for as great national holiday by all loyal subject of the Eternal Empire.



The sky was dark from the thousands of vultures and crows, feasting on dead corpses from both armies. Few stunned Tien Chi soldiers who have managed to survive the carnage were walking around, oblivious to the chaos and destruction around them, still unable come to grips with the reality, to believe that the battle for the Helheim is finally over and that they have survived.

But this is the reality. The great siege that has claimed lives of thousands of Tien Chi and Helheims soldiers, is over. The scorched and torn Banner of Empire is flying in the strong freezing wind over the ruined citadel in the center of the city. The huge broken body of mighty Father of Winter lay on the steps of his great temple, surrounded by high mountains of frozen and burned corpses of the elite soldiers of Empire, who gave up their lives to kill the God on this day.

By the order of divine Emperor tomorrow the tall monument shall be constructed near the broken gate of the city, in the memory of the greatest enemy that the Empire has met in this Realm.

Re: The fall of Helheim
 

It is true the glorious, fair and democracy building nation of Helheim has fallen. The combined weight of Tien Chi and their puppet was to much for us to bear.

Our forces will continue to harass where we can but if there was any doubt 12 turns ago about who needed to be feared and which god was acending I hope it has been dispelled now.

It was a fun game. My first with Dominions 3 and learned many new things. I hope to play with you guys again in future games.

Re: The fall of Helheim
 

Say it ain't so!

Re: The fall of Helheim
 

Server appears to be down.

Re: The fall of Helheim
 

Hmm, are you sure it was really 12 turns ago? I think it was at least 20 turns or so, from the day when Helheim attacked Tien Chi, up until the fall of Helheim's capital this turn. Looking on the map, 12 seem to be way too short. I remember where my forces stand on that day, and it seems virtually impossible to cover this ground in 12 turns. Hell, I've spend the last 5 or 6 last turns in your capital alone, and back than I still had more than half of Ulm's empire to conquer, including their 2 castles with high walls. And than I had to go all the way north from Ulm to you. At least 20 turns or more would be my estimate.


And yes, it is true that a lot of things changed during this time. Back than the rising star of Helheim were shinning brightly over the sky, and its fiery glow was drafting stars of other nations. I still fully stand by what I said back than(although I admit that the war against your nation and your ally Ulm carried number of surprises).

But in any case 20 turns is a long time...

Re: The fall of Helheim
 

Arcosephale has also fallen.
We attempted to take the initiative against Caelum but due to an early game invasion attempt by Mictlan our research has fallen behind.

Our forces withered beneath electrical storms and thunderous booms from the sky.

Our nation has been set to AI.

Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Since the game seems to be approaching the late game stage quickly, we would like to make an offer to our neighbors. If any of the countries with whom I have NA agreements would like to change it, we grant them permision to do so, by releasing them from their oaths toward our nation. All we ask is a declaration of war one turn before they attack.

Please note that it doesn't mean that I am going to renegade on any of my pacts, I will continue to honor all of them. So this is one-way offer, intended to possibly spice things up in the end-game, by increasing the level of challenge for my nation, since I don't have any real enemies to oppose now, with Helheim's back broken.)

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

I think this translates as:-

I am so utterly powerful, I am going to stomp you all and win.

I know my nation, Niefelheim is in no position whatsoever to oppose T'ien C'hi's overwhealming power, its all I can do to knock Mictian out and I am struggling at that...

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Indeed, I briefly considered offering you a peace treaty so that we could each try and stop the Tien Chi juggernaught before he wins, but the bloody god has demanded that your head be mounted on a pole before the the celestial emporer ascends. He has decreed that he shall have your soul as a mount when he is imprisoned again.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

I too considered offering you a peace treaty, with a very, very evil idea I had (only blood nations would be able to survive it) but Marverni had already humilated Niefelheim and it was unacceptable for that to happen twice.

This is a game where I have roleplayed a totally evil, steeped in blood/death nation rather than tried to win. So I have had a fun game.

I was hoping, probably like most others, that T'ien C'hi/Helheim would tear each another apart in a bloody stalemate but it was not to be...

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

It might have been that way. But was we stated truthfully throughout we were utterly unprepared for Caelums alliance with Tien empire. Sadly were were not able to shift gears fast enough, and ULM not able to put up enough of a fight for a stallmate situation to occur. Except for a few battles the war was pretty one sided.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

I don't know, Meglobob... If you were able to keep astral corruption up, you might still be able to win the game. It's hard to say, but I can't think of anything that would be more damaging.

I will intreprit any invasion of Arco lands as an invasion against my own. Attack me at your own peril; so far no nation has survived our wrath.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Thats just cause you are from Ohio.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Well not exactly. It just means that I run out of enemies. And since I never break my in-game word, I thought it can not hurt if I would release nations with whom I have NAP from their oaths. I did not mean to sound arrogant, I simply offered it hoping that perhaps it might lead to more interesting endgame, rather than me stomping out poor Vanheim, since they are the only neighbor country with whom I don't have some sort of NAP treaty.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

True. The largest surprise of the war for me was that Helheim turned out to be very unprepared for it, despite the fact that they have started the war by traveling secretly across my entire nation to attack me with 2 raiders in the most remote corner of my Empire. But these two raiders were all Helheim troops that I saw for the first 9 or so turns of the war. Had Helheim positioned more troops over my territory before the start of the war, the outcome of the war might be different, since in the beginning of the war I totally lacked anti-raiders measures, and all my castles stood completely empty of troops. Besieging some them while pillaging my territory would cripple me.

Ulm also contributed to my and Caleum's victory - they chosen to surrender their entire nation without a battle, retreating to their capital for the last stand. Had they chosen to make a stand earlier, before I tripled the size of my army and got Flame Arrows spell, that devastated Ulm's horde, they had a good chance to repel me, or at least significantly delay me.

Don't get me wrong - both Helheim and Ulm were strong and challenging opponents. Helheim especially shown great generalship by repelling twice my attacks on his capital, against overwhelming number of my troops, scattering my armies to the four winds. Helheim also destroyed a lot of my mages with his spells and his improvised assassins between the storms, weakening my army significantly. And Ulm also put up a good fight during their last stand, destroying more than half of my army at the end.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

The server should be back up, let me know if it isn't.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Its back up as far as I can see, and I haven't even missed my turn http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

The server appears to be down (and I wanted to bump this back to the first page).

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

My internet connection was down completely for the better part of the evening. I've restarted all three servers.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

I haven't been able to connect for awhile.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Same.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

I can't connect as well.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Same for me.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

I'm really starting to get fed up with Shaw, since they can't seem to manage to keep their connection up for more than 24 hours at a time these days. I'll reboot the router once again tonight when I get home.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

Sorry to be a pain, but I connected once yesterday afternoon and no dice this morning.

Re: Announcement from Tien Chi
 

The reason that nobody has been able to connect for the last while is that when my Internet connection died for the better part of the day on the 24th, I got a different dynamic IP assigned to me. I just figured it out while at work, so I'll fix it as soon as possible. I'd like to get these games rolling again.

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

The new IP address is 68.148.8.147

Re: MP Game, Early Era, Random Nations, Victory Po
 

I can't connect to port 8888 or 10101 (I'm in two of the games).