Re: Noob questions!
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I agree with Något Gick Fel on this one. The arena is just intended as an amusing detail. Making the arena victory more rewarding or penalising people not participating would shift focus away from the core of the game, if either of the above where implemented it would force players into maximising a super combatant. I think it is better to keep it the way it is.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Johan, let me ask you a question. Why do you support cheating? In singleplayer, the AI can be abused totally in the Arena fights.
Illwinter must fix this, since this is the most annoying cheat in Dominions I.
It is working in multiplayer, since you cannot abuse anything, but in singleplayer it is a bad part of the game, and only because the AI abusing.

It can be fixed. We told you some ideas, that how to fix it, you should think about it.
Please do not forget that we have lot of players who prefer the singleplayer part of the game.

I see 2 ways, that how to fix the singleplayer Arena AI abusing:

-Do not allow items in the arena
-Do not allow 'abuse items' in the arena, so items like a flaming sword should be allowed for example, but items with curse etc. shouldnt be allowed.etc..

(-In fact, if Doms would be a multiplayer game only, I wouldnt even buy it, since I do not really like multiplayer in any games. [Especially not in strategy games.]-)

The Arena fight is very good part of the game, but it must be fixed. Please support the offline players as well.

[ October 09, 2003, 12:54: Message edited by: MStavros ]

Re: Noob questions!
 

I tend to just ignore the Arena matches when they come up. If the enemy wants to play with the trident, let 'em. Still, it would be interesting to see it spiced up into something more than just another message at the beginning of the turn.

Possibly the introduction of something like a "Category" system would help? There could be a Champion of Mages, a Champion of Fighters, a Champion of Scouts, and so forth. The different battles could come up at different times and each nation can, as now, choose to compete or not. There could be a different prize for each type of champion, something appropriate for their nature, and champions could choose not to play with the penalty of forfeiting their title/item. (One of the problems I have with the Arena is that I can't afford to have one of my best commanders sucked away for a crucial turn. I'd rather have the option to forfeit.)

Maybe the titles could come with a mild bonus (+1?) in terms of a morale lift for their troops. That'd make it more worthwhile to fight, plus it'd make sense that people would feel better being commanded by the Champion of Fighters then Just Some Guy.

If a commander didn't have a certain level of magic power (say, 3, to prevent simply empowering a combat machine to slaughter the enemy mage), then they couldn't enter the Mages' bout. Likewise, if they DO have 3+ in at least one path, they are barred from that competition. If they aren't stealthy or have starting combat stats above a certain theshold, they are barred from the Scouts' battle. Pretenders would be a Category all to themselves.

I don't blame IW for not focusing on this particular issue, since it isn't a major part of the game, but it'd be nice for a role-playing type like myself to see it developed. Of course, they've been very busy doing things for the first patch, such as adding the much-requested support for units that flee combat due to orders rather than rout to remain with their armies if the battle is won. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Re: Noob questions!
 

"2. The champ should be totally healed."

Now _this_ might be a prize worth fighting for!

The scars of old battles and ill magics faded away as the Champion, victorious and purified, set his eye again on conquest...

Re: Noob questions!
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">??? Wow!!! I'll take this over an Arena improvement any day! Which, of course, means that the next day I'll start begging for an Arena tweak http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

-Cherry

Re: Noob questions!
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">This is good, this is very good!
The quality of the game just keeps getting better!
It's gonna be a cold, long winter...

Re: Noob questions!
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Did I read that right - that they only stay with their armies if the battle is won? What about harass 'fire & flee' tactics, where you have no intention of winning, but you want to maintain squad integrity? Is this not being implemented?

I mean, don't get me wrong, what you posted is great - I'm very satisfied. Go Illwinter.

Re: Noob questions!
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">if this true and comes in the release, then I'm really impressed by their dedication to their product, and the respect they show for the community.
congrats Illwinter!

Re: Noob questions!
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I reckon this. This is a good way to upgrade the Arena!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[ October 10, 2003, 08:09: Message edited by: Aristoteles ]

Re: Noob questions!
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I reckon this. This is a good way to upgrade the Arena!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">How about making a unique troop type recruitable for the winning side? I realise this might not be an easy job to implement, but would be cool IMO.

Or give the winner a pack of unique bodyguards (unremovable), which replenish b/w battles.

I like the idea of beefing up the arena, since I don't see it worth the risk as it is now.

- Humer

Re: Noob questions!
 

Hmm, the more I've thought about this arena issue the more it begins to annoy me.

If it was just intended as a small distraction in game fine, but if no one on this board says they bother with it, then it becomes solely a sink for AI commanders. I don't really care weather or not the effect on the AI is great or not, the arena amounts to the same thing as periodically going trough every AI nation and randomly (or not so randomly) removing a commander. Now if that were implemeted in the game I wonder how many people would be more bothered by it.

So I repeat my request to make the arena optional at the game creation phase. Shouldn't be all that hard to add another option when you already can choose site frequency, indie strengths, ...

Now some people will again say, 'don't worry, its not a big effect on game play...' to them I say, 1st I disagree with the potential effect on game balance for the AIs, and 2nd, if it really isn't a big deal, and you never use it, then why keep it around in the first place? I'm not asking for it to be ripped out, merely made optional at the start.

Of course if the risk/reward and cost/benefit of the arena were tweeked I'd probably change my mind http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif