Is this \"cheese\"?
 

I honestly dont know. Never seen it in MP, but the AI does it against me (probably accidentaly). But since I have since the AI do it, and it working quite effectively, I thought I'd ask here whether this is "cheese" and hence something to be frowned upon in MP.
(By "cheese" I mean "exploiting" a suboptimal feature of the game mechanics so as to maximize effect otherwise unobtainable had the game mechanics been done differently.)

There is a big enemy Army in province X, bordering your army in Province Y. You basically know by scouting and other means what is in it. You know that the army in X has a few decent mages with nicely scripted support spells, such as flaming arrows + wind guide + arrow fend, plus a few "gem carriers" -- that is, they have an army set up like I set up mine: My support mages have enough gems to cast what they should, but not more (or too much more), so that they can continue to do their current job in subsequent turns by not wasting ALL those gems but rather by getting refills from scouts carrying the gem ammo.
Either you think they are going to move into Y, or you want to move into X; lets just say the latter. So you issue the appropriate orders -- PLUS you send one (or more) waves of magical attacks beforehand, such as Ghost Riders, Imprint Souls, or those other necromancy ones, whatever. You do this only because (and here is what I suspect could be cheese) those mages MAY (and quite often DO) use up just the gems they will need to cast those winning spells. Then, the regular battles take place, and your army beats theirs, which you couldnt have done had they had the gems.
Like I said, I only noticed this because the AI did it against me (by accident, surely), leaving my beautifully scripted mages useless. (Of course, I could leave lots of gems on those mages, but we all know what happens then, especially in larger battles.)
Is this cheese?
your honest opinion appreciated.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

This used to be considered a high level of cheese (In Dom1), because the AI wasn't smart enough to have a threshold of gem usage (as it does now, sometimes to people's displeasure).

While it certainly is something you will find in every game with competant opponents, I don't consider it cheese in any way.

More often than not, if you are going to have certain mages casting certain types of needed spells (Flaming Arrows, Wind Guide, Wrath, etc), it is best to make sure you find a happy medium of gems to be 'wasted' on such tactics. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

I think not. I think the interplay between magic movement actions and normal movement actions deepens the later game.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

Personally, i think this is legitimate. Feints are a quite time honored part of the tactical tool box for commanders from time immemorial.

Now in Dom3+ better scripting control would be helpful to allow the player to have better control over gem use, but I think it's tricky to allow that, without letting MM get out of hand.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

It isn't cheese. It's a valid play tactic. I've been using it for months. It forces humans to rely less on gems and more on zero-cost spells. It is, however, an outright exploit against AIs, since they aren't as adaptable as humans, and thus won't change tactics in mid-game to counter you.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

Hey, thanks. OK, live and learn!

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

I'd rather you die, quickly and horribly. Learning is optional, and not recommended. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif
War isn't fair, and after all, there can be only ONE.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

Why should you want someone to die quickly? I humbly question the wisdom of such a choice Arryn. It seems like an awful waste to me if you happen to be the one killing. I mean, there is so much you could do in this moment between life and death, so I fail to see the point of rushing in this case.

*Casts Quickness and runs away very quickly, just in case* Better safe than worry, and so on.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

Because I have other matters to attend to. Why waste time gloating, er, savoring the victory? There'll be time enough for all that once one reigns supreme ...

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

I wonder why you don't like Bush then . He seems to follow that doctrine very well http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif . ( No sarcasm/irony intended )

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

No. Bush does, in fact, gloat. And where victory no more exists than WMDs. An old saying (which Bush never learned apparently) goes "you can fool some of the people all of the time, ..." (such as Republicans) "and all of the people some of the time, ..." (such as the overwhelming majority who originally supported US involvement in Iraq) "but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time." (which is precisely what the Bush administration has been trying to do for 4 years)

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

Don't you have more than a few minions with nothing better to do than plot your taking over the world? Surely you need not waste your time with such trivial concerns; installing your hegemony should be a matter of months, if any trouble at all. What good are sidekicks for if you do not use them in your global schemes?

*Throwns in some flattery as a Last-minute addition* I must admit my smaller mind cannot fully discern your patterns of thought; would you be so kind as to shed some light on this matter?

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

Waste not, want not. Besides, why would I permit a minion a pleasure I deny myself? Silly, silly man. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/yawn.gif

No. Ponder the possibilities as you savor my inscrutable silence. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/shock.gif

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

I seem to have forgotten to be clear enough. What I alluded at was to make your minions do your biding, in fields as tedious as politics, assassinations and the unwanted complications of ruling over the world, the universe and the rest. In the meantime, you would have more time left for the interesting part of the job, including, but not limited to, gloating, torture and assorted pastimes.

The said minions would still have to be watched, but why would they want to even consider thinking about a betrayal is beyond my understanding. Such ungrateful hirelings they would be if they attempted a backstab, while you took care of seeing to that most welcome guest in your comfy cells.

I am still computing all the subtleties hidden within your very silence, and so cannot answer to this part yet. I should request the assistance of other brains to reach a meager grasp of your mind, however.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

You must never forget that the reason that honey is more attractive a lure than vinegar is not because it is sweet, but because it is sticky ...

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

I cannot fully grasp your meaning; my paltry excuse for this failure will be the hour (two in the morning), and the low number (three by Last count) of neurons still somewhat working in my brain. This meager apology is the best I can give, however.

Hmm, perhaps I should head to bed instead of keeping on with my feeble attempts at flattery (who said "fawning"?).

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

What's WMDs ? Never heard that abbreviation before but when i asked an american he said he doesn't know what this means too .
So please write the full expression since it is the key part for understanding this sentence http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

On topic :
For becoming an Imperator to make it enjoyable you would need either some kind of superpower like Emperor Palpantine but that's science fiction or a reliable Ai and something like terminators which is atm still science fiction but may change in the next 50-100 years .
Without this you just live in endless fear that the next precision weapon kills you ( like Saddam ) or that one of your minions wants to replace you .
Not a very enjoyable life http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

In most cases, it means "Weapons of Mass Destruction". WMD may also stand for "Weapons of Mass Distraction" or "Weapons of Mass Disinformation", in reference to their absence from Irak, but it should be explained in such cases.

Re: Is this \"cheese\"?
 

Weapons of Mass Destruction