New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

This mod is replaces all 17 nations with new ones based on independent provinces, summonable units, and other misc. units (it also includes the official hoburg mod, thanks Illwinter http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif ). The main reason for the mod is to provide players who are bored with playing/fighting all the basic nations/themes some new material to work with. I'm sure with so much stuff changed there are more than a few bugs, typos and balance issues, so please let me know.

A small note: For many creatures in the mod, the gold cost represents paying for the mage time to bind/create the creature and maintain the spell, not that the creatures themselves use the gold.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

I am looking at all the nations right now, so I will likely edit this post afterwards. Ulm can recruit Mechanical Men in this mod, but the creatures do not cost *anything*, including resources (unlike Clockword Horrors, which have a cost of 40 resources).

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Oops, they should cost 60-80 resources. Thanks for catching it.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

40 Res per CH and 60-80 Res per MM ?? Likely we won't see much of them... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smirk.gif

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Ailat has *no* mages. Whats up with that?
I mean, they have some cool advantages (cheap troops, summoning elementals for free), but with no magic, how are you supposed to be competative?
I guess you could take like 3-4 in all paths on your pretender, and summon other mages, but youll never get any research and are doomed unless you find sages (or any indy mage I guess) right away.

This looks pretty fun. I wonder if anyone would be interested in playing a quick test game (or a couple) on some small map?

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

I may end up giving the horse brother an elemental random, then you have the tough choice between researching with him or using his awesome battlefield spells. Of course, that could make storming the home fort of the Ailat hell... maybe I should up the price too. As for the clockwork horrors/mechanical men, it gives the nation the unique advantage of having something useful to do with resources in the mid/late game.

I would love to do a few test games with the mod, I'm usually around the #dominions IRC channel if you ever want to try a quick game.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Ailat already ahs the greatest disability of Mictlan: their dominion needs Bloods Sacrifice to spread. Also, nations replacing Abysia and Vanheim can use blood sacrifice, but aren't forced to.

Change the Bowl of the Lost/Demon Gate nation to replace Mictlan. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Interesting mod, although the nations are quite minimalistic. I especially like the Alchemist one. They surely will have lots of gold, but not much to use it for without spending more than even they can afford!

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Hmm, I had not considered the effect of mictlan dominion, without having blood mages. I may need to give horse brothers a point of blood as well, so that there are _three_ important things you need them for. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

I realize the nations are somewhat minimalistic, but there is only so much you can do with rearranging units, when you have 17 nations to fill. However, if people would list what they think the best/worst nations are from the standpoint of fleshing them out, I could give the bottom nations a little polishing.

I'm glad you think the alchemists have a down side, to me they were looking like the most powerful of the new nations.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

I do think they are the most powerful. They have lots of units, lots of money, can go either for awesome amounts of money (order 3) or luck (order 0/turmoil 1 + luck3), benefit from resources so can get a fast start (and more money), their mages can be useful on the battlefield (magma bolts), forge some items (earth items, burning pearl, charcoal shield, faithful). But I think that is more because of the weakness of other nations. Take away the archer and give it to some nation that is weaker.

Few things that would spice things up:
*Give the animal/charmer nation Wolfherds, make Summon Animals their national spell and make it slightly cheaper. Take away most recruitable animals so that they won't have to pay too much upkeep for the summoned critters.
*For more Ielyft creatures, check the R'lyeh mod 'False Dawn '
*consider giving some nations unique starting units, kind of heroes that exist from the beginning.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Why not? Resources are "free". Just take a cheap fort with decent admin, like a mausoleum or a wizards tower and build a couple of them. You will have more than enough resources to field a decent force of these. Tho 80 resources might be a bit much...

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

These sound like good ideas, the only reason I did not give them the summon animals spell was because I shied away from stealing to many spells to be nation only.

On balance, I would rather weaken one strong nation than have to strengthen all of the rest. Though perhaps a national starting hero for most would be do-able.

80 may be a bit much for resource cost, but on the other hand, mech men are one of the best summons out there.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

This is a pretty interesting mod!
Here are a few thoughts I have on it after loading it up: I'd say give the horse brothers the blood henge druids, which would kill two birds with one stone (mages in general and the blood thing). I'd say go ahead and steal the summon animals spell (I'd mod it to less effects and way less gems, similar to vine men stuff) because it's rarely, if ever, used in a normal game. I also think that while you're making CH and MM cost resources only, you should do that with some of the other units that are normally summoned. Maybe a succubus could be 666 resources and the animals and illusion troops could be similarly repriced. I'm not sure how resource only troops are balanced, but it makes a little more sense in my mind, at least.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

I could give them bloodhenge, but I would prefer to keep blood a minor part of the nation.

I'm not sure how 0 resource units balance either, but from a thematic standpoint only the mech men and clockwork horrors makes sense to be resource only.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

So when is the test game??

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Why do you think that those should be free? They're made of complicated machines. Someone has to get the metal (resources, but some of the metal might be rare) and make the 6 foot tall watch (lots of gold). They would need constant repairs and maintenaince (upkeep). Illusions and spiders on the other hand dont seem like they'd draw a salary, of course like you said it could repepresent the summoning costs and so forth.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

I will admit the resource only cost for mech men is not perfect, but I really have a hard time imagining what phantasmals would do with resources.

EDIT: I will probably try to do the test game as a #dominions IRC channel game.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Finally had some time to sit down and look at the mod. Very cool! Many of these nations have some really interesting flavors and I am definitely looking forward to the test game. One thing that I did note, overall, was that most nations have very low resource costs. You could take sloth-3 and still get away with full production, probably.

Chacz - Gnomes are a really good power/cost mage. Troggys maybe too strong?

Amber - Seems a little bland. Small shark mob will utterly own mermen

Noctis - need a stealthy leader, no way to capitalize on the villains

Cymr - fine

Arcana - WOW 20% const bonus in the cap? Thats huge. Odd that a nation with alchemy and a +100gp site has no elite troops which require gold

Gurgac - give the troops poison res 90-95 so bog beasts can be deployed without massive friendly casualties.

Wessan - great concept! no priests means miltia/slinger only forces will be hard to field. very slow starting nation here. combat training a nice touch but misplaced with this kind of military?

Predar - whoa! watchers dont cost enough. put 5 of them in the gate of any fort and they are deadly. Warrior Mage == 50% chance thug. War Academy is a great touch. The Ward begs for blood hunting.

Haidron - Some nice touches but limited recruiting and magic will result in a bland military makeup. Summoning sites were really neat. Really effective blood hunters.

Telm - Nicely put together. Love the flavor text for this one, its really applicable.

Fey - Very cool. Will be fun to deploy Elf Shot in large numbers, see how that goes. Hama Dryad is a nice touch: "fanatic" defense of the home trees, eh? Enchantment bonus is great too. Hello mother oak!

Ieyl - Another cool concept. With no resources, there is only the ... what is it 30-40 unit production max per fort. So you can produce your max units anywhere, anytime, so long as you have gold (and a fort). This nation will be fast on offense and reactive on defense. Watchtower without question.

Vaetti - Ok, but fey seems better in terms of a stealth nation. Plus, I am not sure that this one has the backbone for combat. Gyjgas would be good summoners tho? Bloodhunting, perhaps?

Univen - Fine. I like the mini mind-blasting guys.

Ailat - No troop of the line. Maybe elementals are supposed to be that? Blessable archers is cool but what blessing other than W9 would be useful for them. Night Rider over priced, even for an assassin.

Hoburgs - No need to review this one.

Minra - Diversity of animals is great... But with the availability of recruitable Animists they will all be set aside in favor of Vine Ogres to Infinity. Maybe some hawks for flying and lions for cav. Centaur chariot morale WAY too low.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Thanks for all of the input, here is a new version taking many of them into account.

Changes:

*Mech men now cost resources

*Troglodytes are more expensive

*Ettins are cheaper

*Sharks are more expensive

*Moon mages are stealthy

*Arcana no longer has archers

*Watchers are more expensive

*Phantasmal knights are more expensive

*Horse brothers now have a blood pick and an elemental random

*Minralsha overhauled: Enchanters are priests, centaur chariots have better morale and sacred, can recruit wolfherds, summon animals becomes a nation spell costing 4 gems, lose ability to recruit any animals but hawks and boars.

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Very neat! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Thanks. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Based on a test MP game of the mod, here is a new version with the following changes:

*Changed the .dm file from An Age Aside.dm to AnAgeAside.dm, due to a problem with multiplayer games with mods with spaces.

*Fixed post-20-point Cymraeg PD which was wrong due to a typo.

*Gave onyx priestess 50 leadership as they should be Chaczara's main leaders.

*Took the price of ettins back up.

*Overhaul of Telmorna (Minotaurs no longer capital only, gem income is now all fire, Fire Lords have higher leadership, replaced gryphon riders with gryphons, added gryphon tamer commander).

Re: New Mod Release: An Age Aside
 

Cool, this is an excellent mod. Opens up a lot of new interesting things to play around with. Thank you for making it.

EDIT: I particularly like the villain nation. That one is very cool.