I have never won a sp game...
 

I have never won a sp game in a year of playing why???? I know what to do yet it doesnt click! wiht the game if only...

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

probly because of the mass ai armies since they recruit and summon at random as they advance ( my problem is that late game i get obsessed with getting a certain spell/summon and forget to recruit for ages . also i expand really slowly)

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Try having different victory conditions. 60% of the provinces, 50% of the 20 victory points, 5 of the 8 capitals (1 vp per capital, no extra vps, 7 AIs)... I don't think I will conquer all the AI's provinces in DomII, ever. And I have never done that, either. It just isn't fun to beat a dead horse.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

it just make me feel usless...

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

well atleast your not the only useless one

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Try playing soul gate Ermor. You should pwnzr the AI.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Neither did I, in 2 years of play... Just because it bores me to continue game vs the AI past turn 30-40 at most, ...
I use SP as a training ground for pretender and basic expansion strategies, but not as "full games"; only MP ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

but no one wants to play mp with me...

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Come over to #dominions on irc://irc.eu.gamesurge.net - at the weekend you can meet someone for a blitz there easily.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

No problem to play with (or against) you, even if you're English http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif ... I only play pbem, no ip (lack of time for long play sessions).

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

just won my first sp game http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif doom horror prophet with 9 everything bless then wished for power on itself ( 9 everything bless came from wishing for magic power with my pretender alot )

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

I can only PBEM so if any one or ones want a quick game....

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

?? The bless effects are fixed at the start of the game, so wishing for magic power on your pretender shouldn't make any difference. Can you post a screenie of your prophet with 9-eveything bless?

I really don't understand how people's games can go on for so long that they cast loads of wishes and empowerment and stuff. My longest game ever (on Orania map) is 86 turns. That's enough to get one or two schools to level 9 (on Normal research) - maybe 3 if you ignore the others. I have never yet cast Wish in any game, simply because Alteration 9 is so low on my list of priorities (Blood 6, Conj 7 or 9, Alt 6, Const 8, Ench 5 etc.).

I do agree that mopping up the last couple of dozen AI provinces is tedious when I control 90% of the map, but I don't really like any of the other victory conditions. You can control 5 of 8 capitals (or even 7 of 8) and still not be in a winning position. Ditto with VP provinces (really hate those). I guess I could go for a "80% of provinces" VC.

Anyway, I've read a lot of stuff in recent threads about how crap SP is, and I love it. I love MP too, of course, nothing gets the adrenaline going quite like it, but I think SP is fine. Ok so the AI is not perfect, but it's still challenging enough. I don't build castles (because I know the AI cannot) but otherwise I play exactly as I would in MP. It's good practice.

CC

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Its about the same with me, except that I do build castles. I use mainly normal units, though, and thus the mass armies the AIs use do offer some challenge.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

I cannot understand how you can win!

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

I win when I have fun. Don't you? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

One of the greatest games I ever had barely lasted for 20 turns. I was Mictlan, and lost the game. I had chosen scales that didn't work very well, and made mistakes both tactical and strategical, but the events are what made the game fun. <font color="blue"> Click here </font> if you are interested in the story

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Naresh, maybe you should give us more details about how you play the game against the AI, what maps you have played, when and how the AI is overwhelming you, etc. It's hard to give good advice when we don't have any information about what you are doing wrong.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

maybe he didnt get the bless effects, mustve been items or somethin ( but still, doom horror with 200 health 36 prot and 40 attack defence and strength. he also has 14 regen and his usual +15 fear and +2 blood vengance is pretty fun )

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

75% magic rich 15 hof
easy research
usually play against abysia ulm man or jontun
they just surround me with overwhelming numbers and wait build temples forts then cast spells like Fires from afar and seeking arrow it can be really annoying
thier difficulty is easy...
sad innit?

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

You left out indep. str, but I quess you have it quite high. Try advancing more carefully, or playing with fewer enemies. And as especially Ulm and Jotunheim have much better provincial defence than is usual, you should learn to use it. However, don't buy it everywhere. Having 1 is enough vs AI if it cannot reach it with normal armies, because AI rarely uses transport or distant summon spells with any real skill.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Naresh, I still don't know much about how you play. Are you relying mostly on national troops? Are you getting a good gem income? What spells or items do you use to decide what to research? Do you build forts? Have you ever used a supercombatant (SC)? Do you recruit at least one mage per turn? What scales do you use? What is the Pretender design you have been using recently?

Go to the Illwinter Maps website and download the Talis map. Pick an opponent (Abysia, Ulm, Man, and Jotunheim are all fine), pick your own nation, and stick with that setup until you win a few games.

As for PD, I would recommend 11 in every province, when you can afford it. The AI knows how large your total army is. PD counts toward your total army size. Having a relatively large army can deter the AI from starting an early war with you. PD 11 also has a chance of discovering stealthy units.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

I use PD 10, I usually use either some one with cheap magic if their nation has very few magic paths maybe for like abysia maybe a dragon or pheonix,
I rely heavily on national troops(the ones you can only build at forts...)
they are about the only kind of army I use apart from if I find a really cool thing like trodgolites or woods men I usually use them.
with ulm I use quite a few sc a few lord guardians kitted out to the max give them a small army of black plate and their off!
I usually recruit 1 mage a turn, and if I'm not building another army I build some sacreds and give them to a priest
I usually take turmoil 1 magic 2-3 luck 1--1
fortesses or black keeps?
high prductivity or growth

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

oh yeah I use alot and I mean alot! of archers!

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Do you use much magic in combat? As an example, do your Ulmish master smiths use Earth Power, Blade Wind, Magma Bolts, Magma Eruption? Do youuse shortbows with Ulmish troops (they can't hurt Ulmish units through their armor)? Have you summoned Troll King's Court, Kings of Elemental Earth, Mechanical Men, Iron Dragons or Living Statues (last one fron Enliven statues)?

About scales: High order would give lots of gold, which might help you. Luck is fun, but you can't count on it, especially if you don't use Conceptual Scales mod.

Try different extremes. If you know them, you can try to use just enough of each of them to get most out of everything.
Try Oracle with Astral 5 and go for scales and castle. Try a no-magic Wyrm or Manticore, and remember that death costs nothing. Try Wyrm or Manticore with some magic for spells (pick one: fire shield; breat of winter and quickness; mistform and mirror image, iron skin and earth power (fatique removal); personal regeneration; luck, body ethereal, astral shield, astral weapon) and try to find out their limits. Try heavy-bless pretender for Jotunheim: W9 Son of Niefel or N9E4 Great Mother with fast-building castle (3 turns at max) and recruit lots of Jotun Jarls. Try summoning crazy hordes of Vine Ogres. Take high-Earth pretender and research enchantment just for Enlive Statues. Choose less Earth and go for Mechanical men/Iron Dragons. Try using uniques as combatants as early as possible.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

try forge of the ancients and earth blood deep well with ulm if u can get them

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Just take the ashen empire or soul gate theme with Ermor, dominion 9, turmoil sloth cold luck and magic at 3 with a lich queen with various magic paths and you should easily win against the AI.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

I'm not sure why, but I love to play Ulm, and am having a blast in the current SP game I'm in. There's just something about having those Mictlan slaves pile up around my half-dozen crossbowmen and then get driven off... then ambushing the main army with the ever-effective Black Knight horde. Sometimes I can tell where the AI will attack based on the attractiveness of the province and how much PD or other armies are currently there. Then I just send one of my big armies to cut them off. (I might be imagining too much, let me know if I am) I suppose we are playing different styles since you heavily use magic and archers; I took the Drain route so I could play with the Black Steel armies. The screwy strategy I started with is working nicely; I have a 2-Astral, 7-Blood Blood Fountain, and quickly found those red Amazons that can use Blood magic. I found out soon that my high Order scales allowed me to hunt for slaves without affecting my Unrest too much, and I'm having fun unleashing various devils and fallen angels.

It's wise to stick with a strategy that sounds reasonable from the beginning, but make sure to take opportunities when they arrive. I know I got lucky finding that Amazon tribe, and the game would have gone differently if I hadn't. That's what's awesome about this game; you don't have to play it the same every time, and the game continually urges you to try new things depending on what you discover in the first dozen turns.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

ulm+gift of reason+fully tooled up seige golem (or 5)nuff said. and i reallydo enjoy the forge of ancients with ulm and it also suits them( for mictain killing get something with high health and reasonable protection then give it a main gauche ( or summit or other 6def weapon ) a golden shield, a horror helmet,jade armour, winged shoes, ring of the warrior and lycan amulet( for non lifeless ) or something good for something like a golem.(or if you have the forge up try a few of anything tough ( even banelords work ) with the etheral robe thing/invunrability robe, winged shoes, horror helm, gate cleaver and miscs of your choice ( makes a gr8 SC hunter or if you can find something living give it a lycan amulet and watch it tear things up )

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Try setting up your pretender with 3 or 4 magic paths which are level 4 or higher. This will give your blessed troops bonuses in battle and allow you to search for magic sites. Higher province defense helps discourage the AI from attacking.

Now here's your main problem... troops bought from castles require a gold upkeep. Troops which are summoned from spells usually cost nothing... thus more gold allows for more mages which gives magic sites and more finished research which give more summoned troops. By turn 35/40 you should be leading all the AIs on research.

If used right the trogolodytes can be great... just make sure the enemy archers aren't shooting at them during the start of battle. Woodsmen?? If you're talking about the archers which are available in provinces with druids these fellas are not that great. I recommend a 2/3 crossbow and 1/3 regular archer... longbowmen are good too. Also search for the archer types which cost the most resources... their armor(protection) will be better.

Only in the very beginning do I use castle-type troops unless I have a good blessing bonus... even then it's not my main army source. Learn spells like Pale Riders(D), Enliven Statues(E), Mechanical Men(E), Vine Ogres(N), Bind Fiend(B), Bind Devil(B), Winter Wolves(W), and I'm sure I missed some. Unlike the troops you buy these troops will never flee and are built much stronger and tougher than almost any unit bought... plus pound for pound they're good for the gems spent.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Having played Ulm quite a bit, I have a few remarks to give you.

1) Jotunheim is a really bad matchup for you. High Cold adds to your fatigue problem, and they have the Strength to blow right through your armor, and you can't kill them nearly as fast.

2) My recommendation for troops is fairly simple. Go with the 10G 24R Morningstar troop (NOT the Black Plate guy). Produce 5 or so a turn, and a set of like 30 of these guys can typically eat through most provinces... 60 can chew through lots of stuff.

3) Watch out for any kind of magic issue. Your resistance is pathetic.

4) Master Smiths are immune to the Drain Scale, so get 120 extra points by maxing that out. I would recommend Order 1/2, Production 2/3, and Drain 3, at the very least. If you can get Order 2, Prod 3, you can pump out troops rather quickly.

5) Mercenaries are excellent for early expansion, and a few of them can be excellent even late game. Use them.

6) Use good summons, and keep looking for sites. For Ulm, I would recommend researching Thaumaturgy 2 immediately (to be able to use Gnome Lore), and then working on Conjuration or Enchantment (depending on your Pretender).

Those are my first thoughts on how to build a game that is stacked in your favor. I personally avoid ever taking Turmoil or Unlucky, and only like taking Death as Ermor. And, yes, I agree that Soul Gate Ermor will typically cream the computers barring early mistakes or problems.

Wyatt

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

1.mercs. are good but you need the right ones
2.I do use summons! have you seen my thread tarraques?
3. I use mages quite alot and I do not play ulm that often usally its rley(something like this?) mictlan and tien ci
4.I know how to use these perfectly well but the comp. just smegs me!

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

if your playing as ryleh go for maelstrom and arcane nexus if playing witheasy research and lots of sites and when you have around 20 or so mages crank out priests.

with that maestrom running if your worried about getting crushed, summon loads of krakens/sea trolls or something like that.

if you like ryleh (which i do) then try playing as atlantisatlantis, their mages are very cheap for what they can do(try clamming with atlantis) and with maelstrom you can pump out troops like nobodys buisness (try getting the 3 water queens and then start kraken spamming, if i did my maths right with maelstrom and your main province you can really crank out underwater nastys(for atlantis i suggest a pretender with 6 water 5 nature and some earth and atleast 3 astral for dispel)

atlantis are really underestimated and with those big preiests spread around and focused in your capitol its hard to get dominion drained. and yes i do have an obsession with gem making globals(hugs gem making globals)

edited for reading purposes

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Whooh, I'm totally out of breath after reading that ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

probly my longest and most messy post yet (hugs self then stops and trows up, i feel sick 2day)

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

thnaks I 'll read it if I have the time!
note:this is not ment to be rude it is just that tou ut alot of detail in such a short space!

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Most mercs can be very useful if you know what to use them for... as an example, the 30gp Mutant merc group is perfect for Man... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif Use them as the expendable meat shield to keep the enemies off of your Longbowmen and rip the guys to shreds...

Tarrasques are, by any normal thought process, a late-game summon. Better investments are the unbreakable wall of Vine Ogres (which you can start getting _very_ early if you have good Nature Magic) and the Elemental Kings/Queens.

Another strategy that is almost fool-proof, imo, is to play any country with good Nature gems and Nature mages and play a N9 or N10 Naga, get Haruspex, then blitz for Summon Lamia. The Naga will get something on the order of 10-12 Lamia per summoning, and they are very solid wall troops against most enemies. An army of 50 of those (4-5 turn investment) will kill most enemy armies up to twice their size (conservatively).

If I have time tonight, I'll spend more time on other strategies. Enjoy,

Wyatt

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

that would work pretty good with a carrion woods pangea and then some little manakins could join in as well

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

hi there
i bought the game a week ago and haven't won a sp game either.today i thought i would win, but got stomped by t'ien ch'i armies (i had marignon and my pretender was a blood fountain). their abominations blasted their way through my men. maybe some of you could tell me how to stop them ?

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

well you could try hordes of cheap things( cross breeding) or if you could summon some nature mages with charm thats how i deal with big beasties, could you tell me more about this game in a PM? dont wana make this too off topic

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

If you are against big things with low magic resistance, many of the Astral spells in Thaumaturgy should work. Paralyze slows them down, Soul Slay is heavyweight option and Enslave Mind would be awesome...

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

endoperez! you a lieutenant colonel now!

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

inslave mind works just aswell but i just mentioned it because its my eater of the dead control team :p. i cant resist the big regenerating blob so a bunch of charmers + meatshields lets him keep his gift of reason

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Pity, I'd prefer King of Men's Fates, or even Lord of Fires of the Earth. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

if only..... if only.......... but with sp as has been said you REALLY have to make a good strategy before game ( if you like nature try vine ogre spammage with ivy kings and your favourites, tarrasqes

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

ok, the lamia strategy rocks, i just tried it woth a naga pretender with 10 nature and nothing else and won really fast. do a rich world with easy research and indy str 9 with carrion woods pangea ( 10 nature a turn )

then make mages and only mages, no troops and with those mages summon carrion lords and with all these rush for alteration 5 for mother oak.

then rush all your researchers for lamias (conjuration) and as soon as you can get them crank them out ( if your low on money then A:do alchemy or B:use carrion lords reanimate and send 1 out to conquer ) your 10 nature naga will get 13, yes 13! lamias a turn.

load the naga up full of lamias then rush for the enemy who in my game only had 4 provinces when i got their. when i had finished them off ( around 7 turns later ) i had fairy trod ready and teleported into my other enemy and crushed them.

all the while i was making more lamias and at the end of the game i was about to get tarrasques. overall if you wana crush enemys quick try this but money can be a problem and ofcourse you could research lamias b4 mother oak but thats just personal preference.

incase you were wondering i was playing on urgaia vrs machaka and mictain

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

(70%)Most mercs are worth buying
Earlier you wrote : High_Priest_Naresh said:
I rely heavily on national troops(the ones you can only build at forts...)
Now if that's true then you're not using enough summons.

Focus less on buying national troops... buy the mercs and get those summons.

Try playing larger maps(250+ provinces) with fewer opponents... it will give you more time to build your defenses.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

okay thanks but at the moment I staying away from sp games mp games are good
"calling all players"

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

Yeah right - and now try it with a poor or normal world and difficult or very difficult research .... there's not a lot of point playing SP if you're going to make it so easy.

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

1: im new
2: i suck

Re: I have never won a sp game...
 

1: im new
2: i suck
3: i was only seeing if it works