Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

This mod add Machaka Spider Cult as the nation 77 for Early Age.

The nation mostly use the sprites of MA Machaka (and the flag from the Streamers and Standard mod) but is in fact very different. Machaka Spider Cult has mage-priests instead of the 3 priestly orders and the sorcerers/black sorcerers, including a very powerful shapeshifting king and the anansais, priestresses able to take a spider form when wounded (who are also the best spies and mages of the nation -and the only good researchers-).

To resume...

Weaknesses :
- the only heavy infantries (hoplites) cost 33 res and are capitol only ; all other non sacred troops have no armor
- most mages have a research malus except the capitol only anansais (but witch doctors are cheap) ; the griots need sloth to become good researchers
- fewer good mages
- weaker nature magic
- heavy initial prices for useful units (as most are sacred)

Strengths :
- 4 sacred units, 3 of them non-capitol only (all spider riders are sacred, and a size 1 sacred little spider has been added -showing why I prefer to use existing sprites http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif , I'll remake the sprites for the next version -)
- powerful and stealthy anansais
- an exceptionnal mage/priest, the king, and the nation starts with one (but he's more than bad in research and cost more than a little fort)
- more versatile magic (on anansais only)

v0.3 :
- research -5 for the king's spider form
- Fallen Anansai shapechanged back to Black Sorceress, fixed

v0.4 :
- made many changes after testing the nation in endgame (new anansai and king's picks, cost of the king changed, added a new mage the griot...)
- added pretenders (including Endo's Anansi, some Machaka ME gods and 2 new ones)
- tried to make the grey spider sprites nicer but it's not a real success http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/stupid.gif

v1.1 (probably definitive except if there are bugs) :

Compatible patch 3.04.

Nation number changed (now 77), secondshapes fixed.

2 dm files are included :

"Machaka Spider Cult" (machakaspidercult.dm)
- many minor balance fixes (+/- to units costs or stats)
- the machaka scout is now a cheap but weak assassin
- added some heroes

"Machaka Spider Cult without King" (machakaspidercult_withoutking.dm)
- same changes except :
- the kingdom start with a normal commander instead of the King
- King's cost lowered

nation ID 77
unit ID used 2650-2683 + 2991-2992 (Anansi pretender)
armor ID 398
sites ID 800-801

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Only started playing but noticed one problem, the king seems to have lost his negative research by shape changing.

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Edited, thanks Shovah.

(added research -5 to the spider form 2661)

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Also i think the king could use a reduction to 800 gold. niefel jarls and dai oni for example are only 500, have far better stats, better research and 3 or so (iirc) less magic paths. (sure you can bump up the kings stats with a shape change but the magic ability and slot loss means its not really worth it imo).

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

I would've suggested incorporating my Anansi pretender mod in, but you seem to have added your own version of the tricksters already http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

I've re-edited the mod, fallen Anansai shapechanged back to Black Sorceress after being in spider form.

@Endo : Yes of course the Anansi pretender was my first inspiration.

@Shovah : In fact my first intention was to make the king unique but recruitable if killed, but there is no #unique command, so I've given him a very high price, can't say if he worth it, starting with levels >4 (up to 6) in a path is invaluable when you can use rituals but not that useful before. Finally I'm perhaps going to make kings heroes, except the one given at start (Machaka desserves a king as first prophet anyway), and perhaps add princes with lower magic and a far lower cost or another kind of mages.

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Here's the current workaround:

#copystats and #copyspr a pretender you want to add to your nation. Then give that copy of the original pretender a nice #restrictedgod 68. That will make a duplicate of an already existing god that only works for the nation you want.

Eats through unit IDs fast, but it does give nations the correct feel.

-Frank

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

My first test being finished I've made the following changes :

- made the grey spiders better (13 def instead of 7, catching a running little spider isn't easy ; they remain crappy against missiles and ae spells)
- suppressed the air random on anansais to reduce the number of cross path items they can forge (and make them a little less powerful, mistformed spiders with fire shield and invulnerability in addition to a bless and eventually water/nature buffs were a little too good)
- kings now cost 750 gold but 300 ressources, to represent the ceremonies for their crowning which paralyze the nation ; I've also changed their picks, giving them nature 2 instead of the 50% random and 1 of their earth levels (note : the display of remaining ressources is buggy when you give a so huge res cost to a commander, but the creation works properly)
- added the griot as a new commander recruitable everywhere. Griots are storytellers using some illusion cantrips to illustrate their sagas. They have a standard capacity and air 1 (+10% of +1 air/nature). They also have a research bonus in sloth dominion like a philosopher

The new cost of the kings coupled with the griot bonus gives an interesting strategic choice to the nation. Without production in most cases to recruit a king will mean recruiting no other capitol only mage during 2/3 turns. Without sloth, griots are not better than witch doctors for research and have weaker magic for the same price (but may still be useful mages as they are the only ones with an access to air) ; with sloth 3 they become very good researchers for their price.

I've also added pretenders including a lich version of the machakan king and a legendary griot (rainbow human mage with dom 3 as many machakan believe that the First Storyteller has invented the world with his words).

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Im running a rainbow (3 in all other than blood) griot with order 3 sloth 3 misfortune 2 magic 3, suddenly my 80 gold non-capitol only griots have a research ability of 8 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

I don't even know what you're doing here. I just ran a test game where I captured every land province adjacent to the Capitol and I had Order 3 AND Productivity 3, and I made 271 Resources.

Do you always play on 125% or 150% resources or something? Because a lot of us don't, and the King is by no means garanteed to ever be recruitable before you can cast Riches from Beneath.

Of course, in high resource games or just plan games where you happen to find a Great Iron Mine next to the capitol you could hire one every turn. It's not balanced at all.

Some Machaka positions will never be able to recruit this bad boy and other Machaka positions can crank 'em out.

I strongly suggest going back to the drawing board, because this version doesn't work on first principals.

-Frank

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

You do realise that if a commander goes over a provinces resource limit the game will just accumulate resources over several turns until he is made dont you?

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Perhaps I should make the griots capitol only or raise their price (they start with less reasearchbonus and an higher price than philosophers who can have 10rp for 50 gold, but philosophers are capitol only and useless out of research).

The King can be recruited in several turns (the display of remaining ressources is buggy, but you can recruit him even with 60 ressources on your capitol it will just take 5 turns). There may be an unbalance if a lucky player gets 300+ prod even with sloth, or can't have 300 with prod 3, but in most cases a prod 3 nation will have the 300 ressources and a sloth 3 far less.

PS : I've just realised I've given to the anansais two random 100 in addition to the 25% death instead of a 100 and a 10 , they are also too good for their cost but it was an error.

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Well seems pretty good for now, my only real problem now is there arent enough scripting slots for my kings who are very powerful and quite hard(turn 30 first one was ready) to create but amazing when ready(invunerability, strength of gaia, summon earthpower, soul vortex, fireshield, attack closest while equipped with faithful, blacksteel kite, horror helm, robe of shadows, earth boots, snake ring and amulet of resilience)

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

I've made 10 tests with sloth, 10 with prod 1 and 10 with prod 3 taking all provinces around the capitol on Parganos (map without special start locations)

With sloth 3 I had more than 300 ressources 1 time / 10, less than 150 2 times /10
With prod 1 I had more than 300 ressources 5 times / 10, 6/10 once prod 1 was on all provinces around the capitol , never less than 150
With prod 3 I had more than 300 ressources 6 times / 10, 8/10 once prod 3 was on all provinces (only 220 in one case but I had just 2 neighbours, 296 in the other)

Perhaps it's a little too random to use huge ressource costs on a map with fully random start (ressources are very dependant of a correct first province), but with balanced start locations (say 4+ neighbours including one forest or mountain) it works well.

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

New and probably last version.

Re: Nation : Machaka Spider Cult
 

Fixed the mod for dominions 3.04 (new nation number : 77).