Newbie game 2 [Started]
 

I'm really loving the Newbie game hosted by Sheap. That's the reason I wish to host another one.
A few things I wish to concretize beforehand:

• It will be an early age game.
• You must consider yourself a newbie in Dominions 3.
• You must not use heavy Bless strategy if you are using Niefelheim, Vanheim, Helheim or Mictlan. Anyone reported and found to violate this rule will be set to AI with master password.
• It will be 24h quickhost.
• All settings will be default, except the hall of fame, that will be set to 15.
• All players must set a password.
• The map will be decided after I we know how many are interested in joining.

Any ideas? I think I will make it PBEM, or better uploading the files to my server, so the players could download. This will keep the mailboxes clean. And I will write in here when a new turn is generated. Or if someone would help me, like hosting on a server... That would be the best. Please be patient with me, since this will be my very first D3 hosting.

[I would like to play Abysia, and I will not use heavy bless strategy with Burning Ones. - Since we will start 3.00 Burning One bless is not possible, since those poor burning guys got a huge fatigue due a bug.]

Nations and leaders:
Abysia - WSzaboPeter
Agartha - Zebion
Caelum - Shovah32
C'tissssss - RamsHead
Ermor - Saarud
Kailasa - Zrave
Pangaea - Foodstamp
Ryleh - Potatoman
Sauromatia - LeSquide
Ulm - Havis
Tien Chi - Faj
Atlantis - CharonJr

Substitutes:
1. Kydorias <-- if you wish you can join in AdrianP's place.
2. Hako
3. YellowCactus
4. Mind Elemental
5. <font color="#666666">Open</font>


Any ideas for the map? Anyone? I think AomOrc 3.00 by Ballbarian would be a great choice... Any o ther suggestion?

Sheap offered to host the game on his server. Thanks a lot.

Server details: ip: 66.171.171.25 port: 2002
Shortcut: dom3.exe -C --ipadr 66.171.171.25 --port 2002 --nocredits --nonationsel

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Hi, I'm interested in playing, with Kailasa if possible.

How many players are expected?

Can you be more specific on the "heavy bless" rule? Does that mean 2 or more level 9 blesses, or just a lot of bonus in total?

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I am interested in joining. This would be my second MP dominions game.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I am interested in playing. This is not VPs right?

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I am interested, I would like to play Pangaea please.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

If im allowed in (im in the other newbie game so...) i would like caelum please.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Hey i would like to play too...im playing another MP game and have done only one blitz before this...im still undecided on the nation to choose

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Ssssign me up for C'tissssss.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I would like to play with Sauromatia.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

i would like to play Ulm

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Im a newbie indeed! Also I am really bad at this game and desperate need training against real humans.

I'd like to try out Abysia.

edit
Dang... you already claimed Abysia... hmm then I'd like Ermor instead.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Also at what point is a bless strategy counted as heavy? Is it at two 9 ratings or what is people considering heavy?

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

well a dual van/hel would be heavy but e9n4 niefelheim would probably be considered heavy (they are giants i guess http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif)

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I guess I'll take Ryleh.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Give me argathia please.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I would like to take arco

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Well I'm new to Dominion (1, 2 or 3), kinda hard to know what is considered heavy. I'm surprised that gamebalance isn't better but perhaps the balance for Dom3 is balanced to bigger maps where good scale becomes more important?

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

First of all, we play to have fun. I assume, that everyone can judge what is heavy/abuseing bless and what is not. If Van playes W9F9, that that is very heavy bless, and will not be allowed. In the other hand W9B4 for Mictland is more acceptable I think. Long story short: please use common sense in pretender creation.

No, it is not, but if many players with VP, then VP shall be.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

That's just going to lead to arguments down the line. Someone will play something that someone else thinks is too heavy. Better to nail it down at the start.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

If you still got that slot I would be interested http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

CharonJr

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Closed, all seats are taken. Thanks a lot.
Now I'm thinking on the map. Any suggestions?

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

If you like I will host the game for you, hopefully there will not be any more power failures. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Shucks, this one filled up fast! Oh well, if someone disappears or decides they need to bow out then please consider me as a sub!

This would be my 3rd MP game although the other two are both in the early turns for the most part. So I'm certainly no veteran.

--Kydorias

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Sheap, thanks a lot, that would be more than wonderfull... And if you wish to take part in it, in your special case (you are the host after all) I can make room for a 14th player. Please pick your race fast then. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I recommend the patch/mod situation be nailed down right away. Illwinter should soon release the 3.02 patch fixing the serious doom horror bug in 3.01. I therefore recommend the game either be started with 3.02 once it is available, or started with 3.00 and upgraded to 3.02. Based on past experiences with trying to fiddle around with mods to fix the 3.01 bug I think that path should just be avoided.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Okey, point taken, we will start with vanilla 3.00 and then upgrade to 3.02. Thanks again.
But Sheap, would you like to choose a nation and play? Thanks.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Thank you, but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to play in a newbie game... I'm not a newbie, after all. (I am playing in the other but since I started with such a disadvantage I think that makes up for it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif ) I may try to get an open-to-all game going in a week or so after the holiday.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Okey Sheap, I will contact you as soon as all the settings (specially maps) will be clear. Thanks for the host again, it's really appreciated.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Put me down for Tien Chi

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

This game is closed already. Too bad. Otherwise I would say I would play as Mictlan.

I don't like the rule of saying some nations can use heavy bless and some cannot.It is to hard to quantify. And it would make god creation for all nations less fun. How about instead a rule is made where every nation must take an awake pretender. Or else the game is played on a medium or large map, where bless vs non bless evens out.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Someone start Newbie 3. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Hmm, since we need another water nation you can put me down as Atlantis http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

CharonJr

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Okey, since Sheap offered to host, but he is busy right now the starting/uploading will be delayed until he cames back.
If noone has a better idea, please take a look at the map mentioned in the first post, and try to make good pretenders.
Sincs noone chosed Mictlan or one of the Heims, there are no limitations in pretender creation.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Hmm, bit land heavy for 2 (or more like 2.5) water nations IMO (about 22 land provinces per player, but "only" 13 water provinces per player).

Since water nations generally have an easier time moving to land than land nations moving into the water I have no idea if this really is an issue or just looks like one.

Any ideas ?

CharonJr

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Indeed, but if you take a closer look on the map you will see that the two water nations are separated by a huge landmass and very unlikely to confront each other, so if you are a water nation you will be theoretically unharmed for the first half of the game in those 13 water provinces, while the war will rage in the land.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I would suggest a random map, to allow re-naming, and to ban high bless rushes for all nations rather than just for the few mentioned.

Many nations have great blessables for which a high bless strategy is still incredibly powerful- TC, Pangaea, Ulm, Agartha and Abysia, for instance.
Re-naming is just fun. How else am I going to work the A-Team into Dominions 3?
The pseudo 3d style of that map appears very strange to me. I prefer the visual style of the random maps or silent seas more, but that's just me.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Excuse the noob question, but how the map and the blessing thing are related? Thank you

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

If there are few provinces per player then some-one with a powerful bless can quickly reach another nation and destroy them before they create any sort of counter-measure.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Then again with Abysia I will not play high bless, and it is not possible in 3.00 since the Burning Ones are bugged (fatigue bug). Silent Seas is good too. If more people would love that we could run on that, so let's agree on something before the host returns home.
If there are more people who think high bless should be banned for all nations, please write, we could ban high bless then with excludeing inprisoned pretenders.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I don't think there should be any house rules like that. I don't think anyone is going to waste their time, using high-bless to beat down on some noobs.

I think if someone goes for highbless, they run the risks of being ganged up on. I think everything eventually evens out.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

If we get a map of about 20 provinces/player then high bless lose some value. If you guys don't mind more houserules then a rule could say that it's not allowed to attack any nonindependent owned province for the first year or perhaps the first year and a half when the message about the awaking pretenders is announced.

Playing high bless is fun with some nation unless a someone is using it's to blitz and eliminate someone early.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

The last noobie game proved otherwise.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I have to agree with foodstamp here.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I'm going to disagree about going unpatched. I think the fixed problems, like the transport spells, beat out the HoH problem.

Couldn't we just do the Light Infantry mod or something?

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

If we use a mod, we need to use it in all the game, but patch 1.02 is very close.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

Is there a way to get the game back to 3.00 without reinstalling?

If not, what files do I need to save to keep my saved gods, etc?

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I'm very much against going back to 3.00. The travel spells are neat, durn it, and the host of other oddities fixed are worth the occasional HoH visit.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

LI mod is the road to madness. In the other game I hosted it took more than a week to get it all worked out and a lot of work for everyone, especially me (the game was delayed more than a week, I had to restart the game twice, and the thread ran to 10 pages before a turn was actually played). The practical options are 3.00 or wait for 3.02. There are few improvements in 3.01 that affect the early part of the game (only Abysia's sacred units), but the Doom Horror can come and eat your prophet on turn 2 or 3.

I personally expect 3.02 to be out within 2 weeks, maybe 1 week. By the time anyone is ready to actually cast one of those travel spells, they'll be working. In fact, 3.02 might even come out before the game is even naturally ready to start, making the whole question moot.

If you do not have 3.00 still installed, you can play with 3.01. Your battle replays will not exactly match what actually happened, it is usually close, but not always. But only the replays are affected, the map position is always correct. Or, you can reinstall. It is possible to have 3.00 and 3.01 both installed at once in different directories. Unfortunately there is no "reverse patch" process. It's rare that a patch is broken as badly as 3.01, usually everyone just upgrades and things get better, not worse.

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

I thought it was cause it took forever for someone to actually put up a server

Re: Newbie game 2 [Open]
 

No, it only took me one day to put up the server, it took much longer for people to agree on which mod to use and how to install it.