Boiling the Ocean (Started, needs alternate?)
 

Hi!
I would like to run an Early Age, play by email, game with one turn running per 24 hours at first. Random nation assignment. 19 players with about 21 territories per player on a random map.

I am relatively new - I have played in 4 multiplayer games or so.

As you sign up, I will email you with the random nation you have been assigned. To sign up, please leave me a message on this thread.

Also a note, turns will generally run at midnight EST, earlier if all turns are in. I will send out the maps before you are expected to make your pretender.

If delays are needed in the game, thats arrangeable per my discretion. Some notice ahead of time is generally favored in terms of my discretion ;-)

19 players - No slots open

Players and Nations:

Seej Rlyeh
Tromper Marveni
Arghali Ermor
Nix Caelum
Sensori Vanheim
dead Arcoscephale
dead Ulm
Jazzepi Mictlan
AI Kailasa
dead Sauromatia
DrPraetorious Helheim
AI Oceania
dead Tien Chi
Digress C'tis
FrankTrollman Agartha
dead Pangaea
Wraithlord Abysia
dead Atlantis

There is a possibility that we will need an alternate player, if anyone would like to volunteer on standby, I would appreciate it. It is currently turn 8 in the game. To volunteer post to this forum or PM me through this forum.


- seej

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I can fit another one in (as I'm eliminated from others hehehe) - I think you and I started playing roughly about the same time and stuff, and random nations is the bestest.

Let me know.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Hey there. My e-mail is lnikolaidis@gmail.com.

I'll wait to hear from you.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'm in. My email is Vathmoth@gmail.com

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'd like to join.

You can reach me at elevatormusic9 at hotmail.com

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Well, guess I'll have to start somewhere, and I'm itching to play some Dominions (even if it's 3 this time 'round) after so many years. So I'd like to join, and my email is: kerjanso@hotmail.com

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

My first multi! I wanna play! I wanna play! juzzaman@hotmail.com is my email adress!

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'd like to join too!!! email is koningvandemambo@hotmail.com

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'd like to join. First PBEM form me!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
My email is carlos_h_ibanez@hotmail.com
Thanks and good luck!
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'd like to play Abysia.

Jazzepi@google.com

Jazzepi

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'm in.

coyoteocean@yahoo.co.uk

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'm in

herbaciousmeteor@hotmail.com

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Sure, I'll give it a shot (I PMed you the e-mail out of pointless spam paranoia.)

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Count me in

klmhq at gt dot rr dot com

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Sensori Vanheim
Juzza Vanheim ?

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

As much as I'm into cooperation, I think that's a bit too much. :-D

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Could I join. Will PM you with my contact details.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

May I suggest the following addendum to the .map file? It ensures a reasonable spacing of start positions.
I can also make the neighbours of these start sites site-rich and large, if you wish to use such a change.

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
-perl -f BalancedWater.pl 4 3 &lt; "Boiling the Ocean.map"
#start 374
#start 22
#start 35
#start 165
#start 137
#start 88
#start 239
-- sea start
#start 205
#start 122
#start 245
#start 23
#start 57
#start 190
#start 98
#start 142
#start 252
#start 288
#start 53
#start 286
-- sea start
#start 304
#start 340
#start 369
#start 346
#start 334
#start 355
-- found 25 start sites.
-- 269 is isolated from 25 start positions.
</pre><hr />

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'd like to play,. kazthefirst@yahoo.com I'll also trade someone for their Lanka position.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

K i'm playing Lanka and would have no problem trading nations as long as the other players think it's fair (we would be breaking the "random nations" spirit of the game).

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I would love to take Lanka from you. Sweet, sweet Lanka...

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'd just like to state that DrPraetorious changes to the map seem good to me.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Well, even though I guess you may think I'm sort of a buzzkill, I don't think it's fair. I don't play lots with EA Vanheim but I'm going to go with it anyway. If all the people were going to start switching to nations they're good with... It'd make the whole random spirit of the game meaningless, and turn it into a game where people have chosen their nashuns themselves.

Yes, I seriously doubt it'd end with just you guys switching.

Oh yeah, I noticed that at least normally the game won't let you have more than 9 starting provinces. Is there a way to get around it or are we going to use nine? Or do we start with 1 province as per usual and try to get our share of the 400 or so provinces? That's the "if" that will determine what kind of a Pretender at least I will use. The original post says, and I quote, "20 players with about 20 territories per player", so I'm a bit confused. :/

EDIT: And I second the post above. DrPraetorious's edits wouldn't hurt, would they?

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I think 20 provinces per player just means there's a total amount of 20 x # of players provinces. You start off with one prov but basically have 20 to expand into before you need to seriously deal with your neighbors.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

From everything I've read, Vanheim is even more overpowered than Lanka. So, I would be willing to trade for them too. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Carlosib, why do you want to trade away Lanka? They are a very strong nation.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of until I started overanalyzing things (this is never a good thing) and basically reading between the lines when there was nothing there... And then I started nitpicking in my head that some people might not manage to get 20 because of excessively strong indies next to them and blah blah blah unless they were given 20 at the start, and then, in the end, I managed to totally confuse myself.

And I don't think any nashun is excessively overpowered or anything, all tend to have their ups and downs. Some are really strong at the beginning while others equal and surpass them in other parts of the game. And... Helheim is more overpowered than Vanheim, they have Valkyries in EA! Valkyries own your pants off.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Ok, no nation trading then, lets keep it random. And I have nothing against Lanka, i've never played them so i'm yet to find their strong and weak points.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Ok, sounds good. I played Lanka in my last game, and was kicking myself the entire time for not taking a nature or earth blessing. They have some great holy units.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Quick Lanka advice:
Lanka is definitely a sacred rush position, so go for the big bless. You get natural 3s in Air, Death, Nature and Blood - so avoid air, death and blood on your God. You really want a nature blessing, and you'd like fire, earth astral and water if you can arrange it. Take Heat-3. You prefer Heat-2, but with Heat-3 a lot of your provinces will still be heat-2 most of the time, and you need the points.

Here are some possibilities:
Imprisoned Great Mother, E9N9, Order 3, Sloth 2, Heat 3, Misfortune 2, Magic 1, Domstr 6. Lankans with this blessing eat basically anything that gets in their way, and earth magic is great when she finally wakes up.

Imprisoned Mother of Rivers, W9N4, Order 3, Sloth 1, Heat 3, Magic 3, Domstr 7. Powerful blessing and great scales.

Dormant Great Enchantress, F4A1W4E3S4D1N4, Order 3, Sloth 1, Heat 3, Magic 1. Blessing is surprisingly effective, and you can summon water mages to *cast* quickness on your stuff. Strong diversifying magic, rapid research, good income. Best choice if you care about the late game more than early expansion.

Hope that was helpful. Anyone else playing a position with which they are not familiar? I've never played EA Vanheim so I can't be much help there.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Yes, I agree with keeping it random. No swaps.
Yes, I agree with the changes - do i just append that text into the map file?

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I've only played a couple MP games, so I'm unfamiliar with most random nations I get. I've never played Caelum, and I'm glad I ran a couple test SPs before starting this game - otherwise I would never have realized how quick those birdies get knocked down, even by low-level indies.

I do have a question about Orb Lightning. I've had it used against me by some indie Air mages and it looked pretty potent, but it seems to behave somewhat differently when I cast it. The indies threw separate lightning bolts that hit my troops in different spots, but my mage just gets one single batch of bolts that all hit the same area (sometimes even the same unit). It's a bit underwhelming - especially considering those indie mages had something like A2 or A3 and I'm casting it with an A9 pretender.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Oh yeah, since you're the maker of the PBEM, seej, just to make it 100% crystal clear for my hazed brain, this IS a 1 province start game, right?

Right?

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Is it fair to ask what the settings will be? Like magic sites and indys and what not?

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

May i suggest fairly low indies? I don't wanna spend most of the game hacking through indepents bit by bit to even reach other nations.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Are there still open slots for this one?- If so, would the game be hosted at a slower pace once it's past the starting phase?

If the answers are positive then I'd like to join please. thanks.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

EA Caelum:
Don't bother with your sacred units. Use Mammoths for early expansion but other players know how to counter them (or should,) and they burn money. Don't bother with the temple guards.

You naturally get 4 Air, and 1s in death, earth and water. So you get death, earth and water income from sites but can't spend it - so you want a death/earth/water God. As before, you prefer cold 2 but take cold 3. You're also a research starved nation, so you want a magic scale and an awake God.

Try an awake great sage, F1W3E4S3D2M1. with 3 Order, 1 Productivity, 3 Cold, 2 Misfortune and 1 Magic. He makes good money and 24 science per turn - you'll be tossing wind guides and arrow fends in no time.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I'd like to play If you still have a place. saturn95@o2.pl

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I could do with some Kailasa advice. Never played them, let alone MP before. Could be interesting...

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

OK this game is now full. Take heart, we have collectively defeated Yomi through the combined might of our randomness.

To answer the Wraithlord's question, yes, the game will slow down once we get bloated by our conquests.

As for other folks' questions, I was planning on keeping the game settings standard except for allowing commander name changes.

If there is massive out cry against that, well ill see what i can be persuaded to do.


Finally, I am sending out the maps to those of you who dont have it. If everyone could get me their pretender soon - prefereably by tonight at midnight. If not, the official pretender due date is 34 hours from now.

Good luck to you and your invalid gods.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Uh, oops, I only placed two water positions. In order to fit 3 I have to crowd them slightly. Best I can do on a map that isn't wraparound.

Try this arrangement instead. You do NOT need to send out new copies of the map file - players only need the rbg image to play.

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
#start 239
-- sea start
#start 286
-- sea start
#start 154
-- sea start
#start 374
#start 22
#start 97
#start 216
#start 207
#start 78
#start 121
#start 304
#start 36
#start 381
#start 400
#start 291
#start 224
#start 148
#start 134
#start 288
#start 42
</pre><hr />

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Kailasa is an interesting position. Your magic is devastating but takes a bit to get going, and you have no research boosting items. Thus, you need a magic domain. You have sacred troops which are very powerful but also hard to use. Sacred archers don't benefit from a lot of the blessings, and sacred+naked=you lose.

I wouldn't recommend over-investing in a blessing for Kailasa, you're probably better off with scales and diversifying magic, or with a supercombatant God.

Consider a dormant destroyer of worlds with 4F4A3D, 3 Order, 3 Sloth, 3 Growth, 3 Heat and 3 Magic. By the time he wakes up he's a force to be reckoned with, and he fills out your magic paths.

If you're very very worried about early expansion, try an awake wyrm with 4A4D, Dominion Strength 10, 3 Order, 3 Sloth, 3 Heat, 2 Misfortune, 1 Magic.

If you really *must* make heavy use of your sacreds, take an imprisoned Oracle, 9W9S4N, Order 3, Sloth 3, Heat 3, Misfortune 2, Magic 1. The WS double-blessing has a synergistic effect with Awe, such that you are actually tough in spite of having no PV, and the regeneration allows you to shrug off an occasional arrow hit without being crippled (you have enough hit points that you seldom actually *die* to enemy archery.) Even so, don't expect to get very far with these guys against other players.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Great http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif Thanks, Doc, I'll think on that.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Hey Doc, any hints for Oceania... I've never played a water nation... weeeeeeeeeeeeee

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

seej, how am I supposed to email you my pretender without your email address?

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Oceania likes to fester, which is going to be hard with both of the other water nations in your cage match of death.

Your best bet is to convince either Atlantis or R'lyeh to ally with you against the other - probably Atlantis. Everyone hates R'lyeh.

The Knight of the Deeps is weaker than the Living Pillar, costs more, and can't go on land. Not a joyous situation to be in. Costs relatively few resources, though. OTOH, you're not going to care about land for a while (you're going to be too busy turning the oceans red), and you can recruit the Knight at all forts, so maybe a strong bless would let you survive.

Assuming you do live, you get water magic coming out of your *ears*, and 1s in nature and the other elements. So you'd kinda like a nature/fire/earth/air god.

As a water position, you don't care much about temperature, so take 3 levels of it, whichever you feel like.

You could go the SC route: an awake Kraken with 4F4E4N, Order 3, Sloth 1, Cold or Heat 3, Misfortune 2, Magic 1, Domstr 6. Get enchantment: 2 and alteration: 2 quickly, and your God can hold off essentially any force, at least inside your dominion - he casts personal regeneration and stoneskin and then eats everyone.

You could go the strong bless route: Imprisoned Lord of the Waves with 9W9E, Order 3, Sloth 3, Cold or Heat 3, Misfortune 2, Magic 1, Domstr 8.

Good luck.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

So, score graphs are going to be on?

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I sent a second Pretender now, seej. Sorry about this, but I was convinced that my old ways (from Dominions 1) aren't exactly the best in this game anymore. ;p

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I have sent you the maps from my email address. If you have not received those maps, please let me know.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

Yes, I was planning on leaving graphs turned on.

Re: Boiling the Ocean (Organizing)
 

I haven't gotten a map, my email again is juzzaman1991@hotmail.com oops, think I left off the 1991 on my first post