POLL: Nation Preferences
 

The purpose of this post is to discuss the various preferences people have when choosing nations. I am trying to be as unbiased as possible when asking the questions.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Lots of polls lately. Good to see all stock nations in this one.

Early I like R'Lyeh the most, although Yomi is a close second. The aboleth empire concept is one of my favorites, even with some of the problems they have, I usually do decently with them as well. Marverni I voted as weakest. Between my experiences in games with them and the general vibe from the boards, they come off as trobuled.

Middle I again like R'Lyeh the most. H.P. Lovecraft monsters and lots of amphibious units? Yes, please. Weakest in MA is rather hotly contested, but I have to go with Ulm.

Late I like Agartha, Ktonian dead the most. The changes from middle to late are significant and the loss of some amphibious units is mitigated by the addition of crossbows and other nice units. LA R'Lyeh is fun, but the random behavior of my commanders was giving me fits. I voted for Abysia as weakest again due to my experiences and general thoughts on the board.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I cant answer, it really depends on my mood. Do I want to play a bless rush? To I want to play Magic Heavy? do I want to play good scales? I dont even think I play one nation more than the others.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

The question reads like this....

What Early Era Nation do you play with the "MOST" and why?... The nation that you use most regardless of mood. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

This poll will cause many lots of tons of talking, with people making complicated maths to explain things. My head is already painful.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

LoL thats what the forums are all about http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

in the early era I play ulm or marverni, despite the fact that they are the weakest, because Iwant them to work, Ireally do.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I'm astonished that Helheim has gotten no votes yet.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I personally think that me caelum is rather weak, but ulm is even worse. ME caelum has only two redeeming qualities- elephants, and mobility. Their mainline troops are even worse than ulm's, apart from that.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Thunderstrike? High Seraphs are pretty damn dangerous.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Whats so good abour Early Era Lanka?

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Everything.

As a rule you can't go wrong with demonic monkies.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

lol

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

But unvaried. And most other nations can spam their own powerful evocations, often for less money.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Seraphs can become gods if you Wish for power a couple of times. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Of course Lanka is the best early nation, Ravana has 10 heads and 20 arms, the Chandrahas moon blade and the biggest harem you've ever seen.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

People seem to think that Lanka is some kind of super nation, even though they've only ever won one Multiplay game, and that was a Newbie game. Heck, in just about every other MP game I've played they don't even make it to the midgame.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Lanka has the best late-game of any nation, IMO, and should have a very powerful early game, if played well. Their middle game isn't terrible, especially if played carefully.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Heh. The Multiplay scores don't agree.

Sure, the "Victorious Nations/Hall of Fame" scores aren't a truly representative sample, but I've never even heard of someone winning a MP game with Lanka (other than me in a single Newbie game).

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

The multiplayer scores aren't a very good sample, either. Especially since Lanka hasn't been around as many of the other nations.

One thing about this game is that nations seen as strong get ganged up on, so their performance is hurt. But seen equally, lanka has a number of strengths over its opponents.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Is it their poor late-game magic, small numbers of expensive troops that die easily to magic, or their complete and utter dependence on province-destroying Blood Magic? Or is it that a person with a modest Pretender and decent research can summon better mages than they can ever make?

They have a great early game, but they just don't compete against a nation that has even a little research under their belt in either summoning or battle magic.

As someone who has played them a lot in both MP and
SP, I can vouch for that. Forgive me if this is rude, but most people who think Lanka is great are armchair quarterbacks who have played a game or two in SP on small maps and never had to deal with the problems of playing Lanka's late game against more than four players (human or otherwise).

I might be missing some killer late-game app, but for my money most EA nations are better than Lanka past turn 30.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I tend to like Agartha EA. They can't hit an elephant in a corridor, but they have nice summons. I like the fire gnomes, earth elementals and umbrals a lot. Umbrals in particular.

MA is more mixed. I voted Arco though I play many and Pythium comes near too.

LA I like Atlantis a lot. It may not be powerful but it's easy to figure out. Death magic. Make everyone else age and die of old age. Probably not worth much in MP, though.

Marverni is definitely my worst. I played it once in a thematic MP game and it is the worst nation I ever played with. Ulm MA is weak too in the end game.

As for Lanka, I don't think it' that strong. I once tested a Kailasa vs Lanka 'Ramayana' game myself vs myself and the hyper strong demons just got banished (and otherwise killed) away by Kailasa's mage priests. I may have played it badly, but its mages and troops are probably far too expensive for an empire to produce as many mages as your opponents and the end game is not that easy because of that. Sure, they have nice summons, but it's not enough.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I don't understand why Late ulm had so many votes for weakest.Do you have a problem with persons drenching their thirst with the blood of...hurm, no nothin' to say..
As for Lanka, I think that a wise player should go for the less rapid, but more reliable Kala-Mukha.
They have a good access to many paths.
Their only pbm is the fact everyone knows they are powerful, and that having 9F/9W on your god doesn't make for a great late game.(but maybe some people tried without?)
A big pbm with demons/undead is that by playing with a lot of them, you make your ennemy rentabilize is priests.(who are quite useless on the battlefield,apart from bless).I can imagine a ctis player would laugth a lot against a demon/undead storm.
As a rule of thumb, when you discover a good combo in this game, be prepared to the counter a 'minor' civ might have.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I am right there with you. Marverni+ MP = suck.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I didnt bother mentioning it this time to avoid the usual slam but....
Again, the poll says nothing about the type of game. The questions are such as "What Early Era Nation do you play with the most and why?". With more SPers than MPers in general, you cant take for granted that the choice was made for trying to win a multiplayer game. The poll-creator might have made it that way but we cant be sure people answered that way.

Maverni is a great theme. And Lanka is fun to play.

Just a possibility.
Gandalf Parker

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Lanka is a great nation. I can't understand why K is saying its not. He has played them and played them well. His EA Lanka position in Perpetuality was simply awesome.

Lanka has a good early game due to good bless troops, reanimation and powerful air magic.

Late game you have blood/death/nature (for Gift of Reason) magic to power yourself victory.

Its a strong nation without being completely over the top like Helheim used to be.

Perhaps he is scared Illwinter will get out there evil, evil nerf stick again and spoil all our fun?

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

I agree fully. I love the theme. I would just never take them again in MP.

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Sorry, but I'm feeling belligerent right now:

What is it with you and this comment? Isn't it fairly clear in the question - which nation do you play the MOST! I think I'm echoing someone else here, but uhhh, doesn't most mean, with greatest frequency over a broad sample? Not, like, which nation do you play the most when you feel like stomping the computer in Early Era and can choose only from Hellheim and Lanka?

It's not that your point isn't valid - it'd be nice to see a poll or two with some more specific questions, but it'd also be nice not to have to read you griping and complaining about it all the time. If it bothers you that much, you can always create polls of your own. You have more posts than me by a factor of, like 40, and _I_ managed to figure it out. Really, it's not that difficult. I'd even vote, unless it was _really_ whacky.

/Belligerance off

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

RIGHT!

So it means that most of the answers are solo answers. With so many sales and so few people here then most players are solo. Even the MPers mostly play solo games.

If someone wants to add a note about how it rates in an MP game then that is just side comenting to a thot that is off question.
Where is Somber when we need him?

Re: POLL: Nation Preferences
 

Who is Somber?