Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

I've pretty much played-out my ULM mood in my recent game. I'm looking at the various nations now and looking for someone who is more like ULM's opposite. I don't care which age, but someone who feels completely different from ULM. In my head, that means vastly more reliant on magic than the army, and not so focussed on magic items (someone who does construction as the low-priority research).

Just curious, who do you guy's think is ULM's opposite?

-Jeff

P.S. Note I am completely avoiding the balance issue here. I'm talking about flavor.

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

I'd say EA R'lyeh. The logistics and play style of the two races are about as far apart as it is possible to get, IMO.

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

So, if Ulm's opposite=crap troops + great magic, how about LA Ermor?

In the Middle Era...Shinuyama? They have weak troops (along with some better but expensive ones that are difficult to recruit in mass) and nice magery potential.

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

Oh, but not the water races. Me no likey the water. :-)

-Jeff

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

I'd say the different Caelums? Apart from having strong magic, they also have great mobility, which is something else that's totally different from the way Ulm plays.

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

I can second Shinyama. It's a nation that really makes you think. I'll give you a hint, thought.

Darkness: research it, love it, use it.

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

Ulm: slow units, heavy infantry and cavalry, arbalests as only missile troops, only one mage, construction/evocation based research with some buff/debuff possibilities

Pangaea has Centaurs (good cavalry), Satyr infantry (light, fast, stealthy), satyr hoplites (decent, slower); you can choose between Panii and the Dryads, and Nature gives some interesting choices. If you take a Death pretender, or Late Age Pan, you'd also get the national undead summons and mandragora reanimation.

Caelum, as mentioned. Mammoths, flying archers, the well-armored fliers are hard to use well, very good, mobile mages.

Perhaps MA Tien Chi, if you play with the newest patch. They got a bunch of mapmove 2 infantry, they already had good archers, and they have LOTS of different mages. Acid evocations and lots of other fun stuff.

Mictlan.
 

Mictlan. Moreso EA or LA.

Normally played with a high bless (not sure how well a scalemonster build would work -- not Mictlan's forte, I suspect), and with mandatory blood magic providing nasty summons. Items are still nice, but power will come from the summons.

Bless strats are a bit rare for Ulm, but with Mictlan, it might actually be reasonable to go berserk with F9W9 Jaguar Warriors, trying to grow your empire while not over-expanding your horribly unpleasant dominion.

Re: Mictlan.
 

I will also nominate Shinyama. Great magic paths, but I do not like the troops at all.

Re: Mictlan.
 

Yeah, I tried several times to play Shinu, twas a disaster, the AI did not let me enougth research time, and crushed my non-shielded army.
Must try again, with darkness spell.
True it plays VERY different than Ulm.

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

Have you tried LA Rlyeh though? It's insane fun!

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

Shinuyama has the mightiest army and mages I have ever seen.

They have fully armoured stealth units.
They have stealth mages.
They have assassins.

They have a mage with Fire, Earth, and Death. And it's a demon so all the path craziness doesn't make it die of old age.

When used properly, Diplomacy is the only defense.

Re: Need ULM\'s opposite. :-)
 

Thanks all. Shinu looks like what I'm asking for - very, very different from ULM.

On a tangent, the reason I don't like the water races is not due to the individuals, but flavor and game-flow. For flavor, I personally like my seas empty, with ships sailing over them, because I like sailing ships (Master and Commander, anybody?<g>). For game-flow, I think water races encourage turtles, which just slows down the game.

I know that a lot of this game is written around walking around on the bottom of the ocean, but for my SP games I prefer to leave that part out.

-Jeff