Top 5 Time Waster
 

What are your top 5 time wasters that you do during a turn of dominions 3? They should be things that require no decision making and are purely routine. I'd love to hear from people.

1. Checking each remote site searching casting, and then looking up the province if there's a hit with F1.

2. Setting a group of commanders to recast the same ritual spells that they were last round. This happens a lot when I'm ritual casting cheap summons (vine ogres) or

3. Constantly toggling the research function to maximize my research output. This gets really, really bad when you're trying to research 3-4 things at a time. The research bar desperately needs a "lock" function, and the ability to type in points.

4. Setting new commanders to research.

5. Shuttling around freshly recruited troops.

The first three have easy fixes. 1. Change the "goto" from the commander casting the spell, to the province it was cast on. 2. Calculate gem income before deciding if a mage has enough gems to recast a spell. 3. Add some simple controls.

Jazzepi

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

You forgot some big things:

- monthly forging, huh
- making sure you didn't throw any items away [no longer needed]
- transporting blood slaves
- counting forge orders and free space in the lab
- scripting big armies and fight just 1 PD later

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

I didn't forget anything. I mentioned the top 5 for me ;P

Jazzepi

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

1. Shuffling around items and other gear, just to get that +1 RP exactly right for a path booster you don't need for forging anymore.
2. Finding a (new) use for every mage you have, every turn - forge, cast ritual spell or research.
3. Spending the last penny of gold that you have in the best possible way - recruiting commanders, building temples or labs, mercs, or maybe even some troops.
4. Diplomacy talk.
5. Managing who attacks where and in what order, shuffling around scouts.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

1. Checking on site searchers, priests and spies.
2. Tinkering with mages - setting new missions for them.
3. Moving around equipment to new individuals for tasks at hand.
4. Recruiting and getting forces to the front or where needed.
5. Consolodating and creating armies.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

1.THE BIGGEST TIME WASTER, clams, blood stones, fever fetish!
2.THE BIGGEST TIME WASTER, clams, blood stones, fever fetish!
3.THE BIGGEST TIME WASTER, clams, blood stones, fever fetish!
4.THE BIGGEST TIME WASTER, clams, blood stones, fever fetish!
5.THE BIGGEST TIME WASTER, clams, blood stones, fever fetish!

Why isn't there an order like shift+something to transfer gems like there is for slaves???

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

Hmmm... inbetween turns you mean?

1: read a book
2: browse the internets
3: play Heretic
4: play XEvil.
5: study gynecology. (bawww... exam in two weeks

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

well at the very least, there is the "pool" button on the magic screen. without that it would be SO agravating

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

Isn't there Shift+M command? I wish there was the same for forging...

The bad thing is you may pool the gems you intended to give to a certain caster and notice it next turn in battle report. Ouch!

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

Ahh pool...
Yes, the best way to wreck your game with taken off the gems from your commanders, and possibly your S9B6 pretender who has returning cast because you put up 999 blood slaves AC when you cast wish. grrrrr:mad:

I ain't falling for that again...

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

5: Moving Freespawn.
Such a pain, I'm starting to dislike having freespawn. Would dislike it more, but it's the alternative to...
4: Recruiting Indy Squads
Order and Productivity mean surplus cash. Surplus cash should be used. Easiest, quickest-return use is to spend all your resources... which means the same itty bitty armies in half a dozen places; except you need to pay for them.
3: Site Searching
Why do they insist on casting Gnome Lore into the seas? No! Don't do that! I have a perfectly good mage casting Voice of Tiamat already! Argh!
2: Research Adjusting
69 RP left on Thaum... so I can put the rest into Conjuration. Wait, got another researcher. Adjust the scales. Wait, I've got the gems to throw down that global now; my Pretender needs to take that. Adjust the scales. Wait, I missed some site searching; take three more mages off research. Adjust the scales. Eh, short on RP now? Take that guy off forging, the trinket can wait. Adjust the scales. Short a point? Hmm... maybe I can find a wimpier caster somewhere to take over that ritual, save a better mage for research. Check F1 again.
1: Default Formations
Archers in the top corner to shoot archers. Grunts in the front to attack closest. Cavalry in the bottom corner to attack rear. Wizard in the back to cast spells. Archers in the top corner to shoot archers. Grunts in the front to attack closest. Cavalry in the bottom corner to attack rear. Wizard in the back to cast spells. Archers in the top corner to shoot archers. Grunts in the front to attack closest. Cavalry in the bottom corner to attack rear. Wizard in the back to cast spells. Archers in the top corner to shoot archers. Grunts in the front to attack closest. Cavalry in the bottom corner to attack rear. Wizard in the back to cast spells.

The same basic setup every time, except when it needs changing. Clicky clicky clicky.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

How do you do this.. I know it came out in the patch but I can't find it.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

Hover over the item and hit 'l' (lowercase 'L'). It's quite nice. Yay for JK!

-Max

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

Thank you thank you thank you Max
been driving me nuts for weeks. Literally.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

In unsorted order:

1 Checking the backup of last turn to find out whom have been mind hunted by my mages.
2 Site searching
- Oh, please dont look at that province, it will not be mine soon! and you are recommending xxx? good, let me first check out if someone else have been searching that.
3 Adjusting rp to reach several levels in one turn
- One point too far
4 Trying boosts to check whether some unique items are newly available
- why should I have sent those SCs to Infernal?
5 Planning forge orders to get stuffs for next SC, counting the space of lab / changing SC stuffs for another plan.
- the most needed item is the one which is never in the lab

and some extra candidates:
6 moving freespawn
- They are helpful, thats why I hate them.
7 Deploying transport for gems, refueling the mages
- I need a list to tell which mages must have gems, and how many.
8 scripting big army for a decisive battle, and sometimes you just change your mind and decide to avoid that conflict.
- I know I just need a decision, but if all I have achieved in months can be lost in one battle...

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

I think everybody does this once. Well, once that really, really, counts. Never again...

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

My greatest time waster is checking every afflicted unit for limp or crippled afflictions after every battle. Wish there was a way to look for specific afflictions.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

3. Constantly toggling the research function to maximize my research output. This gets really, really bad when you're trying to research 3-4 things at a time. The research bar desperately needs a "lock" function, and the ability to type in points.

how can researching more than 2 things ever be a good idea? (In general, I'm sure there are very specific cases where it might be an acceptable idea)

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

I rushed to research 6 with Marignon in Beardaxe to get lightless lanterns, spent one turn forging a ton of them, and then had like 400 research afterward. I then wanted to research a bunch of level 2 stuff to get site searching spells and basic evocations.

Jazzepi

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

A few years ago, a goetic master decided he needed a break, so he wanted to head out for a night out in the city. He called his most trusted diabolist to watch over his blood slaves. When the diabolist arrived, the blood slaves were already fast asleep in bed. So the diabolist just got to sit around and make sure everything was okay with the slaves. Later that night, the diabolist got bored and went to watch TV, but he couldn't watch it downstairs because they did not have cable downstairs (the Goetic Master didn't want blood slaves watching too much garbage).

So, he called him and asked him if he could watch cable in the Goetic Master's room. Of course, he said it was okay, but the diabolist had one final request...he asked if she could cover up the Doom Horror statue outside the bedroom window with a blanket or cloth, at the very least close the blinds, because it made him nervous. The phone line was silent for a moment, and the Goetic Master said, "Take the slaves and get out of the house...we will call the Inquisition. We do not have a Doom Horror statue."

The Inquisition found all the house occupants dead within three minutes of the call. No Doom Horror statue was ever found.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

1. Trying to find path booster I dumped on a researcher somewhere to get the +1RP, that I need for boosting now, but I can't find the damn thing anywhere, and the F1 screen makes me go blind looking for items.

2. Remembering to recruit a mage in all my castles, and not forgetting that indy province I built a lab in because it's tempting me with an expensive 10% shot at a path to which I don't have access otherwise. Damn you, fickle 10% chance!

3. Slapping shrouds or regen items on diseased old mages, checking they haven't hit 1HP from too many late winters.

4. Finding some commanders onto whom I'll unload the crap I've got in my lab, because I refuse to throw anything out, and 50 slots is not enough. F1 screen? I'll be paying you a visit next month again, better book another appointment at the optometrist.

5. Manual searching/manual targeting of site searching spells, because while the automatic searching is much improved, it doesn't know about my borders, and it doesn't know about max site paths by terrain type.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

And then after you lucked, empowered, boosted, summoned and clawed your way to being the one true air power you find a site with recruitable air mages...

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

Top time waster:
Obsessively checking these forums.

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

I rushed to research 6 with Marignon in Beardaxe to get lightless lanterns, spent one turn forging a ton of them, and then had like 400 research afterward. I then wanted to research a bunch of level 2 stuff to get site searching spells and basic evocations.

Jazzepi


which would be the specific circumstances I was thinking about :D (and for which I specifically modified the post :D)

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

I'm going to grape you in the mouth.

Jazzepi

Re: Top 5 Time Waster
 

1) Checking armies when they've been hit by disease events for whatever reason, sorting out the afflicted for cures, quick death, etc.

2) Checking armies after battle. Reordering units to balance out numbers if some battalions took heavy casualties, reassigning commanders where necessary.

3) Checking armies after battle. Sorting out commander orders to replace dead or fled commanders, make spell coverage is still correct, etc.

4) Checking armies after battle. Sending out commanders to pick up retreated stragglers and send them back to the frontline or otherwise arrange them to a state of usefulness, finding out where various important units have ended up.

5) Magic site searching, by whatever mechanism.