[Edi]

HoneyBadger, your base assumptions about what makes for an objective laboratory environment for testing Dom3 balance seem very strange. Your assertion that single player games provide for an accurate lab environment is, to me, nothing but a baseless claim with no evidence to back it up other than your say-so.

It is my contention that the multiplayer games provide a far more accurate environment because in that environment ALL the strengths of a nation can be utilized to their full effect. It has been, since the beginning of the thread, pointed out by very experienced players that Vanheim and Helheim are not only powerful but that the power balance with them vs other nations is ridiculously lopsided. I have yet to see any evidence to the contrary.

It just so happens that in MP, without mass alliances, you need to do everyything exactly right AND the heim player must also go along and work to YOUR script if you are to defeat him, while he has much more options. All this talk about defeating AI vanheim/Helheim means precisely nothing due to handicaps of the AI. It's much like a highly trained athlete crowing about being able to beat a person bound to a wheelchair on the 100 meter dash.