Some beginner questions

[how786]

Ah..OK. I DO have Sun Java.
BTW, 'Pythium' means CRAZY in Tamil.
How786

[how786]

BTW, I'm assuming, as a newbie, my computer AI should be set to 'normal', correct?

[shovah]

i would actually set it to easy for the start. while for most games easy=5 year old lvl dominions can be harsh so go easy your first few games

[how786]

KK. Ty Shovah.

[OG_Gleep]

Also the more AI's the smaller the map, the harder it gets.

IMHO the best map to learn on is cradle of dominion. A lot of maps don't have natural chokepoints (especially the ones that came with the game). You can actually get away with a good number of AI and still get a sizeable empire that is easy to defend.

Its also my favorite map. It looks good, it plays well. Only complaint is a little too much terrain, but thats a minor one.

Oh forgot these two questions:

1. Empowerment is Permanent. Its very expensive but also worth it in most cases, because your trying to either a) Get access to something you need, or b) give a commander access to something you feel he needs to survive. I don't have the number infront of me, but its easy to mull through.

2. I hated watching combat until someone told me about the little letter we call N. N skips to the next round of combat. Q quits. When I first got this game I would actually go on smoke breaks waiting for long battles to get done hehe.

[how786]

3. I didn't see anyone mention PD. Have you figured out how to use Provence Defense? In the top right corner, you will see the word defense and a number. You can raise this by spending gold. The higher the level, the more troops will be available for defense should anyone attack it. There is a chart in the manual I believe that shows what each nation has for PD. They are not all created equally however. Having 11 PD for Jotun, and 11 PD for Citis is very different. At certain intervals, you gain certain things. I think recommended intervals are 1,11,21,31. The AI will normally go after the lowest PD provence when deciding its attack route. A strong PD is often enough of a detterant to keep the AI at bay. The great thing about PD is it doesn't cost upkeep, and as long as you retain the provence, you get fresh troops for each attack, and they can catch stealth units. I tend to put atleast 1 in PD for every provence.

Have you seen this thread?
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...=&fpart=1&vc=1

[how786]

Where are the Saved Game files for Dom II?
Thanks
How786

[OG_Gleep]

Theres no save game files, there are only game directories. The only way I have figured out how to "Quick save", is do your turn, save and exit the game. Then go into dominions 2 root directory, find the folder with the same name as your game, and copy that folder to another location. You can get away without exiting if you don't care about your orders for that turn. This is why I assume you were asking. Also, Alt-Tab switches to windowed mode. I have gotten in the habit lately of playing this way.

I am pretty sure the thread you mentioned is talking about human opponents. I have yet to see the AI attack with one seraph, and FH spam. I get numerous reports in my SP games that PD's have beaten an opposing army.

PD in MP games are a mixed bag. It really depends on the race your playing. Jotun for instance can get good results from PD. But no amount of PD will hold off an opposing player, or stop a strong AI. In MP PD is useful for stopping distance summon spells. For instance, Call of the Wind is an annoying but very easy to defend against. It will however always win vs 0 troops. A nominal PD is often enough to drive off the Birds. I haven't played nearly enough MP to give good advice, but just from my limited experience, as Vanheim, its not worth it to invest heavily in PD. Nominal investments however to ward off spells is a sound one, especially in key provences.

*edit*

Case in point, a PD of 2 or 3 chased off my flock of birds in my last turn.

[Ironhawk]

OG_Gleep said:
2. I hated watching combat until someone told me about the little letter we call N. N skips to the next round of combat. Q quits.

And F is fast forward.

[OG_Gleep]

I knew I forgot something.