First impossible game... too easy?

[Cheezeninja]

Ok, im running my first game set at impossible with independants set at 9. Its the aran map with 8 players (including me). For some reason it just seems too easy, and i blame this on the cheesy setup i have going.

I'm playing ermor with the ashen empire special dominion with a ghost king, i maxed out cold (because undead dont care), sloth (because i dont use resources), and Death (surprise!), i also maxed out order, fortune, and magic, and have dominion 10. I have 4 death, 3 astral, and 2 water, and the 20 point castle. Net result 0 points left over.

It just seems ridiculously easy, i run over the independants and most enemy armies like its cool. I've lost a couple armies in enemy provinces that had high dominion, but once my dominion reaches them i crush them. All i spend money on is temples, and i get it by launching taxes up to 200% when i conquer a province and then down to 0% when there arent enough people left to make any money. The only thing thats actually hard to do is storm castles (so far i've done 1 and im besieging 2). My research sucks, but im gaining and expect to gain more when i break down those castles and get their gems. I'm astronomically higher in provinces, dominion, and army size. I usually get 1-3 free commanders with 50 undead for them to command each turn and i only have about 15 provinces, plus i have my arch-bishops on constant reanimate. I kill population like a lawn mower over a rabbit hole, but so what, as long as i keep expanding i keep getting more money and thats the only thing i need them for.

I dont think im all that good at this game, i just won my first game on normal a few days ago (and posted jubilantly about it). i think setting your empire up like that is just unbalanced....

it is fun though
and thats the point.

[ March 25, 2004, 18:58: Message edited by: Cheezeninja ]

[PvK]

It's probably mainly that the AI doesn't know how to deal with Ashen Ermor very effectively. Ashen Ermor has a big advantage against the AI.

PvK

[Tuna-Fish]

Oh by the way, undead dont really need the order, and by ditching it and getting turmoil 3 you gain 240 points, to be used for neat magic skill. Also, when pop goes low, leave taxes on 200, it does no harm and if there is a gold-creating site (like a gold mine) you get double income. Also, if you have turmoil 3 you cannot get as much income from those provinces by just taxing, but you can easily get it by pillaging. ~100 undead pillaging a province empty it very fast, giving you a nice amount of gold and also ensuring that the province is lost to all AI's forever.

[Cheezeninja]

this just keeps getting better...
I dont think i'll ever play any of the 'nice' races, why be a man when you can be the sinister and uncaring force that scours all life and hope from the planet?

I really want to figure out a winning strategy for the illithids...because i love illithids as well.

[Gandalf Parker]

You are right. With that setup its way too easy. Just dont let it convince you that you can take that show on the road (jump into a multiplayer game with the same results).

The AI for Dom2 is one file using generic responses that are averagely good for all of the nations. In a multiplayer game anyone seeing Ermor will start cranking out priests and making cauldrons for food. Nations such as Marignon in particular will prove much harder with a human managing things.

[ March 25, 2004, 20:05: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Argitoth]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
Nations such as Marignon in particular will prove much harder with a human managing things.

I believe C'tis is more powerful against Ermor.

-Powerful priests
-Easy access to Wither Bones

.. that's about it.

[ March 25, 2004, 21:57: Message edited by: Argitoth ]

[Stormbinder]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:


The AI for Dom2 is one file using generic responses that are averagely good for all of the nations. In a multiplayer game anyone seeing Ermor will start cranking out priests and making cauldrons for food. Nations such as Marignon in particular will prove much harder with a human managing things.

Gandalf, you seem to be an expert in SP games, based upon your Posts that I've read so far.

What settings would you recommend for the "ultimate challenge" vs AIs? Large map like Orania, indep 9, all AIs active and on Impossible except Ermor(don't want him to crassh all other AIs), Marignon (too weak whan played by AI as far as I can tell), and Jotunheim (broken) ? Or something else? What about magic side frequency and world richness?

I am looking for the Last big SP game vs as challenging computer opponents as possible, with me playing some race that I haven't tried so far (probably Vanheim). I am pllaying only MP games atm, but I would like play one more SP before switching to MP completely.

Advice from other people is also appreciated.

[fahdiz]

I'd say if you want a challenge, play on one of the largest maps, like Orania (as you've suggested) or the World map, include all AIs except Ermor on Impossible, and then choose either Pangaea Carrion Woods or T'ien Ch'i Spring & Autumn for your own nation.

You could play Ironman.

Play a GP exclusive All-Ally huge map. Take a living nation then -3 to all scales, 3 dominion, Watch Tower, Human-non-immortal pretender with your picks in magic.

It's possible to win, but it's definitely not easy.

[Gandalf Parker]

The ultimate of all AI's aligned against you I dont think Ive done yet (though I could whip one out quick enough, maybe later today).

For now there there are random alliance maps you can get HERE. Pick the one named for the race you want to play it fills in random opponents with random alliances to each other. They are re-rolled every day.

Or in that same place is "Poke in the Eye" which adds random alliances amoung the AI's and random monsters to every province. It makes for a very different game but actually tends to handicap the AIs more than it does the human players.

Also there, if you have the excellent Miirunst map then downloading MiirunstX.map will add scattered monsters which make it a different play.

Some that Im still messing with can be found in the PROJECTS directory. The Indeps.zip makes Man a nation with no pretender uniting the independent provinces against everyone. Not too hard, just a fun change. The WEvsTHEM (grab the .map and the .tga) is an effort at making a game too hard to win alone. It unites Rlyeh, Atlantis, and Ermor down in one corner given them extra castles. Its a long game and supposed to make it so that human players have to ally to win (still in testing). And the latest is Mazes and Monsters (grab the MazeMons map and tga files) which is designed to add more strategic play to a game by providng more choke-points, random castles scattered around, and monsters with equipment.