Feeling a bit ... so so / All of my thoughts

[Argitoth]

Right now it looks like the following:
-Information is more quickly accessable
-Somewhat improved graphics
-Few more nations
-Few more spells, rituals and times
-Few more "improvements" (features)
-Balancing
-Little less micromanagement

But still I don't feel any big steps have been taken, or at least they haven't been revealed. Two new "features" I am confused about "Luck" and "Magic Battles" as a "choice" in one turn. Second bullet here: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Illwinter/Dom3/2.htm

I would consider a big step to be something like having random events generated based on what is hapenning in the game. Another big step would be a highly improved battle organization system such as giving certain commands or supressing certain actions, and just more commands in general. I will say that national summons is one big step. Oh, and I just remembered the other big step I wanted: Non-magic-based recruitable units actually being useful. Oh yeah, and how about the ability to recruit seige vehicles? catapults, etc.

Now, I knew as soon as Dom3 was announced C'tis would be getting calvary units. I thought they would be lizardmen on the lizard-dood's back, but they are in chariot style. Good enough for me.

Oh yeah, the game cover looks like crap. And the in-game UI didn't change much (besides the extra information everywhere)

"Fifty different playable nations. Some of the new nations include Ermor, New Faith, based on the early Republic of Rome. Marverni, inspired by Gallic tribes. Kailasa, Rise of the Ape Kings, inspired from Indian and Hindu mythology. Jomon, Human Daimyos, born from ancient Japan."

Ok what the hell? Fifty? I thought there was a total of 21. And Ermor is not new!

I think that's it.

[Daynarr]

Argitoth said:
Right now it looks like the following:
-Information is more quickly accessable
-Somewhat improved graphics
-Few more nations
-Few more spells, rituals and times
-Few more "improvements" (features)
-Balancing
-Little less micromanagement

But still I don't feel any big steps have been taken, or at least they haven't been revealed.

Well, if you put in a way like: "FEW more nations (looks like 3 times as much to me actually), FEW more spells (how do you know how many more spells there will be in game?), FEW more features/improvements (it's pretty long list there and I bet not everything is revealed)", I wouldn't be very excited about it either.

"Fifty different playable nations. Some of the new nations include Ermor, New Faith, based on the early Republic of Rome. Marverni, inspired by Gallic tribes. Kailasa, Rise of the Ape Kings, inspired from Indian and Hindu mythology. Jomon, Human Daimyos, born from ancient Japan."

I thought there was a total of 21. And Ermor is not new!

Where did you hear it's only 21? Didn't you read that there are 3 ERAS in game? This also explains new Ermor since K.O. somewhere said that there will be Ermor before it's fall (Broken Empire).

[hako]

Well... sth from me then.
I am quite a recent Dominions player... Started little moreover than 1 year ago, played since for about 6 months almost every night ... than just get bored with the game little bit - brutal truth.
So... we got Dom3... my - eversince I've stopped playing Dom2 - beautiful dream...

Hmm... I don't see the game, cannot play it, but that what I can see is little dissapointing for me. I expected more to be honest. I feel myself, I have been given only cosmetic changes, few new features - not enough!
Well, I know, tha game was very good, it is said that if sth is good - better not change it... Anyway my apetite was larger...

[MStavros]

Yeah I was expecting a bit more features aswell, like a dimplomacy option for singleplayer would be a decent addition, that way even the AI nations could form alliances and team up -> harder SP games. The Galciv 2 diplo system is excellent, its very hard to make an alliance on harder settings with an AI player, since so many things are affecting the relationships between the sides. [military, territorial, research power, gifts, how do you react on an AI - AI war -> which side do you support with destroying the other side's ships, etc. etc. its wonderful how it works.]
All this could be implented into Dominions 3, we got AIs, we got military, we got territories, we got research etc.
I think many was hoping for dimplomacy in Doms 3, its a shame that we wont have that..

[WraithLord]

I disagree with the so so sentiment.

I think the game offers a lot of new contents (nations, spells and units) and improvements (UI, micromanagement, modding).
What I have learnt from dominions I and II is that the developers care for the game and that they are very attentive to the fans.
I am very content with what dominions III has to offer. I can easily recite a long list of games that gave much less content in new installments or even deteriorated the game (HOMM-IV, MOO-III, AOW-II, Total annihilation kingdoms).
I for one am excited with dominions III.

[Nerfix]

I'm of course excited over it but I do wonder what exactly will it be like in the end. What will the era system be like?`What's up with the "awakening"? Etc.

[MStavros]

Wraithlord, more units/spells etc. is not a big improvement, those could be even added as an expansion, especially because the graphics is almost the same anyways.

The thing is that we wont have any real new content in Dominions 3.

[Truper]

MStavros said:
The thing is that we wont have any real new content in Dominions 3.

[Gandalf Parker]

I think there is alot of new content. It looks like everything that was content in Dom2 has increased.

If you mean new features, I see quite abit of that also. A randommap generator is a biggie for one thing.

If you mean taking the game in new directions.. no I dont think so. But then, thats one of my big complaints about other games new versions. If its a new version then I want the same game but bigger and better. If its going in a whole new direction then give it a new name and start the version counter over at 1.

[Endoperez]

MStavros wrote:MStavros said:
The thing is that we wont have any real new content in Dominions 3.

I tried searching for your old posts, and came up with few things that I presume you'd think of as "real content":

-AI, many times, in many different ways, from more castles to more summons to less light units to better research to better battlefield tactics to diplomacy. We don't know what has been done, so we pretty much have to wait for the demo or for the pre-ordered version, or hope for random tidbits (which you probably wouldn't be satisfied with).
-Supercombatants. They spoil the SP game for you, it seems.
-Useless national units.

We'll have to wait and see. I imagine something will happen, as the developers themselves seem to like national units more than thugs and supercombatants.

However, these would also change the game in some way. It mightn't always be just for good.