some balance questions

[Chris Byler]

Originally posted by apoger:


*Elemental summons have been rendered impotent (double fatigue plus gem cost!). A basic defense versus super combatants was swarming them with elementals. Not any more.

I'll want to see more of the game before responding to the full post, but I would like to address this point: although lesser elementals are no longer as abusable as they were in Dom I, I think they are far from ineffective. Super combatants are expensive (aside from gods, the *cheap* ones start at 50+ slaves before equipment - and remember, part of your gem income doesn't depend on hiring mages, while *all* of your slave income does unless you are Mictlan; the effect is even bigger for rainbow mages, which aren't hurt at all by the increased difficulty of hiring more mages fast). I don't think many opponents will have much trouble coming up with 20 or so gems to swarm them with elementals (which should be plenty if your nation has any level 2+ elemental mages). That's not even counting the new high level "elemental swarm" spells.

Elementals are now a situational tool, not a "win every battle without casualties" tool. But I expect them to still be effective.