Unit abstraction?

[Wauthan]

This might sound a bit dorky but at times I feel like Dominions started out as a RPG project that spiraled out of control. There's a lot going on in the game that makes it feel like you're the master of a small band rather than leading armies.

Would be neat if someone actually made an RPG style map, like say a really big dungeon, were every tile represented a room or similar feature. And the pretender as the leader of a party of adventurers.

[PrinzMegaherz]

Well, dom2 battles remind me a bit of braveheart. If I remember correctly, they dont field such huge armies as you like in the movie.
Dominions 2 is no pure fantasy game. There are no orcs and no elves, most nations (except maybe ermor and R'yleh, but that one does not count as fantasy anyway...) are somehow related to historical nations/religions. This is a background where such epic scale battles would not fit in, as battles in those ages usualy not involved so many soldiers.

[licker]

Originally posted by PrinzMegaherz:
Well, dom2 battles remind me a bit of braveheart. If I remember correctly, they dont field such huge armies as you like in the movie.
Dominions 2 is no pure fantasy game. There are no orcs and no elves, most nations (except maybe ermor and R'yleh, but that one does not count as fantasy anyway...) are somehow related to historical nations/religions. This is a background where such epic scale battles would not fit in, as battles in those ages usualy not involved so many soldiers.

There may not be elves or orcs (well there are elves just not as a pure nation), but there are Lizard men, Flying Ice Angles, Giants, Centaurs, Minotaurs, DemonBread, ...

I don't quite remember what rubric I used when I did the count but I came up with 8human nations and 9nonhuman nations (or primarilly human/nonhuman). As such I'd say you can play it in either a 'pure fantasy' mode, or a more 'fantastical history' mode. Of course magic and indies will still be there either way.

I don't think many people will argue that the scales of armie sizes to populations to province sizes to time are 'realistic', but as far as how everything comes together to provide an entertaining game the devs should be applauded. Of course everyone will have a pet-peeve about this or that and how it isn't realistic, but you simply can't make it all realistic and still keep the same game mechanics as there are. I'd even argue that if you went for more 'realism' game play would suffer greatly.

DeamonBread, Ice Angles.

Oh man, that killed me

And I believe Dom2 combines the best aspects of a RPG, historically generated fantasy. Some of them are based on history, or at least societies, and others are completely out or based on novels.

It gives a more 'real' feel for me at least.

[Pocus]

Originally posted by Wauthan:
This might sound a bit dorky but at times I feel like Dominions started out as a RPG project that spiraled out of control. There's a lot going on in the game that makes it feel like you're the master of a small band rather than leading armies.

Would be neat if someone actually made an RPG style map, like say a really big dungeon, were every tile represented a room or similar feature. And the pretender as the leader of a party of adventurers.

On the spot I think. You will trigger soon a response from IW which will lengthily describe to you, with much details, what is Conquest of Elysium.

[Pocus]

Originally posted by CarlG2:
Hey Zen,

Thanks for the follow-up.

I think that reasonably sized forces can be put together via the abstraction that you use.

I believe that an army of 20,000 troops represents a good-sized mustering, and I wouldn't expect that most hosts would get a lot bigger than that (especially when one considers that you could have multiple armies of that size running around). From my reading on the game (and limited playing of the demo) it seems like an epic host in the hundreds of thousands (say 1,500 to 2,000 or more units) could be put together at great cost, as well...but doing so would really focus your power in one location, which would greatly reduce your forces across a larger front.

Again, I appreciate the feedback.

Good gaming,
Carl G.

Imagine 700.000 undeads moving thru the land, as a kind of sea of rotting flesh? Because if you are ok with the scale 1 unit = 100 beings, then you can sight on big AI games Ermorian armies of 7000 units...

I dont know at which point dominions crash, but I think some of us witnessed Ermorian armies of more than 10.000 units!

[licker]

Originally posted by Zen:
DeamonBread, Ice Angles.

Oh man, that killed me

And I believe Dom2 combines the best aspects of a RPG, historically generated fantasy. Some of them are based on history, or at least societies, and others are completely out or based on novels.

It gives a more 'real' feel for me at least.

Err, ummm, yes, well in my defense, English is my 1st language... Uhh no wait that's not a good defense... I know!! 'W' is my president... Yes that's better...

Now for the truth. I spelled them correctly, then said, "that doesn't look right" went back and changed them, said "that doesn't look right either" so I just hit Add Reply since I was too tired to bother figureing out the correct spelling...

Anyway, now we'll have some more fodder (oh the pun ) for how those Abysian armies ignore supply.