How would you patch this game?

[HotNifeThruButr]

Originally posted by Graeme Dice:

quote:

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Originally posted by HotNifeThruButr:
and fix the LoF's graphics.

There's nothing wrong with his graphics.

- Make number of events dependant on the number of provinces you own

They already are.

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There are currently two Lords of Fertility, one naked and one not. "There can only be one"

Heh, now we have three topics going

1. This thread is/isn't insulting and should be about modding instead.

2. The world against Norfleet/why there must be crap units/themes/pretenders

3. The original topic.

In response to #1, I didn't mean it in any malicious way, if the Moderators want to change the topic name, go ahead. Personally, I think you're too sensitive. BTW, I would make a mod if I knew anything about mod-making and, what would it be, computer science? I just graduated from Middle School, so don't expect much genius computer-wise from me.

In response to #2, I'm a firm believer in "different but equal" (and this is for game balancing, not segregation) way of making a game. This might not be true for the devs, and I'm not trying to force my ways on them, but I don't think any unit should be blatantly better than another. Man's longbowmen pack a significantly better punch than the shortbowmen most other nations get, but they're also more expensive to balance it out. Crossbows take out heavy armor, but they're balanced by being slow to reload and expensive in resources. All are different, but to say that one is better than another is an iffy statement at best.

To add to #3, I would make searching magic Messages go to the province instead of commander. Right now, it feels like "you have found 2 magic sites in Cun Aral, zoom in to C'tis?"

I would also give the Infernal forces series - I know this applies to Frost Fiends, but I haven't looked into the others - more bang for the buck. Right now, summoning a single demon is more economical than a horde, and time shouldn't be the only thing saved in such an advanced spell.

I'll try to be more diplomatic the next time around.

[PvK]

Originally posted by HotNifeThruButr:
... I would also give the Infernal forces series - I know this applies to Frost Fiends, but I haven't looked into the others - more bang for the buck. Right now, summoning a single demon is more economical than a horde, and time shouldn't be the only thing saved in such an advanced spell.
...

In general, I'd say that it's interesting to retain a trade-off even after the more powerful spell is researched.

PvK

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Molog:
I would like the bug where sneaking disease spreaders get 283482 experience fixed.

That still exists? I thought that was quashed a patch or two ago...

[Zapmeister]

Originally posted by Zen:
I'm certainly glad that certain people are not the ones who patch the game. And until such time as the people who are insulting put out a mod of their 'balance' to try see public reaction (as opposed to their own mind which always says they are right) you don't have a leg to stand on. For the others who would patch the game while still retaining their human courtesy, thank you for your input and I hope to see a mod of your own idea of "balance" whenever you complete it.

Gak, I hope I'm not the one being accused of being "insulting" ! In all my Posts to this thread, I've used the term "great game" to refer to Dominions every time, and spoke only of improving it, not fixing something that's broken.

And in the original post, my suggestion was to gather data on over-used and under-used game elements, i.e. determine the balance issues by surveying the playing community.

In other words, my "own idea of balance" as you put it, would not enter into the procedure.

[Scott Hebert]

Originally posted by Zapmeister:
Gak, I hope I'm not the one being accused of being "insulting" !

I'm fairly sure you're safe.

And in the original post, my suggestion was to gather data on over-used and under-used game elements, i.e. determine the balance issues by surveying the playing community.

In other words, my "own idea of balance" as you put it, would not enter into the procedure.

A nice thought, but just like history, it's impossible to be objective here. What data are you gathering? Just the selection of the criteria you'll follow would be made according to your own ideas of what balance is and how to achieve it. I'm not trying to josh you so much as to show how impossible that is.

In the interest of promoting such endeavors, what would you suggest would be a proper method of gathering such data?

[Zapmeister]

Originally posted by Scott Hebert:
In the interest of promoting such endeavors, what would you suggest would be a proper method of gathering such data?

What I had in mind was a survey, in which each spell, troop, item and pretender was listed, and beside each one there are 6 responses to the question "How often do you make one of these", being

1) Never
2) Rarely
3) Sometimes
4) Often
5) Very often
6) N/A

The "N/A" would apply to things like Abyssian troops types if you never play Abysia.

I think that if enough people took the time to complete such a survey (and it would be time-consuming, unfortunately) then a fairly objective answer could be obtained.

[PvK]

As has been said before, though, popularity is not a particularly good measure of efficiency. It would be an interesting survey, but I'd trust explanatory arguments why something is good or bad, rather than what people say they use.

Even so, not everything should be balanced, both for thematic and sense-making reasons, and also because especially since the steps needed to achieve each thing are frequently complex and different for each nation, each pretender, each situation, and each play style.

PvK