Lab Secrets

[Stormbinder]

Originally posted by Borg:
Thanks LintMan, that's the kind of info I'm looking for.

Gimme some more gems please folks

Hmmm. All right, here are some tips to help you to get started:


In MP try to build castles around your main reseach centers. If you can't and some of your mages are reseaching in the field labs, position them way back on the battlefield and script your mages to retreat, perhaps after casting few spells. Do the same for your bloodgathering mages. This way your reseachers/bloodhunters will not be destroyed by the random event, or by the cunning enemy. Keep in mind though, that if enemy is determined to wipe out your mages, he may attack all provinces abjustent to your laboratiry, in this case retreat is not a good option.

Never keep all your reseachers in one center since if it'll fall to the enemy your future reseach will be severely crippled. The best way is to allocate several reseach centers it in the back, far from potential frontlines, even if you had to lose 1 turn of reseach due to flying yor mages in the back. (they can pass flying boots to each other). Later on in MP game, protect your reseach centers with Dome spells. Also this way if the things get very hot, you can quickly shift some of your mages from reseach duty to support your troops in the field, using the closest reseach center to your front.

If your lab in the castle is about to fall to the enemy, always try to destroy it. This way not only you'll force your enemy to spend 200gp and occupy 1 mage to rebuild it, but also it'll deny enemy instant transfer of items/gems to help them in future conquest. But don't wait until the Last moment, if you've decided to burn your lab, do it at least 1 turn before the enemy smash your gates, or you'll not have time to do it since "destroying lab" order happens after the battle phase.

If you choose magic>0, as you may very well do, as I said in previous Posts, use the labs which do not have the best magic scale rating yet (those in newly conquered lands, or near strong enemy dominion, etc.) for summons/fogring/spellsearching, and those that have your maximium dominion magic spell for pure reseach.

Burning laterns are best reseach enhancing items in the game, from cost/benefit ratio. Skull mentors are also very good. Owl suck unless you are swiming in airgems and don't have anything else to do with them.


"TAB" button is your friend.


All right, hope this will help you in the begining. Good luck!

[Frosted Flake]

I should have said as Neifelheim , jotun has terrible reseachers..250 au for 7 is as bad as it gets


frosted flake

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Frosted Flake:
I should have said as Neifelheim , jotun has terrible reseachers..250 au for 7 is as bad as it gets

I'm rather partial to Seithkona, and in general I prefer the Utgard theme to Neifel. The Neifel giants may kick butt, but they are too expensive for my taste, and the Neifel theme does leave me feeling magically-impaired. If I need a mini-SC chassis, I'd much rather build it on a Bane Lord or a Firbolg playing the Utgard theme than a Neifel giant, freeing up my cash to buy magic researchers. If I played Neifel, my money would be tied up in either cost-ineffective mages or in pricey mini-SCs.

But this strays afar from the thread's topic, so I'll stop discussing the Joys of Jotun(TM) now.

[Boron]

Originally posted by Arryn:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Frosted Flake:
I should have said as Neifelheim , jotun has terrible reseachers..250 au for 7 is as bad as it gets

I'm rather partial to Seithkona, and in general I prefer the Utgard theme to Neifel. The Neifel giants may kick butt, but they are too expensive for my taste, and the Neifel theme does leave me feeling magically-impaired. If I need a mini-SC chassis, I'd much rather build it on a Bane Lord or a Firbolg playing the Utgard theme than a Neifel giant, freeing up my cash to buy magic researchers. If I played Neifel, my money would be tied up in either cost-ineffective mages or in pricey mini-SCs.

But this strays afar from the thread's topic, so I'll stop discussing the Joys of Jotun(TM) now.

---

yeah the Niefel giants unfortunately have no recuperation and will sooner or later get an affliction if used early because you can't equip them too good so early .

thnx for the rp graph caine and storm and arryn

[Kel]

Really? One of the first earth items I try to forge is that dwarven hammer - the sooner you get one, the more benefit you can get out of it.

Of course...it's just harder to forge. I can forge research items with 3 different paths and 2 of them require only 1 in a path. In contrast to the hammer that requires an E3 mage. Obviously not a problem with a couple of races but with most races, it's going to take you a while, plus other items (like earth boots) to get to a hammer.

In addition to that, and this is just me, I tend to only forge research items if I am intending a focused rush to a certain research level. In which case, I want the research asap.

It's not that I don't forge a hammer at earliest convenience, it's just that I only really find use for the research items (ok, not so much the lantern) in the extreme early game and hammers just aren't as convenient (given that you can make research items with 3 different paths and lower path requirements to boot).

I suppose that if you were looking at an end game rush strategy (clamming/wishing being the only semi famous one I can think of), this might not be true (I don't know how the numbers on how clams vs. research works out the best). Then again, I am only speaking for me and I have never started a game with a strategy to clam anyway

- Kel

[Lex]

i'm fairly new, but i've been reading alot of threads on this forum going back a few months, and everyone talks of gathering lots of clams to produce astral gems. But they only produce one every 4 turns, and they cost 10 water gems. After 20 turns you've only made 5 gems per clam. How can that be worth it!? How many clams are you guys making (and are water gems really so worthless that its better to make clams with them!?)

Oh, and instead of spending 20 earth gems on a dwarven hammer, why not wait a bit and use all those researchers to get the Forge of the Ancients early in the game.. that gives 50% reduction in gem use plus 1 extra in every path for forging (correct?).. (with enough researchers, you could get it well before turn 20 and still gain several levels in other paths earlier on)

[archaeolept]

they produce a gem a turn alexi.

and hammers stack w/ FotA - which runs the risk of being quickly dispelled anyways.