Game Over!!

castigated · #1 March 15th, 2006, 08:26 AM

no one has mentionned archer decoy'ing. basically, put groups of 2-3 cheap troups (militia or something) up in front to draw missile fire. works like a charm against players and AI alike (though players can get around it, but it's not that easy).

Gandalf Parker · #2 March 15th, 2006, 11:33 AM

Not sure if its already been mentioned but as a starting point you might try turning up the independents quite abit. Many early players think that weak indepts make it an "easy" game but it actually just helps the AI to rush you.

You are generally smarter than the AI as far as who to attack. If the indepts are 5 or higher then the player will hold back on the first turn to SEE who is nearby, then attack the province they think they can win. The AI just picks a direction and attacks. If the indepts are weak then the ai can grow quickly winning all the local battles. If the indepts are strong then the ai wastes his first set of troops usually, and sometimes even their god.

Sandman · #3 March 15th, 2006, 12:40 PM

This thread should definitely be stickied, because of Saber Cherry's post. With spoiler warnings.

Quote:

Don't buy water mages.

Isn't that a bit drastic?

Do:
Hire mercenary mages.
Hire independent mages and especially sages.
Give gems to your mages for important battles.
Script your mages.
Get a level-4 priest to cast fanaticism constantly.
Use fast, flying and cheap units to patrol.
Build lots and lots of scouts and spies.
Protect your mages with a screening force.

Don't:
Engage in a guerilla war against the AI.
Take Golem cult.
Use top-tier mages for research and nothing else.
Use sages in combat.
Try to assassinate a death mage with a bog-standard assassin.
Enter the arena with anything valuable.
Give your mages heavy armour.

Saber Cherry · #4 March 15th, 2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Sandman said:

Quote:

Don't buy water mages.

Isn't that a bit drastic?

Oh, right

I was thinking of battle-mages, but water mages are useful for forging a few things, casting Murdering Winter, summoning ice devils and Water Queens, and making clams in an unmodded game. But other mages tend to be more flexible. Overall, I find water mages to be the least useful.

shovah · #5 March 15th, 2006, 02:25 PM

quickness+falling frost can be useful when massed (quite easy with atlantis)

Endoperez · #6 March 15th, 2006, 03:16 PM

Of course it is. It's useful even without massing it.

However, Water 3 isn't that common. Quickness + Frozen Heart is much easier to get. The point that there are seldom Water mages on the field stays, and of course there are all those Undead that are almost always immune to cold.

Cainehill · #7 March 15th, 2006, 03:55 PM

Heh. I thought the reason SC said not to buy water mages is because they kill off the other mages by casting Breath of Winter - never leave a water bracelet on a water sage for long.

DominionsFan · #8 March 16th, 2006, 08:22 PM

Doms 2 AI got many major flaws, like it wont build castles, or enough castles, it builds loads of useless troops etc. etc.
I never had problems beating the hardest AI at all....
I hope that these errors will be fixed in Doms 3, if there will be a Doms 3 at all

Endoperez · #9 March 17th, 2006, 12:35 PM

I always thought AI builds too much militia etc. because it doesn't build castles.

Besides that, you can't be serious about NEVER having problems with the hardest AI!

The user interface alone will take a few games to master!

DominionsFan · #10 March 17th, 2006, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Endoperez said:
I always thought AI builds too much militia etc. because it doesn't build castles.

Besides that, you can't be serious about NEVER having problems with the hardest AI!

The user interface alone will take a few games to master!

.. of course I had in the beggining. :-) .. actually imo if you play on big map against multiple AIs, its harder to win in Doms 2., then in Galciv 2 for example. The Galciv2 AI got major flaws also, but its easier to win there against multiple AIs, in Doms 2. it is much harder.