"Old Age" system in Dom3 - need some info

[Horst F. JENS]

i try very hard to find the Old Age system interesting instead of annoying. Two suggestions:
1.) Offer a mod command to turn off Old Age or edit the Old Age values.
2.) Give me a reason to like Old Age. Maybe a very small chance (1%/year) that my old age sage learns a random new magic skill.

[Meglobob]

Horst F. JENS said:
i try very hard to find the Old Age system interesting instead of annoying. Two suggestions:
1.) Offer a mod command to turn off Old Age or edit the Old Age values.
2.) Give me a reason to like Old Age. Maybe a very small chance (1%/year) that my old age sage learns a random new magic skill.

Yea I agree, all old age does is put me off the unit. Just played EA Nielfelheim, totally avoided recruiting the old age crone/hag the entire game. Also played MA Man, just recruited daughters/mothers, avoiding the grandmother until I had no choice.

Why recruit a unit that may die any time unless u have no choice?

Old mages would just retire anyway or solve there age problems with magic, I very much doubt they would want to serve a nation in a epic battle for godhood.

The more times a mage dies of old age, the more annoying it becomes...

[Maltrease]

I like the idea of an old mage learning additional magic. A lot of nations descriptions have the old mage with lots of magic and then a young mage (who is on the same career path as the old mage) with less magic. So it would make sense to me that the mages could learn new magic over time.

Maybe each year they are around a mage gets some kind of "credit" that could be used to discount empowering in certain paths? I'm sure balance with this could get real tricky... but it could make the age mechanic more enjoyable (gaining power) instead of simply trying to stave off death and uselessness.

[Endoperez]

It's more like that the old mages have ALREADY learn new magic. If, say, Ulm had gotten a E3F2 strange-random Ancient Smith with old age 72(46), there'd be no problem. It'd be called an interesting way to balance a more powerful mage. However, because we have learned to expect good mages that don't have a chance of dying into afflictions, old age is seen as a bore.

[Maltrease]

But a young mage that has been around as long as the difference in ages (between young and old version) still has the low magic.

Ermor Old Faith
Compare an Augur (F1 S1) age 37 (48)
to Augur Elder (F2 S1 D2 R1) age 60 (46)

Shouldn't the skills of the Augur advance toward the Augur Elder as he gains in age? If so why would the advancement stop once he is as old as the "Augur Elder"?

[Agrajag]

Maltrease said:
Shouldn't the skills of the Augur advance toward the Augur Elder as he gains in age? If so why would the advancement stop once he is as old as the "Augur Elder"?

Maybe because he stops his guided training in order to join the army?

[Corwin]

Agrajag said:

Maybe because he stops his guided training in order to join the army?

Battlefield is the best teacher the battle mage can get soldier!


Now shut up and give me 80 pushups, you no-good green-bellyed eggheaded big-mouthed augur weakling scum!

[Archonsod]

Meglobob said:
Why recruit a unit that may die any time unless u have no choice?

You could apply the same logic to every unit you recruit when you think about it

Older ages tend to be more powerful. If you want a mage of similar skills, then the only usual alternative would be to buy a younger mage and then invest in boosts or empowerment to get to the same level. It's cheaper to simply buy the older mage (especially if you can reduce or remove the aging problem).

Old mages would just retire anyway or solve there age problems with magic,

They can solve their age problems with magic. As already mentioned, there are a couple of spells and items which negate or reduce aging. You simply need to give them the order to do so

On the subject, does Regeneration affect aging at all?
It would seem logical to me that a mage with regeneration would have a longer lifespan and much less chance of injury than one without...

[Amos]

On the subject, does Regeneration affect aging at all?

I think it does. Though max age isnt affected.

[Agrajag]

Archonsod said:
subject, does Regeneration affect aging at all?
It would seem logical to me that a mage with regeneration would have a longer lifespan and much less chance of injury than one without...

I'd actually expect Regeneration to severely decrease lifespan, the whole idea of regeneration is natural healing, and to heal that fast, that mage would need uber-fast metabolism, which is a sure-fire recipe for dying of old-age at 20.