Newbish question

[GrudgeBringer]

First let me say Thank you to all that continuously abswer my questions with in depth answers.

I have just finished reading all the posts in this thread agian and it seems like a small curtain has been reaised in my understanding of this game.

I have a question and if the answer is a simple 'yes' then a LOT of things are/will start making sense.

It seems that the more I read and ask that the Pretender is just one cog in a BIG machine (although it is a BIG cog).

Scales, Troops, (Sacred or otherwise) Magic users ect, and pretender setup really have very little to do with each other.

That is other than the fact that the Pretender can in certain circumstances boost commanders and troops.

While the P is the central unit (whether a SC or a background 'Leader', it isn't the Only thing that determines what goes on in your nation.

I think us Noobs have been thinking that we need to make our pretenders all things to all situations that may arise in our nation, instead we need to make it specific to a plan and let the scales 'make the nation'.

I don't know if I have made it really clear what I am trying to get at but if you understand what I am trying to say then a any kind of a positive answer will help.

And of course any elaboration would just be GREAT.

Also, You might want to put a condensed answer in the 'Tips for Newbies" thread as I am sure they would pay more attention to you than a lowly 'Privite' that can hardly get past turn 35 without having to start over.

Thanks agian.

[Renojustin]

"Scales, Troops, (Sacred or otherwise) Magic users ect, and pretender setup really have very little to do with each other."

These all have everything to do with each other. That's what Dominions IS.

You cover your weaknesses. You use combinations that are synergistic. You take specific research or even a pretender to counter what might be coming at you, so you're not knocked out early.

Just pick a nation, find out what they're good at and what they can't do, and try to improve their pros and reduce their cons with your pretender and scales.

[Ninave]

GrudgeBringer said:
While the P is the central unit (whether a SC or a background 'Leader', it isn't the Only thing that determines what goes on in your nation.
I think us Noobs have been thinking that we need to make our pretenders all things to all situations that may arise in our nation, instead we need to make it specific to a plan and let the scales 'make the nation'.

Most people make this kind of plan. You just have to have a plan that works for your nation. "Master Enslave" is a bad plan if you don't have at least little astral for your nation to search for all the sites for gems and forge items. Also if your nation is bad at research, getting to that can be too slow (taking magic scales helps in this and even more if you are strong in magic and want to get things done quickly).

Pretender is something like the headfigure of your plan and (at least for me) the scales are the things that mold your nation with resourses, money and events.

GrudgeBringer said:
Scales, Troops, (Sacred or otherwise) Magic users ect, and pretender setup really have very little to do with each other.

As said before me, they have everything to do with each other. You need to get them in synergy, supporting and piling effects.

Let's take Pythium and hydra kekekekeke-zerg-rush -bless for example:
* hydras regenerate and can be blessed
* you take pretender with nature bless so your hydras get more regeneration to be nearly unkillable and berserk so they never rout
* hydras are poison resistant so you reseach to foul wapors
* this can be cast easily 'cause you can straight away recruit priest to this
* with the same research path your pretender can cast Gift of Health to boost all your troop in your dominion (high to give edge in conquering)
* at the same path there is also a percentage income increasing spell so you can maximize scales to money and get massive mage spamm later

Maybe this is a bad starting plan for a nation, concidering that with this I was overrun in a MP in four years from three sides. But it was an example.

[Endoperez]

That's for Late Pythium. Midde Pythium's hydras are different, not sacred, and they don't have national mages with Nature.

[Ninave]

Well I didn't specify the age and it was just an example. I haven't played so many multiplayer games that I would have good examples on everything.

Also, I didn't think that this thread was limited only to some specific age. Sorry if I missed/forgot that at some point...

Also, you have changed your signature. I liked the previous better.

[GrudgeBringer]

Sooooo....

If I am understanding this correctly, If I play ULM who has little Magic but GREAT troops then my Pretender should...

A. Take a lot of magic to make up for the shortcomings of ULM.
OR
B. Take more things that would make Battle spells to take advantage of thier strong troops or a SC to go with the good troops to make them REALLY tough!!

Am I starting to get it?

BTW how do I drop off troops in a province from my Commander so I can leave a defense to go with PD and head back to get more troops?

@. If I have winged boots on my commander can I drop off troops in a province and fLY back to say Home province to get more sacred troops?

Thanks, I feel like I am getting about half dangerous (probably more to myself than anyone else) in the understanding.

I actually am starting to get a plan of what I want to do....NOW, I just need to find the race to do it (LOL).

Thanks agian

[Endoperez]

Yes, you're starting to get the idea. However, if you're talking about MA Ulm, there are some things you have to remember.

1) You have no counter to Air. Air evocation deal armor-negating (AN) damage, which kills your troops. Your troops also have low magic resistance which makes them vulnerable to Thaumaturgy/Astral spells.

2) Your troops can't handle high-defense troops, like mounted units. They can't hit them, get fatigued, and after fatigue starts causing critical hits they start going down.

3) Your troops can't evade tramplers, and their armor only helps against small tramplers. Size 6 tramplers deal 20 points of armor-piercing (AP) damage.


Ulm got boosted in a recent patch because it has a hard time surviving once magic steps in, or some say even before that. It's still regarded as a weaker nation. For pretender design, Ulm really wants nice magic versatility, but it also benefits from someone size 6 to stop approaching elephants.


To drop troops, put them in the garrison, the topmost line in army view. It's the line where unassigned recruited units are.

[Agrajag]

And yes, a commander with flying shoes and no units (or with units that all fly) will be able to fly back.
But of course won't be able to fly to the front once you supply him with troops.