Multiplayer - which nations are being chosen?

[Aezeal]

KO

I'm playing yomi in a new MP game, it's a newb game and I was about to play Hinnom there but llamabeast pointed out that that might not be entirely fair... well I've only gotten weak games so far so I don't really think I'm a good player but anyway I decided to go for a nation I didn't know and which looked weaker than Hinnom... so I got Yomi.

Yomi.. what can I say, personally I think they really suck.. their troops are weakish (and this is WITH CBM) and their mages not that good for EA. The Dai-oni is nice.. but then again very much GC, and probably not as good a SC as other with the same price and no other very good battle mage.

I also think that for a demon nation there isn't much incentive to buy demon troops. that should be changed. The ghost thing is nice but the ghosts are so weak that once they are ghosts most troops die anyway (seems like the etherealness doesn't really help them at all.

Personally I do like the background and my 2 advices would be
1. improve the oni
suggestions on this
- give the flame throwers more range and more ammo so you can actually USE them as archers and when in close as combat troops
- a bit better precision wouldn't be bad either
- AOE damage is another option but probably to much
- +1 MR for oni
2. strengthen the ghosts (of course this also buffs the oni in total so balance is an issue there)
- maybe more HP as ghost
- give them flying and low morale so they break fast but the troops can flee ASAP and live?
- random ghosts with once in a while a very strong one?
3.
maybe buff the mage a bit with a random
4.
cheaper dai oni OR lower enc OR magic weapon

Of course not all changes... that would maybe even overpower them (though not likely) but a selection

new pics are never a bad thing
a whole new troop isn't bad either, I'm not much into oni, but a chinese dragon oni would be nice

[lch]

You should factor in that many new nations have been added in patches and the games have started before they were available. Then again, people tend to pick the new nations in games as soon as they become available just to try them out. So, besides being a nice statistic, I wouldn't start drawing any conclusions from these lists.

[Meglobob]

I would just like to say the most popular nation at the moment is Hinnom by along way.

Its being snapped up first in most games and games are being started just so players can play Hinnom in MP.

So, please leave Hinnom alone for a few patches before hitting it with the nerf stick.

Also, proof positive that people like powerful races and not neutered balanced ones (translates to boring).

[Endoperez]

Meglobob said:
I would just like to say the most popular nation at the moment is Hinnom by along way.

Its being snapped up first in most games and games are being started just so players can play Hinnom in MP.

So, please leave Hinnom alone for a few patches before hitting it with the nerf stick.

Also, proof positive that people like powerful races and not neutered balanced ones (translates to boring).

Not necessarily. MA Ulm is one of the most played races of its era, which tells either that new/remodeled nations get chosen more often or that even weak nations are played. In addition, both MA Vanheim and MA Ermor are commonly chosen, and both of those nations' sacreds have been "neutered balanced".

[lch]

Endoperez said:
Not necessarily. MA Ulm is one of the most played races of its era, which tells either that new/remodeled nations get chosen more often or that even weak nations are played.

I think my very first race that I started playing in both SP and MP has been Ulm, mostly because it fits the medieval theme so very well. And the ulmish soldiers definitely waltz through indies with very little opposition. That they have very big drawbacks, too, was something I found out later in MP.

Endoperez said:
In addition, both MA Vanheim and MA Ermor are commonly chosen, and both of those nations' sacreds have been "neutered balanced".

MA Ermor's vestals are just very very good. But while I think that EA Vanheim is quite strong, MA Vanheim doesn't really get me excited because they seem less powerful.

[Endoperez]

lch said:
MA Ermor's vestals are just very very good. But while I think that EA Vanheim is quite strong, MA Vanheim doesn't really get me excited because they seem less powerful.

Even before the 3.10 change?

* MA van home only. Gold cost increase.

Any way, I was just pointing out that ALL of the players who chose Hinnom might not have done it (only) because it's powerful. New nations get chosen a lot, even if they are weak, although there aren't that many weak new nations.

[Hoplosternum]

Thanks for the kind words and I am glad some of you are finding it interesting.

I have gathered some more data but I am going to gather up some more before I add to the figures. Not much changes with the new addition although Yomi does get a few more picks and MA Vanheim loses it's MA leader crown (so far!).

Many of the more recent games have a lot of inexperienced mp players in being newbie games. MA Vanheim is a pretty straight forward nation to play and so is likely to appeal there. I know when I chose them it was to try a mp game with one of the much vaunted double bless strategies and they seemed a very easy one to try it with. I wasn't expecting to win and was eliminated fairly early. So even if the nerfs have made it far less of a powerhouse it is still a fairly straight forward power to play.

Another trend that becomes clearer the more games I add is the unpopularity of Atlantis and Oceania. Even in EA they are far less popular than the weaker R'lyeh. In the MA R'lyeh's popularity is perhaps more understandable. But even in EA it is much more popular. Perhaps it is the theme? Or maybe the ease of use of the mind blasting amphibious missle troops they have that makes them so much more popular?