Conquest of Elysium 3 dev log

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally Posted by Soyweiser

So CoE3 will have good moddable AI then?

Not sure about the moddable part.
But the AI is much better. Instead of one generic AI, each nation has their own and will make logical decisions that match that nation.

[Ighalli]

Thanks for the great information, Gandalf and Edi!

Gandalf, that sounds exactly like COE2 recruiting. Does that mean if you're on the lookout for e.g. a scout that you have to go check the recruiting screen each turn until one shows up? In COE, there would be announcements when wizards or heroes were available for hiring but not for normal commanders. Do the commanders stick around for more than one turn if you don't hire them immediately?

Does the hammer resource represent Dom style resources? What is the brown resource (supplies?) that seems to be common to the characters?

So how does one level up the mages in this game? Are experience stars helpful to spell casters? I know there are booster items; do they make spellcasters go to a higher level or add more known spells? Is there also something equivalent to Dom empowering? We've seen what level 1 and 2 guys get on the screenshots, but what about level 3 or 4 casters?

[Edi]

Originally Posted by Ighalli

Thanks for the great information, Gandalf and Edi!

Gandalf, that sounds exactly like COE2 recruiting. Does that mean if you're on the lookout for e.g. a scout that you have to go check the recruiting screen each turn until one shows up? In COE, there would be announcements when wizards or heroes were available for hiring but not for normal commanders. Do the commanders stick around for more than one turn if you don't hire them immediately?

Does the hammer resource represent Dom style resources? What is the brown resource (supplies?) that seems to be common to the characters?

So how does one level up the mages in this game? Are experience stars helpful to spell casters? I know there are booster items; do they make spellcasters go to a higher level or add more known spells? Is there also something equivalent to Dom empowering? We've seen what level 1 and 2 guys get on the screenshots, but what about level 3 or 4 casters?

Recruitment in CoE3 is a curious thing which has an entire page dedicated to it in the manual. There are two types, standard and special. Special recruitment has three different subtypes.

The short version is that you an always recruit from the standard list and doing so ends recruitment at that castle for that turn.

The three types of special recruitment are commanders, announced units and unnannounced units, which can be either be one-offs or multiples and which either end recruitment or don't.

Commanders and announced units always generate a recruitment offer message. Unannounced units don't, so for those you need to check every turn. Most nations don't have them, only some (like the Troll King). One-offs vanish from the list as soon as recruited, multiples can be recruited in several castles, but only once per castle. Some one-offs don't end recruitment, so you can recruit them and something else, but they are not common.

You can always recruit all commanders on offer, even if you already ended recruitment at that citadel. As long as you have the gold, of course, and in some cases iron as well. And all special recruitment offers must be reacted to immediately, they won't be there next turn.


As for resources, the hammer symbol is iron. The brown symbol is a cart full of goods and represents trade points (no trading between players, just exchanging gold for a special resource or vice versa).

Leveling up mages is a curious thing. Some (usually class mages) may or may not have rituals that upgrade them to more powerful status. Most esoteric mages (i.e. other, non-class mages) must first find a booster item and then learn higher level spells. New spells can be acquired, but the opportunities are finite. Level 3 is the maximum level of spells.

Experience stars work much the same as they do in Dominions. The bonuses are a little different but the basics are the same.

[Soyweiser]

Originally Posted by Edi

Unannounced units don't, so for those you need to check every turn.

Whee more silly micromanagement.

[Edi]

Originally Posted by Soyweiser

Whee more silly micromanagement.

That's relevant for three classes out of the current 17 and all of those classes work under the following constraints:
- basic recruitment list makes a glass jaw look sturdy (e.g. goblins)
- relies mainly on summons (Priest King) or supercombatants (Troll King) for muscle
- get either summons or supercombatants before they can amass enough gold to buy regular troops
- unannounced special recruits cost significant amounts of gold and iron
- or their unannounced special recruitments are available practically every turn

Having played with all three of these classes, the additional micro is negligible. Generally you don't ever have enough gold to blow it on unannounced recruitment anyway and announced recruitments are usually either something you don't need (very often anyway, like regular captains or equivalent) or will empty your treasury to the dregs (apprentices, mercenary wizards etc). If you even have the money for them in the first place.

You're assuming the management of things in CoE3 works exactly like Dom3, which it does not. It works much more like CoE2, except it's orders of magnitude better because the visuals allow you to identify things without needing to click on everything to inspect it in detail.

A typical Dominions 3 game has more micro by turn 15 than a CoE3 game has by turn 60.

[Soyweiser]

Nope, I'm not assuming the micro is the same as dom3, I'm just challenging the idea that some recruits should be hidden, while others are not.

The way it was described it sounded like a "****, I forgot to check recruitement last turn". Just like you always forget to rehire the dom3 mercs. (At least I do).

[Gandalf Parker]

I dont tend to miss too many. The important ones get announced in the messages at the beginning of the turn. And no purchases need renewed.

Also, it is only one menu to check. Not like dom3. When you open the recruit menu then all of your recruitable location are icon'd across the top. You can click on any of them then purchase the unit, then click another location and purchase something else. The only way you can miss one is if its not one of the announced ones (rarely) and you dont open the recruiting menu at all that turn (more often). I dont think I miss many.

I am more plagued with messages of specials being offered that I cannot afford.

[samoht]

Edi said, "The short version is that you an always recruit from the standard list and doing so ends recruitment at that castle for that turn."


So it sounds like you can only recruit one unit, per unit-recruiting-location, per turn? In CoE2 you could essentially recruit an unlimited number of units at a citadel or tower or fort, etc., assuming you had enough gold.

[Thilock_Dominus]

Is 'Dragon Lord' available in CoE3, like in CoE2?
Really like draconian armies.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally Posted by Thilock_Dominus

Is 'Dragon Lord' available in CoE3, like in CoE2?
Really like draconian armies.

Its up to Kristoffer but Johan thinks probably not at release.
But he says maybe in a patch later.