Kristoffer's encouragement thread

[MaxWilson]

RE: New nation themes.

I'm currently re-reading Steven Erikson's Malazan novels, and cool ideas there include:

1.) T'lan Imass: Humanity's predecessors (think Neanderthals) turned themselves into undead to prosecute a genocidal war against their tyrannical oppressors, the Jaghut. 300,000-year-old Neanderthal zombies obsessed with fighting tyranny. They use Tellann, once the Warren (magic-source, kind of) of Fire but now the Warren of Ash. They've outlived their own gods and most of their purpose and pretty much want to declare victory and fall into dust. Very tragic. Their shamans are called Bonecasters and each have a totem animal they can transform into--think giant undead gorillas, panthers twelve feet long, etc.--in addition to being fierce spellcasters. Oh, and T'lan Imass (before the undead Ritual of Tellann they were just called the Imass, and the glottal stop in T'ellan seems to mean "broken") can also turn into dust (which they should have been long ago, were it not for the Ritual) and travel quickly on the winds that way. They fight with giant flint swords and occasionally giant undead prehistoric wolves called T'lan Ay as allies.

2.) The Jaghut are few, powerful and solitary, but respond to blood ties and reunite when a family member comes under attack. They mostly use Omtose Phellack, the Warren of Ice. They're also all dead except for a handful in hiding, and a number of half-breeds called Jhag. They average 7 feet tall or so and have tusks and green skin.

3.) Teblor are giant barbarian horse-warriors with slow regeneration and four lungs (and perhaps other differences from humanity), who reach maturity at 80+ and live for hundreds of years. They live by raiding each other but are starting to discover the world beyond their borders. Early on when you first meet them they're talking about their desire to kill hundreds of children; turns out that's their term for humans, because of their relative size. Also turns out they're the remnants of a fallen civilization called the Thelomen Toblakai, and were originally contemporaries with the Imass 300,000 years ago. Pureblood Thelomen Toblakai were bigger, though, 18+ feet tall instead of 8-9. Corruption of the bloodlines is a big theme for them.

4.) Tiste Andii, Tiste Edur, and Tiste Liosaan are three branches of long-lived beings who've fled here from a civil war on their own world. They represent Darkness, Shadow, and Light respectively. The civil war has something to do with the Andii feeling betrayed that Mother Dark created Light and Shadow. The three branches don't get along. Tiste Andii are fatalistic and uncaring, Tiste Liosaan are arrogant and inflexible, Tiste Edur are primitive and bloodthirsty. Tiste Andii have a reputation as deadly assassin/mages, and are skilled at magics of darkness and destruction, but don't go in for reanimating undead or anything.

5.) The Malazans are a recently-risen human empire which ideologically kind of resembles the Communist revolution in China (purges of the bourgeois nobility are still ongoing) and militarily resembles the Roman Empire (esp. in attitude, either offering friendship to a beaten foe and removing the causes of strife, or else destroying it utterly: no better friend and no worse enemy). Kind of light on the mage artillery, but with very professional troops.

There are several other races/factions in the Malazan story, too. Anyway, at the very least it would make a very cool mod, and might stir the creative juices. The actual powers of e.g. the T'lan Imass aren't anything especially novel (well okay, frozen ice zombies are more common than fire zombies), but their motivations for becoming undead ARE novel and that's what makes a good story. Or Dominions theme, as the case may be, with e.g. the war between the Vanir and the Niefel giants.

-Max

[sube]

This has already been pointed out somewhere else by several people, but just as a reminder... There's currently a limit cap of ~110 new sprites for mods, game crashes if there are more than 110. Can this limit be raised to, like, a lot more?

[Taqwus]

25th march
* Can use monthly cast multiple site search spells of the same type.
* Some monsters were not always unparalyzed properly, fixed.

21st march
* Ritual of Rebirth didn't work with 15 size Hall of Fame, fixed.
* Wild Hunt and some more spells were buggy when attacking besieging armies, fixed.
* Magic site fixes, armor fixes, age fixes, hero fixes, unit fixes from edi's list
* Y-fix
* No looming devils under water
* Summon barghest & black dogs switched
* Province defense overflow fix
* Esc works when right side menu is hidden
* H-shortcut didn't work
* Marverni & me Man temples cost 200
* TC nation descr fix

I see much spiffiness here.

[vfb]

First, please let me say that this game is incredibly cool! And I've just barely scratched the surface.

One thing that I did some across was that my Wyrm was afflicted with a 'limp' battle wound. I'm not sure if it is intentional to have limping Wryms. It's not like it 'lost an arm', but it does make me laugh when I try to come up with a mental picture of a limping Wrym.

[K]

I also wanted to say that this is the most complex turn-based strategy game I've ever played, and that its successful in that endeavor is a masterstroke. Any additional work done by the developers is just icing on the cake for us.

That being said, I'd pay another $40 if a diplomacy screen was implemented on par with Alpha Centauri (or even MOO, really).

[Kristoffer O]

Hi, I'm in the mood again. I have a one week easter break.

Finished last two days:

Tir na n'Og - Land of the Ever Young. Firbolg ruled by Tuatha.

Eriu - Last of the Tuatha
When men came (Man and the Milesians) the Tuatha withdrew. One part of their kingdom became Man. The lands conquered by the milesians became Eriu, a nation of humans, Fir Bolg and Sidhe.

[Kristoffer O]

I'm quite fond of the Malazan books. There is a vague reference to the T'lan Imass in the spell 'Hidden in Snow' and the unfrozen.

I will not make a nation based on the books, but I would love to see a mod on in that setting.

[Gandalf Parker]

Kristoffer O said:
Hi, I'm in the mood again. I have a one week easter break.

Finished last two days:

Tir na n'Og - Land of the Ever Young. Firbolg ruled by Tuatha.

Eriu - Last of the Tuatha
When men came (Man and the Milesians) the Tuatha withdrew. One part of their kingdom became Man. The lands conquered by the milesians became Eriu, a nation of humans, Fir Bolg and Sidhe.

Sweet. Got some forwarning on the nation # they are assigned to? Is Eriu the Middle Age of Early Age Tir na n'Og?

What does that do to Fomoria? Still coming?

[llamabeast]

Wow! This is really exciting. Really looking forward to seeing them.

So I guess Tir na n'Og is EA, and Eriu is MA. So Tir na n'Og isn't called EA Man because it splits into both Man and Eriu?

What're Milesians?

Are Sidhe faeries in Dominions? Or something else?

All very exciting.

[Kristoffer O]

Sidhe are quite similar to the Vanir, an ancient magical race superior to men skilled in the use of glamour and illusions. It could be that they share the same ancestry.

Tir na n'Og do indeed split into Man and Eriu. Eriu being somewhat similar to the Last of Tuatha from dom2 with humans (milesians) ruled by reemerging Sidhe Lords.

Fomoria will emerge eventually. They too have Fir Bolg inhabitants, but will have some other more sinister allies as well.