Showing our appreciation for the Devs.

[HoneyBadger]

If I had the means, I would fly to Sweden, toast the Devs as eloquently as I'm capable of, with the most expensive liquor, and buy them the best meal in the finest restaurant. This game has added a lot to my life, and I am very grateful. It makes me think more deeply, write better, learn more about the world, and meet more good people than I otherwise would have. I hope Kristoffer and Johan will read this, because you both should know that your efforts are worth a lot more to me than money. You've managed to add a piece that was missing to my world. You've merged myth and history and fantasy and literature into a whole, and made them fun to become involved with. I'm a poor white boy from backwoods Pennsylvania, and because of Dom3 I know more about African history than I do about the game of Soccer (sorry Soccer fans-as an aside, I can't stand American football.).

I don't know or understand in what ways the Devs feel unappreciated on this forum, but it's certainly not a universal sentiment. I hope I personally haven't done anything to offend, but if I have I was mistaken, and I deeply appologise. I've had some experience with gaming forums though, and to my eyes, this one's far and away the most considerate, earnest, and all around exceptional.

Johan, Kristoffer, you guys are the best. You're responsive, you update your game regularly, and you're pleasant to talk to in all cases. Your game itself is great, but you're a real pleasure to have as the creators of it.

I think it's hard for a lot of people to express themselves well, or even to avoid being an ***, but people care about your game. Do I think people should say it more often? Yes I do, but they say it in other ways too. I see it in the number of mods, Edi's databases, Gandalf's servers and the quick donations that were made, our three new moderators who came out of this forum, and all of the guides to various nations, and the way people have fun-and put a real effort into-posting about mooses and kittens and everything else imaginable. Even the suggestions for improvement-because that's still time and effort someone's taking to become involved in your project. It may at times seem demanding, or even envious-and perhaps it is-but it's also people gathering together and wanting to build on the magnificent foundation you've so generously supplied.

You've created a good game, and a good place to be, and it makes people happy-it makes me happy, and I'm very thankful. Johan, Kristoffer, I don't have the money to fly to Sweden and do it properly-forgive me, I have a wife and a mortgage-but I'll drink to you today, my friends, my teachers, my good fortune to have met you.

[Endoperez]

What can others say after that?

I've played various iterations of Dominions for years. I haven't played them that much, but I really love all the lore and stories in it, descriptions of the nations and spells and all kinds of fun stuff that appears in events or in magic sites. Despite doing its best to give different nations different feel and different power spectrum, the game is also surprisingly balanced. It's fun to play and fun to speak about. It's not perfect, but it's very, very good.

I've played Dominions more than Master of Magic, Master of Orion, King of Dragon Pass, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1, Mount & Blade, Dwarf Fortress and many, many other good games. The non-controlled battles are one of the greatest things I've ever seen in games, right after the diplomacy-friendly we-go-together turn system.

[HoneyBadger]

Well, I will say one thing: Dominions reminds me of my childhood, of games I wanted to play, and still want to play as an adult. It's the little soldiers of my imagination that I wanted to see in action, and all the fantasy and dreams I desperated wanted-and still want-to be real. And it's special that it's set in a world where all those conflicting myths, all those desires and fears of humanity, can come together and live a bit.

[MaxWilson]

Hunh. I'm not the gushy type, but I appreciate how KO is a good guy, and when I saw this topic in the forum my first thought was, "Okay, I could probably show appreciation for the devs in kind by reviving my work on a T'lan Imass mod nation. KO would probably enjoy playing that if I'm clever enough with the descriptions and national spells." So yeah, thanks for the reminder and I'll see if I can motivate myself to do it.

-Max

(And then, of course, we need to do the human empire on Assail who've managed to hammer the Imass (!!!) almost into oblivion. I'd do Thelomen Toblakai except that Ashdod already fills that niche pretty well.)

[Omnirizon]

this thread's so saccharine.

sweeter than froo froo cocktails at a dance bar playing the most cliche dance music and top 40 hits they can find.

I'd send KO a boatload of Bulgarian pole dancers. And since he seems like I nice guy, I'd have em tested for herpes first; don't want to give him any STDs.

[HoneyBadger]

Sometimes it's hard to get any appreciation, even for showing appreciation.

[HoneyBadger]

It's always funny to me how willing people are to make fools of themselves for negative reasons, but-and it's often those same people, but not always, Omnirizon-who disparage those who willingly put themselves in the same position for positive reasons.

There's a difference between heartfelt and saccharine, though-that of honesty, if nothing else. And I-honestly-wouldn't have written it if I cared about how it sounded, or thought it sounded sicky-sweet.

[Omnirizon]

ehh...

don't worry about me; do your thing.

I was dancing like a little girl to the most homo 80s music at just such a bar last nite. It was damned fun. Everybody dresses 80s, I wore raggedy jeans and one of my death metal t-shirts. there were chicks with leg warmers, dudes with blue jean jackets and bandanas. it was totally gay, and fun.

I'm nobody to poke at you for being sappy, but talk is cheap. so why not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUod3jGQt0U

take on meeeeeee. take me ooooooooon. i'll be goooooooone. in a day or twooooooo.

[JimMorrison]

The younger generation still struggles with things like sincerity, Badger, please forgive them.

As far as Bulgarian pole dancers go, I heard most of them bring their own pole, if you know what I mean, !yikes!


But in all seriousness, I feel very much the same, and I think many people do (though maybe few are touched quite so deeply, or are nearly so capable of expressing such). It is the simple fact that this game truly is imagination given a life of its own, and done so by a couple of incredibly talented - and personable - fellows. With all of the money that I and my best friend have spent on "studio" titles, I've rarely found a game which had 100 contributors that gave me even 10% of the value that Dominions has.

I'm all for the expensive drink (Cognac perhaps?) and fine meal, and I get the sense that these inspirational game-makers would happily take a visitor up on such an offer. Why? Well, it's simple..... the big studio developers, they know how many people they have pissed off with their vapid, unfinished, poorly thought out dung, and so would not take a fan's hospitality, out of fear of poison or gunshot. But not our devs, for they know what a good game looks like, they know what dedication and support of their product looks like, and they know what honest and sincere appreciation looks like.

I am too new around here to start a thread like this on my own, but I can thank Badger for that one. However, I don't think I'm too new to gush. I just wish more people felt comfortable expressing love as an emotion not connected to sex. Dominions doesn't make me feel sexual (well it didn't until those ads showed up!), but it does fill me with pleasure. I don't know why people find it so hard to be appreciative of what they are given, and to express the potential of a future positive, rather than complaining about what they see as a flaw in someone else's endeavor.

We're very lucky. At least, I feel that way. It would be a triumph of humanity if even 10 people could muster up the courage to simply post in this thread, "I love you guys."

And thank you.

[Edi]

I must say that nothing since the first Age of Wonders has captured my imagination in the way that Dominions has and comparing those, Domninions comes out on top by a wide margin. I've played the series since Dominions - PPP and it just keeps getting better and better. With strategy games, I am very much a sandbox player, so for me every game of Dom3 is in a way like a story of its own.

The uniqueness, the research that has gone to it all, the thematics, the world history, the detail in the nations, it's refreshing and exhilarating and sets my imagination on fire. If it didn't, these things would never have been written. I have no doubt that Dominions will keep on enriching my life for a long, long time to come, regardless of whether or not there are any sequels beyond Dominions 3.

So I want to thank Kristoffer and Johan for making Dominions (as well as CoE). It takes a special kind of vision to produce something this unique and I'm proud to be able to call them friends.

Thank you, Illwinter!