Early Game, Mid Game, and End Game... What's the goal of each?

[ywl]

Originally posted by Spacepain:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Norfleet:
Try Atlantis, or R'lyeh. That will impede the AI's ability to rush you, and you'll be able to experience a full game without being swarmed.

See, thats the confusing part... I can play the R'leyh, Ulm, Pythium, and any other race with respectable base units - units that are less vulnerable to being rushed early on- with relatively little trouble, and scrap wins - most of the time against - against easy AI. Its just a matter of more effectively utilizng resources than the AI, which isn't that hard, and having a little bit of luck.

When I start to approach magic *shudder* or try utilize a race without the really hardy units... things go down hill... quickly. Suddenly, I have to worry about not just keeping decent armies up to snuff, but I have that whole magic thing to worry about.

I tried Mictlan a few times and was repeatedly whomped, same goes with Machaka, Vanheim, Ermor (all 3 themes), etc...

So somewhere between the army part of the game and the magical side of the game I'm missing something.

---

There is nothing shameful using the basic units . Many good players win their MP game just by that.

Except for Mictlan, you can use similar heavy infantry tactics for Machaka, Vanheim and Broken Ermor. So, I don't know why you would have problem with them... Mictlan is hard - I'm still figuring out how to use it correctly.

There are tricks for the magic of each nations because they all have different combinations of magic paths. The is more variations if you used a magical pretender. It'll take a while to learn how to use magic efficiently. I've played the game for more than a year and I'm still trying different aspects the magic system on a weekly basis.

Try to get yourself familiar with one or two nations first. Even Ulm is not that limiting in magic, you just need to know the way...

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Norfleet:
I crash and burn on a race with extremely poor magical ability, such as Ulm. I just don't do Ulm very well.

I like Ulm, and they aren't all that bad magically, just rather severely limited in scope. Plus they are great at item-making, which compensates for a lot. It's not a nation I would choose to play against humans, but against AIs they are fine.

Playing Ulm is pretty straightforward: bash anything that gets in your way with your konigstigers (guardians) and jagdpanthers (black lords), and keep Albert Speer & Co. (your smiths) busy upgrading your cannon and armor. Your main short-term goal (and weakness) is to gather Italians (indies) to use as your luftwaffe and kriegsmarine.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Arryn:
I like Ulm, and they aren't all that bad magically, just rather severely limited in scope. Plus they are great at item-making, which compensates for a lot. It's not a nation I would choose to play against humans, but against AIs they are fine.

I don't find their item-making prowess THAT wonderful, given their lack of randoms that would increase the variety of forge targets. Forge of the Ancients as an early goal can help, but invariably I find that the inflexibility of their national magics, coupled with their high point demands for early production of their resource-expensive units, leaves me too thin on magic for my tastes. My best study of Ulmish behavior to date has been Condors....and he asks *ME* for advice. I do okay against the AI, but I am far from the master of Ulm.

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Norfleet:
My best study of Ulmish behavior to date has been Condors....and he asks *ME* for advice. I do okay against the AI, but I am far from the master of Ulm.

Heh. I felt the same way when Charon was asking me for my opinions on R'leyh. I'd've done a R'leyh AAR a fair bit different than he has (even had I chosen the same map), but I do not think I would have done *better*. Just different. I know for certain most players would not do Jotunheim as I do if for no other reason than it's a blood nation and I don't use blood magics (I like the spells, but I refuse to hunt and sacrifice virginal girls. )

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Arryn:
I know for certain most players would not do Jotunheim as I do if for no other reason than it's a blood nation and I don't use blood magics (I like the spells, but I refuse to hunt and sacrifice virginal girls. )

Meh. Hunting and sacrificing virgins is nothing compared to global genocide.

Like my sig says....

[condors]

in sp its a different world than mp.

The way i play ulm, I learned strickly with earth magic and earth gem income. I had a thing for cyclops pretender. This may have slanted my tactics and view of things. I see any other gem income as a bonus. With the added gems coming in there are alot of things avaible to ulm but none of them can be counted on. Using those gems with summoned/indy/empowered mages gives ulm its flexibility. I just won a sp karan all nations impossible ai using fetishes to create an aboundance of fire gems, Ermor who normally dominates sp was delt with easily giving me 9 hall of fame smiths with my pretender. Mecanical men and a fire ring is easy access for ulm, battlefield/large area fire spells worked wonders.

[ywl]

The advantage for Ulm, at least for standard theme is 120 free nation points, with no string attached.

Most of the other nations who have free points, such as Abysia or Caelum, requires a strong dominion to avoid income penalty and/or to fight effectively. For Ulm, the drain -3 is optional. It helps your defense slightly but you can live perfectly well without it.

Consequently, you can afford an expensive pretender, and more importantly use a pretender with low dominion strength (e.g. mage or dragon).

This is the advantage in additional to the production bonus and very decent infantries, availability of crossbow (sappper, somewhat expensive with seige bonus). Their smiths have no random pick. But with your better pretender, you can easily get around of that limitation.