First impossible game... too easy?

[Stormbinder]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:


The AI for Dom2 is one file using generic responses that are averagely good for all of the nations. In a multiplayer game anyone seeing Ermor will start cranking out priests and making cauldrons for food. Nations such as Marignon in particular will prove much harder with a human managing things.

Gandalf, you seem to be an expert in SP games, based upon your Posts that I've read so far.

What settings would you recommend for the "ultimate challenge" vs AIs? Large map like Orania, indep 9, all AIs active and on Impossible except Ermor(don't want him to crassh all other AIs), Marignon (too weak whan played by AI as far as I can tell), and Jotunheim (broken) ? Or something else? What about magic side frequency and world richness?

I am looking for the Last big SP game vs as challenging computer opponents as possible, with me playing some race that I haven't tried so far (probably Vanheim). I am pllaying only MP games atm, but I would like play one more SP before switching to MP completely.

Advice from other people is also appreciated.

[fahdiz]

I'd say if you want a challenge, play on one of the largest maps, like Orania (as you've suggested) or the World map, include all AIs except Ermor on Impossible, and then choose either Pangaea Carrion Woods or T'ien Ch'i Spring & Autumn for your own nation.

You could play Ironman.

Play a GP exclusive All-Ally huge map. Take a living nation then -3 to all scales, 3 dominion, Watch Tower, Human-non-immortal pretender with your picks in magic.

It's possible to win, but it's definitely not easy.

[Gandalf Parker]

The ultimate of all AI's aligned against you I dont think Ive done yet (though I could whip one out quick enough, maybe later today).

For now there there are random alliance maps you can get HERE. Pick the one named for the race you want to play it fills in random opponents with random alliances to each other. They are re-rolled every day.

Or in that same place is "Poke in the Eye" which adds random alliances amoung the AI's and random monsters to every province. It makes for a very different game but actually tends to handicap the AIs more than it does the human players.

Also there, if you have the excellent Miirunst map then downloading MiirunstX.map will add scattered monsters which make it a different play.

Some that Im still messing with can be found in the PROJECTS directory. The Indeps.zip makes Man a nation with no pretender uniting the independent provinces against everyone. Not too hard, just a fun change. The WEvsTHEM (grab the .map and the .tga) is an effort at making a game too hard to win alone. It unites Rlyeh, Atlantis, and Ermor down in one corner given them extra castles. Its a long game and supposed to make it so that human players have to ally to win (still in testing). And the latest is Mazes and Monsters (grab the MazeMons map and tga files) which is designed to add more strategic play to a game by providng more choke-points, random castles scattered around, and monsters with equipment.

[Morbius]

sorry for me being off-topic, but this is awesome.
gandalf, thank you very much for those two links and your projects.

[ March 26, 2004, 14:32: Message edited by: Morbius ]

[Stormbinder]

Thanks to everybody who have posted their advice here, it has been very helpfull.

Gandalf, I am definetly going to try one of your allied map, great idea and implementation. If I understand your system correctly all "map" files with the name of the nations are based on the "tga" files that are generated daily in your "random map" folder, correct? Are they totally random maps produced my random-map-generator of yours, or they are semi-random with the some prototype geographical map with surface, seas, and provinces links "set in stone", and with random elements like "type of the land in surface province", etc.?


About this Miirunst map that you've mentioned - is it better than Orania map? Are you the author of it? How big is it in terms of number of provinces? (I've noticed on your website that it has impressive 30 MB in it, that's why I asking before downloading - my DsL is dead for the next 2 weeks, so I am using dial up for now ).

Also Zen has mentioned "GP exclusive All-Ally huge map" in his reply. Is it one of your big random maps with random alliances or some special one?

(Sorry if some of my questions do not much sense, I haven't played with map-making in Dom2, so I maybe totally wrong with some of my guesses here )

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by Stormbinder:
Thanks to everybody who have posted their advice here, it has been very helpfull.

Gandalf, I am definetly going to try one of your allied map, great idea and implementation. If I understand your system correctly all "map" files with the name of the nations are based on the "tga" files that are generated daily in your "random map" folder, correct?

NO the early projects like Poke in the Eye or the those random ally maps use tga that came with the game. Poke in the Eye uses the eye.tga and the random opponents ones use the aran.tga because both of those came with the demo and the game. Everyone has them already.

Are they totally random maps produced my random-map-generator of yours, or they are semi-random with the some prototype geographical map with surface, seas, and provinces links "set in stone", and with random elements like "type of the land in surface province", etc.?

Some of both. Most of the ones I package as a scenario start with one of the randomly generated ones. Then I write a program to add randoms to the .map file (in BASIC of all things though they are available and easily modified to other Languages if anyone is interested). Usually they keep the terrain, province, and nostarts that the random map generator makes, then adds random province locations for whatever fun stuff Ive decided to try. Many of them Ive setup so that the program runs nightly generating a new randomized Version of the .map file.

I have some thoughts on doing one where both the tga and the map use new random Versions each day but havent yet. The randoms dont produce really playable maps everytime with the settings Im using now. I would need to play with the generator settings abit to get that to work well. Maybe after PhilD (or some other programmer) does some more touchups on the DomMap generator program.

About this Miirunst map that you've mentioned - is it better than Orania map? Are you the author of it? How big is it in terms of number of provinces? (I've noticed on your website that it has impressive 30 MB in it, that's why I asking before downloading - my DsL is dead for the next 2 weeks, so I am using dial up for now ).

No the Miirunst map is MUCH more pretty than any of my random junk. It was done by Tiltowait and is definetly worth getting. You should get it from the Illwinter.com maps page because Im not sure if mine is the most up-to-date Version. I thought the map was too nice for my kindof messing with but Tiltowait specificall asked me to do one for his map. So now on my site there is a daily randomized Version that adds surprises to the Miirunst.tga
I named it MiirunstX so it doesnt overwrite the original .map but just gives a second verion to play off the same tga.

Also Zen has mentioned "GP exclusive All-Ally huge map" in his reply. Is it one of your big random maps with random alliances or some special one?

Im not sure. I havent done one yet where ALL of the AI's are allied against you. I thought that was a bit much. But now that so many maps are becoming available I guess there is room for such an extreme for those that want to take a stab at it. It wouldnt take long to do. An easy edit to the .map file. I will probably just keep watching for a decent random map to use as a base, and whip one out. Hmmm name it something like Way2Hard or 2hard4u or Xtreme, maybe Ultimate?

EDIT: Hmmm if I only add "all AI's allied" and none of the other random stuff I do, then I dont have to worry about creating un-passable chokepoints (which forces me to carefully choose from the random tga's). This could be the first one that would work as both a random tga reselected every day. Hmmmmm

[ March 27, 2004, 14:51: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]