Questions about globals

[Minrhael]

About global enchantments:

1) Is there a greater chance that if you cast a global enchantment (hereafter: spell) when the box is full with 5 already that you dispel your own over another nations? 3 times in a row with my having one spell and others having 4 I dispelled my own spell putting up a new one. And I can guarantee that other than the first time, the spell I had up already was cast with far more gems than the computers, it simply didn't have the gem income to put up 300 gem spells at the time that it cast them (or ever for that matter).

2) I thought I read something about this but I couldn't find it: There were 5 spells up including one of mine and a BoT. I killed the caster of the BoT. BoT went down. There were 4 spells in the box. Next turn I cast a spell. Rather than taking the empty 5th slot, it dispelled my own spell (thanks!). The turn after this, the computer cast a spell and used the 5th slot. Explain! Is there a delay or something before you can use that slot?

3) I had two spells up, Vanheim had three, including Wrath of God. It then proceeded to cast Wrath of God again, dispelling it's own. Why?

4) Not globals, but: is there any chance of getting the AI to understand that once my spellcasters have cast Arrow Fend, Wind Guide, and Mass Protection, they don't need to be cast 2 or 3 more times in a long battle? Gem conservation dang it!

[Kristoffer O]

1. Dispel is random. One of the five spells will be 'attacked' by the dispel. If that particular spell is too powerful it remains.

2. All globals are cast simultaneously. If you give an order to cast a global it will still be processed at the same time as the AI's newly cast spells. Thus yuo and the AI both compete for the single empty position. In this case the AI won and your spell randomly 'attacked' one of the now five global spells.

3. Sure about this? Sounds like a bug.

4. There are chances

[Gandalf Parker]

A common tactic for gem conservation (and blood slaves) is to send scouts along and have them hold things. Its also handy for special-use items like special crossbows or items for smashing castle walls. You leave the scouts hidden and let them hold things. Then transfer items between attacks. It also is handy for not losing things hwen the outcome of a battle might be questionable.

[PhilD]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
A common tactic for gem conservation (and blood slaves) is to send scouts along and have them hold things. Its also handy for special-use items like special crossbows or items for smashing castle walls. You leave the scouts hidden and let them hold things. Then transfer items between attacks. It also is handy for not losing things hwen the outcome of a battle might be questionable.

That's fine, but sometimes the spellcasting AI still makes the "bad" decision.

Like if you try to script a mage with several spells, and give him enough gems to be able to cast them all, the AI will decide to spend more gems on the first spells to reduce fatigue, and will not have enough for the later spells. So you have to over-equip him if you want to make sure the Last spell is cast.

[LintMan]

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:
2. All globals are cast simultaneously. If you give an order to cast a global it will still be processed at the same time as the AI's newly cast spells. Thus yuo and the AI both compete for the single empty position. In this case the AI won and your spell randomly 'attacked' one of the now five global spells.

Rereading what Minrhael wrote, I *think* he was saying that the AI cast its global spell a turn after he cast his spell. In other words, he cast a global while there was an open slot, but it bumped his other spell instead, while leaving the slot open. Then the next turn the AI cast a spell which used the free slot. No competition on either turn.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Minrhael:
3) I had two spells up, Vanheim had three, including Wrath of God. It then proceeded to cast Wrath of God again, dispelling it's own. Why?

This isn't necessarily stupid: If you cast a spell early on in the game, and it's crucial to your empire, the gems you put into it early on may not be sufficient to withstand modern dispels: Thus, you cast it again, overwriting it with a more powerful Version, so that you don't risk interruption of service and the messiness of trying to cram a spell into a global slot.

[Minrhael]

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:

2. All globals are cast simultaneously. If you give an order to cast a global it will still be processed at the same time as the AI's newly cast spells. Thus yuo and the AI both compete for the single empty position. In this case the AI won and your spell randomly 'attacked' one of the now five global spells.

Originally posted by LintMan:

Rereading what Minrhael wrote, I *think* he was saying that the AI cast its global spell a turn after he cast his spell. In other words, he cast a global while there was an open slot, but it bumped his other spell instead, while leaving the slot open. Then the next turn the AI cast a spell which used the free slot. No competition on either turn.

Correct. The only thing I can think of is that either there's a bug sometimes limiting you for a time to 4 GEs or perhaps myself and an AI both tried to cast a spell the first turn with an empty slot and they somehow dispelled each other and neither went up which isn't supposed to happen as I understand it.

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:

3. Sure about this? Sounds like a bug.

Yea, I'm sure it happened. I was specifically going after Vanheim to free up those 3 enchantment slots, and I'm sure it was Vanheim that recast, and they still controlled all 3 enchantments that turn. Now that I think about it though, I wasn't checking the GE box every turn; I guess it's possible one of the other AIs dispelled it; I didn't think about that because they so rarely dispel anything in my experience. Do you get a message when other nations GEs go down? If not, that would explain it.

As for bring along gemholders, I do that too, but if I'm going into a big fight or a medium fight where I know I'm taking over a laboratory so I can replenish quick and easy without stopping a turn, I like to give my casters some extra gems and pray they use 'em to cast something useful.

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:

4. There are chances.

I look forward to it, thanks!

[mivayan]

There seems to be a bug with globals. I did a Global Enchantment test in a freshly created game:

I created a game in 1.11.
I am ermor, enemy is impossible marignon, impossible mictlan. My pretender is named Silian.

turn20? marignon cast purgatory.

turn 49: I try to cast eyes of god
turn 50:
Eyes of god was successfull.
I try to cast well of misery with 120 gems (boosted +40)
turn 51 Messages:
My well of misery was succesfull.
Mictlan cast gift of health
turn 54 Messages: My mother oak was cast successfully. (+0 gems)

GE list:
1) Purgatory (marignon)
2) The eyes of god (ermor)
3) well of misery (ermor)
4) gift of health (mictlan)
5) Mother oak (ermor)

cast dispell at purgatory with 60 gems (+30)
turn 55 Messages: dispel failed.

cast dispel at gift of health with 60 gems (+30)
turn 57 Messages: dispell successfull

GE list:
1) Purgatory (marignon)
2) The eyes of god (ermor)
3) well of misery (ermor)
4) Mother oak (ermor)
5) -

I cast burden of time, with +0 gems.
turn 58 Messages: Silian has cast burden of time. Your global enchantment was overpowered by the existing global enchantement and failed to take effect.

I cast riches from beneath with +0 gems (only thing I had gems for)
turn 59 Messages: Silian has cast riches from beneath. Your global enchantment was overpowered by the existing global enchantement and failed to take effect.

turn 60 - no relevant Messages.
GE list is same as turn 57, Last slot is still free.
I try to cast wild hunt with 124 gems (boosted +74)

turn 61 Messages:
A global enchantment for silian. (wild hunt)
Your global enchantment was dispelled when another global enchantment was created. (the eyes of god is now gone)

GE list:
1) Purgatory (marignon)
2) Wild hunt (ermor)
3) well of misery (ermor)
4) Mother oak (ermor)
5) -

During the game there has been no other Messages about ais casting any global enchantment.

This bug is reproducable - just cast 5 GEs, dispel one, try to cast another. It should take the free slot but does not.

4) Not globals, but: is there any chance of getting the AI to understand that once my spellcasters have cast Arrow Fend, Wind Guide, and Mass Protection, they don't need to be cast 2 or 3 more times in a long battle? Gem conservation dang it!

I have seen the enemy ai cast one of these, then again after another mage summoned some skeletons. Perhaps not a bug since the freshly summoned skeletons did not have the protection.