Artifact Game - ready!!

[Ironhawk]

I've worked out all the details with modding and now am almost ready to start the Artifact Game. Before I did so I reviewed the artifact list once more and noticed that some nations were (relatively speaking) weak in the early game due to thier alloted artifacts. In particular, Man, Pan, TC, and Machaka. Can people who are interested in this game look over the

Revised Artifact List (v2)

and make suggestions on how to strengthen the early game of these nations or others (if you notice any other weakness)?

[shovah]

pangea could do ok if their pretender could put on the boots and spam something, machaka could stick chains on a survivable pretender and enslave armies, TC may have a little trouble and man could basically do the same as pan or rush for vine men/ogres. im still for my idea of trinkets aswell but thats just me. im guessing when your ready you will be putting a thread in multiplayer? and personally i think atlantis is a little weak (not to mention i thought ryleh had the orb because i got an even as ryleh which mentioned some guys coming to find it)

[archaeolept]

just checked to make sure you had gotten rid of the soulstone ;P

looks intriguing

[Ironhawk]

archaeolept said:
just checked to make sure you had gotten rid of the soulstone ;P

Just to jump back to Arch's comment here: Yes I removed the soulstone in the 2nd revision. Its fun, thematically, but I realized that it horribly unbalanced things. Cheap summons that early in the game is just too much power.

In other news I also cut Amon Hotep in the same revision. You could stick that thing on a stupid indy commander and practically have an SC Substituted in the crown of katafagus so Ctis still gets mummy spawn which I thought was funny and thematic.

[Wish]

an army of mummys can be pretty mean. auto disease their enemies.

[Cainehill]

Ironhawk said:
Just to jump back to Arch's comment here: Yes I removed the soulstone in the 2nd revision. Its fun, thematically, but I realized that it horribly unbalanced things. Cheap summons that early in the game is just too much power.

Heh. I actually think the summoning of the wolves in battle is more useful / powerful - up to 50 turns worth of wolves pouring in from all quarters of the map. Screws up targeting for the mages / archers, and chews them up as well. But yeah, Soulstone was just a bit too powerful - even lategame it's still packs a wallop.

(But I wanted it! )

[Ironhawk]

Cainehill said:
Soulstone was just a bit too powerful - even lategame it's still packs a wallop.

(But I wanted it! )

Hahahah, yes just so. It is exactly that feeling that made me remove the soulstone When I was looking at the list of nations I always kept coming back to the soulstone and pangea as the one I would play. Thats how I knew it had to go

[Ironhawk]

OK! Here we go with, what I believe will be, the last revision of the artifact allotments

Re-Revised Artifact List (v3)

Added a couple of minor items to Atlantis, Caelum, and Pan. Gave Ryleh the Armor of Virtue for sweet Void Gate summoning. Moved the Monolith Armor away from Jotunihiem (I envisioned an invulernable, regenerating Niefel wearing it!!). Additionally, I've added a handful of regular items to boost up the early game of some relatively weaker starting nations - these items are listed in parenthesis.

[Ironhawk]

shovah said:
pangea could do ok if their pretender could put on the boots and spam something, machaka could stick chains on a survivable pretender and enslave armies, TC may have a little trouble and man could basically do the same as pan or rush for vine men/ogres. im still for my idea of trinkets aswell but thats just me. im guessing when your ready you will be putting a thread in multiplayer? and personally i think atlantis is a little weak (not to mention i thought ryleh had the orb because i got an even as ryleh which mentioned some guys coming to find it)

Yeah, good points shovah. Tho I have been toying around with the idea of having human-only pretenders. It fits in with the theme of the passing of the Old Gods, you know? Cause all that are left now are thier human servants and the new batch of pretenders are the most powerful of the lot who are now fighting for dominance. Plus, going human-only sidesteps the issue of mega pretender-SCs from turn 1, which could potentially be unbalancing.

I like your idea about trinkets too. I actually considered it myself - thought about giving Man a Staff of Storms, for example. And TC a Wand of Wild Fire or Phoenix Rod or something. Do you all have any feelings on what would be good trinkets for the weaker nations? Stuff to help thier starting armies take off?

[Turin]

TC is weak with the Hammer of the forge lord and ember? And they get two very useful boosters too? I´d say they get top of the line stuff.

In fact I´d rate the way you have given artifacts to the nations as follows:

1) arcoscephale:
boots of the planes and the aegis are both among the most powerful artifacts, the forbidden light is very powerful too and a free improved staff of elemental mastery is very nice.


2) ermor:
They are amazingly unbalanced with the sickle at the start. Just load SG ermor, prophetize your wraith centurion and channel the 30 gems he gets each battle to your home province with scouts. sceptre of dark regency is great as well

3) tien´chi:
hotfl and ember are top tier and the other items are nice boosters.

4) ulm:
they get the gate stone, the gate stone rocks! The summit and alchemists stone are quite nice too.

5) pythium:
They get the sword of augelmer, another top tier item. The tome of high power is nice too

6) marignon:
The chalice and the ark are both very nice, but not too gamebreaking.

7-9) mictlan, atlantis and vanheim each get a very good item, but not much else.

10-16) the rest, not much very useful stuff there.