Request for strategy: Late game tips

Meglobob · #1 May 14th, 2007, 07:17 PM

I often get ganged up on in MP's:-

Playing MA Man - MA Arco/MA Ermor/MA Pangaea ganged me.
Playing EA Atlantis - EA T'ien C'hi/EA R'lyeh/EA Agartha ganged me.
Playing MA Ermor - MA Abysia/MA Mictlan/MA Marignon ganged me.
Playing EA Niefelheim - EA Sauromatia/EA Abysia ganged me.
Playing EA Marverni - EA Nielfelheim/EA Abysia/EA R'lyeh ganged me.
Playing MA Agartha - MA Bander Log/MA Pythium ganged me.
Playing LA Mictlan - LA Atlantis/LA Abysia ganged me.
Playing LA Agartha - LA Mictlan/LA Ulm/LA C'tis/LA Ermor all ganged me and I still won!

etc, etc, etc....

So, I know alot about being ganged up on. Why is this happening? Because (in my opinion) of the following:-

1) I am loud. By this I mean I am a regular contributor to the forum and usually the game thread. So I am noticable, making myself a target.

2) Have (usually) a strong early game, so I take the lead on most graphs.

3) I am inclined to be aggressive, especially if I detect any weakness in my neighbours. Other players take advantage, wait till I am exhausting myself in a war then attack.

4) I love casting forge of ancients!

The no.1 best thing you can have in a MP is a loyal ally who will stick with you to the very end in the late game. So far I have found 95/100 dominions players to be power mad, stick the knife in soon as look at you. A trustworthy ally is as rare as gold dust.

Btw I have offered a pact to lots of different players, of complete alliance until the end of the game where just the 2 of us have been left. I have never had it accepted, not once in nearly 20 MP games. Why I have no idea, surely finishing in the final 2 with 50% chance of winning is a good deal?

So avoid those if you want to survive...however I will have a more exciting game then you.

jutetrea · #2 May 14th, 2007, 07:41 PM

Wow... people really like you man... or something.

Were you being ganged before or after forge was cast?

So far I've been careful not to be too agressive, yet stay at the top of the curves. Confirming that a) I wasn't the only one attacking and b) I wouldn't be attacked in retaliation from some other direction. The only problem being that the few times this has happened so far i've conceded the enemies capital, losing both income and extra gems (but also the costlier fights) But beyond that its been working peachy with covering my back and still gobbling some provinces.

And definitely interesting discourse on enchantments, the opinions on how long something might stay up are cool... leading me wanting to try getting more up earlier just to see.

Gandalf Parker · #3 May 14th, 2007, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Meglobob said:
The no.1 best thing you can have in a MP is a loyal ally who will stick with you to the very end in the late game. So far I have found 95/100 dominions players to be power mad, stick the knife in soon as look at you. A trustworthy ally is as rare as gold dust.

Btw I have offered a pact to lots of different players, of complete alliance until the end of the game where just the 2 of us have been left. I have never had it accepted, not once in nearly 20 MP games. Why I have no idea, surely finishing in the final 2 with 50% chance of winning is a good deal?

Thats always been one of my problems in MP. I tend to hold an agreement until the end. Or at least until its been openly declared void. I have a hard time playing as paranoid as I should.

I wish things were different. I believe that some nation combinations could balance each others strength and weaknesses to be more powerful than any nation on its own. Some of my favorite nations strike me as being weak in most MP games but powerful as allies.

Its also why I sometimes check connections to my server to pick up on anyone playing the games as 2 nations without telling their opponents.

jutetrea · #4 May 14th, 2007, 09:16 PM

I don't understand it either, why not ally till the end? Finish with the 2, 10 months to prepare, meet in x province, winner take all. Possibly max units/commanders. That's actually how I play my alliances (not NAP or defensive alliance) with the intention of supporting them and having a backup the whole game.

Seems like everyone is a paranoid bugger

Velusion · #5 May 14th, 2007, 10:58 PM

Quote:

jutetrea said:
I don't understand it either, why not ally till the end? Finish with the 2, 10 months to prepare, meet in x province, winner take all. Possibly max units/commanders. That's actually how I play my alliances (not NAP or defensive alliance) with the intention of supporting them and having a backup the whole game.

Seems like everyone is a paranoid bugger

About half the MP games I'm in I've had a really good ally that has lasted until almost the end (or my end at least). I have a mental list in my head of players I consider possible trustworthy (or potentially trustworthy) allies.

They are out there, you just need to look hard.

I never would make an alliance to last the ENTIRE game though. If it looks like my ally is about to win - and I still have a shot at #1, I'm not going to sit back and just let him have it!

jutetrea · #6 May 14th, 2007, 11:06 PM

Right, but after 100 turns of alliance you don't just stab him in the back do you? There's gotta be a way for either a joint win or a singe (2 outa 3, whatever) contest that will choose the victor.

I'd say either do an arranged apocalyptic battle with everything, 1v1 agreed upon SCs, or 1 naked h1 priest vs another

If the alliance got you there, its kind of crappy to have the guy with treachery in mind the last 10 turns positioning units and hoarding resources suddenly go boo.

Velusion · #7 May 14th, 2007, 11:15 PM

Quote:

jutetrea said:
Right, but after 100 turns of alliance you don't just stab him in the back do you?

Not really. When I make my alliances I usually try to be pretty clear that alliances cover everything except installing the other player on the throne as a winner.

So that was his warning...

It's never came up in a Dom3 game where I had to do that though...

Edit: If I had no chance of winning and my ally did I sure wouldn't try to stop him though.

jutetrea · #8 May 15th, 2007, 12:41 AM

Kind of random, but question on pricing.

So i've got a good spot in one game where i can become somewhat of a merchant during a peaceful time. I offered prices of 5 pays 7 if same gemtype, 8 if other gem type. for example clam costs 15w+5N so would be 21W+7N to pay or 32 misc gems.

Too high? Too low?

First time i've done it so just curious. Some items will take my pretender to build, which hurts research, but I'm doing well in research in the game (1st currently).