A general inquiry about Dom 3 gaming habits.

[quantum_mechani]

JaghataiKhan said:
Now and then, I use the Silent Seas (no wrapabout) map for a quick head on collision with 3 Medium Random AI factions without much magic consideration (save for quick level 2 rush of Construction and evocation for combat blastage)

I see many people talking about massive scale magic R&D and SC equipping bonanza. Do you play huge maps? Doesn't it take too much time and clicks? There are so many multi sphere spells and artifacts that it takes ages to develop them. I think a well built human wave rush to the other dude's keep is far more fulfilling(finding a Lion tribe is a forest-mountain province is orgasmic), but then this may be due to my love of large scale fighting. Though I love how many spells blast away an army, but in small maps, it is not worth developing Wish or Star Focus spell, much less gather the skill and pearls for it.

So, what floats your boats?

Something like wish is indeed only the domain of big maps, but most spells have their uses even on small maps. It's not really either or, if you want to make best use of your nation, you usually want to use armies _and_ invest in research/site searching for some big guns later. Think about it this way, gem income is basically part of the total income of your provinces, if you aren't making use of it, an equal sized nation might have the same gold to work with as you, on top of whatever they use the gems for. Even small map games usually go past turn 30, plenty of time to do some very useful things with gems.

[Meglobob]

I like long games and big maps. I find I am constantly looking for the next great spell to research, magic item combos to try out. I invariably fall in love with a particular strategy/tactic, use it a short while, then move on to a completely different strategy. My empires often comprise of lots of mad, half completed, half baked ideas some of which are awesome but the majority are so and so.

I can still defeat SP easily playing this way but in MP it costs me. If I could focus my genius, I would be awesome but I am often overtaken by mounting chaos...

[PashaDawg]

Sounds like you're a first rate Meglobob!

[HoneyBadger]

I tend to play high bless, low scales nations, so I end up with a relative few units, and I have to make the most of what I've got. That often means equipping them to cure their weaknesses or maximizing their strengths. I can get a huge selection of decent equipment out of just Const 2.

It may not always be the best strategy to have just a few super-units, but it's fun, and they make for excellent support for independents, etc. That strategy is also fairly versatile. There isn't much an Agarthan Oracle or a Niefel Jarl can't do, by themselves or with a minimum of support.

[Jazzepi]

I tend to subscribe to the Red Queen theory. Which is drawn from a part in Alice in Wonderland where she's running from the Red Queen but can't get away no matter how fast she runs.

So the idea is that everyone is racing, everyone is trying to compete with each other. Every action that you take must improve your position in the race more so than the next strongest person in the game. If you don't, then when you meet that person, they'll conquer you because they've been running relatively faster than you the whole time and slowly pulled out ahead.

So, I tend to be very aggressive. I always have a plot or a scheme wrapped within another. Nations that sit around and do nothing aren't advancing fast enough to keep up with the race. When I build a race, I *always* have an early game plan. Being strong in the beginning means being strong in the end.

I'm also an addict to good scales and lots of income. I love production and order. I almost always get misfortune 2, drain 2. My theory is that by not wasting points to get from Drain 2 to Magic 1, you're saving yourself 3 ticks worth of another good scale. The extra money from a growth scale should translate into more mages in the long term. These extra mages should eventually translate into more in the long term.

Jazzepi

[Gandalf Parker]

I like stealth, and large tactics. So I like to play extremely large maps.

Gandalf Parker
-- After years of playing Dominions I have not come up with a winning strategy, but I have found hundreds of ways to lose in creative and interesting ways.

[ArkkiMeisseli]

I like assassins.

Which is a problem, since I pretty much always play Caelum.

[Saxon]

I think that the real world has a huge impact on how I play the game. I get an hour a night, at most, after baby and wife go to sleep, so I can not mess about much or commit to MP. I tend to play one nation, for good or ill, on a medium map for a couple of weeks, then switch to a new nation. A large map just takes too long and the small maps don’t let me develop the nation beyond the low levels. Victory points are sometimes used to add extra excitment and challenge, but I have found the AI is fairly easily outwitted in that area.

I learn a lot about each nation, but do not become an expert by any means. I just don’t have the time to try out all the different options or ways of playing one race. I also don’t have time to manage the huge empires a large map would bring or to power game a MP match like my competitive spirit would demand.

I play with max gems and easy research. I love the magic and turn it up as high as I can. I also have not even touched MA or LA, as they have less magic. With so many different nations to play, I just love the idea that I have been playing for months and have not even looked in on two thirds of the game's options.

I play with the sound off, purely because of the child in the next room. I love the fact that I don’t need to upgrade the computer to play the game, as the household budget does not like the idea of a new computer. I should have taken different scales!