New patch??

Ironhawk · #1 July 19th, 2007, 02:45 PM

I know that, but this isnt a design choice, its a bug. You can't offer a bonus like "abysia is immune to death scales" and then turn around and make it technically impossible for Aby to actually take Death scales. Its a design flaw that needs correction.

Either they should take away the Abysians "bonus" or fix it.

MaxWilson · #2 July 19th, 2007, 03:06 PM

In GURPS terms, it's a quirk. (A feature which follows logically from Abysian history/physiology but has no real game impact.) Thinking that a quirk is a real advantage is a mistake, which the manual unfortunately makes. Fortunately the manual also has a disclaimer about all the strategies it suggests.

-Max

WraithLord · #3 July 19th, 2007, 06:05 PM

Well I'm not so sure about EA Marverni being very weak in early game, I recall discussing this in another thread so I won't elaborate here again. They could use some "love" from the devs for more thematic depth IMHO.

As for Abysia I don't think its a bug. The "immunity" goes for standing armies in terms of provisions (don't starve) and not for economy or population immunity to death scale.

Jazzepi · #4 July 19th, 2007, 06:29 PM

I was thinking you could do something interesting with Boots of Youth. I know, at least, one of the ages of Abysia has good access to blood.

Jazzepi

Ironhawk · #5 July 19th, 2007, 06:50 PM

I agree Jazzepi. Aby does have a natural synergy for Boots of Youth. However, it still doesnt fix the fundamental brokenness of the Abysian "death scale immunity".

Micah · #6 July 19th, 2007, 07:11 PM

Booting every single mage is a tad expensive, which is a problem since every single mage is old. (That being said I've booted all of my MA warlocks in the game I'm playing at the moment...over 200 blood slaves to do so. It's fairly mandatory to do so because you don't have any other access to blood hunters besides at the cap) Plus the boots require construction 6 to build, so the first year or two of the game you don't even have the option to do so. They also don't work against Burden of Time, which already has a devastating effect on Abysia.

It's also a flat out bug that death scales directly affect Abysia's income, it's specifically stated that it does not in the documentation.

Also, can LA Abysia get fixed up a tad in general? They're fairly horrible looking, especially in comparison to LA Marignon (which might be a tad overpowered, but they put Abysia to shame across the board.)

RamsHead · #7 July 20th, 2007, 04:14 AM

The way I understand it, it is not a bug. Although it is not explained very well, the "bonus" is that Abysia is not affected by the initial effects of a growth/death scale. In other words, Abysia will not suffer -6% in their income from a 3 death scale, but the population in that province will still die. The fewer people in a province, the less money you will get. It is only the initial income and supply effects that Abysia is immune to, not the longterm consequences. Since, as Abysia, it is likely you will go with a growth scale, this "bonus" is really a penalty.

vfb · #8 July 20th, 2007, 04:34 AM

It's not a penalty, it's just that the other negatives of the death scale outweigh the free points you'd get by choosing death. Edit, this is wrong, sorry! Growth scales supposed to be affected too. It's a penalty.

In SP you can go Death-3, so the AI hordes starve even faster than they do usually. It puts more time pressure on the game too, and it's nice and thematic for a race that's doomed to die. EA can stick with Apprentices and Anointeds until they get boots, and MA can use Demonbreds. LA doesn't get the death scales bonus.

Micah · #9 July 20th, 2007, 04:38 AM

Except it IS affected by the 2% per scale tip...