Why am I so bad with Dom3

[Ironhawk]

Clearly you have angered the gods of Dominions 3!!!



Heheheh, just joking. You should tell us more about your strategies. Or if you would rather, you could just pull down one of the Nation Guides. Many contain detailed instructions for how to competitively play a nation.

[Endoperez]

To get better at early game, start games and try to get a second conquest force up as soon as possible, and to start building a second fortress or a place to recruit independent researchers as soon as possible. You might need to re-evaluate your early strategy, but it's very possible. As an example, I've played MA Ulm since Dominions: PPP, and have trusted in the Arbalests as my main expansion force. Just recently, thanks to a comment on these forums, I tried expanding with just their infantry and could suddenly expand at much higher rate.

Read the strategy guides from the stickied post. Magic booster guide is very important, and I also suggest reading Baalz's guide for EA Marverni. I loved how that guide explained in detail why good mages are so deadly, and why supercombatants are so deadly, and it all seems to work out just perfectly. That's what you have to be ready for, whatever your nation.

[mathusalem]

for expension training, what's force of indep do you take ?

I usually play in solo with indep 8

[Endoperez]

I've been playing with basic settings, but I wouldn't put more than 1 extra point to indeps. If you are too careful, it hurts your expansion. Of course, if I knew I was going to play with high indep strength, I'd adjust accordingly.

[Chacal]

First thanks for all your replies and advises.

K said:
Well, my advice is to shoot for the killer tactics (and I means spells). While people will wax poetic about all the available tactics, there really are a select number of good ones.

Yes, that exactly what I try, but something is not well good enough, with my Niefel giants I usually go for a heavy bless strategy, but I one game I just get splashed in parts by EA Abysia. Too few giants, too few castles, to few provinces...

As for SC I still have to learn how to equip them properly, even with Const 8 Find they are always beaten one day or other, even by AI. I think i will check ARENA SC replays one day to look how you equip them. I think I don't make them enough cast the good spells, I'm more in multiple attacks melee SC.

Aezael said:
If I had an alter-ego it could have been me posting (except that I don't know any nation really except midgard a bit now )

Well, I certainly don't pretend (!) to know well Niefels or R'yleh, that just that I like them so much that every time I start a party I ask myself... ' Hmmm what nation will I choose ... Man ? No, never liked longbowmen since Azincourt... Hmmm why not to stomp over those small humans with some powerful giants... you got it '

I know that no SP game will make me ready for MP, but in fact i clearly lack time for now to play MP, even one turn every 24 hours is a lot for me, hope that it will change in future but now... So I have to keep with SP and to improve it. Maybe I have to diversify my gameplay and my nations and pretenders to see simply what happens.

About the guides, yes I should really read them, they are done for that, but I love too to try bymeself, I found it very rewarding. I think the guide about magic is one that I need the more.

Will tell you if I made some progress

[djo]

Chacal said:
I know that no SP game will make me ready for MP, but in fact i clearly lack time for now to play MP, even one turn every 24 hours is a lot for me

There are occasionally games that run slower. PashaDawg runs games that are 1 turn/day for 15 turns (which is usually manageable), then 3 turns/week after. The one game I ran had the same schedule, and if I run another, it will be the same. You have to keep your eyes open, but now and then there are slower games.

[Endoperez]

If you aren't good at SCs, then try building thugs. As Jotunheim, have one or two castles dedicated to building Jotun Jarls or Herses, give them cheap equipment and experiment.

Things that kill thugs:
Spells they don't resist: e.g. Black Lords of Ulm against an AI Prophet get Smited and die.
Fatigue (pg 76 of manual): 40 fatigue gives -4 defense, -2 attack and there's a chance of protection being halved.



We really need a fatigue -> critical hit table somewhere.

[K]

Chacal said:
First thanks for all your replies and advises.

Yes, that exactly what I try, but something is not well good enough, with my Niefel giants I usually go for a heavy bless strategy, but I one game I just get splashed in parts by EA Abysia. Too few giants, too few castles, to few provinces...

Well, Nielfel Giants are stronger in Cold and weaker in Heat , so it's no wonder you got eaten by Abysia (they favor strong heat scales).

My advice is this. Go with a Son of Fenris with W9/N9 and Order3, Sloth3/Cold3/Growth3/Mistfortune2/Drain2. Focus on strong early expansion, buying archers from indie provinces and Neifel giants from home. Avoid Heat 3 nations until you can cast Wolven Winter to cool down their provinces.

Try that, and get back to us.