Why do people hate on Ulm?

[sector24]

My first nation was EA Atlantis. You can't be attacked underwater so it's a very easy way to research all the spells and learn how to get your butt handed to you without being eliminated from the game.

[Dedas]

Be nice to Kamamura. I just read the harsh cursing he was subjected to - not nice reading.

[Twan]

ME Ulm can be good but need some very particular strategies, and more diplomacy or luck than other nations to survive in early game. As said in the recent other threads on the question, Ulm has already won several big games (and has been a serious competitor in more). And this even before the recent national boost.

[Kamamura]

It is okay, I actually enjoy roleplaying a lot. I can understand there are problems with Ulm, if so many players dismiss it. I was successful with in in SP, but so far, I am just in my first MP game. Unfortunately, Ulm was already taken when I was signing :-)

As for that swearing, I don't mind a bit. That guy lost a lot of credit by bursting like this and I think he will have a hard time finding allies.

I like Dominions for the potential to discover new things, it's so massive a game... too bad the AI is not better, but it's probably impossible to achieve this with current HW and procedural languages.

[theenemy]

I didn't find ulm newbie-friendly when I played with them the first time. Their troops are just too dang expensive and I lost quickly too some AI players.

[sector24]

"Why do people hate on Ulm?"

Jealousy.

[CUnknown]

B0rsuk -

I take issue with some things you said in your post.

Items are just not as important or versatile as spells. Magic items can be divided into few categories:
thug/SC equipment
magic boosters
ranged weapons (situational, and not very effective)
everything else.

Magic boosters and thugs/SC's win games. Ulm has little magic to boost, and no efficient thug/SC chasis. This leaves ranged weapons and various misc items. Not something you can build a strategy around. You could find some very specific good items, but depending on few such items makes you much more predictable (=vulnerable) than strong combat magic or SC's.
There are basically no magic items for boosting armies. I think this is a big deal for Ulm, which thematically should depend on steel. Only army-boosting items I can think of boost morale and increase leadership. Oh, and there's the staff of storms. They do nothing about resistances, darkness (no items to counter darkness ? WTF ?), toughness, damage potential. To boost regular armies, you have to rely on combat magic.

Earth magic has many combat spells for boosting armies, just by the way.

But about items, I agree in some parts, that one of the reasons why people hate Ulm is the lack of a good thug/SC chassis for them.

But you also say that magic items are not as important or versatile as spells. That's just not true. They may not be quite as versatile (although close), but they are certainly just as important, imo.

An SC chassis, but no items, does not an SC make.
Powerful spells, but no boosters with which to cast them is worthless.
etc. etc..

Also, I love your "everything else" category. It's pretty broad. It's hard to dismiss that category, seeing as how many things are in it.

For example:
Dwarven hammers.
Magic penetration items.
Supply granting items.
Gem producing items.
Research items.
Movement-granting items (boots of flying, folding boat, etc.)
Summon-boosting items (e.g. lightning rod).
Seige items (e.g. gate cleaver).
Combat spell-casting items (e.g. Banner of Northern Star).
Combat summoning-items (e.g. bottle of living water).
Master & Slave matrix.
Stone spheres for scrying.
Stone idols for enemy dominion control.

And I'm sure I've missed some categories.

None of these are items you can base a strategy around??

And then there's the range weapon item category. I think you are seriously underestimating this category, especially for Ulm. I use these pretty often, and they are effective. I don't want to overstate my case here. But, they aren't "situational" and they have a definite impact on battles.

Also, army-boosting items. The best one is the Sword of Aurgelmer (autocasts "Will of the Fates"). I know it's an artifact, but it is really sweet. And since I like to rush to artifacts as Ulm, it's one of the ones I shoot for.

Besides that though, you're right, there aren't too many others out there, which is a shame.

[Aezeal]

I do agree that a Lantarn magic item to combat darkness should be created.

[Amhazair]

There is an artifact that does just that. (The forbidden light)

[B0rsuk]

CUnknown:

I lumped the remaining items into "everything else" because they have no common theme or pattern. But look at the items you list. Almost all of them are amplifiers, boosters of some sort. To use them properly, you need either SCs or combat magic, or both. You need to put a blade on "everything else" items. They don't kill by themselves. Oh, and there are summons, too.