Hi all. I'm fairly new to the game, and have been avidly reading the Posts in this forum. My first questions is actually not about the game, but the forum itself. Is there a way to make Messages appear in a first-to-Last configuration? Currently, when I view a thread, the first (top-most) message is the LAST reply posted, rather than the "Thread-starter". This is the opposite of any forum that I've ever seen.
Anyways...on to the game. I've gone through the "newbie walkthrough" that's posted everywhere (and seems to be the ONLY walkthrough for this game). That BARELY scratches the surface, as you no doubt know. I've played a little as Jotunheim (from the walkthrough), and more recently as Marignon. I guess my real question is this: How do you guys/gals figure out all this stuff? Is it just trial-and-error? Reading some of the Posts about the strengths and weaknesses of various nations, as well as what could be termed "advanced tactics" leaves me bewildered as to how you can figure all this out.
Let me be clear that I am not new to gaming, and have been playing computer games since Commodore came out with the C64. I've been letting the computer handle all the battle orders/spells/formations (other than placing troops in front of my commanders on the little green screens). Trying to decide what schools of magic to give my Pretender when creating him, deciding what to research, figuring out what type of units are good against which AI enemy, etc, etc... Is all this knowledge just an accumulation of hours upon hours of playing or what?
What I've been doing is (I know) very basic. Recruit commanders/armies/researchers. Search for magic sites. Patrol where unrest is found. Build alot of temples. Build forts/labs 3 provinces away from starting fort (bc of the resource-drain thing on connected provinces). And basically just try to build armies that can conquer other provinces. The most "advanced" thing I've done is to use "Fires from Afar" (or whatever it is named) to bLast armies in a far away province before attacking them.
I know it's impossible to make a comprehensive guide to this game, since it is so complicated, but even basic things seem not to be covered. For example, when I first started playing, I set ALL the other factions to "normal AI". That game ended fast! Haha! The most recent game, I only "turned on" about 4 "normal AI" and 3 "easy AI" nations, which has been moderately easier to play. I found the tip about making indies stronger, used it, and that helps too. So it comes down to this: "How do you learn this game?"
Any suggestions?
Help a newbie out!
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