Why do people hate on Ulm?

[moderation]

I'm rather curious that Ulm seems to have a funny reputation, but I don't understand exactly why.

[DonCorazon]

Well, having played MA Ulm in my first MP game I can tell you - I took a commanding lead and built some impressive armies. Then my opponents start developing spells like Darkness, Arrow Fend, Flaming Arrows, etc. My mighty armies quickly became targets for high level evocation spells. My own magic was so predictable - Blade Wind, Destruction repeat...that my enemies knew exactly what to expect. Needless to say, the fall of Ulm was almost as fast as its rise.

I will always have a place in my heart for the stalwart Ulmites, but won't be eager to try them again in MP.

[OmikronWarrior]

Early Age and Late Age Ulm are fine, if hardly powerhouses. Its Middle Age Ulm thats was (and possibly still is) the benefit of so much grief. Basically, they had no sacred troops, so a bless strategy was out of the question. Then, their only mages were 2E1F with a 10% chance of getting an additional path. Thats not a lot of magic diversity. Finally, there best troops could not win against other enemy troops, and their archers are very resource intensive.

[Kamamura]

Traitors! Ulm is invincible! All those pathetic magic-dabbling sharlatans and superstitious zealots will meet the swift judgement of the cold blade.

[CUnknown]

Yeah Kamamura!!

Ulm has some intruiging and fun strengths (item forging! plate mail!) and are very popular with many players who are new to the game (that included all of us at one point). So, you have the pro-Ulm-ites, most of which are newbies. This doesn't help Ulm's reputation because these people are not sensitive to Ulm's disadvantages and tend to get slaughtered in multiplayer.

So, Ulm is hated in part as a reaction against the love many people have for the faction originally.

Also, it doesn't help that many of Ulm's even supposed "advantages" are in fact disadvantages. Or at least were up until recently. Take Black Plate, for example -- Ulm's own regular infantry were better than these supposed users of "superior" steel due to encumbrance and defense issues. This has mostly been fixed in the last patch, though.

Then there are the "Ulm is a race of stupid people" arguments. Ulm has no medium infantry even though they would be a great help. Ulm refuses to use swords even though they are better -- we like hammers!

Another reason people don't like MA Ulm because the faction has a long littany of disadvantages, much longer than most factions.

Ulm is slow. Painfully so.

Ulm has only very limited magic diversity in a game where magic diversity is a principle asset and power.

Ulm, until recently, had no good thugs its national mages could summon besides maybe troll kings. So, they have great SC item forging capability, but no SCs.

So, Ulm's reputation is of a race of slow, dimwitted fools beloved by newbies and the uninformed who are slaughtered in multiplayer.

But I love Ulm anyway!!!

[Tuidjy]

> Traitors! Ulm is invincible! All those pathetic magic-dabbling sharlatans and
> superstitious zealots will meet the swift judgement of the cold blade.

Yup, as soon as you find some other sharlatan or zealot to hold them down for you :-)

[Dedas]

I put my trust in steel. Black steel. It has never failed me yet.

[Evil Dave]

DonCorazon said:
Well, having played MA Ulm in my first MP game I can tell you - I took a commanding lead and built some impressive armies. Then my opponents start developing spells like Darkness, Arrow Fend, Flaming Arrows, etc. My mighty armies quickly became targets for high level evocation spells.

Yup++. Way back when the earth was young and I'd just picked up Dom2, people recommended Ulm because it was easy to learn. I had the frustrating experience of being smashed in the same way: gee, look at all the stuff my "easy" nation can't do! I was hopeful Dom3 would fix Ulm (now MA Ulm), but I was disappointed w/ it.

I do like EA Ulm, tho.

[moderation]

Heh, thanks everyone for the informative and amusing input. What is it about Ulm that makes it a good "newbie nation." Is it the limited options, or maybe the reduced amount of micromanagement needed?

[Dedas]

MA Ulm is definitely not a newbie nation in the sense that it takes considerably experience and skill to succeed with it (in MP).