Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

Micah,

I think that everyone is overestimating an overwhelming smackdown on the caster of anything nasty. Certainly nobody (smart) is going to cast something that is likely to result in 4 of their neighbors declaring war on them, but this fails to take into account that depth of consideration that would go into that casting. Perhaps one of your neighbors is tightly allied to you, and though he isn't a big fan of Astral Corruption he's not likely to attack you because you're helping each other out a lot, particularly if you give him a warning it's coming. Maybe another of your neighbors is already engaged in all out war on the other side of his kingdom. Maybe two more of your neighbors aren't near strong or bold enough to attack you, and maybe your last neighbor is a blood nation. This isn't really all that out there, it's just all about looking for the right opportunity...

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

Hmm, I would think ideal position would be top 3 in provinces, forts, army and top 2 in gems/research. At the same time honest and willing to make a deal.

Top position seems threatening, while lower position seems weak so it would be best to stay near the top of the curve as being said.

IMO dishonesty is the worst, once you break one deal you're pretty much the lowest denominator in any future deals.

On the other hand, masses of low quality troops don't help that much and eat up the income, so troop quality needs to be considered as well as paths. Someone may look to have limited research, but they may have sped up to a high level in a particular path to take advantage of their fewer options.

Love it...now just to survive till end game.

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

I would like to say that Atlantis continues to put Forge of the Ancients up in the Middle Way game. He's done it twice, and I think he's clamhording like crazy, which just means when people get around to finally dispelling it, he can just cast it again.

There was a push for an alliance against him because of this, but it's very difficult to effectively gang up on someone like that. I personally think it's much more effective to be powerful than to be weak. I would never curtail my own development.

Jazzepi

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

Heehee. Well being about the only person in the conversations AFAIK that has played Dom3 games anywhere near this large both AI and MP, and maps anywhere near this large, the IMHO was more out of diplomatic habit than needed. I very rarely put IMEO.

We tested the extremes pretty well in beta before the game was ever released. Altho we didnt ever achieve anything like 62 human players. But many of the best players were in those games so I figure that their actions were fairly representative of what could be done.

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

Gandalf,

Shovah was actually correcting a grammatical solecism. "IMHO opinion" repeats "opinion" twice. Although I'm not sure I should even post this, since three posts on a typo seems excessive (and the laws of irony guarantee that this post will also contain at least one typo).

-Maximilian

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

I often get ganged up on in MP's:-

Playing MA Man - MA Arco/MA Ermor/MA Pangaea ganged me.
Playing EA Atlantis - EA T'ien C'hi/EA R'lyeh/EA Agartha ganged me.
Playing MA Ermor - MA Abysia/MA Mictlan/MA Marignon ganged me.
Playing EA Niefelheim - EA Sauromatia/EA Abysia ganged me.
Playing EA Marverni - EA Nielfelheim/EA Abysia/EA R'lyeh ganged me.
Playing MA Agartha - MA Bander Log/MA Pythium ganged me.
Playing LA Mictlan - LA Atlantis/LA Abysia ganged me.
Playing LA Agartha - LA Mictlan/LA Ulm/LA C'tis/LA Ermor all ganged me and I still won!

etc, etc, etc....

So, I know alot about being ganged up on. Why is this happening? Because (in my opinion) of the following:-

1) I am loud. By this I mean I am a regular contributor to the forum and usually the game thread. So I am noticable, making myself a target.

2) Have (usually) a strong early game, so I take the lead on most graphs.

3) I am inclined to be aggressive, especially if I detect any weakness in my neighbours. Other players take advantage, wait till I am exhausting myself in a war then attack.

4) I love casting forge of ancients!

The no.1 best thing you can have in a MP is a loyal ally who will stick with you to the very end in the late game. So far I have found 95/100 dominions players to be power mad, stick the knife in soon as look at you. A trustworthy ally is as rare as gold dust.

Btw I have offered a pact to lots of different players, of complete alliance until the end of the game where just the 2 of us have been left. I have never had it accepted, not once in nearly 20 MP games. Why I have no idea, surely finishing in the final 2 with 50% chance of winning is a good deal?

So avoid those if you want to survive...however I will have a more exciting game then you. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

Wow... people really like you man... or something.

Were you being ganged before or after forge was cast?

So far I've been careful not to be too agressive, yet stay at the top of the curves. Confirming that a) I wasn't the only one attacking and b) I wouldn't be attacked in retaliation from some other direction. The only problem being that the few times this has happened so far i've conceded the enemies capital, losing both income and extra gems (but also the costlier fights) But beyond that its been working peachy with covering my back and still gobbling some provinces.

And definitely interesting discourse on enchantments, the opinions on how long something might stay up are cool... leading me wanting to try getting more up earlier just to see.

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

I tend to agree with Baalz. I've found people to be rather selfish in these sorts of games - not really willing to fork over the resources to defeat a larger threat until that threat is almost (and usually) too late.

But we'll see... 62 players might change things...

I do agree that unless the blood nations get pounded early in the game we will probably see Astral Corruption up for most of the game. I think it will be much easier for the blood nations to pool blood slaves, whereas I doubt you'll have anyone but LA Ermor really going for Utterdark/BoT...

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

There are quite a few nations with no old-age problems...Rlyeh and the Heims would both (by which I mean all 7 of them) have no problem seeing BoT go up.

Re: Request for strategy: Late game tips
 

Excellent point Max. Marverni is your friend, and they should be allowed to do their harmless research in peace.