Resolution of Movement Different in Dom3?

Hellboy · #1 January 20th, 2007, 10:41 PM

I've been playing Tien Chi in SP, and I've had more difficulties with having single celestial masters going into combat alone than I recall under Dom2.

Specifically, I have one case (but many like it) where I have a large army moving to attack a neighboring province. The large army is in a province w/ a fortress. Then I have 2 CMs moving in from a separate province, to join in on the attack.

Having tried from reload maybe 5 times, every single time my large army gets caught in the fortress, with an attack from Lanka (usually a piddling little attack, to make it all the more annoying). Then, of course, my CMs attack alone and get killed.

I played Dom2 for a while, and I don't remember having this problem, or at least not the extent that I am having it now. This is a particular problem for TC, because the mobility of the CMs is such a great asset, but obviously this could occur for any nation moving to attack from multiple provinces.

So, here are my questions:

1) Has something changed since the Dom2 days?

The new manual (which is awesome, btw), describes in an example on p 66 that "... the game determines that Marignon got there first ..." and afaict that could be either random or determinisitic. If its deterministic it sure would be nice to get an idea of what's under the hood.

2) Could anyone tell me if its random or deterministic? If deterministic, any info on what affects arrival sequence?

3) Generally, I would want to be *very* careful in playing TC MP that my CMs did not caught w/o their escorts (or the equivalent for any other nation). So in MP play, are people being careful to always move important attack forces in from single provinces?

Staging forces would solve this problem, but that extra delay in getting your CMs into combat would hurt TC more than some other nations, I suspect...

TIA,

Terrel

Twan · #2 January 21st, 2007, 08:12 AM

For an unknown reason it seems they have changed the excellent dom 2 system for one in which a lone black hawk is able to stop a 200+ units army.

I think the dom3 system uses speed instead of army size (it may also be 100% random, not sure). Anyway I hope this will be changed back before all players learn to exploit this.

(edit : after some tests I'm not so sure, it's possible I just had some very strange/unlikely results in my games)

Endoperez · #3 January 21st, 2007, 08:21 AM

Quote:

IMPORTANT: If two armies tries to cross the same border they will either stop and fight one of the two provinces or pass without noticing each other. The size of the armies determines if the armies accidentally miss each other.

This quote is from the manual of Dominions: Priests, Prophets & Pretenders, or Dominions 1. Yes, the system is great. Yes, it has been abused. No, lone Black Hawks won't do anything.

Twan · #4 January 21st, 2007, 10:47 AM

Strange, I had several times armies blocked by small and faster forces (including a lone black hawk in a mp game) and was convinced the system was changed to take speed into consideration (I've also never seen armies not meeting each other and exchanging their positions like it often happened in dom2...). But according to tests I've just made you may be right and the system globally unchanged.

Ironhawk · #5 January 21st, 2007, 06:45 PM

I have noticed no movement changes between Dom2 and Dom3. In dom2 you could stop an entire army with a scout or a blackhawk. There were rumors that it was completely random which province a contested movement took place in, and that it had to do with army size. No real pattern was ever determined.

I have never, ever, seen two armies "miss" each other.