Need ULM's opposite. :-)

jaif · #1 November 6th, 2007, 02:34 PM

I've pretty much played-out my ULM mood in my recent game. I'm looking at the various nations now and looking for someone who is more like ULM's opposite. I don't care which age, but someone who feels completely different from ULM. In my head, that means vastly more reliant on magic than the army, and not so focussed on magic items (someone who does construction as the low-priority research).

Just curious, who do you guy's think is ULM's opposite?

-Jeff

P.S. Note I am completely avoiding the balance issue here. I'm talking about flavor.

Potatoman · #2 November 6th, 2007, 03:09 PM

I'd say EA R'lyeh. The logistics and play style of the two races are about as far apart as it is possible to get, IMO.

Reverend Zombie · #3 November 6th, 2007, 03:12 PM

So, if Ulm's opposite=crap troops + great magic, how about LA Ermor?

In the Middle Era...Shinuyama? They have weak troops (along with some better but expensive ones that are difficult to recruit in mass) and nice magery potential.

jaif · #4 November 6th, 2007, 03:15 PM

Oh, but not the water races. Me no likey the water. :-)

-Jeff

Amhazair · #5 November 6th, 2007, 03:42 PM

I'd say the different Caelums? Apart from having strong magic, they also have great mobility, which is something else that's totally different from the way Ulm plays.

Burnsaber · #6 November 6th, 2007, 05:06 PM

I can second Shinyama. It's a nation that really makes you think. I'll give you a hint, thought.

Darkness: research it, love it, use it.

Endoperez · #7 November 10th, 2007, 06:26 AM

Ulm: slow units, heavy infantry and cavalry, arbalests as only missile troops, only one mage, construction/evocation based research with some buff/debuff possibilities

Pangaea has Centaurs (good cavalry), Satyr infantry (light, fast, stealthy), satyr hoplites (decent, slower); you can choose between Panii and the Dryads, and Nature gives some interesting choices. If you take a Death pretender, or Late Age Pan, you'd also get the national undead summons and mandragora reanimation.

Caelum, as mentioned. Mammoths, flying archers, the well-armored fliers are hard to use well, very good, mobile mages.

Perhaps MA Tien Chi, if you play with the newest patch. They got a bunch of mapmove 2 infantry, they already had good archers, and they have LOTS of different mages. Acid evocations and lots of other fun stuff.

vfb · #8 November 13th, 2007, 11:42 AM

Quote:

jaif said:
Oh, but not the water races. Me no likey the water. :-)

-Jeff

Have you tried LA Rlyeh though? It's insane fun!

Lord_Bob · #9 November 13th, 2007, 12:59 PM

Shinuyama has the mightiest army and mages I have ever seen.

They have fully armoured stealth units.
They have stealth mages.
They have assassins.

They have a mage with Fire, Earth, and Death. And it's a demon so all the path craziness doesn't make it die of old age.

When used properly, Diplomacy is the only defense.

jaif · #10 November 13th, 2007, 06:50 PM

Thanks all. Shinu looks like what I'm asking for - very, very different from ULM.

On a tangent, the reason I don't like the water races is not due to the individuals, but flavor and game-flow. For flavor, I personally like my seas empty, with ships sailing over them, because I like sailing ships (Master and Commander, anybody?<g>). For game-flow, I think water races encourage turtles, which just slows down the game.

I know that a lot of this game is written around walking around on the bottom of the ocean, but for my SP games I prefer to leave that part out.

-Jeff