CoE III

[Doo]

Played CoE2 recently and loved the concept and playstyle. It could do with a massive makeover and include stuff from Dom3 like forging and more advanced battles (but not like Dom3 IMO). I'd love for SP if the battles were in the style of Master of Magic but know for MP this is not good.

The ability to build roads to improve movement (with different leaders capable of different quality roads) would be good, along with the ability to "upgrade" map components like towns (by building a marketplace to improve gold income) or forests (via magic to improve fungus and improve fire resistance).

I'd buy it.

[Gandalf Parker]

Well they are working on a new project.
We dont know what it is so for all we know it might be a CoE III

[Doo]

Don't tease GP, if you know its CoE3 say so

It would be good. CoE2 is fun but could be updated with extra features to improve the game.

For example, how about locations that allow unique units to be recruited?
Wood Forts don't allow as much to be recruited (either in quality, quantity or both) so invest the cash and time to upgrade them.

I could rabbit on with more idea's.....

[Doo]

Another idea, in CoE2 you recruit groups of soldiers (ie 5 swordsmen) but after purchase they are individuals. How about make them a "squad" that are always joined. The squad can have individual units die but recruits can replace the deaths. The squad can have its equipment upgraded, even with magic gear. Forge 5*Ice Swords and the swordsmen now have magic swords with better defense. The good thing about this is that it retains CoE2's smaller scale (compared with Dom3's epic battles of hundreds of units) and allows different strategy about mixed forces, upgrading, quality vs quantity and saving valuable units to build back up to strength,

I'd say the magic would need to be capped in a way, for example if we take Dom3 as an example the best magic items a squad could get would be max construction 2 items, but I'd include more tiers between con0 and con2. So fear helms which are everyday items in Dom3 are pretty rare in CoE3. Leaders only can use the real good forged items. Perhaps make some items unique to units, eg for a squad of "fire" mages allow them to have forged robes which increase their fire magic attacks.

Make mages more like the "support" mages of Kohan 2, they have limited spells (unlike Dom3 where they have heaps of spell options to be scripted, this eliminates mage scripting), they operate like units and not leaders and their spell effects can get better with items and experience.

Make Leaders like leaders in Kohan or Warlords, they participate directly in the battle and/or have secondary skills that passively affect squads under their command. So usual fare, magic heroes can either be tough mages themselves or passively increase mage squads under their command, melee leaders the same but with melee squads. Even have unique leaders that have other tricks. Nothing like HoMM5 where uber heroes almost auto-win but something to encourage up-skilling leaders, unless the faction being played strength is squad/leader spam.

[Doo]

Here's another idea.

Anyone play Stars! (how to put a question mark at the end of that question without it being absurd? )

One really cool thing with Stars! was that the detection was based on strength or the radar, distance from radar and base unit stealth. How about a similar system? Forts and big towns are capable of differing levels of detection. However the further from the town the less strength the detection has. This is where stealth comes in. Units with no stealth always get spotted. Units with stealth get spotted once the level or detection becomes greater than the stealth, and of course the level of detection becomes greater the closer to town or fort the stealth unit is.

I think this works well because it allows the "stealth raider" tactics of Dom3 to play out, also it fits in well with the smaller army size feel CoE2 has over Dom3.

There has to be a cost to increasing detection. A direct investment like an "upgrade" button would be the simple way, the question then is if you lost the town would the enemy retain the benefit? Or I thought a system where you move a slider to reduce town income to improve detection, but how would this work with forts which have no income?

Including this would work with "flavor" too. Some factions have better (or cheaper) detection than others, and some factions have better stealth than others. Magic could increase or decrease either.

[Doo]

Another idea

Instead of the "All defenders go first, than all attackers, repeat" combat of CoE2, switch to each soldier having a base initiative value and to this each round a random number is added. Give the ranged units a bonus to initiative that is less the longer the game goes on. Sounds great.

Some magic improves initiative, some lessens. Some leader traits grant a % chance to improve initiative each battle.

Cool bananas.

[brxbrx]

Gandalf Parker is not just a helpful user, he is also a prophet.

[Gandalf Parker]

Unfortunately one which is bound by an NDA (signed non-disclosure agreement) so I can only refer to things which have been said in public. Sometimes it a real headache to keep track of what is or isnt public info.

I am SO glad they finally posted it.

[Gandalf Parker]

Update: the CoE3 Beta Test is NOT bound by NDA.
So if anyone has any questions about the new version coming out, feel free to ask.

I will say that I am a beta tester for it and it IS addictive.

Here is a public Updates page so that you can see the progress which is being made.
http://jaffa.illwinter.com/coe3/coe3progress.html

[Edi]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Parker

I will say that I am a beta tester for it and it IS addictive.

Quoted for Truth.

Seriously, the game has a lot more of the "Just one more turn" pull than Dominions 3 does, because the amount of micromanagement is a lot less and turns are very quick. There is also a lot more of the "Okay, what the hell is going to happen next?" because despite not being quite as extensive as Dominions, CoE3 is more unpredictable in some respects and it takes more effort to unlock the mysteries.