Mod for Dominions 3 Wishlist

[Kristoffer O]

No, there will not be new buildings in the game. Some magical sites with additional properties can be found by mages, but there is currently no way of making sites by spending gold or gems, they can only be found by searches or in some cases created by random events. We could possibly make spells that creates sites, but it would not become available through modding, I imagine, since event-modding must be implemented first, and a bit unlikely, although fun if implemented.

When we created dom-ppp ten years ago we had played several games with the build-up mechanic. We thought that most important buildings should be present in a kingdom. The building of a well or a barrack struck us as silly, so we simplified things to focus the game on recruitment and use of armies. This was before there was any magic to speak of in the game. Later on magic became more prevalent, and we decided to restrict research and build up to the magic part of the game and have soldiers and armies being a constant.

In retrospect it might have been good to have some possibilities to strengthen your armies, but it wouldn't sit well with me to make national troops unavailable at the start. After all they are part of what makes a nation unique. Magic tends to make a nation thematically blurry, especially so in dom2, where all magic was more or less available to all nations.

ANd you are part right on the balancing stuff. It would be a bit of a problem, but I'd say the scaling effects of magic is curently so much more important that it would not be an unsurmountable problem. Thematic reasons are more important. If I were to add new buildings every nation and their national troops would have to be incorporated in the system. That would take time, unless buildings are very generic and not unique to any nation or what could be produced in the building.

[NTJedi]

Kristoffer O said:
We could possibly make spells that creates sites, but it would not become available through modding, I imagine, since event-modding must be implemented first, and a bit unlikely, although fun if implemented.

Customized events via modding or map edit commands would be great. Here's my thoughts on how the customized events could be added via map edit commands:

================================================
#event <N15> <Turn45> <Prov211>
#owner 15
#commander 710
#additem "weightless scale mail"
#additem "brimstone boots"
#additem "amulet of antimagic"
#units 12 1412
#randomequip 2

details:
<N15> This is the event number
<Turn45> This is the turn when the event occurs
<Prov211> This is the location of the event
The above example would cause the above commander and units to be attacking the province listed on turn45. If the owner of the province is the same as the event then the units are joining.
Currently it's possible to setup unexpected battles or sieges within DOM_3 yet it must occur on turn 2.

================================================== ========

Additional commands could always be added to events later such as:
#event <N11> <Turn25> <Prov211>
#message "A chest of gold has been found."
#give 350 gold

Thus the owner of the province receives 350 gold on turn 25.

================================================== =======

[weimaar]

I agree completely that its ridiculous to build "barracks" or a "well" BUT as i said, that super duper west point, after your heroes have reached a specific 5 star level is a good idea. Or that merchant connection to buy some rare artifacts and sell your excess artefacts is also sensible. That arcane magical (fire, earth or death) academy built only when mages reaches level 6 in a magical path to make more powerful mages is not bad and brings more flavor to the game.

But i understand your point Kristoffer.

[Gandalf Parker]

Kristoffer O said:
Thematic reasons are more important. If I were to add new buildings every nation and their national troops would have to be incorporated in the system. That would take time, unless buildings are very generic and not unique to any nation or what could be produced in the building.

No offense meant here but that feels like it still needs to be worked on for the structures we already do have. The castles for each nation and each terrain seems to have gaps. I think that the temples might be covered.

Also Id like a map icon for lab. Possibly an icon for temple/lab. And one for castle/temple/lab (so the map isnt cluttered with 3 icons). Ive started building temples where I have labs and castles just to make them easier to find on the map.

[noname]

How about a map which places each nation in terrain which thematically suits it best, such as swamp for C'tis or Wasteland for Abysia?

[llamabeast]

noname - take a look at the 'Dawn of Dominions' map, which comes with Dominions (so long as you have the latest patch installed).

[Endoperez]

noname said:
How about a map which places each nation in terrain which thematically suits it best, such as swamp for C'tis or Wasteland for Abysia?

The random nation placement also tries to do this automatically IIRC. That is, it should usually work like that when nations are placed randomly.

[HoneyBadger]

I wouldn't be in favor of adding buildings, except as Kristoffer states-the ability to strengthen units already present, by way of more advanced armament, equipment, special weapons and tactics, etc.

That would help in balancing, in one way, because you could have forces/troops in a given nation start weak or off-kilter (jotuns armed with daggers, for example) and then have a new set of improved troops replace the old ones upon the construction of whatever.

The building could have positive effect on resources and gold-production, administration, etc. but at the same time, be a clear and easily destroyed target, where as things stand, all that infrastructure that's assumed to exist, is off limits, save in very abstract ways (pillaging, etc.)

Perhaps, to simulate open trade, such a building, could only exist in areas without castles, replacing them and becoming even more vulnerable targets, or they could simply just improve gold/resources in provinces that lack a castle, losing this ability in castled provinces.

The first appeals to me in that you could have nations that don't have a fortress to start out, but do have access to the other building, making them more vulnerable to an initial raid, but giving them a boost to production in the early game.

The second appeals in that you could still utilize the first one, giving one or the other building at the beginning of the game, and granting the ability to build the other later on, and if such a building co-existed with a castle, perhaps it could then allow the construction of fieldworks and seige engines/defenses, and other abilities could become viable when a lab/temple is present.