Tip: Site Searching Strategy

[Micah]

The common wisdom seems to be that level 3 and 4 sites aren't worth searching for because they're too rare, but the preference seems to be for remote searches anyhow. I don't follow how this is a good choice if you have national mages with anything approaching decent magic paths.

If you can move and search for 2 level 2 paths you're getting 2 searches every 2 turns (move, double search, move, double search), just as with a remote spell, and saving 4 gems in the process in return for not finding level 3 and 4 sites. You give up some flexibility since your mage is away from home, but as long as you script a retreat order they're still pretty safe (I've even gotten a free mage turn out of it when my mage runs to an unsearched province after a random indie attack). If you have 3+ paths on your mages the benefits of manual searches seem even more obvious to me. I can understand remote searches for single path mages, or ones with 1 map move because it's much harder to path them effectively to avoid wasting turns, but I don't see how it's a better choice for most nations at the start of the game.

Are the shots at level 3 and 4 sites really worth burning the gems to do level 9 searches, or is the preference there just because it avoids MM issues? Or is there some other reason I'm missing?

[Edi]

The site searching by traveling mages is most effective in the early game. Most good searchers would probably be capital only and have a lot of important uses elsewhere too, so it's a situational balancing act. But that's basically how it seems to be done. *shrug*

[Gandalf Parker]

I do tend to use my mega-mages close to home. Such as the perimeter around the castle. But I dont tend to want them to wander too far from a lab.

[Sandman]

What's the consensus on Voice of Tiamat? I think it's a waste of gems; finding all elemental sites sounds good until you realise that fire and air sites are pretty rare underwater.

[Shovah32]

Voice of tiamat is pretty commonly used or atleast it was. I for one definitely still use it.

[Meglobob]

I really like voice of tiamat its great for water nations, I believe it gives them a gem adavantage over the land nations and saves alot of mage time. Also its 8W gems which I always tend to have loads of anyway.

Its an halfway house for water nations between Acashic record and individual site searching. Well air is rare, the water/fire/earth more than make up for it. As soon as I get it, I mass cast it on every water province. You usually get 1 or 2 free castles this way so saves you a load of money as well.

Great spell.

[Edi]

Voice of Tiamat also has the advantage of being a conjuration spell, so it's in the same school as Dark Knowledge and Voice of Apsu and it covers all of the elements for seas, giving some damn good research optimization. There are no blood sites underwater, so that leaves Haruspex, DK and Arcane Probing. AP comes from evo which everyone needs sooner or later.

[magemaster]

I prefer to send my mages out, and when one can't move into a province that hasn't already been searched, I have them build a lab and then they can cast/forge/research right there.

[Folket]

I do belive that Earth is most common under water. In all my games as a water nation I have had huge earth income.

[Saxon]

Voice of Tiamat does tend to reveal those underwater castles which are very useful, as well as saving cash as Meglobob mentioned. It is valuable.