The Dominions 3: "Wishlist"

[Normal]

All the data should be kept in txt files, like in Space Empires.
Amen.

[Wyatt Hebert]

My own three suggestions for interface improvement.

1) Allow the targeting of site-searching spells on the F1 screen. That alone would make things much simpler for the magic site nut.

2) Allow typing of numbers for transmutation. I was playing Soul Gate Ermor on the World War map and scenario, and when I wanted to transmute hundreds of gems at one time it got kind of ridiculous. If I could just press transmute and type in the number, it would have been more helpful.

3) Differentiate dominion. Afaict, only one pretender has dominion in any province, so color coding the candle based on the colors of the controller would be very useful. It would also be helpful if you could paint the overworld map with the dominion of all enemies that you knew. This would allow people to get a rough gauge of where each enemy was and roughly how large their sphere of influence is.

Just a few ideas.

Wyatt

[tinkthank]

Another UI suggestion:

A feature "search", much like any windows application text search feature: when you call it up, you can enter either a commander name or an item name (perhaps there are two separate hotkey functions: Find Name and Find Item). The game then searches, and hits could be either listed in a small screen with clickable search results and/or the game simply highlights that Commander with a name found on the map screen (much like the "n" key currently), while if an Item is found the game selects the commander with that item on his or her person in his or her Inventory screen or simply shows the laboratory screen. If there are more than 1 commander or item of that name the successful hits will scroll through them.

[tinkthank]

A strategic AI suggestion:

The AI does not seem to make items very well. It will construct things, but these are often squandered. (I have seen the AI stick a Blood Collar on a prophet and other useless ideas.)

If this cannot be fixed by giving concrete plans for an AI to follow (a long, but perhaps worthwhile project), perhaps the following could be done:
- For all nations except Ulm, do not allow the AI to research Construction above 3 (for legions of steel, which the AI likes).
- For all nations except Ulm, do not let the AI forge any items which do not increase the spell-casting effectiveness of the units or which are not armor.
- All weapons can only be equipped by commanders with no magic skills. (I know this is silly, but I think developing a really great algorithm is beyond me.) This would avoid wasting resources on mages who will only cast anyhow.

This would force the AI to spend more time researching other paths.

[Endoperez]

I think what AI needs is an SC-algorithm, which calculates SC-value of a commander from his hp, str/att/def, nbr of attacks, defences (buffs and those from items, prot, mr)... etc. Then these SCs could "order" an item that would boost them, and that item would be produced when possible.

I know this is far-reaching, but this would also let Dragons etc. without script to cast some buffs, decide they can handle the enemy and attack. Easily avoidable by setting them to Cast Spells/Stay Behind Troops.

[tinkthank]

A small modding wish:

#spelleffect /name/ /casterlevel/

This will apply that spell's effects to this unit as an attribute.
Thus one could have
# spelleffect mistform
which would give this unit a mistform effect for every battle, or a
#spelleffect mirrorimage 4

[tinkthank]

Could also be a helpful idea in dom3 to decouple capital-only recruitability of troops with sites, perhaps using a

#capitalonly 10

command (would make that unit capital only for Pan, for example). Only drawback would be for certain findable sites which let you recruit special troops (like that one that lets you get D. Sidhe), that site would have to let you recruit a different monster, e.g. a D.Sidhe without the #capitalonly command.
This would make it a lot easier to mod capital-only monsters without borking other nations' units.

[Endoperez]

tinkthank said:
Could also be a helpful idea in dom3 to decouple capital-only recruitability of troops with sites,

This would be very nice.

perhaps using a
#capitalonly 10
on unit

However, it wouldn't be done this way. It would be a command for nation modding, and would be #homeunit and #homecom. This wouldn't need making new, non-capital versions of existing units.

[biekert]

I'd suggest that higher level smiths can forge either 1) high level item per turn, or 2) several level 1 items. For example, an Ulm smith could forge 3 level 1 items a turn or 1 level 3 item. This would ease micromanagement, what I see as the key aspect to improving Dom3, and also make "loading up heroes" a more viable option.

[Edi]

tinkthank said:
Could also be a helpful idea in dom3 to decouple capital-only recruitability of troops with sites, perhaps using a

#capitalonly 10

command (would make that unit capital only for Pan, for example). Only drawback would be for certain findable sites which let you recruit special troops (like that one that lets you get D. Sidhe), that site would have to let you recruit a different monster, e.g. a D.Sidhe without the #capitalonly command.
This would make it a lot easier to mod capital-only monsters without borking other nations' units.

The only change that would require would be that the #capitalonly would be an additional command, so if you want them that way, it's #capitalonlyunit <nbr> and #capitalonlycom <nbr>, and that the nation's home province has some kind of capital flag. Then sites that give these units (like The Glowing Hill) would be supremely unaffected.

Edi