Age of Wonders 3

[Forkrul]

Thanks for the ideas, very thorough. I like the Grey guard/Air adept spec. Grey guard seems amazingly good, almost too good. Perhaps they they need to boost some of the other specs.

I was looking for an alternative to Air adept, just for a change, and water adept looks good too. Might try that with grey guard as well.

So, with this spec, the only thing that losing neutral would do is affect my leader and heroes crit chance? Does it not affect spell-casting too or anything else?

 

[MilesBeyond]

Thanks for the ideas, very thorough. I like the Grey guard/Air adept spec. Grey guard seems amazingly good, almost too good. Perhaps they they need to boost some of the other specs.

So, with this spec, the only thing that losing neutral would do is affect my leader and heroes crit chance? Does it not affect spell-casting too or anything else?

IMHO the only really powerful ability in Grey Guard is Cardinal Culling, which is only effective against spammed units. I mean it's really good, but it's less good when your enemies account for it. I'd say it's definitely one of the better specializations, but not overpowered.

Any city you cast Scales of Fortune on will produce units that are Dedicated to Neutral, and so all of those units would have morale penalties if you stop being neutral. Considering the entire point of Scales of Fortune is being able to hugely exploit critical hits, it means becoming good or evil can hold you back a fair bit. I mean, you'll still have a higher-than-average crit chance, but it'll be harder to get that coveted 50% crit chance.

 

[Absinthe]

There is also a fumble chance for low morale and desertion chance at rock bottom. At -200 morale or lower your units have a 15% chance of doing critically bad damage and at -400 it's 30% chance and at -600 it's 40% chance and your stack has a 20% chance of deserting per turn. Still, if you have a -200 morale penalty you can just balance that out with The Draft. On the other hand, with Scales of Fortune your units' crit chance doubles, and the crit chances are 7% (14%) at 200 morale, +15% (+30%) at 400 morale, and +25% (50%) at 600 morale. If you keep your units at max morale that bonus crit chance is destructive, so you have strong incentive to max morale. Tigrans can even obtain a 75% crit chance combining their deity governance with Grey Guard adept this way, which gives you a funny combo with Killer Instinct from Destruction adept because instead of crits doing max damage + 35% they will now do max damage +85% (and they do +3 base damage vs racial units) so the crits become massive, but Halflings are another strong pick if you're pursuing a max morale strat.

As for Air adept, it's a just an extra strong option for a Frostling Warlord, but if you want to try something else your main options are Water and Wild Magic adept. You can also try Explorer to solve your scouting problems and Expander to make your cities grow faster and migrations instant.

MilesBeyond, don't forget the Chthonic Guardian. Their Rallying Cry is underrated. Purifying Burst also tears up necros. Even Healing Essence has some use by giving you a fancy global heal with a morale boost on top, which also doubles as Necromancer and Creation master (Resurrect) hate.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Man, the campaing is pretty fucking unfair I tell you what

 

[Great Deceiver]

I have a lot more fun playing individual maps. The random map generator also works pretty well.

 

[MilesBeyond]

MilesBeyond, don't forget the Chthonic Guardian. Their Rallying Cry is underrated. Purifying Burst also tears up necros. Even Healing Essence has some use by giving you a fancy global heal with a morale boost on top, which also doubles as Necromancer and Creation master (Resurrect) hate.

Truuu. It's pretty good all-around. I do think there's a sense in which the EL specs in general are a bit more powerful than the others. Especially if you're a more empire-heavy class, like Warlord or Dreadnought, getting access to a T4 summon is just too good to pass up. Actually, same is true of GR, really. Partisan's cheaper inns is massive in multiplayer, and Wild Magic has all sorts of fun goodies. Haha I remember back when Summon Lesser Elemental was a possible starting spell. Talk about broken. I mean, don't get me wrong. The original specs still have a lot of potential power (Sorcerer with Master Destruction is truly a sight to behold), and probably more overall utility (in the form of terrain happiness and node income), but yeah.

Man, the campaing is pretty fucking unfair I tell you what

Yeah. You really need to blitz the hell out of the AoW 3 campaigns. Generally speaking, once you start to grasp tactical combat, your starting stack in any campaign map should be enough to claim several cities, and depending on the map possibly even wipe out an opponent. Hit them fast and hard with everything you've got, and don't stop for a breather until you control at least half the map. It was rare that I ever got up to T3 units on a campaign map, and I never did T4. Since doing so causes you to miss out on half the fun of AoW 3 (getting up to the high tier skills and crazy spells), I don't really replay them much.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Yeah. You really need to blitz the hell out of the AoW 3 campaigns.

That's the most annoying aspect of the campaing for me, I'd much rather like to explore the map instead of doing these bombastic rushes, but on hard, if you are wasting turns not attacking you are just burying yourself, because the AI's advantage only increases.

 

[Grif]

Yeah. You really need to blitz the hell out of the AoW 3 campaigns.

That's the most annoying aspect of the campaing for me, I'd much rather like to explore the map instead of doing these bombastic rushes, but on hard, if you are wasting turns not attacking you are just burying yourself, because the AI's advantage only increases.

I usually try to contain the AI to a city or two before actually going about exploring. That was when the real fun began for me, IMO.

 

[Absinthe]

By the way, one more benefit of Grey Guard master for a Frostling is to pair White Witches with the Chthonic Guardians so you can Bestow Frozen Flames on them. Then they'll have 3 damage channels total, inflict chilling (which doesn't work on machines), and 80% fire resist, so that should stomp dreads pretty well coupled with their naturally high defenses.

Truuu. It's pretty good all-around. I do think there's a sense in which the EL specs in general are a bit more powerful than the others. Especially if you're a more empire-heavy class, like Warlord or Dreadnought, getting access to a T4 summon is just too good to pass up.

It helps that the only thing Chthonic Guardian is weak against is physical resist, but Grey Guard master comes with a convenient spell to give a whole class of units -40% physical resistance and -5 damage. Meanwhile, Keeper is weak against spirit resist in general and Fallen Angels are weaker against undead and crippled against stalkers and machines. Water adept helps Fallen Angels a lot against undead and machines though.

Actually, same is true of GR, really. Partisan's cheaper inns is massive in multiplayer, and Wild Magic has all sorts of fun goodies. Haha I remember back when Summon Lesser Elemental was a possible starting spell. Talk about broken. I mean, don't get me wrong. The original specs still have a lot of potential power (Sorcerer with Master Destruction is truly a sight to behold), and probably more overall utility (in the form of terrain happiness and node income), but yeah.

I remember that. Back then you could also use Swap Unit on heroes which would let you nuke the enemy's leader while your hero makes a run for it after getting swapped in. It was a more reliable way to kill your enemy's leader than using Disintegrate. Warp Equipment was also stronger than it is now and Degenerate lasted all combat long, iirc. And when Eternal Lords came out, Cardinal Culling was originally available as a Grey Guard adept for some reason. Destruction master though is pretty sad overall. I feel like Storm Magic is the main draw of that. Disintegrate is annoyingly weak when resisted, and anything you want to kill probably has a high defense which will both improve the odds of a successful resist and lower the physical damage it does when resisted.

When it comes to old crazy stuff, there was a time when the Arch Druid's Wild Hunt simply gave all units floating, so once Druids cast Wild Hunt they could play like Dreadnoughts and assault enemies with stacks of high movement flying ships.

 

[whatevername]

One dude to pwn them all

Boromir's a wussy compared to this dude

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

One dude to pwn them all

Boromir's a wussy compared to this dude

wrong thread, better game

 

[Absinthe]

So, I've been fiddling around with necros and I noticed that it can be more profitable to tell the starting hero that you want another and then kill him (a new hero spawns next turn anyway). If you start with Whispers of the Fallen, it might be good to wait a turn to finish the spell, then tell the hero you want another and kill him for those 15 research points, on top of the weapon they drop and undead city population. Speaking of the weapon drop though, I'm starting to like killing dreadnought heroes while asking for another hero. Their muskets are really nice. I think overall it might just be better to kill any hero you turn down than let them go.

 

[MilesBeyond]

So, I've been fiddling around with necros and I noticed that it can be more profitable to tell the starting hero that you want another and then kill him (a new hero spawns next turn anyway). If you start with Whispers of the Fallen, it might be good to wait a turn to finish the spell, then tell the hero you want another and kill him for those 15 research points, on top of the weapon they drop and undead city population. Speaking of the weapon drop though, I'm starting to like killing dreadnought heroes while asking for another hero. Their muskets are really nice. I think overall it might just be better to kill any hero you turn down than let them go.

There's one Tigran hero, can't remember her name, Something the Spoiled, I think. But she starts off with a Gold Wyvern mount. Killing her and taking it can be a great boost early on. Speaking of which, I'm not sure when they changed it, I think with the EL patch? But I love that they gave each hero a unique ability. It's often stuff they can get anyway, but it's still nice having it for free. Some of them are ridiculous, though, like that Goblin Theocrat hero that comes with Vow of Poverty, or the Tigran hero that comes with Vigilant. That's one badass ability. Or the Dwarf dude that comes with the cool sword.

The more I play this game, not only does it become my favourite in the series, but I think it's reached a point where it's my favourite fantasy strategy game of all time behind MoM (and let's face it - nothing's gonna surpass MoM). The game is at a point where racial class units feel really different, to the point that a Human Rogue, for example, ends up being a substantially different experience from a Tigran Rogue. Swimming Water Concealment Assassins, oh my.

 

[Nirvash]

Some mods or something to improve the ai?

 

[Absinthe]

There's one Tigran hero, can't remember her name, Something the Spoiled, I think. But she starts off with a Gold Wyvern mount. Killing her and taking it can be a great boost early on. Speaking of which, I'm not sure when they changed it, I think with the EL patch? But I love that they gave each hero a unique ability. It's often stuff they can get anyway, but it's still nice having it for free. Some of them are ridiculous, though, like that Goblin Theocrat hero that comes with Vow of Poverty, or the Tigran hero that comes with Vigilant. That's one badass ability. Or the Dwarf dude that comes with the cool sword.

If any hero comes with a cool item, it's usually best to request another and off them. Thaggadir Coalblade is a dwarf warlord that comes with Blade of the Red Dawn (+1 fire, +1 spirit), Ambor the Missionary is a human theocrat that comes with Flametongue Sword (+3 fire, overwhelm), Nyla the Fierce is a tigran warlord with a Dire Panther mount (predator, pounce, athletics), Sheila the Spoiled is a tigran sorceress with a Gold Wyvern mount (40% fire protection, 40% blight protection, flying, true sight). If any of these show up, you might as well kill them and take their items. Ambor is fairly powerful in a devout stack though, since he is the only hero that heals 2 hitpoints for every devout unit in the stack. With that kind of self-healing and weapon you could build him into one of those extreme heavy-hitting heroes if you wanted.

The more I play this game, not only does it become my favourite in the series, but I think it's reached a point where it's my favourite fantasy strategy game of all time behind MoM (and let's face it - nothing's gonna surpass MoM). The game is at a point where racial class units feel really different, to the point that a Human Rogue, for example, ends up being a substantially different experience from a Tigran Rogue. Swimming Water Concealment Assassins, oh my.

I'm still rating Eador: Genesis higher than Age of Wonders 3 myself. For one thing, the alignment system there isn't nearly as backwards as Age of Wonders 3 is. For another their random events are much better than AoW 3's. The new racial governance system also encourages everyone to pursue a 1 race strategy, so I think there's been a bit of design failure there.

 

[miles teg]

Well I bought this game (I'm a noob to both the serie and the genre) and so far I'm enjoying it very much. I tried a few random games just to learn the basics and there is tons of variety and content (hopefully this is not one of those games where 3 units are op and all the rest are useless).

My only concern is that when I started the elven campaign I found the second mission already very difficult for my current skill level. I googled a little bit and it seems I'm supposed to rush, which is normally something I hate: I prefer turtling and enjoy the satisfaction to gain one centimeter at a time, slowly but relentlessly. I found that random scenarios allow the kind of gameplay I enjoy (albeit just playing at knight for now) so I think I'll just have fun there and go back to the campaign when I'm more skilled.

 

[thesheeep]

My only concern is that when I started the elven campaign I found the second mission already very difficult for my current skill level. I googled a little bit and it seems I'm supposed to rush, which is normally something I hate: I prefer turtling and enjoy the satisfaction to gain one centimeter at a time, slowly but relentlessly. I found that random scenarios allow the kind of gameplay I enjoy (albeit just playing at knight for now) so I think I'll just have fun there and go back to the campaign when I'm more skilled.

I also didn't like the campaigns at all, for the same reasons.
Far too scripted, requiring far too much rushing (in pretty much every mission) and previous knowledge of the mission to succeed. Not exactly good design for a strategy game ( I don't mind the occasional rush/puzzle mission, but all of them? Come on...), but then again this wasn't much different in the original games.

Better stick to scenarios or just random games. Or fun with friends

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Just fyi, both add on campaigns are pretty fun. Huge improvement over vanilla there.

 

[MilesBeyond]

Honestly I think the Elven Court campaign is by far the weakest. Shame it's also the easiest.

I just replayed the campaigns, and this time I decided to not rush, and it actually works pretty effectively. You do need to do an early push, but once you nab two or so cities beyond your initial ones, you're normally in pretty good shape, and can sit back and chill for a bit. In fact, this can even be advantageous in later campaigns (EL in particular), as the enemy doesn't start with a lot of cities but does normally have a doomstack or two right off the bat.

I've also found thorough exploration makes life easier. Turns out that in the first mission of EL, for example, you can cause the AIs to turn on each other. And getting as many levels and items for your heroes as possible is always nice. By the time I got to the third mission of GR, Allie was able to solo the Orc's throne city.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...interactive-acquires-triumph-studios.1033105/

Paradox Interactive acquires Triumph Studios

Paradox Interactive is pleased to announce it has acquired Triumph Studios, the creators of the critically-acclaimed Age of Wonders and Overlord-series.


Founded in 1997 by Lennart Sas and Arno van Wingerden, both of who remain with the company today, Triumph Studios is known as one of the top-tier strategy games developers worldwide. The Age of Wonders-series has sold in excess of one million copies to date.

Following the acquisition, the current team and management will all remain with Triumph Studios. All ongoing projects will remain in development, and will be published by Paradox Interactive.

“Triumph Studios is a developer of our own heart. They are world-leading within their niche and have built a large and dedicated community over the years, counting quite a few Paradox employees among their hardcore fans. We have great faith in Lennart, Arno and the Triumph team, and our main focus now is to ensure that they can continue to create their magic under new ownership,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO at Paradox Interactive.

“We have been approached by others before with an interest to acquire us, but this is not merely a business transaction for us. This is a liaison with a partner that can help us grow sustainably by ensuring the stability and continuity needed for us to do more of what we do best - develop some of the best turn-based strategy games on the market today. Paradox is a good match for us both culturally and games-wise. They get it. It’s as simple as that, and we are extremely excited about the acquisition,” said Lennart Sas, CEO and co-founder of Triumph Studios.

Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester and Triumph CEO Lennart Sas will host a live stream about the acquisition on Friday 30 June at 4PM CEST. Tune in at twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive.

Paradox Interactive acquires Triumph Studios - FAQ

What´s going on?

Paradox Interactive has entered into an agreement to acquire Triumph Studios, creators of the Overlord- and Age of Wonders-series. Exciting times! Read more here: https://www.paradoxplaza.com/news?aid=Paradox-acquires-Triumph


Why?

Much like Paradox, Triumph Studios is a world-leading developer within their niche. We feel they are a great fit for Paradox both culturally and game pillar-wise. Plus, they make awesome games, and count quite a few Paradox employees among their hard-core fans.

Becoming part of a larger organisation will give Triumph the financial stability and continuity they need to do more what they do best - develop some of the best turn-based strategy games on the planet. Publishing support from Paradox will make sure that these games reach new and larger audiences.


What will happen now?

Going forward, Triumph Studios will operate much in the same way as Paradox Development Studio, i.e they will drive the vision and creative parts of game development, whereas Paradox Interactive will focus on the business case, marketing and publishing.


What are Triumph working on?

We’ll have more news to share soon. In the meantime, rest assured that all of their ongoing projects will remain in development, and will be published by Paradox Interactive.


Will this change Triumph Studios?

Don´t worry. We´re acquiring Triumph because they are great at what they do, and we have the best interest of their games, their teams and their communities at heart. We want to enable them to create even more of their magic, and we want to act as an accelerator for that, rather than as a barrier.


This is cool! Where can I learn more?

I know right! Make sure to check-out the live stream with Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester and Triumph CEO Lennart SAS, at 4PM CEST on June 30th. Tune in here: twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive.

Also, you can pick up Age of Wonders 3 (trust us, it´s amazing) on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/226840/Age_of_Wonders_III/

 

[Cyberarmy]

Incoming 159 DLCs...

 

[Black_Willow]

Paradox was a cool company once...

 

[Irenaeus]

That sucks.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Fucking hell

 

[abnaxus]

Amazing they remained independent that long, though. Did they make educational games to stay afloat like Larian?