Dominions 4 - Grim Antiquity

[Mraston]

Anybody wants to exchange nations? I offer you BERYTOS. Feel the joy of starting with three provinces in your cap-ring; two of them are deserts. Experience the struggle of playing around with worst lineup in EA. Get rushed&crushed by Machaka which starts right next to you!

Mraston, my man, I didn't really check the start positions when I placed them (just blindly did what you asked me to do), but you gotta know that they are broken. Berytos is objectively the weakest nation in your settings, and it gets the worst start too. All other nations begin with 4-6 provinces connected (and not shitty deserts, mind you). And no other nation starts as close as Berytos-Machaka.

I'll play in any case, since I'm secretely masochistic. But Bery has no chance to survive early game, no matter who or how will play it.

Spoiler

I will even accept Marverni. Yes, I'm that desperate. raw

That seems severe.

Is it too late to move it?

 

[Grimwulf]

That seems severe.

Is it too late to move it?

No, it's not late. But what can be done?

"MRASTON'S DILEMMA": CYOA

- I can redraw/add/remove provinces to balance out some stuff, but it will take a ton of time; players and llamaserver will require a new mapfile; and it's generally painful. And we also risk to encounter neighbour mistakes, like we did in Decline 2. It's hard to nail them all when you add/remove provinces.

- You can relocate Berytos somewhere else. But it will be historically inaccurate and kill Teh Atmospehere.

- You can simple exclude Berytos from the game as a nation. There, all problems solved. I can watch the game from spectator's bench.

- And the last option. You exclude Berytos, but include Theodoros. Place it in a fitting place and give it to me.

 

[Mraston]

- And the last option. You exclude Berytos, but include Theodoros. Place it in a fitting place and give it to me.

Put atlantis on england.

 

[Grimwulf]

Put atlantis on england.

I don't wanna fuck this up, so let's be very specific.

1. I remove Berytos from the map completely.
2. I add Therodos UW starting position. Let's say, province 62.
3. I play as Therodos.
4. Everything else remains unchanged.

Is this correct? If so, I will upload the new script on llama in some bits, then post here. Players don't need to download new script (it will be automatically included in .trn files from llama), so you'll just have to change the map on game page as the game host.

 

[Mraston]

Nailed it!

 

[Dayyālu]

I don't wanna fuck this up, so let's be very specific.

1. I remove Berytos from the map completely.
2. I add Theorodos UW starting position. Let's say, province 62.
3. I play as Theorodos.
4. Everything else remains unchanged.

Is this correct? If so, I will upload the new script on llama in some bits, then post here. Players don't need to download new script (it will be automatically included in .trn files from llama), so you'll just have to change the map on game page as the game host.

Not to be blunt, but from my tests, with these settings, it's better for you to play Berytos. Therodos is.... difficult.

And my opinion, better to bend the rules and place Berytos in Iberia. Tons of land, and not many guys around,if I have understood the location alright. Plus Carthage and Iberia go hand to hand (Nova Carthago!).

EDIT: Furthermore, the guy making this map went a little overboard with the deserts in North Africa. Desertification on such scale is rather modern, in the Good Old Times it was a bit more.... fertile.

EDIT 2: And as a last and pitiful thing, can I ask to be placed a bit in Southern Italy? I could LARP Syracuse or Sibaris. 75-69 or in a province with some locations and connections. 69 maybe is better, Sibarite Empire for the win.

 

[KoolNoodles]

Let's just keep changing everything until we're back to a normal Dominions game.

 

[Grimwulf]

Not to be blunt, but from my tests, with these settings, it's better for you to play Berytos. Therodos is.... difficult.

At least it's fun. More fun than having 3 desert cap-ring provinces, and fight with Machaka on turn 2.

Mraston, uploaded. Now you need to go Game settings and admin options --> Alter game settings --> Change map. Select a new script, it's currently at the end of the list, named Uropia (Grim Antiquity v.2)

 

[KoolNoodles]

What about bumping up magic sites just a tiny bit so Berytos can get some blood going. Imps vs Elephants.

 

[Grimwulf]

What about bumping up magic sites just a tiny bit so Berytos can get some blood going. Imps vs Elephants.

Look, not with this position. Berytos is fucked in this position, you can't change it by any settings or any other means.

Edit: in fact, nation is fucked in that start. The only hope is to take something nasty and awaken and attack Machaka at turn 1. But then slowly die anyway, without scales and surrounded by deserts.

 

[Mraston]

All sorted, cheers Grimwulf for your scripting work.

Go forth and submit your pretender.

 

[Grimwulf]

Ok. Men. Just something to note for everybody who didn't get to sp tests yet.

Having no indy recruitables is nice and original, but there is a side effect. Non-fortified provinces have no PD below 20. I'll try to explain.

Buying PD 1-19 in non-fortified provinces gives you indy units of the province poptype. No poptype = no units. This picture is what you will see in each and every province:

PD 20+ recruits indy units AND national units. In case of this game, you will get only national units. But even if you spend loads and loads of gold on PD, you will only get a modest bunch of low-tier units.

PD in forts have national-only units, so this works as usual.

P.S.: Therodos with these settings is teh hard, but fun as hell. Dis gonna b gud.

Edit: nailed one error in the script. One province has Ichdyids poptype left. V.3 of the script will be uploaded later today (gotta double-check the map for other issues first).

 

[Grimwulf]

Mraston, I know I said that game host should define game settings, but man. Pls, let's set magic sites at 5, at least.



You see, when you set them to zero, it means there is absolutely no chance to find magic sites by site searching. All you can ever get is revealed sites that the game generates during turn zero (just several sites for the whole map) and those that might appear through random events (extremely rare occasion).

With magic sites zero there is no point in site searching. That's kinda sad?

 

[Kane]

Mraston, I know I said that game host should define game settings, but man. Pls, let's set magic sites at 5, at least.



You see, when you set them to zero, it means there is absolutely no chance to find magic sites by site searching. All you can ever get is revealed sites that the game generates during turn zero (just several sites for the whole map) and those that might appear through random events (extremely rare occasion).

With magic sites zero there is no point in site searching. That's kinda sad?

Another implication is that nations are bound to their national gem gens, which depending on the nation can be workable or totally useless. I don't think low research in EA is such a good idea either to be honest, mages are a vital part of EA army composition in all stages of the game. If the research doesn't align with what is happening on the ground it puts a couple of nations at a huge disadvantage. Maverni for example.

 

[hoverdog]

Hmm, weren't the map supposed to have only 'mundane' recruitable indies rather than no indies at all? correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Grimwulf]

If the research doesn't align with what is happening on the ground it puts a couple of nations at a huge disadvantage. Maverni for example.

Marverni is a shitty nation in any case, but at least you have half-decent troops, that are both easy to amass and cheap to maintain.

Hmm, weren't the map supposed to have only 'mundane' recruitable indies rather than no indies at all? correct me if I'm wrong.

Mraston decided to remove all indies in the end. It's on page 3 or 4.

 

[Kane]

Marverni is a shitty nation in any case, but at least you have half-decent troops, that are both easy to amass and cheap to maintain.

Cheap to amass I agree with you, but without some critical spells they will drop of very quickly vs. infantry that is simply better.

 

[hoverdog]

Mraston decided to remove all indies in the end. It's on page 3 or 4.

dis gon b wierd.

 

[Mraston]

You guys seem to have not read the "grim" component of the game title.

 

[Grimwulf]

You guys seem to have not read the "grim" component of the game title.

Bro, can you change the map on the game page one last time? The script is exactly the same, it just had an error (province 111 had Ichtiyd poptype). I checked and double-checked everything - that's the last time, I promise. The version 3 is already uploaded on llama.

If anybody wants some sp-testing autism, there you go:
Script Only: https://d.maxfile.ro/mpejehypgq.rar
Map image + script: https://d.maxfile.ro/yurdbjvvfr.rar

Choose your poison and extract in maps folder.

 

[Grimwulf]

This is just to confirm that I've received a pretender file from you for Unexpected Nation in the game GrimAnt, and everything seems to be fine with it. Here's a list of nations which have signed up so far:

C'tis
Unexpected Nation

Note that you can check this at any time at www.llamaserver.net.

Details of your e-mail:
Subject: GrimAnt
Sent at: Sun, 30 Aug 2015 16:40:20 +0300
Attachment: early_therodos_0.2h

I guess I'll play as Unexpected Nation then.

 

[Kane]

I guess I'll play as Unexpected Nation then.

Only the best of the best receive that honor.

 

[Mraston]

Ok. Men. Just something to note for everybody who didn't get to sp tests yet.

Having no indy recruitables is nice and original, but there is a side effect. Non-fortified provinces have no PD below 20. I'll try to explain.

PD in forts have national-only units, so this works as usual.

P.S.: Therodos with these settings is teh hard, but fun as hell. Dis gonna b gud.

Edit: nailed one error in the script. One province has Ichdyids poptype left. V.3 of the script will be uploaded later today (gotta double-check the map for other issues first).

I think I like this, I'm glad we are giving it a go!

 

[Mraston]

New Map loaded. Magic Sites now at 5.

 

[Dayyālu]

Suddenly the most important site of the entire game

Throne settings are?