Aeon221

Reply to Ambassadors & Diplomatic Capital in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Diplomatic Capital is a fudge implemented in GalCiv2 to account for the fact that computers can't discuss things like people would. In that game, it was weighted at around the same value as currency. In MP, two humans chat and end up with a deal at such and such a value that both of them (this is the important bit) think is fair. Instead of chatting with the AI, since it's incapable of doing that, you provide a deal you think is fair, and then use Diplomatic Capital to m

Reply to [Balance] The Item Shop is Broken in War of Magic Elemental Forums

I'd suggest going a slightly different route. Rather than gold piling up into a stockpile like now -- which is the real problem -- it should be treated as a flow resource. You can spend up to the amount you earn per turn, and if you don't spend it it disappears -- lore terms, you give everyone a bonus or something. Works great with other resources in Grand Ages Rome, would probably work perfectly here too. That way you'd always have to deal with constraints, instead of hoarding until

Reply to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in PC Gaming Elemental Forums

TES games are great because you can mod whatever you want into them. Unbelievably accessible. So long as they keep it that way, the game will be an excellent base for doing practically anything. I get that haters gotta hate, but come on. BethSoft has consistently delivered a great modding framework, and that's pretty much it. Plus NORDS. I fully expect to enjoy playing a beer drinking wilderness man.

Reply to The Early Rush: Balance or AI? in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Generally have a few high cha govenor heroes, preferably the ones with admin talents, a bunch of strength based heroes, and one or two int based ones. Sov is usually a caster, since I gimp his phys stats to buy more bonus talents. First few turns can be a little rough, but it only takes a little while to get Equipment and then he's armored up and ready to roll. In terms of rush, I typically start building dudes with staves right from the start of the game, get abo

Reply to Elemental's biggest problem... in War of Magic Elemental Forums

This thread includes a random poster telling seasoned developers with multiple successful games and an independent studio that their style of sales and community management is sub-optimal. I am sure it isn't either a troll or a bit stupid, and that it will go well.

Reply to 1.1 Group Single Units in War of Magic Elemental Forums

I think it's silly that you can't group them together. It'd help out a lot -- for one thing, there'd be fewer units on the map after it had been researched. For another, it makes sense. It violates the POLA to not have them able to form a group. Plus, it'd help the AI. So I'm in favor, just make it require that troops be in a city with a command post to group them.

Reply to [Ideas] Naval Warfare in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Most of the time players go to war with adjacent targets. They can just teleport around any distance issues, and if mountains are an issue, mountains can be lowered. If the enemy is across a strait, they can build a land bridge in about ten seconds flat and not fiddle around with the hassle of putting troops into a container, moving the container, and unloading them. Why would anyone bother with ships again? Want a tactical advantage against the enemy for raids? Land bridge, mountain at the e

Reply to First 1.1 Game...HUH?? in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Pretty sure there's a green arrow or red arrow + the change in stats shown in your hero's little bit at the bottom for the store when you select an item. Gonna fire up the game to check, but pretty sure it's in and just not very visible. edit: Verified. When you select an item, look at your hero's stats down at the bottom. Changes have an arrow (either green or red) and a number indicating the amount of the difference between the equipped item and the store item.

Suggested Changes to Teleport in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Right now, teleportation is an easy mode button. Even if the AI somehow manages to get an army together AND somehow manages to bring it near your city AND you have no units anywhere nearby, you can easily teleport your sovereign's army, or imbue the champion leading your army and have him do it (or have him return to your capital, have your sov return there, and THEN teleport the whole shebang). It's goofy. Too much ability to consolidate forces, it makes a strategic reserve and

Reply to Ditch the Tech Trees in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

I'd actually enjoy it if spell research was changed to be more like tech research. Instead of researching spells and levels, you research a book and get to select from a list of spells from it -- with a percentage chance for any given spell to appear in that book based on the number of shards you have for it and the number of spells you've researched from it. In short, spell research uses the boring Civ style. Go with the Elemental one, it's better!

Reply to Seeds of the Mind: a presentation of v1.1 suggestions in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Spellbook idea is the best thing on there. Couple it with a removal of the adventure tree (it never made sense) and an expansion in the amount of turf available to explore. Like the idea of having maps be coastal with inland exploration turf, could work equally well with explorable islands. Would especially suggest that rivers be the focal point of empires -- give movement bonuses to units going along a river, and gank all their remaining moves for crossing it. Bonus to caravans that

Reply to Mechanisms to be avoided in the future. in War of Magic Elemental Forums

[quote who="Wintersong" reply="2" id="2846874"] quoting postBasically, doing exactly the same thing over and over is only fun if you're brain damaged. Like defeating armies and conquering cities repeadtly until you win by Conquest? And then starting a new game to do the same? You have a point in some parts though.[/quote] Conquest is only repetitive at a high level. Once you screw down to the micro level, each situation is sufficiently different

Reply to Kael & Frogboy - Scripting Support in Elemental? in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Oh good, I was terrified we'd never get to diddle around in the C++ elements. Well, short of making a billion please please please threads, I guess the best thing to do is wait. Is it out yet?

Reply to 1.2 Direction and that Major Announcement? in War of Magic Elemental Forums

[quote who="StevenAus" reply="10" id="2846640"]Yes, especially design goals don't need tons of effort to get it down on electronic text on the company's own game forum. Two Questions I think a lot would like would be interested in answers to: 1. What is happening with Elemental's widely touted scripting support? 2. Issues and solutions - what about the War of Magic? Best regards, Steven.[/quote] It's not like this is life or death here, it's

Mechanisms to be avoided in the future. in War of Magic Elemental Forums

If someone comes up with a really great mechanism that only works if the player builds a whole lot of the exact same thing, slap them. Not hard, that would be rude. But enough to let them know that this is a bad bad thing and they just made a mess. Maybe rub their nose in it? I dunno, I see people do that with dogs and it's just so degrading. You know, to the owner. Anyway, I didn't make the effort of loading up Elemental to play SimStudy:War of Studies. Please don't make me play SimStudy. Re

Reply to v1.1 no magic in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Seems to work just fine in the early game adventure phase, so long as you're not a fanatic about it. My sov is wandering around evaporating any particularly tough enemies with Arcane Arrow and then clubbing the rest.

Reply to [Ideas] Naval Warfare in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Without any sort of economic rationale to develop a fleet, we're better off not having naval combat. Otherwise ships end up like in every other game -- a pointless addition used only when you need to move your land troops across a body of water. I'd suggest having neutral resources in the water that can be harvested by ships without needing city access to the tile. Fishing Ships, say, could establish a resource collector (even in enemy turf! civ influence has no sway on

Reply to Villas (and other fancy housing) Create A Different Kind of Population in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

I don't know that custom resources are exactly what I'm looking for, since I'd prefer people to be able to build elite housing without needing an elite housing mine next door. That said, if it is indeed possible to mod in, I might have a lot of fun doing that.

Reply to Elemental: v1.1 Walkthru in Elemental Dev Journals Elemental Forums

[quote who="charon2112" reply="15" id="2845200"]Brad could take a dump on a CD and I'd buy it. [/quote] *insert stinging reference to Demigod*

Reply to Villas (and other fancy housing) Create A Different Kind of Population in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Well, yes, the idea is that specialist pops would staff buildings that regular pops cannot staff. And these buildings provide benefits far greater than the benefits provided by your average every day buildings like studies and such. Or they provide benefits that are unique, such as the ability to recruit trained soldiers or groups of soldiers. Regular population can still be global, but specialists should be local so that squares are a bigger constraint on players ability to maximize their re

Villas (and other fancy housing) Create A Different Kind of Population in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Steal this from Zeus/other city builders. A nicer building gives you a lot fewer of a more valuable population -- nobles, scribes whatever -- that get used to maintain more valuable buildings. Specialist pops should also be a LOCAL resource -- as in, having them in one city does not allow them to support buildings in another city! For city leveling purposes, have them count for multiples of standard pops. Creates a clear alternative to city spam, makes specialization more intere

Reply to Tactical Combat Spell Balance in War of Magic Elemental Forums

Shards increase the mana efficiency of the spell by adding damage. Reducing costs by a percentage makes balancing far more difficult -- imagine something like blizzard reduced by 60% mana, in other words three water shards! Shards adding damage rather than reducing cost is also better from a turn compression point of view -- more DPT is better than a weaker spell cast over multiple turns. If simplicity is the goal of any changes, int should act exclusively as a gateway to using spells

1.09v Modded Spells Charged Twice, Casters ignore minimum int requirement in WOM Support Elemental Forums

Changed a few spells mana cost, used a modfile. Game correctly reads attributes of new spells (no double damage etc) but incorrectly charges both the old and new price. Double checked, have only one cost entry in spell. Example: Arcane Arrow Original cost is 8 Changed cost is 10 Cast menu in game lists both 8 and 6 and charges both Second issue is casters ignore int requirement, whether or not it has been changed. Arc

Only mage sovereigns should be able to cast level 5 spells (and other stuff) in WOM Ideas Elemental Forums

Summary: Magic sovereigns need additional capabilities to allow them to compete with warrior sovereigns. Limiting high level spell use to sovereigns that choose to focus on magic would go a long way to making them stand out. Adding early access to some spells would help them compete in the early game, and a tactical mana pool or having magic ignore armor would go a long way to ensuring that they remain fearsome opponents all the way to the endgame. <

Reply to Onward! in Elemental Dev Journals Elemental Forums

I figure an early gold pack is a good enough incentive to make a leap of faith. I bit, and soon you (and others) will have the privilege of knowing if this game can run on my hamster powered netbook. It just might! Here'd be a great opportunity to fulfill that epic promise you made! Elemental on a netbook! edit: Wait a minute, I feel like I remember something being said about the AI being entirely XML. And fully visible. Is that indeed the case? If so, I just