Help a noob learn Dom3!

CapnTthePirateG · Post by **CapnTthePirateG** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:45 am

Hi all. I'd like to get some people to play vanilla Dom3. As I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, I'd prefer it if someone else could host. Any takers?

Korwin · Post by **Korwin** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:38 am

You mean a fast direct connect game?

Edit: we could use Gandalf's server
http://game.dom3minions.com/bin/vsAI_chk.cgi

koz · Post by **koz** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:49 am

OK Cap, first-off, welcome to the most awesome game ever. Before you start, there's a few things to remember.

1) Dom3 has a learning curve shaped like a wall. It's rewarding, but damn frustrating at times.

2) Dom3 Logic is your constant bane. What is Dom3 logic? 'Fuck you, that's why.'

3) PLAY THE TUTORIAL. I'm very serious about that - don't even think about starting a multiplayer game if you haven't.

Now, for more practical stuff. I would suggest (as I have done) that you learn the game using MA Man. They're very hard to screw up and can be played in a few different ways, and also teach you scripting, which is a pretty vital skill if you are to become a good Dom3 player.

Given this, I'm happy to set up a game for you on Llamaserver. When you get back to me as regarding having played the tutorial, I'll tell you how that stuff works.

Other folks: I welcome any and all help teaching someone a game I thoroughly enjoy, but also thoroughly suck at.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 8:52 am

CapnTthePirateG wrote:Hi all. I'd like to get some people to play vanilla Dom3. As I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, I'd prefer it if someone else could host. Any takers?

Okay, before you do multiplayer, I suggest you do a couple of things:

First of all, go through the Tutorial to learn the basic controls.

Next, make the Dom3 wiki one of your favorite pages:

http://dom3.servegame.com/wiki/

It will be the source of 50% of your power.

Then, play a single player game. Make it a smallish map with only a few enemies. Pick MA Vanheim, and make sure your Pretender follows the "Rainbow Pretender" build here:

http://dom3.servegame.com/wiki/User:Sec ... ster_guide

During the game, do the following:

1) Build lots and lots of Skinshifters.

2) Send out your Skinshifters in groups of 20+ in one big block. Forget about scripting for now. They will generally crush any independents. Remember to build 1 point of Province Defense in each conquered province.

3) When you meet AI enemies, gather up 40+ Skinshifters and watch them crush the AI armies. Hell, this even works against some players.

4) When you have the money, build a fort. The fort builds more Skinshifters. Makes expansion even faster.

4) Keep conquering until the AI is reduced to a few provinces. Cordon them off so that they can never threaten you seriously.

5) Recruit Dwarves and mages to do research. Focus first on Construction. Follow the Rainbow Pretender Guide in the above link. Forge every artifact in the game, and then move your research to other things. Start trying out other cool spells.

Ultimately, this trial game's main purpose is to teach you how to forge artifacts, research, and cast spells while relying on some overpowered ground troops to overwhelm the AI early so you don't have to worry about early or midgame spellcasting.

It also sort of gives you a "laboratory" save file where you can try out spells for battles and such without needing to play a "real" game.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:21 pm

I highly recommend checking out a Dominions 3 Lets Play so you get a feel for how a multiplayer game flows. Here's 2:

http://dom3.servegame.com/wiki/User:Mat ... ewbie_Game

http://lparchive.org/Dominions-3/

CapnTthePirateG · Post by **CapnTthePirateG** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:28 pm

I've read some LPs, played a few single player games, and dumpster dived through the wiki. I need to play the tutorial. I will probably do that tonight and get back to you guys.

Thanks for all the help.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:47 am

I'd be willing to play a 1v1 learning game via emailing the turn folder back and forth.

I'd also be willing to play in a small multiplayer game through llamaserver. I'm adjusting to my new job right now, and I don't want to commit to something where I'd spent lots of time micromanaging a lategame.

CapnTthePirateG, if you want a 1v1 game, feel free to specify which nation you'd like to play against. I'm a pretty casual player, and I still have a lot of things left to try out with most factions.

Korwin · Post by **Korwin** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:53 am

swapping the players/nations looks like it would be easier with direct connection (just dont use Passwords for your Pretender).

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:07 am

I could go for another Dom3 game, actually. I think I've recovered from my experience playing three games at once. Just throwing my interest out there.

koz · Post by **koz** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:55 am

I'm loving both MA Pan and MA Jotunheim these days. Although more Jotunheim than Pan.

luckyfortune · Post by **luckyfortune** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:36 am

Im keen!! hehe ^__^

Winnah · Post by **Winnah** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:43 am

I can set up a game if you like.

I am not fussy about what nation I play. Probably a monstrous nation like Shinuyama or Pangaea, but I'm not going to lock in a choice as of yet.

I prefer:

slightly tougher indies. ~7
slightly higher magic site frequency 45 to 50
Around 15 provinces per player on the map, less if there are more players.

Other settings unaltered.

Trades of items and gems must be honoured. Diplomacy is not binding, but if you break your word, you're a dishonest scumbag worthy only of contempt.

Any other preferences? Let me know, then I'll pick a map and start a thread for the game. Once numbers are confirmed I'll host the game on llamaserver.

koz · Post by **koz** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 5:41 am

I say we wait for Cap'n, since it's meant to be for him...

CapnTthePirateG · Post by **CapnTthePirateG** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:29 pm

Yeah, sure, why not. I've played enough of the demo/tutorial to know what I'm doing.

Keep in mind I'm in school and getting a job soon, so I won't be able to do awesome stuff right now.

Also, I need to reinstall Dom3 on the new machine, but I can do that tonight. Do we declare nations in this thread?

koz · Post by **koz** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:54 pm

Well, we seem to have quite a few players. If we are to do anything, here are my preferences, which we should probably determine *before* anyone creates a game.

- Llamaserver hosting, 48 hour interval
- MA or LA (had just about enough of EA for now)
- Normal settings (with permitted renaming, of course)
- VP win
- Prefer a wraparound map, 20ish provinces per player

In terms of my national preferences, for MA:

- Jotunheim
- Pan
- Shinuyama (oh god, my brain)

For LA:

- Atlantis
- T'ien Ch'i
- Bogarus (return of Vladimir Putin!)

luckyfortune · Post by **luckyfortune** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:48 pm

Hmm

Ma - caelum
La - mictlan

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 1:24 am

Hm. Jotunheim and Caelum would have been fun picks, but I'll leave 'em uncontested. Plenty of fish in the sea. Which is a perfect segue: for MA, I'd like to give R'lyeh a shot, but I'd understand if you guys prefer no water nations, in which case I'll pick Abysia.

For LA, I really have no idea. I still haven't found anything I like in LA. What factions are any good? I'm looking at Patala. Are they playable? Any good? I'll avoid R'lyeh and Ermor, because... you know. Crazy. How's LA Pangaea?

CapnTthePirateG · Post by **CapnTthePirateG** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 2:53 am

Hm. I think I'll do something completely stupid.

MA-Man,
Ermor

LA-Midgard

Archmage · Post by **Archmage** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:18 am

CapnTthePirateG wrote:Hm. I think I'll do something completely stupid.

MA-Man,
Ermor

LA-Midgard

LA Midgard is quite good. I just finished a game playing as them (which I didn't win or anything, but whatever). You have decent magic diversity and skinshifters are great at wrecking things and you have a lot of good ways to support them. Your pretender can fill in gaps (I used an awake great sage with F1E4S4D3N3; it was CBM, so the ~25 RP a turn was kind of a big draw, but YMMV). Vanjarls and galdermen are both great units, and you can wreck people pretty badly with evocation spam. Storm and Mist can cover their weaknesses against arrows.

Your lategame probably involves summoning elemental kings of air and kitting them out as SCs, or shimmering fields evocation craziness with some lightning-immune summons, or maybe blood magic, I dunno. Someone won the game by VP grab and I was dithering anyway, so my advice for lategame is probably not worth much.

koz · Post by **koz** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:09 am

CapnTthePirateG wrote:Hm. I think I'll do something completely stupid.

MA-Man,
Ermor

LA-Midgard

I would hella not recommend starting out with MA Ermor. Not that they're bad or anything - you'll just need a crash course in undead-related stuff. MA Man and LA Midgard are both all good, though.

So, any preferences on LA or MA peoples?

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:18 am

Mister_Sinister wrote: I would hella not recommend starting out with MA Ermor. Not that they're bad or anything - you'll just need a crash course in undead-related stuff. MA Man and LA Midgard are both all good, though.

MA Ermor isn't hard to learn. The only real issue is that its "optimal" strategy revolves around having zero research early; and that it may teach bad habits that are not applicable for other nations (i.e. having a lot of disposable undead easily available).

MA Man is good for single player learning, but underwhelming in MP. I'd go for MA Vanheim personally.

So, any preferences on LA or MA peoples?

For newbies MA is generally the best choice as it has less of the weirdness of LA and the thuggination of EA.

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:47 am

Zinegata wrote:I'd go for MA Vanheim personally.

That's literally your answer to everything.

MS wrote:So, any preferences on LA or MA peoples?

In all honesty, I kind of hate LA, but Patala has me interested but I don't know if they're any good. Haven't had time to research. They seem to have one really impressive mage for LA. That said, MA R'lyeh or MA Abysia would be fun, too.

I'm leaning MA.

koz · Post by **koz** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:04 am

I gotta agree Zinegata - MA Vanheim does appear to be your answer to everything. I also think that they're harder to use properly and more open to being screwed up by a new player than MA Man, but that's a personal thing.

I'm kinda OK with either - I agree MA is better for learning on, though, so consider me biased in that direction also.

Winnah · Post by **Winnah** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:07 am

I'm not fussy about LA or MA

-LA Pan, Bogarus, Pythium

-MA Pan Shinuyama, Pythium

I would advise against a high province ratio per player. I would prefer a decreasing ratio as the number of players increases. It's all well and good to say 20 provinces per player, but it will work out that some greedy fuck ends up with 40 and a couple of people with 10, but whatevs.

Once numbers are set and era is determined, Í can organise a game with whatever preferences are most popular.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:20 pm

Mister_Sinister wrote:I gotta agree Zinegata - MA Vanheim does appear to be your answer to everything. I also think that they're harder to use properly and more open to being screwed up by a new player than MA Man, but that's a personal thing.

It's actually incredibly easy to use. Good strong troops for expansion, and easy-to-use mages (Thunderstrike and Earthquake out of the box). Just make sure you take Order to pay for the mages.

The main "problem" is that it may teach bad habits when you don't have access to Skinshifters anymore (and if you fight experienced enemies with lots of archers), and it has a poor end game.

Also, I piped in with my favorite MA faction since Cap wants LA Midgard anyway, which is a lot like MA Vanheim army-wise.

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Help a noob learn Dom3!

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