Okay, my Pretender file’s on its way for the Hardcore game. I would’ve gotten it in earlier but I spent a good 8 hours (over 3 days, mind you) changing and tweaking and testing out various Pretender builds for Abysia until I got one that worked for me, and the overall strategy I’m going to attempt this game.
It’s pretty amazing just how much strategies can change and work based merely on a few changes to the Pretender.
Man is going to be huge unless someone actually steps in to hammer him from the north, so that it is not so easy for him to gain my territory while not being pressed in return from the other direction. It is probably too late already, but some effort would be nice. I’ve already sent notice to Caelum, who has not yet responded. I’ve also warned Arco about the Ryleh/Man threat, again without avail.
Well there is a reason no one has listened! Arcosphale. It seems that the dude playing it is Norfleet’s punching bag which means he is no newbie. Ryleh, Atlantis and Caelum attempted to kill him and he destroyed all of their armies and took no losses. All it really takes is a look at the research graphs really to see what’s going on. Or take a look at the army graph for Arcospahale and remember that he has been fighting the largest armies in the world and then note that his army is only getting bigger while everyone else’s ( who are all by the silly graphs far more powerful ) plumet.
I watched the battles. They were funny in a grim kind of way. Tons of quickened soul slay and nether darts. The other side’s army does not reach his army before breaking and then no one makes it off of the battle field.
On the plus side no Wrathful skies. Maybe he just wants to win without it just to prove that it can be done!
Less talk, more sending of Pretenders! :)
Well, for example, I actually offered to help Arco, because Ryleh decided to attack me. Clearly if Arco was such a huge threat, Ryleh should have buried the hatchet against me (which I would have been willing to do), and I would have even given some support again Arco. Instead, he has thrown a couple of armies at me as well, and apparently hurt his own efforts against Arco. Doesn’t make much sense, unless I’m missing something.
Well, for example, I actually offered to help Arco, because Ryleh decided to attack me. Clearly if Arco was such a huge threat, Ryleh should have buried the hatchet against me (which I would have been willing to do), and I would have even given some support again Arco. Instead, he has thrown a couple of armies at me as well, and apparently hurt his own efforts against Arco. Doesn’t make much sense, unless I’m missing something.
Well no one really knew how powerful Arco was ( well it was pretty clear from the reseach graph but we are all too stupid to know exactly what that means ). I’m POSITIVE that Rlygh thought that he was going to stomp all over Arcosphale since his army was more than x2 bigger.
I’m sure it was quite a shock when he lost every unit in those combats and acrosphale lost none. Heck he actually GAINED units due to enslave mind.
I’m quite sure that Rlygh would love to talk alliance at this time!
I’m not very good in magic strategies. In fact, I’m not even interested in learning and using combos. But though I wouldn’t want to touch things like the storm/wrathful skies combo with a long stick, I’m very interested in ways to counter stuff like this. Too bad there is no anti-combo FAQ to be found anywhere.
Just need a Pretender from Rob O’Boston now. Hopefully will get the games up and running while I’m at work… :)
Right, all the Noob ones are in, will get the game going in a bit (heading off to work now) and I’ll mail everyone.
Ok, QT3-JM-Noob has begun!
I’ve sent an email to everyone, let me know if you haven’t received it.
Haven’t seen an email here.
Correction: There it is, email server is behind.
Just out of interest, should the server be telling me I’ve uploading my .2h file when I connect to it? A little worrying… :)
I’m not very good in magic strategies. In fact, I’m not even interested in learning and using combos. But though I wouldn’t want to touch things like the storm/wrathful skies combo with a long stick, I’m very interested in ways to counter stuff like this. Too bad there is no anti-combo FAQ to be found anywhere.
You have to either ( a ) kill the guy doing it or ( b ) protect your troops with a very high level spell. That’s about the extent of the possibilities that I know of!
I think that Tutha are size 3 and I think that the AI targets biggest targets 1st. So some single person killing spells could do the trick. But I don’t know for sure.
Ok, QT3-JM-Noob has begun!
Like 4 people have done their turn already! Sweet. Is this quickhost, btw?
Quickhost, and 48hour forcehost.
[edit]
Thought I’d add in the scripts I use for mailing after the turn. This is on debian linux, which uses exim for sendmail usage.
mail-template.sh, a copy of which gets called by dom2:
#!/bin/bash
##### #####
# #
# This script mails people at the end of a Dominions 2 turn. #
# Allows for easy removal of recipients once they are eliminated. #
# Body of the email comes from the .mail message that is piped in. #
# #
# created by Jamie Mason 2004 (jamie@useofweapons) #
# #
##### #####
# use the name of the Dominions 2 game running on your server
SERVERNAME=dom2-template
# the ip or hostname of the server
SERVERIP=dom2.server.com
# the port of the server
SERVERPORT=1234
# full path to the file containing the body of the email you wish to send
MAILFILE=/home/dom2serv/d2-mail/dom2-template.mail
# list of players and email addresses.
[email protected]
PLAYER2=
PLAYER3=
PLAYER4=
PLAYER5=
PLAYER6=
PLAYER7=
PLAYER8=
# admin email address (receives hosting messages for games you're not playing in)
[email protected]
# creation of the mailing list, add the players you wish to email
PLAYERLIST=$PLAYER1,$PLAYER2,$PLAYER3,$PLAYER4,$PLAYER5,$PLAYER6,$PLAYER7,$PLAYER8
# the subject heading you wish to use for the email
MAILSUBJECT="[dom2] $SERVERNAME has hosted a turn"
# replace variables in the mailfile
# variables are SERVERNAME, SERVERIP, SERVERPORT, ADMINMAIL
MAILBODY=`sed -e "s/SERVERNAME/$SERVERNAME/g;s/SERVERIP/$SERVERIP/g;s/SERVERPORT/$SERVERPORT/g;s/ADMINMAIL/$ADMIN/g" $MAILFILE`
# send the mail!
echo -e $MAILBODY | mail $ADMIN,$PLAYERLIST -s "$MAILSUBJECT"
The mail body template, dom2-template.mail:
The Dominions 2 server SERVERNAME has hosted a new turn.
Server: SERVERIP
Port: SERVERPORT
Please connect to the server to play your turn.
Regards,
The Dominions 2 Server automated thingy.
----
This is an automated message. Do not attempt to reply.
All queries should be sent to the admin at ADMINMAIL
----
Use the --postexec option on the server commandline to call the shell script, eg:
dom2 --textonly --tcpserver --port 5002 --hours 48 -q --mapfile aran.map -g QT3-JM-Noob --postexec /home/dom2serv/d2-mail/mail-QT3-JM-Noob.sh
Hopefully it’ll work, seemed to when I tested it manually :)
Another problem for the low-mid level players idea. How do you know if someone really is a noob or a poor player? How do you effectively keep out the equivalent of the “l33t” 14 year-old who likes to stomp bad players? I posit that a really good player in a group of noobs is far more devastating (for a game like Dominions) than a really bad player in a group of pros.
Well, in the immortal words of Darth Vader, “It’s too late for me, my son.” I’m pretty much done for, and I think you are going to have a threat from Man that is pretty equivalent to your threat from Arco on your hands now because no one stepped in earlier.
I blame myself; I sent a message to Caelum asking for help, and he mentioned that it might have been different 10 turns ago. He’s right; the failure there is in my not asking him a long time ago (but that failure is not across the board; others should have stepped up and recognized the situation who didn’t).
QT3-JM-Noob has done its first turn, and my scripts work. Hoorah.
Rob O’Boston’s just sent me his pretender for the hardcore game, so I’ll kick that game off when I get a chance (probably in a couple of hours), and I’ll mail everyone involved.
Good luck guys.
[edit]
QT3-JM-Hardcore has now started.
Good luck, and remember:
Don’t believe his lies!
Someone lies in dom2? Who?!?!?!
Oh, nobody.
[size=1]Sidles away…[/size]
Are there emails that go out when the game hosts? Hardcore hosted and I didn’t get anything. I don’t know if something is screwy with me, or there aren’t notification emails, or there are supposed to be but something is screwy with the server. In any case, DIE, landlubbers!
I received an email for JM’s game.
The mail went to your earthlink account - that not the right one?
Wonder if it might have got spamfiltered…
Anyway, it’s from “JMs Dominions 2 Server” and has “[dom2] QT3-JM-Hardcore has hosted a turn” as the subject.
No, that’s right. It must’ve been blocked by my spam filter. I’ll fix it when I get home (I was trying to keep an eye out for it, but I must have missed it). I’ll PM or email you if I have further problems.