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Author Topic: Dominions 3: PBEM Game  (Read 50741 times)

Cthulhu

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Dominions 3: PBEM Game
« on: November 04, 2009, 10:56:29 pm »

So I'm starting to get back into Dominions 3, but the single-player isn't as much fun as I think Multiplayer could be.

I've never played online, and I was wondering if anyone wants to play a PBEM (Or Blitz, either one) game against me.

One condition, but I think most Dwarf Fortress players would prefer this anyway. 

Dominions 3 has similar problems to WH40k when it comes to fluff and cheese.  It seems like the best strategies don't make sense in the lore.  Abysian ice mages, Ermor recruiting living independents, weird stuff that shouldn't actually happen (Note that the previous examples may or may not be "best strategies", I was just giving examples of cheesy stuff)

So I'd rather it be a fluff game, where you play the civilizations realistically.  Like I said, I don't think that'll be a problem, and I remember a few people in previous threads mention that this bothered them.

Anyway, I guess I should put some info about the game, even though we've had quite a few threads about it.

Dominions 3 is a turn-based strategy game where you play as a demigod, fighting other demigods in an attempt to ascend and become the one true God.  You do this through army battles, like a lot of wargames, magic (Some high level spells can lay waste to entire armies, summon nigh-unstoppable monsters, and even affect the entire world), and dominion, which is basically the spread of your influence. 

You customize your god from probably thousands of different combinations of physical forms, magic skills, and dominion effects, give him a name (Or let it generate one) and let it pick some titles for him which range from stupid (The King at the Crossroads) to awesome (Master of the Obsidian Blade) and then fight.

It's pretty awesome, although it has a very hefty price tag for its age.

PBEM GAME GOING DOWN MOFOS

List of players (Player - Nation - God)

Cthulhu - Mictlan - Twelve Jaguar, Drinker of Blood, Bane of Men, the Leech, Enemy of Infants

slMagnavox - Kailasa - slMagnavox, She Who Tempers the Spirit, Lady of Strength, Princess of Insects

Cheeetar - Vanheim - Cheetar, the Whirlpool, Patron of Languages

Il Palazzo - Niefelheim - Dogmeat, the Rabid Lord of Chillout, Prince of Primeval Depths, the Unsleeping God, the Fortifier, the Armorer

E. Albright -Atlantis - Shokushu Goukan, God of this World, King of Many Names, Sword of Balance, Patron of Languages

Wiles - Hinnom - Shamash, the Unmoving Master, the Undeceivable God, Prince of Arcane Mysteries

INFO ON JOINING/PLAYING

Spoiler: How to Join (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: How to Play (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: November 21, 2009, 08:19:25 pm by Cthulhu »
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Kagus

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2009, 11:32:31 pm »

Aww man, I'd jump for a Dom III fluff game...  If only I actually had the damned thing.

The various "effective" strategies really got to me, for exactly the reason you described.  It just didn't seem to "fit" with the nation or whatnot.  Even though you could stretch the cool builds beyond whatever is the "most relevant", none of those cool builds were nearly as effective as the wonked ones.

Considering the incredible atmosphere and environment provided by Dominions 3, it's really a shame that the "useful" builds were so limited.  Kinda turned me off the whole series...


One question though...  In Dominions 1, there was this really cool feature where the provinces would visually change based on the scales there (hot/cold mostly, I think growth/death also had an effect).  This allowed you to shape the world to your liking.  I didn't notice this in Dominions 2, does it resurface in 3?

Also, Atlantis seemed to just be an epic troop powerhouse in my limited experience with Dom 1.  How are the underwater races in 3?  I've only tried the demo to 3, with its heavy crippling, race limitations and 40-turn time limit.

Cthulhu

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2009, 11:39:44 pm »

Yeah, the expensiveness sucks, but then again...

As for dominions affecting the appearance of provinces, I'm not sure.  I haven't noticed if it does.

The only underwater race I've played in Dom 3 is Late Age R'lyeh, which is exactly what R'lyeh should be.

Insane cults springing up in your dominion, a gate to the void through which you pull all kinds of horrors (My favorites are Vastnesses and something else I can't remember at the moment.  The latter is basically a shoggoth, and can be directed to plow through enemy troops like an amorphous elephant, bowling over and absorbing anyone stupid enough to stand in its way, and a Vastness is just insane.  It's some kind of huge being of multicolored orbs.  It flies, steals strength, paralyzes, mind-blasts, is ethereal, reflects attacks, has a bunch of immunities, and can easily wipe out a small army on its own without even trying), all kinds of wonderful stuff.  Bonus points if you make your god imprisoned for a true dead but dreaming god experience.  That also has the effect of making your god really really powerful.
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Kagus

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2009, 11:48:45 pm »

Yep, remember reading (and dreaming) about all that.  I wonder if I'd be able to restrain myself from playing them long enough to check out the other races.

Check out early-age R'lyeh too, they've got some interesting units.  The Aboleths are some delightfully terrifying creatures of the deep.  And, they've got a rather interesting commander (I believe it may even be a pretender) that auto-spawns fodder units.  And I've always had a thing for automatic troop generators (hence my attraction to the prospect of late-age R'lyeh, and my all-consuming love for Ermor).

Cthulhu

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2009, 11:58:37 pm »

Ermor's pretty cool too, Knights of the Unholy Sepulchre would make an awesome name for a metal band.  My only problem is that the lack of fire magic means I don't have much access to banefire, which is awesome.
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slMagnvox

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2009, 03:32:32 am »

I was playing some PBEM games last year.  Good fun, I like the pace of playing a turn every day or two.  I'd join up for a little B12 Dominions showdown.

Llamaserver, http://www.llamaserver.net/ is a great PBEM host set up for the community at the Shrapnel Games forum but anyone can create a game on it.

I call the monkey race, Bandar Log or Kailasa depending if we play Early or Mid.  Late Age has less magics and I can't recommend it, esp. for a more RP game.
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Cheeetar

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2009, 03:37:54 am »

This thread has reminded me how much I used to like Dominions, so I may get a copy and start playing again.
Edit: Oh cool it's still on my computer. Are there any patches I need to install to get multiplayer or something?
« Last Edit: November 05, 2009, 03:52:48 am by Cheeetar »
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slMagnvox

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2009, 04:47:51 am »

This thread has reminded me how much I used to like Dominions, so I may get a copy and start playing again.
Edit: Oh cool it's still on my computer. Are there any patches I need to install to get multiplayer or something?

Illwinter releases patches pretty often.  Right hand column, a couple frames from the top;

http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Illwinter/DOM3/DOM3_page.html

We'll all need to be on the same version to play.  And you've already got multiplay, its just the everyone connect to a live server kind of multiplayer is rather impractical for a game that you can easily spend an hour to get a single turn just right.  The multiplayer games I played were all email based, using that llamaserver.  Real easy, you design your Pretender God, and attach his file to an email and send to the email host.  Then the game starts, you get an email with the .trn file attached and save it in your Dom3 saves folder.  You play the turn and then attach your .2h (a file that contains all the moves you just ordered) and send it back to the host.  Once everyone sends in their .2h files the next turn is generated and wash rinse repeat.

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Cthulhu

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2009, 09:32:20 am »

I just use 3.0, and I've been having trouble patching, so if it's not immensely important to use a later patch...

If we're doing early age, I'll probably go with Mictlan or Abysia.  I'm not sure about middle age, I don't have much experience with it.

Late age, I'm so Ermor or R'lyeh.
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Keiseth

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2009, 11:18:50 am »

I still have to buy this sometime; maybe if I get a job. In relation to that, though the game is $60ish from Shrapnel directly, it seems to be also sold from Shrapnel on Amazon for a more standard but expensive $50.

I may have seen it wrong, however.
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Cthulhu

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2009, 11:20:18 am »

It's still ridiculous.
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Cthulhu

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2009, 09:19:12 pm »

So who all is definitely interested, and what are your preferences for the game?

Also, there are so many metal names in this game.  All of the following would be awesome names for metal bands:

Anthrax, King of Banefires
Heliophagus
Lord of the Summer Plague
Claws of Cocytus
Bone Grinding

Well, maybe there weren't as many as I thought there were.  Still, those are all so metal that the magnets on my fridge wiggle when I say them.
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Kagus

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2009, 10:11:54 pm »

Yeah, but Anthrax is already taken.  Check some of the Demon Lords though, not to mention imprisoned titans.  You might find some more nifty stuff.

Cthulhu

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2009, 10:20:03 am »

I haven't actually managed to summon any Demon Lords because Blood Magic is such a chore.  I think I need to play with a Supercombatant god from now on.  Every time I play a magic-heavy game I get into the magic and basically just sit there recruiting more dedicated research mages every turn to get the high level stuff, just to see it.  Once I see Oligar the Scorpion King incinerate an entire army, I lose all my direction and end up quitting.  I've only won one game, and that was Late Age Ermor vs. Pangaea, so I basically just had to push my free troops around the map and watch the feyfolk get steamrolled.
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Il Palazzo

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Re: Dominions 3: Anyone want to play?
« Reply #14 on: November 06, 2009, 10:38:18 am »

Il Palazzo is a fan of D3. Il Palazzo is willing to join your happy enterprise. Il Palazzo likes Niefelheim for their gigantic coolness.

I'd rather play with the latest patch, even though I'm not sure what exactly it fixes/adds apart from an occasional spell or race.

(I only wish this game would fare better than the last three pbems that I took part in. Both EFS games are missing a player, while Stars! just died quietly. Oh well...)
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