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Bit of a spoiler for the next update: The Wizard Tower has a VERY useful spell in it. Anyone want to guess what it is? (And I am being serious, it's one of the better spells in the game)
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Jul 3, 2013 21:07
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Flight? Summon big antimagic dude? Golden age?
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Jul 3, 2013 21:13
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I think you only see tier 4 spells for sale on the final map.
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Jul 3, 2013 21:15
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Liquid Form or High Prayer? Those two are pretty drat good at keeping everyone alive.
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Jul 3, 2013 21:20
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Summon mermaid!
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Jul 3, 2013 21:20
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Considering that you don't have access to a healing spell I would guess Healing Water, Healing Showers or Remedy.
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Jul 5, 2013 10:44
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I'm a little surprised the undead were so willing to join up with you. My image of them is of absolutely devoted to their original cause, but I suppose there's a bit more of a hierarchical command structure in place.
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Jul 7, 2013 22:57
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The way I see it is that most of the undead are mindless bodies that must be controlled by something like a necromancer, or their own intelligent members. So when we defeated the undead leader the "normal" undead could be controlled by anybody who can use necromancy, which in our case would probably be the dark elf storm priests.
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Jul 8, 2013 10:32
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Cult of Storms Mission Eight: From the Depths of Earth, Week Five *****DAY TWENTY-NINE*****  The ship that we found has been crewed and is currently exploring the waterways around the wizard tower. They find a small plateau of dry land off to the side that continues up a tunnel to the surface, but are unable to see exactly where it leads. Me posted:In the later games it's actually possible to have a transition point for ships to use. I'm not sure if it's in both of them or just Shadow Magic, however. *****DAY THIRTY*****  The Orcs in the third chamber have been convinced to join my cause. Though it was costly, I need to save all of the troops and time that I can to push the Elves out of the region. I cannot have this region still in conflict when the Undead try to claim it again.   Tirlas continues to explore the caves that he is in and finds another passage up to the surface, they take a quick peek at the surface but do not linger so that we don't tip our hand to the Elves too soon. *****DAY THIRTY-TWO*****  Gorthak and I descend into one of the numerous liars in these caves, seeking out more lost items of power. This particular lair is infested with large scorpions for some reason, a rather odd thing to find in these caves.   We find a pair of weapons in the cave, the first of which Gorthak takes, only to exchange it for the flaming sword once the last of the scorpions are slain. *****DAY THIRTY-THREE*****  Tirlas has found another Orc wandering the caves and convinced him to join the scout party. Though they are still limited in number I know well how dangerous numerous Orc Cavalry can be.  I receive word from the Undead Hive that a large host of Elves have descended into the caves once more and are threatening my holdings. This is something that I must address directly. As I prepare the ritual I send whisper-spirits out to my forces in the region, instructing them to converge on the Hive. *****DAY THIRTY-FOUR*****   The nature of the caves gives the defender a significant advantage. We are able to decide when and where to fight the Elves, preventing them from bringing the full weight of their forces upon us. Gorthak and I handle the greatest threats present, but the rest of my forces account for themselves well, easily dispatching any Elf that tries to harm them.  Some of the Elves have managed to slip past our lines, but they have outpaced us just yet. I am forced to leave behind the majority of my forces, but one of the Demons joins us. Me posted:So fun little fact, Sacrificial flame does NO DAMAGE to you when you cast it if you're immune to fire. It basically attacks you and then attacks the area you cast it upon (I think it has the largest radius in the game outside of the 'whole map' combat spells).  The Demon falls before us, brought down by the Halfling Eagles, but they in turn are brought low by my magic. Gorthak charges into the ranks of their casters and slaughters the whole group in a frenzy of aggression.  After that it is merely a question of mopping up the survivors, leaving no Elves alive underground.  As we fight the Elves Tirlas encounters something interesting in the caves. An old human champion named Dactar who has been reanimated with the dark magics. Unlike the other undead in the tunnels it still possesses its own intelligence. Apparently it cannot be controlled quite like the other undead here.  A scrying pool has also been found underground, letting me know a bit more of what I will face on the surface. More Elven and Halfling towns are above us, more targets for the future. *****DAY THIRTY-FIVE*****  I have crafted another eagle with my magics and sent it to the Wizard's Enclave. Upon reaching it the eagle is my conduit to the wizards so that I may see what they have to offer. The secrets of Gold Rush are what they offer to me, a very useful spell that makes the very earth itself that any town is built upon to be more generous in its yields. I do not currently have the resources to acquire it from the guild, but I will soon. Me posted:Gold Rush is pretty much the closest this game has to a mana-to-gold spell. The cost and upkeep of it is unaffected by the size of the city you cast it upon, so drop it on all of the cities you can, largest ones first. It becomes even more useful once I've finished my research because then I'll be raking in the mana. It's got a pricey upkeep at 10 mana per turn, but on a size 4 city it's worth an extra 20 or so gold per turn.  There are many lairs still remaining in these tunnels where unlucky fools have found their end. Gorthak and I are doing what we can to explore them, but it will be a slow process with how spread out these tunnels are.  Behind us march more of my troops, all of them on their way up to the Undead Hive to form the main defensive line against any further Elf incursions from the surface.  More Orcs have been found in the southern tunnels, across the waters from the mage tower. Soon they will be added to my empire here. The strange Undead Champion is present there as well, though I have yet to determine what to do with it.  At the Hive itself I have doubled the number of troops present and have even more on their way to it. They should be able to stall any further Elven attacks with their greater numbers, if nothing else.  Dwarves! There be Dwarves in dem dar hills! ********************************* So, I can't recruit the Undead hero right now, but I might be able to if I raise my undead rep further. I was able to recruit the rest of the troops with him, though. So the question becomes should I try to get him as well? This will require me to upgrade/fortify any Undead towns I have that can still get such, or possibly even migrating other towns to the Undead.
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Jul 9, 2013 15:40
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Upgrade and fortify. If that works, good. If not, call it a bad job. We are NOT replacing living beings with mindless tools.
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Jul 9, 2013 16:52
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Agreed, see if simple improvements to undead infrastructure would do the trick, if not, let the corpses lie.
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Jul 9, 2013 18:22
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Kill him, using the mindless undead as fodder is good enough, no reason to bother with an undead who actually can talk back.
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Jul 9, 2013 20:04
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The next update has been played. It's more than a week (About 2 and a half) simply due to how little has been happening. I think the AI has gone into defensive mode after I crushed their last force. I also think I goofed on my chance to recruit the hero. Oops. But in other news, Gold Rush is even better than I remembered: 
Taerkar fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Jul 15, 2013 |
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Jul 15, 2013 15:12
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Cult of Storms Mission Eight: From the Depths of Earth, The Long Week(s) *****DAY THIRTY-SIX*****  As soon as I can afford it I speak with the Wizards again. The magic that they offer I have no qualms at buying, indeed its cost will be paid off within days of the first casting.  And I know exactly where it will be cast. My troops have been increasing the garrison there, keeping the Elves from trying again at my lands. Eventually I will bring these forces to the surface and deal with the elven threat, but for the time being they must remain where they are. *****DAY THIRTY-SEVEN*****  Gorthak and I venture into another one of the lairs and find something rather familiar. Apparently the shield is not quite as unique as we had first thought.   We also find an enchanted set of Elven mail in that lair, no doubt once worn by one of my 'cousins' from the surface who, like so many of his kin, found his doom inside of these tunnels. As I already have some enchanted Dwarven platemail, Gorthak has the honor of wearing this fine armor. *****DAY THIRTY-EIGHT*****  An attempt starts to parlay with the Undead Champion in the tunnels, but the talks do not go well. Me posted:I think I goofed up here. Apparently chatting with him and refusing puts him into a combat state again. Oops. *****DAY FORTY*****   Another day, another lair, though this one ends with me preparing the new ritual as we near the intended target of it. *****DAY FORTY-ONE*****  Arbuloc, the undead hive, will be the recipient of my new magic. The spell's magical energies will cause the very land around and under the town to become more productive. The fields will yield more and gems will emerge from the dirt itself, ready for use. My financial concerns have been taken care of now, and perhaps forever more. Me posted:Okay, I thought it only affected the base income, but no, it doubles EVERYTHING. 10 mana a turn for 50 gold? Why yes thank you! *****DAY FORTY-TWO*****  Attempts continue to speak with the Undead Champion, but it is becoming more and more apparent that this is a lost cause. It is not being aggressive, but rather is silent against all attempts to parlay and communicate. Perhaps the energies that give it unlife are weakening? *****DAY FORTY-SEVEN*****    Gorthak and I move out onto the surface, our first destination being an abandoned castle near the cave. Inside we find some decent items, but nothing too phenomenal anymore. *****DAY FIFTY-ONE*****  And then a few days later we find some Halflings. The conquest of the surface begins now. *****DAY FIFTY-TWO*****  Already three settlements have fallen to us and from what we can see right now, the defenses of the others are very weak. Where are the elves? Did they lose all of their forces with the last attempt to assault the underground?  While they cower and hide their worst nightmares are becoming real. Death itself will soon walk the land.  The Undead Champion has also been pinned into place underground. Caught between two of my men, it does nothing but just stand there. Eventually something will be done about it. ****************************************** So yeah, I think the AI has gone into 'the eventual end' mode, where it clusters all of its big troops in its base and awaits the inevitable. Bleah.
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Jul 16, 2013 15:00
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Well, I appreciate the AI wanting to give you a big ol' boss fight to win the map.
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Jul 16, 2013 18:00
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Unfortunately it doesn't always work out that way. The AI is just horrible at taking advantage of how the battle will be fought and on what terrain. I've both intentionally attacked them to get battles outside of walls (When "they're trying to escape" or I "lure them out") and attacked them in a way to get a fight inside of the walls, but even still a good number of their troops will be outside. This is actually addressed in the later games: In AoW 2: All defending units if the battle will involve a town get pulled inside the walls and further enhanced in Shadow Magic: Defending units get free movement inside the town the first turn, allowing for them to relocate to face their attackers
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Jul 16, 2013 18:26
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There's also the massive change that in AoW 1 the attackers act first, while in AoW 2 and Shadow Magic defenders act first, whether it's a city siege or not.
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Jul 16, 2013 20:01
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Yeah, but to be fair the changes to how movement, abilities, and spells work kinda makes that a wash. Very rarely will you be able to attack on the first turn anyways as the attacker. Outside of the 'Whole Map' spells, of course. Edit: Another thing is that I could easily win most of these scenarios rather quickly with how powerful Gorthak is. Literally just ride him out, find each leader and kill them. The faction is dead at that point. That's another thing they change in the later games. Taerkar fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Jul 16, 2013 |
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Jul 16, 2013 20:45
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Wow, I never knew how powerful that spell is. Although with the very limited amount of mana you can get in AoW1 it is not that easy to take advantage of it. I hope you don't burn out by playing AoW1, there are many neat features/improvements in AoW2 and Shadow Magic and it would be a shame to not show them off. Also I am reluctant to discuss these games in depth before you show them off. You could play the sequel after winning this campaign and maybe return to AoW1 if you fell like it.
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Jul 17, 2013 14:29
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Maybe start playing AoW2 when you finish this campaign and only occasionally have an AoW1 update when you feel like it, presented as the recovered pages of a lost diary or something?
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Jul 17, 2013 15:32
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Taerkar posted:Another thing is that I could easily win most of these scenarios rather quickly with how powerful Gorthak is. Literally just ride him out, find each leader and kill them. The faction is dead at that point. That's another thing they change in the later games. Thats what you think.  But seriously, not nearly enough of the AoW2 maps had redundancy on mage towers for the enemy AI. It was frequently pretty easy to rush their home and kill them if you knew the map layout. Counterpoint though is how they dealt with heroes in general in AoW2 with how the campaign was set up.
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Jul 17, 2013 20:07
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Not exactly because while there are not always extra wizard towers for them to retreat to, there is one other key difference in that You have to kill the wizard AND capture the town, unlike in AoW 1. In 1, killing the leader ends that side and battle immediately, but if the defenders hold the town in 2 then the wizard will respawn next turn. Gorthak has a pretty good chance of killing any hero/leader in one round of combat.
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Jul 17, 2013 20:52
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Cult of Storms Mission Eight: From the Depths of Earth, Finale Oh god how long has it been? *****DAY FIFTY-THREE*****  A large host of Elven troops is spotted to the north, perhaps in response to the advances that I have made, or perhaps this is just coincidence. Whatever the reason they are a threat to my plans and must be dealt with. *****DAY FIFTY-SIX*****   The warhost seems to be unable to decide what it is doing and has relocated to a powerful air node in the nearby mountains. They only watch from their camps as we conquer the large Halfling city in the valley below them. *****DAY FIFTY-SEVEN*****  Death comes with the next morning as we ride down upon their numbers. Once I would very hesitant to deal with a force in such large numbers, but now? I barely even call upon my magic, trusting instead in the martial skills that I have learned over the long campaign. In the end the others and I are quite bloodied, but we are triumphant. *****DAY FIFTY-NINE*****  Only a few of the most powerful fire spells are beyond my understanding, for now. I have just mastered the Art of War through Fire, a powerful ritual that runs through the blood of all that take up my cause, bringing to them the knowledge of warfare and past victories, resulting in superior troops. Me posted:Pricey to research, Pricey to cast and upkeep, but EVERYONE starts at silver. Best again on lvl 4 cities, but good anywhere you build a lot of units.  As I returned the book back to its protective case I am contacted by one of the whisper-spirits. It brings me word that my forces below have finally met the full strength that I have called for and are advancing forward. An attempt is being made to circumvent the barrier before the entrance, but they will push through regardless. *****DAY SIXTY*****  Gorthak found some stragglers today. The Goblin tore through them without hesitation, barely slowed by any attempt that they made to stop him.  Another whisper-spirit brings me word that the attempt to corrupt the trees has failed, so it is very likely that not all of my troops will make it to the surface. A setback, but only a minor one. Me posted:I believe this is because the underground tile cannot be corrupted. *****DAY SIXTY-ONE*****  Dawn brings with it the first sight of my forces emerging from underground, heralded by the beating of demonic wings. Not all of my forces did survive the holy barrier, but more than enough did. I have those that are still recuperating reinforce the nearby settlement while the rest move forward to assist us. Me posted:It was all T1 units that died *****DAY SIXTY-TWO*****  More good news arrives the next day. The efforts to speak to the Undead Champion have finally paid off. Dactor has regained full control of himself, or at least what remains of himself, and has joined my cause.  He was human once, but I won't hold that against him. An adept mage as well, likely being trained to be one of their Battlemages, no doubt. *****DAY SIXTY-THREE*****  To my south Tirlas roams with his Orcish companions. They have been investigating reports of a small band of Dwarves in the region, reports that they have been following up without any great success until today. A whisper-spirit finds my ear, sent to inform me that the deed is done without any casualties, though they will have to recover for a few days. I send the spirit back, acknowledging their report and affirming that they can rest and recover. *****DAY SIXTY-SIX*****  A pair of Orc riders have joined us, as well as the Storm Priest that we rescued so many weeks ago. We are riding north now, seeking out the last stronghold of the Surface Elves in this region. Along the way we find a gold-filtering operation along the banks of the river, great cloth nets cast out into the water, collecting the small bits of gold that wash down into the river from the mountains around us.  Dactor has reached the surface as well, accompanied by a great number of Executioners and Demons. That host preys upon another group of Elven and Dwarven forces, losing only a less experienced rider from their numbers. me posted:Good riddance to bad cavalry. *****DAY SIXTY-EIGHT*****  After crossing a bridge past that gold-filtration operation I catch sight of what can only be the outer defenses of the Elven stronghold. Another crop of those holy woods lie before us, a second large troop of Elven forces arrayed before and among them.    Tirlas' host has been moving back north to join up with my own group, but along the way they spotted a forgotten ruins in the mountains. A quick expedition to it has paid off handsomely with great rewards. Soon they will be joined by Dactor, who has been preparing the ritual to bring them up to my location. *****DAY SIXTY-NINE*****  Another morning brings more bloodshed as we clash with the Elven host before us. This group puts up a better fight than the previous one, one of the two Orcs with me falling to their weapons, but the final outcome was never in question. *****DAY SEVENTY***** One of my eagles has finally made its way up here after helping track down the stragglers to the south. Through its eyes I can see our final objective, the last stronghold of the Elves in this land. And it is a rather daunting challenge with four Gold Dragons flying over its great walls. Me posted:Even with the AI mana income boost that's a LOT of dragons.  Great barriers of anti-magic have been set up around the stronghold, perhaps the first steps in a plan to erect a grand anti-magic shield around the entire valley. Whatever the purpose they haven't been completed yet, so they are a non-factor. *****DAY SEVENTY-ONE*****  Either the source of those dragons or in response to them, the nearby Wizards tower offers to us the knowledge of how to summon them. While it is unlikely that I will ever call upon such creatures, the knowledge is useful in either case. Me posted:And if I pick up Bard Skills, I think I can! *****DAY SEVENTY-THREE*****  Preparations for the final assault start with a chipping away at the supports to their stronghold. A nearby settlement is captured by one of my eagles, allowing for both Dactor and myself to gate behind their outlying defenses. Past that settlement we also find a powerful node of life, no doubt used by the Elves to sustain those Gold Dragons. Though I have no use for its energies, I decide to leave it standing for now.  Great News Everybody! We've created horrible abominations that will possess everyone! Me posted:Amusingly it doesn't spawn with the extra HP from the silver promotion, hence it being 10/11. *****DAY SEVENTY-FIVE*****  The final siege of the Elven stronghold has begun, preparations are being made for the final battle to rid this land of their undeserving presence. But as we wait for the final forces to reach us my eagles continue to chip away at their supports. Gold mines to the north are claimed and another wizard enclave is found, providing somewhat more useful magic than the other one. Me posted:Yeah, not really. Lightning bolt is just *THAT* good *****DAY SEVENTY-SEVEN*****  A small group of the Elven defenders foolishly leave the relative protection of their walls and are attacked by my besieging forces. During the battle one of the Incarnates manages to overwhelm the nature spirit of one of the elementals and corrupts it to my cause. me posted:Try not to think about it *****DAY EIGHTY-ONE*****  The siege is over, the last of the Elves in this last are now fleeing back to the Keeper lands. The Queen of these lands lies dead, her head claimed by one of my Executioners. Today was a good day. Me posted:I really don't know how I keep on forgetting to take screenshots of the last battle. The Gold Dragons murdered the Demons, then spent the rest of the battle trying to breath-weapon down Gorthak. It didn't work.  A glorious victory in some ways, but a hollow victory in others. The more I learn about these Keepers, the more I wonder why the other Stormlords have cowered from them for so long. Is a spine really that rare among my kind?   I may get my answer to that question even sooner than I had thought. Perhaps we will find if one of these three have a spine at all. The inquisitors have been instructed to prepare their blades. ************************************************** So we are now done with this scenario and experiment. What do you guys think about the method? I think it works early on myself, but as the scenario moves from that early dangerous stage into the later stages there just isn't as much going on per day for it to work anymore. But anyways, Mission Eight is now done and we're on to mission nine. So once again it's time to choose what we're taking:  800 points to spend, enough for some definite goodies. (All pictures are with their equipment removed, though most are getting +1 Attack due to leadership)  Gorthak remains his impressive self. He's a proper murder machine and at 487 points is priced as such. But really, are you guys not going to take him?  Our first new hero is Tirlas. He's set up for pure combat like Gorthak and already has some pretty nice stats. Extra Strike was picked up at creation for him, apparently, and while that's a bit unnecessary as it can be picked up later, having that on a lvl 1 hero is a pretty nasty surprise. He's priced at 187 points.  Our second new hero is Dactor. I've put a second rank of Spellcasting on him as he apparently didn't take anything last level. Another spellcaster in the ranks certainly doesn't hurt, but he's also a bit squishy in combat right now. He is undead, so he gets all of their bonuses (resistances/immunities/regeneration) and weaknesses (turning vulnerability). Like Tirlas he's priced at 187 points.  Oh, and here's Vhendor for those interested. Note that I think everyone has Enchanted Weapon on them, so their Attack and Damage are +1 compared to normal, but since that's only 2 mana upkeep per person and the AI doesn't dispell, it can be assumed to always be on them. So here are your choices: 800 points Heroes Gorthak the Black: 487 points Tirlas Nightguard: 187 points Dactor Deathbringer: 187 points Items Shredder Whip, +3 Damage: 188 points Golden Scimitar, +2 Attack, +1 Damage, Magic Strike, Extra Strike: 175 points Enchanted Mace, +1 Attack, Magic Strike: 90 points Flame Tongue Sword, +2 Damage, Fire Strike : 95 points Staff of the Forest, +1 Attack, +1 Damage, Holy Strike, Magic Strike: 55 points Enchanted Plate, +2 Defense, +1 Resistance: 120 points Enchanted Plate, +2 Defense, +1 Resistance: 120 points (Yes, we have two) Elven Mail, +1 Defense, +2 Resistance: 10 points (What?) Enchanted Helm, +1 Defense: 40 points Shield of Death, +1 Defense, Holy Protection: 75 points Shield of the Forest, +1 Defense, +1 Resistance, Poison Protection: 75 points Shield of the Bog, +1 Defense, Poison Protection: 10 points Shield of the Bog, +1 Defense, Poison Protection: 10 points (Two of these as well) Ring of Invisibility, Invisibility: 350 points Lightning Wand, Lightning Bolts: 120 points Black Wand, Black Bolts: 125 points Thunder Rod, Fire Musket: 140 points Units Elite Night Elf Executioner: 105 points Veteran Night Elf Executioner: 105 points Veteran Night Elf Storm Priest: 32 points Regular Night Elf Executioner: 105 points 5x Regular Demon: 105 points each Regular Doom Priest: 42 points
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Jul 29, 2013 15:16
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Gorthak the Black: 487 points Tirlas Nightguard: 187 points Dactor Deathbringer: 187 points Hero rush this poo poo.
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Jul 31, 2013 06:46
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We have 800 points to play with; all 3 heroes adds up to 861 points. Gorthak the Black: 487 points Tirlas Nightguard: 187 points Elite Night Elf Executioner: 105 points And blow the rest on cheap items Elven Mail Bog Shield
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Jul 31, 2013 07:10
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So the Dark Elves think the surface-dwellers are all corrupted and weak?
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Jul 31, 2013 09:47
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Gorthak and Tirlas
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Jul 31, 2013 09:58
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Skanky Burns posted:We have 800 points to play with; all 3 heroes adds up to 861 points. With this man.
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Jul 31, 2013 10:03
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Skanky Burns posted:We have 800 points to play with; all 3 heroes adds up to 861 points. I searched for a good combination of low-point items and my two favorite heroes and somebody already made the right post! Seconding this. And if you think later in a mission that an update should have more/less than 7 days you should do it. Torrannor fucked around with this message at 12:11 on Jul 31, 2013 |
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Jul 31, 2013 12:09
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Glazius posted:So the Dark Elves think the surface-dwellers are all corrupted and weak? They always have. They see the surface elves as being soft.
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Jul 31, 2013 14:53
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Cult of Storms Mission Nine: Wayward Children, Week One I ride forth to deal with these wayward fools, accompanied by Gorthak, Tirlas, and one of the Executioners. Dactor has requested that he be released from his current state and pass on, a request that has been granted. *****DAY ONE*****  Our initial stronghold in this land is a good one, a large city that has remained loyal to the proper future, situated near a tall mountain range. A handful of Orc and Brethren Cavalry have mustered up to join us and will be quite useful.  Closest to us is a town belonging to those annoying Highmen. I do not know if I will ever understand the amount of furor I see in Gorthak when he fights them. As far as I know he never met one before joining me, how they have drawn his wrath in such a manner I can only guess at. *****DAY TWO*****  I begin the second day of this campaign with a spell. My initial base in these lands is a very suitable target for the bountiful earth spell I obtained previously. Before my campaign was slowly losing funds, but now I am already building an economic base to build my armies upon.  An economic base that will benefit further from my newest conquest. The largest elven city in this region has just fallen to me, its satellite settlements will not remain independent for long. *****DAY THREE*****  The new day brings with it one of the first of my foes here, Affer Tharic. He has aligned himself with the Azracs in this land, not that they will give him much support and shelter. I have faced the Azracs in the past and they were no challenge to me.  But before I deal with him I must address these other settlements. The first of the satellites fall to me and my Orc riders, whom I leave behind to oversee the resettlement of the weak elves. *****DAY FOUR*****  Another son reveals himself to me, Hamael Tharic, who has allied with the Lizardman tribes in this land. The Lizardmen are a fallen people, a rather poor choice to associate with as they have had their chance and lost. Me posted:I also captured the other 1-hex settlement this turn but missed taking a picture of it. Also, who can guess my mistake this turn? *****DAY SIX*****  My desire to see the end of these upstarts has resulted in a bit of a miscalculation. The elves of Cais attempted to reclaim their town from its proper rulers and managed to achieve a temporary victory. The executioner is now showing them the folly of their cause. *****DAY SEVEN*****  The traitor Affer is no more. His body lies with those of his ineffectual allies, the Azracs. He, like the rest of the traitors, will see a traitor's death. Their corpse will be left upon the fields for the scavengers to consume until no trace of them remains in this land.  The first week has been a productive one. One traitor has been dealt with and my forces have a good foundation to expand upon. Hopefully this will continue into the future.
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Aug 5, 2013 16:25
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Interesting, so that first traitor kill was just a hero? I dont remember this mission at all. 
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Aug 6, 2013 18:11
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Both of the family units I've seen so far have been flagged as being regular heroes. I've never done this one before myself so I have no idea if they're just the sons of the sons or what.
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Aug 7, 2013 17:06
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My defining memory of this mission is the 3 heroes you are meant to be fighting turning independent and just wandering around the map, hostile to everyone. I don't think it's quite what the developers had in mind.
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Aug 11, 2013 00:45
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Are you burning those cities down or do they just look scorched because you're a dark elf?
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Aug 13, 2013 23:07
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That's the Dark Elf style.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:32
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Cult of Storms Mission Nine: Wayward Children, Week Two *****Day Nine*****  Basic fortifications of my conquests are now complete. Though many of these settlements are without any defenders, it will at least keep them safe against simple raiders. With that step complete I can move on to the next step, which is to increase my ability to raise forces here.  I instruct the riders to take over supervision of the move-in of our recently captured Highmen settlement, allowing for my group to head south. A promising opening in the mountains to the south inspires me to extend my sight with my magics, revealing what is likely the Azrac stronghold in the region.  I also learn of a nearby Altar of Fire, something that I cannot allow to engage against us, so I use my remaining energies of the day to craft an eagle to secure it for my own purposes. As it enters into my awareness I realize how fortunate my timing is as it is almost ready to fire. *****Day Ten*****   The new day begins without anything of note, my securing of the altar keeping its powerful magics from being called down upon us. I take advantage of this opportunity to survey the fortress before us, taking stock of its defenders and the man who calls it home, Barsaio. He is a competent and powerful warrior, but he is also a doomed man.  Fire is not a very effective weapon against the Azracs due to their natural resistance to the magical heat, but it can still harm and weaken. The numerous elephants among their number are less protected.  Mere moments after the firestorm ends we ride in on the city, though Tirlas holds back as he is still wounded from earlier fights. Bloodlust takes over the Azrac defenders, causing most of them to charge out beyond the walls of the city to attack us. Gorthak is quick to show them the folly of such an act, however.  A handful of Elephants charge out after Tirlas, but are intercepted by Gorthak before they can finish off my wounded companion. After this close call I have Tirlas retreat while Gorthak squares off against Barsaio.  In the end the fight was a brutal one, but only Gorthak remained standing at the end, barely.  One usurper has fallen and his puppet-master lies dead as well.  The Azracs are a thorn in my side once more, and thus deserve to be treated as a thorn and be plucked and disposed of. *****Day Eleven*****  Relocation of the Azracs has been postponed due to a new problem. The Lizardmen have shown up with a large force to the east and my forces are well out of position right now. Due to my efforts to raise wealth I am unable to gate my troop back and deal with them, so instead I must leave the Azracs there for now. They are blissfully unaware of their eventual fate, so they do not give me any trouble. Me posted:The Reputation hit doesn't occur until AFTER the migration is complete.  Even my cavalry is out of position to help, having headed to the Northwest to cause trouble among the Frostlings. They easily overrun a border town and slay the meager defenders of it.  They bring word to me that the third and final traitor has been spotted, Loran the Battlemage, among the Frostling forces. He is a competent fighter and a competent mage, but like his fellow traitors he will be nothing more than fodder for the carrion eaters soon enough. *****Day Twelve*****   The day begins with a setback as my riders to the northwest are slain, defeated in battle by the Frostling leader. I was rather disappointed with the failure of my riders to do more damage than they did, but at least now I know the identity of the second puppetmaster. Me posted:This is a good example of just how much better the Orc Heavy Cavalry is compared to the Dark Elf Riders. It took both DE riders to do that much damage to the Frostling Wolfrider, while one Orc Heavy Cavalry murdered the Frostling Swordsman in one hit. Then they all died. *****Day Thirteen*****  I was not able to get back in time, one of the outlying settlements has fallen to the Lizardman host, but I am at least able to protect the larger city from them with my presence.  All of the news is not bad, however, as the defenders of Tamirlyn are able to destroy the Lizards' siege engine before it manages to break through their fortifications. As this is the only one they brought with them it effectively blunts their attack. *****Day Fourteen*****   With the destruction of their siege weapon the Lizardmen try to disperse, but are soon run down by my troop and wiped out. Walnob is liberated as well.  Only a few of the Lizardmen stragglers remain in my territory, though there is activity to the north that I will need to address. I have also instructed the two cities in the region to raise up more defenders to thwart any subsequent attempts.  The south is rather quiet right now, only a few remnants of the Azracs remain in the area, but they show no threat as they lack any sort of direction or guidance without their ruler.
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Aug 19, 2013 16:35
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You know, that defeat against the frostlings is the only real loss of your forces I can remember. Are you just not showing them, or is the AI really so bad at playing this game?
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Aug 20, 2013 08:06
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Nuramor posted:You know, that defeat against the frostlings is the only real loss of your forces I can remember. Are you just not showing them, or is the AI really so bad at playing this game? The 8 units per hex thing really necessitates a concentration of powerful units* that the AI can't quite grasp, and yeah, the tac AI is kinda poo poo. *Note that the 'unit tiers' really gently caress this up. 1 and 2 are cost effective in terms of gold but space wise most T3's can eat 4 or more T1's for lunch.
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Aug 20, 2013 08:20
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 17:18 |
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AI in general doesn't do too well unless it's piling every damned thing into one huge stack and then trundling it anyway.
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Aug 20, 2013 09:19
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