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 UPDATE ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE! Taerkar posted:The Cult of Storms Mission Twelve: The Valley of Wonders, Part Three Which is not a bad thing, since the Highmen Theme is the best soundtrack in all of Age of Wonders 1. And wow, it is nearly over. That Dragon is great, and I never realized how awesome devils are. Astras are still better flying raiders, but for being level 4 they should be. And Meandor killed the Human king himself  (with totally appropriate water magic. Uh...)
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Dec 7, 2013 23:05
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Astras are really nice because they have healing, but their relatively low defense can really drag them down as they don't have an unlimited ranged attack. Def 4 (5 with silver) means that they have a pretty decent chance of getting hurt even by basic archers, let alone ballistas. The Human Air Galley gets 6 defense instead of 4 base AND has a ballista attack of its own (And Mark I, so that's two 6 Attack, 5 damage shots at long range). The Red Dragon has a rather impressive 7 defense base and while flame breath isn't that great (7 attack, 5 damage isn't bad, but it's not awesome), it makes a very good candidate of Enchanted Weapon for that extra +1 Attack/Damage. It actually has 1 higher base attack than the gold dragon, but the Gold Dragon has holy breath and vertigo is really mean.
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Dec 7, 2013 23:35
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The final battle approaches. DEATH TO THE KEEPERS!
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Dec 7, 2013 23:36
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Oh and before anyone asks, I am moving out the humans, I'm just having them build
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Dec 7, 2013 23:45
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Taerkar posted:Astras are really nice because they have healing, but their relatively low defense can really drag them down as they don't have an unlimited ranged attack. Def 4 (5 with silver) means that they have a pretty decent chance of getting hurt even by basic archers, let alone ballistas. Status effects don't clear in tactical battles in AoW1 if I recall correctly. So yeah, once a unit has vertigo the Gold Dragon has it much easier. On the other hand, the Gold Dragon costs a quite hefty amount of mana, both initially and in upkeep, while the Red Dragon only costs gold. Since you don't get mana from cities in AoW1 I think the Red Dragon is the better unit, although it would likely loose in a duel with the Gold Dragon.
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Dec 7, 2013 23:46
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I think Vertigo is a multiple day effect like cursed and poisoned. The various status effects become much more differentiated in the sequels (And makes lightning damage far better).
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Dec 7, 2013 23:47
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Taerkar posted:(And makes lightning damage far better). Lightning damage is pretty good already with the stun effect. Frost is even better, but cold resistance is reasonably common while lightning resistance is very rare. My standard build for the PC in the campaigns is life stealing and lightning strike at character creation.
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Dec 7, 2013 23:51
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In the later games the frozen effect is lost when the unit takes damage, while the shocked effect lasts for an entire round. It gets extra mean when a unit gets shocked when they attack and thus the defender gets free strikes.
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Dec 7, 2013 23:54
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Taerkar posted:In the later games the frozen effect is lost when the unit takes damage, while the shocked effect lasts for an entire round. It gets extra mean when a unit gets shocked when they attack and thus the defender gets free strikes. That would do it. I only played Age of Wonders 2 once and that was several years ago, so I'm not familiar with changes like that.
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Dec 8, 2013 00:02
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Vertigo also only lasts three rounds in tactical combat in AoW2 if I recall correctly, versus lasting the entire combat in AoW1.
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Dec 8, 2013 00:23
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Actually I think it's a day-long effect in AoW 1, I believe it lingers after a holy storm casting.
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Dec 8, 2013 00:26
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Taerkar posted:Actually I think it's a day-long effect in AoW 1, I believe it lingers after a holy storm casting. You're most likely right, but my point is that the effect is much more valuable in AoW1 for lasting the entire combat (and all units having at most 10 hit points), versus lasting only three combat rounds and units having up to 20(?) hit points in AoW2, so it generally takes longer to kill them.
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Dec 8, 2013 09:23
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Cythereal posted:Lightning damage is pretty good already with the stun effect. Frost is even better, but cold resistance is reasonably common while lightning resistance is very rare. My standard build for the PC in the campaigns is life stealing and lightning strike at character creation. I'd have to chime in on this one and say tha Lightning damage is strictly better than Cold in AoW1. While Frost lasts multiple turns, I'm pretty sure thet Lightning has a higher chance to stun than Cold has to freeze, and that's the important thing because what you really want here is to keep dangerous enemy units on lockdown while you kick their teeth in.
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Dec 8, 2013 11:05
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(Vertigo is a 3 day effect like most of the others in AoW 1, apparently) The Cult of Storms Mission Twelve: The Valley of Wonders, Hollow Victory *****DAY FIFTY-SIX*****   When the Valley originally fell to the Humans a great host of treasures and artefacts were lost. Some have been recovered, but I do not know if everything will be found again. *****DAY FIFTY-EIGHT*****  It is fitting that the last of the Human Champions was found underground, hiding in the tunnels like the vermin that he is. And in the end he met the fate of his kind. *****DAY SIXTY*****   Below ground and above ground the Keepers fight on, their bravery not in question now, though their fate is also well known to all. They have lost and they no doubt know it, but all of their failures up to this point keep them from backing down. *****DAY SIXTY-SIX*****  And the Sinners among them have justice brought to them in time as well. The Humans have been punished, so now it is the turn of the Keepers to feel the flames and lashes and judgement. Their sins allowed for this to happen, and their sins have enabled it to continue. No more.   All around us lay little monuments to their failures and their errors. Those that had believed in their ways in the past or relied upon them, only to be brought down by those who know better. *****DAY SIXTY-NINE*****   Can you see it, Lady Julia? Can you not hear the cries of those lost souls, demanding to know why you let this happen? Why you let them down? *****DAY SEVENTY*****   They demand to know why you abandoned them, why you were not around when they needed you the most. And why you do not avenge them. You speak only of talks and diplomacy, but those lost souls demand justice. *****DAY SEVENTY-THREE*****    I can hear them. I can hear those voices from ruined towns, those cries from buried battlefields, and those sobs that come from the shelters that never were. Be they slain by Human blade or monster fang it matters not. The death of this land is due to those like you, Julia. *****DAY EIGHTY*****  I have not come here to pass judgement upon you, Julia. That has long since been done by the tortured souls of this land. And by driving out those that have defiled the Valley I have earned the right to be the executioner of that judgement.  Your brother has come here as well, not to offer you one last bit of mercy, but rather to be a witness to your end. Neither he nor I shall take pleasure in this, Justice is pure without such.   How miserable are the forces that you have against us. Is this all that is left of your childish game and attempts? Did you really think that you could succeed when all you had was this?  Your defenses crumble and the dragons that you sought to hide behind have been thrown down from the sky, unable to match themselves against the great wyrm that has accompanied me here.  And how fitting it is that in the end your death was almost unnoticed, just another fallen Keeper among many, dead as your dreams burn down around you. We are stronger without your influence, and as such you have been purged. Goodbye Julia.   It seems that even now at the end of my triumph those cowardly Storm Lords that still remain seek to undermine my victory. They try to rally forces to dispose of me and my Lord, spreading lies about how I have disposed of him. How successful can they be in such endeavors when they cannot even manage to crush a handful of halflings. Gorthak has requested a private meeting with me, regarding that odd crystal I saw him with all of those months ago. Were it another I might be wary, but Gorthak I can trust. Gorthak I have always trusted.
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Dec 8, 2013 21:37
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And so that's it for the Storm Lords and Age of Wonders 1. Next we'll be starting with Age of Wonders 2, but I am leaving you all with a question: Do you want for me to play the tutorial mission, or shall I jump right into the campaign?
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Dec 8, 2013 21:38
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Taerkar posted:And so that's it for the Storm Lords and Age of Wonders 1. Next we'll be starting with Age of Wonders 2, but I am leaving you all with a question: Jump right in.
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Dec 8, 2013 21:55
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The tutorial mission is boring and can be skipped. Jump right into the campaign! Everything you need to know can be learned in the intro cinematic. Edit: I feel bad for not saying how awesome your LP of AoW 1 is. Your write ups with the backstory (time traveling Gorthak!) were great, and really enhanced the story. The plot is a lot tighter in AoW2, I wonder how that will work out for your writing style. Torrannor fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Dec 9, 2013 |
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Dec 8, 2013 22:23
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Summarize the tutorial mission in a few pics, then go to the main campaign.
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Dec 9, 2013 00:31
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Congratulations on finishing AoW not once but twice! Really enjoyed the saga of Vhendor. (and of course, Gorthak) Jump into the story with AoW II. I don't recall the tutorial mission really being important as far as plot goes.
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Dec 9, 2013 04:47
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Do as you see fit in terms of the narrative. Live by backstabbing treachery, die by it.
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Dec 9, 2013 08:39
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Excellent story, thanks for telling it. I particularly like how in the last few updates you took special care to tie Vhendors narration with the games epilogue. I admit I had doubts about how you could make Vhendors prior pragmatic relation to the humans fit in with the obvious hatred in the in-game narration, but you really pulled it off. Well done. Goodbye, Vhendor. Live by hatred and ambition, die by hatred and ambition. As for AoW2, Jump into the story. The tutorial is pretty forgettable, except that the narrator of the intro video does a good job. Which is all the more notable because much of the rest of his narration is almost completely monotonous, IIRC.
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Dec 9, 2013 08:57
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Age of Wonders 2: Introduction I decided to do a bit of playing around with the tutorial just to go over some of the new things and changes since AoW 1. This will not have any of the story attached to it (I pretty much pruned out any of the story/tutorial bits)  First we have the Campaign screen. This is supposed to be the circle of elements in the big ol' Wizard Tower that Gabriel is in. Yes, that drat Archon is still around. It starts with Cosmos at the bottom, which is Gabriel's Sphere, and goes clockwise through Fire, Water, Life, Air, Earth, and then Death and is the path that the campaign will take. Each element has two main missions, called Initiation and Mastery, and an optional level called Domination. Heroes and items will carry through each mission to the end, but only in each of the mini-campaigns. I will be starting with the cosmos mission to get introduction information.  Once you have selected the mission that you will play you will get this screen. It shows what race your wizard is part of for the mission, which will usually be Human for Merlin (Yes, you are Merlin), and below the race portrait will be any Heroes that are with you. The initial mission for each sphere will have no hero shown. On the right side of the screen there will be a list of traits, these are things that you can choose to start with, some positive and some negative, and can come with rather significant bonuses. For the tutorial mission you're locked into Channeler (20% reduction in spell costs and research costs) but in the future we'll have a choice. Finally you can chose for simultaneous turns or sequential turns. I always play in Simultaneous.  And here's our start. We have our lone, plucky wizard Merlin on the coastline of a bit of land. And right from the start you can see two things: 1) The map style is much different in this game from the first one, and 2) That me playing in 1920 x 1080 isn't the best choice for a SSLP.  At the end of turn 1 I decide to let you guys take a look at Merlin. At first glance you might think he's a powerhouse with 8 ATK/DMG and 10 DEF/RES, but that is not so. The scores now range from 0 to 20 instead of 0 to 10, and each point of difference is a 5% chance adjustment. Merlin also possess four traits, of which only one is new: Willpower. This means that the unit is immune to effects like Charm, Seduce, Dominate, and even possession.  The next turn brings us into contact with a hero, Elme the Elven Priestess. AoW 2 introduces the concept of classes to Heroes, which affects what options they have for leveling up, which we will eventually see. As with Merlin, most of her traits are things we've seen before, but of interest is 'Bless' in blue. That means that Bless is a spell that the hero knows, even if you do not have it researched. This can allow for your heroes to have a signature spell that you do not. Elme also comes with a grab-bag of Elementals so let's take a look at them:  The Air Elemental is a powerful unit, due in no small part to the combination of Lightning Strike and Physical Protection. They're fast, have decent defensive stats and a rather high attack score, allowing for them to land many hits with those lightning fists. You may also notice that 0/30 XP looks like a lot to advance, but no fear as now units get 5xp per level of the unit that is killed, not 1 as before.  The Earth Elemental is a solid fighter that is geared towards defense rather than offense. Overall it's pretty solid with its only relative weakness being its speed of 24.  With the Fire Elemental we are introduced into another new trait type in AoW 2, that of <element> weakness. Just as Protection reduces the damage from certain sources, Weaknesses increase the damage. The Fire Elemental is a heavy offense elemental, trading some defense for attack power.  The final elemental we have is the Water Elemental, which hilariously has fire weakness but no corresponding Cold attack to make up for that. Water Elementals tend to lose to Fire Elementals. Otherwise they're defensive elementals just like the Earth Elemental, but is a lot faster.  AoW 2 introduces a wide range of new site locations, the first that we have encountered is the Magic Vault, which will contain a spell that you gain after defeating the inhabitants. If I'm remembering right, if you already have the spell you'll get some mana crystals instead. For the tutorial there were no defenders, but otherwise there would be a fight.  We also have our first city of the game. Unlike AoW 1, 2 does not have cities of varying map size, they're all the same seven-hex circle, but instead they have populations that can affect their production, wealth, and in one case what they can build. Testar here is a Highman city, or rather a town in this case. It will take 24 turns for the city to grow to the next stage, so it's pretty irrelevant for this scenario. Right now it can produce three types of units, the Militia, which is the lvl 0-1 unit of Highmen, then their Legionary and their Archer, basic lvl 1 melee and ranged fighters respectively. Down at the bottom you can see the city's production screen. The population is currently Cheerful and can build 30 points per turn. Their income right now is 65 gold and they generate 0 mana and 15 points of research per turn. The bottom bit is their population growth, which is 30 people per turn.  In AoW 2 and beyond, cities have various buildings available that can allow for additional units to be build, increase production, wealth, mana income, or research income, or provide other benefits. Right now you're looking at the War Hall, which allows for the production of the tier 2 units for the Highmen, the Avenger and Paladin (Yep, the Avenger got downgraded to a T2). Completing it will allow for the production of the Champion's Guild, which allows for tier 3 units. Other options available right now are: Temple complex: 80 gold/production and provides for some mana income and town happiness as well as allowing for specialized altars and other buildings Builder's Hall: 80 gold/production that increases town production (10 per turn I think) as well as allowing for the production of Ballistas and Pioneers, which are a new unit. Hall of Enhancement: 220 gold/production that requires a lvl 1 Wizard's Tower. This provides all of the garrisoned units in the city the basic buff of the caster's sphere. Library: 200 gold/production that requires a lvl 1 Wizard's Tower. Generates additional Research income. Tower Guard: 100 gold/production that requires a lvl 1 Wizard's Tower. Will fire a single magical bolt at attackers each turn. Might be limited to the first few turns of battle? Farcaster: 150 gold/production that requires a lvl 2 Wizard's Tower. Increases the Domain Radius around the city by 5 hexes (More on this later) Casting Chamber: 200 gold/production that requires a lvl 2 Wizard's Tower and provides +10 casting points to the Wizard if he is present. Enchanted Walls: 200 gold/production that requires a lvl 2 Wizard's Tower. Provides a sphere-dependent boost to the walls. Teleportation Gate: 500 gold/production that requires a lvl 3 Wizard's Tower. Allows for instantaneous movement between the tower with the gate and another tower. The receiving tower does not have to have a gate. Forcefield: 200 gold/production that requires a lvl 3 Wizard's Tower. Functions as Anti-Magic Shell from the first game. Wooden Wall: 60 gold/production. First level of town defenses  As our hero/elemental party moves to the east we encounter a white dotted area. This represents the domain of another side, Gabriel in this case. Inside of this domain their Wizard can cast spells both outside of and into battles even though they are not present. Our own domain is the hard-to-see blue dotted region in the unexplored area. This area is increased by Wizard Towers and their upgrades (Each tier gives +5 range over the base). Heroes also generate their own domain field, but it only extends one hex around them under most circumstances. The Wizard generates his own, but if the Wizard is not in a mage tower it is both very small and he doesn't get the benefit of projection from other heroes/towers.  The final shot of the tutorial shows two things. First is that we're getting a message from Gabriel and the second is that we have all seven of the various mana node types in the game. Most of them look familiar, but the Life Node has been changed to a big blossoming tree from the little stone altar it was in the first game. As you go to each one and claim it, Gabriel tells you what it is and what two Wizards are associated with it. But we'll be meeting them all in the future, won't we?
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Dec 11, 2013 17:29
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The new town mechanic is really great. Of course it was a different kind of strategic evaluation when the small towns were much less in worth than the 3 or 4 tile cities, but having to actually manage the cities is quite nice. And you finally have the ability to get a big stream of mana income, so that you can cast all these awesome global spells or summons (and afford the upkeep). Wizard traits are also a good thing, but because of research they are not as unique as they could be. My favorite change is town defense. With the new special buildings (magic walls mostly), the new battlefield spells, the battlefield altering special buildings in AoW2:Shadow Magic and the general changes to town combat I just love big battles in cities. We will have a chance to talk more about it once we actually get into combat. Also, Gabriel is cool 
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Dec 11, 2013 22:06
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Age of Wonders 2 - Fire, Initiation Phase - Introduction This will be the last update done out of character for AoW 2. Everything else will be as Merlin. Here's the intro to Age of Wonders 2. Be in awe of those graphics!  Merlin posted:The desire for vengeance burns within me. Did I choose this place or did Gabriel? I had family in this desert. I was born here. And here, I am reborn. Every map begins with a short little bit like this. Merlin narrates as the same quick little video plays over and over again. It's really not all that impressive but whatever.  And as before you get this screen before every map that you play. For the campaign you can only make any changes to it on the first level, the other two are fixed. I'll go over each one of the abilities and, as appropriate, their opposite. You can only spend one skill point before starting, though the negative skills are worth a point back. Peace Keeper/Anarchist: Improve/worsten race/unit relations by 20 points (This can overcome one step of racial difference or worsen it) Explorer: +20% to all movement points (Capped at 50) Expander: +20% to city population growth I believe this is also benefits the 'Build Housing' option Merchant/Bureaucrat: 5 more/less income per tier of settlement (5/10/15) Constructor/Technophobe: 5 more/less production per tier of settlement (5/10/15) Conqueror/Pacifist: 50% more/less XP on kills Survivalist/Decadence: Reduce/Increase upkeep cost by 1 point per unit level (6/9/12/15 becomes 5/7/9/11 or 7/11/15/19) Scholar: 20% reduction in cost of spell research (Applies to skills as well, I believe) Channeler: 10% reduction in casting cost of all spells (Both for casting points and mana) Summoner: Summoning spells cost 20% less to cast and research Casting Specialist: 10 additional casting points to your wizard (This can be researched multiple times in game for an ever-increasing cost. I already played a little bit of the first mission, but I decided that since the options for voting are more limited now then I'll let you guys choose what to take.
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Dec 13, 2013 22:08
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Anarchist Decadent Pacifist Bureaucrat Technophobe Explorer Expander Scholar Channeller Summoner Casting Specialist. Biggest vote, best vote.
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Dec 13, 2013 22:46
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Play the first mission with the default Merlin. edit: AJ_Impy posted:Anarchist Decadent Pacifist Bureaucrat Technophobe Explorer Expander Scholar Channeller Summoner Casting Specialist. You can only take 1 flaw.
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Dec 13, 2013 22:46
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I like Merlin's voice. The story does feel a lot more personal with him narrating. My default tactic is taking researcher, but I second playing the first mission with the default Merlin. Am I really wrong in thinking that there are 4 development tiers to cities? 
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Dec 13, 2013 22:53
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There is, but the first tier is really a T0 since it can do practically nothing. That's where the lvl .5 units are.
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Dec 13, 2013 23:09
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my dad posted:Play the first mission with the default Merlin. Eh, been too long since I played this. Fair enough, default.
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Dec 13, 2013 23:55
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edit: Wrong thread
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Dec 15, 2013 15:57
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Default seems a good way to start this. Been so long since I played 2, since SM does everything so much better. Should be good seeing this game again.
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Dec 15, 2013 16:11
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Default's good. No need to complicate things. quote:Gorthak has requested a private meeting with me, regarding that odd crystal I saw him with all of those months ago. Were it another I might be wary, but Gorthak I can trust. Ominous! 
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Dec 15, 2013 16:30
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KnoxZone posted:Default seems a good way to start this. Been so long since I played 2, since SM does everything except magic and the story so much better. Should be good seeing this game again. Fixed that for you. Shadow Magic improves on the base game in several ways, but the changes to magic are overall negative (even though I like some of the new spells and nerfs to old overpowered spells). As an aside, the developers released info about the second of the 6 new classes for Age of Wonders 3 just a few day ago, check it out: https://ageofwonders.com/introducing-the-sorcerer-class/
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Dec 15, 2013 16:44
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Let's see. IIRC the economy was the bigger bottleneck in the fire missions, so let's say a merchant anarchist scholar. That sounds like a fun one.
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Dec 15, 2013 18:52
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After tomorrow I will be able to start on AoW 2 for this. My final presentation for the semester is before noon.
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Dec 19, 2013 05:32
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Taerkar posted:After tomorrow I will be able to start on AoW 2 for this. My final presentation for the semester is before noon. I hope everything went all right for you. There won't be much to vote for in this LP, right? The story is pretty linear and I don't think you can choose who/what to carry over from previous missions any more.
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Dec 20, 2013 22:40
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Unfortunately probably not. At the very least there is the option to pick starting traits, but depending on how things go I may open up possible challenges to be suggested and voted on for these scenarios. And yeah things went pretty good. Edit: Fire 1 is done. 156 pictures! I think I will have to break it up when I post it. Mein Gott. Edit #2: BTW, Enchanted Weapon is even more awesome in AoW 2: It applies to ranged attacks as well! Taerkar fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Dec 21, 2013 |
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Dec 20, 2013 22:52
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Age of Wonders 2 - Fire, Initiation Phase: Opening PlayMe posted:I have a bit over 120 screenshots for this mission and many of them are over 1MB each. Advice for how to get those sizes down would help, but until then I'm going to make a handful of smaller updates.  A great task lies before me, my first challenge as I seek to not only build my own power but also announce to all others that I, Merlin, have returned and that my people will not be defeated. Gabriel told me that every time I start to master one of the spheres of magic that I must be reborn. Everything I have learned and mastered before this point must be put away so that it does not interfere.   Like a newborn child I ask myself "Who am I", the next question becomes "Who do I face?" In a way it is fitting that Yaka is the first of the great wizards that I face, for he is one of the most notorious of them. More than any other he has presented himself as a God to his lessers. His previous worshipers the Azracs are gone, disappeared into the desert wastes when they lost his favor. How long will it be until his newest 'creations', the Tigrans, share that same fate?  And what of these Tigrans? Although I am from these lands, I must admit that I did not know all that much about them. Thankfully Gabriel has provided me with some additional information regarding them and their ways, but in the end I know that this is a learning experience in more ways than one.  Humans posted:Their unpredictable natures have brought them to the brink of extinction. During times of peace, the Humans grew too great among themselves, and they drove from the world many races and creatures. All of their expansion did not pass the notice of the destructive forces from Evermore, and soon they were scourged nigh unto oblivion. Still, Humans are resourceful, and when organized they manage to be more efficient in their production of goods than most races.  Elves posted:Elves employ stealth, speed, and cunning to strike their foes. They are masters of faerie magic, and readily gather the powers of magic instilling it in all that they touch. For some reason he provided me with information on both my own people and the Elves as well. I do not know why he provided such information as there shouldn't be any Elves in this region. The Savannah and Desert is not their home.  I arrive in the ruins of the land. Destruction surrounds me and aimless groups of survivors wander about the land, possessing neither guidance nor goals.  As soon as I arrive the image of Yaka forms before me. He taunts me for my presence here, but his words are bluff, the words of a man who is terrified that I will be the one that exposes him as the fraud that he is.  I make my way out of the ruins of the city, towards one of the more organized group of survivors, Gabriel's words in my mind as I advance. Has my personal thoughts taken on his persona?  A former noble of the land and one of his scouts greet me, by far the most capable of this rabble. They are most pleased to see me and are quick to swear themselves to follow me. The rabble follows as well, but they are unfortunately nothing more than refugees right now.  I dispatch both of them to rally more of the survivors. We will need all of the fighting arms that we can gather before we move on. To the refugees I promise that I will work to rebuild their homes as quickly as possible. A promise that I hope I will be able to keep.   Me posted:Let's have a look at our first two units. The Knight is the Chevalier from the first game. A rather impressive monster of a unit to begin with, his only weakness is his low resistance. But the presence of Willpower does help to cover some of that weakness.   Me posted:The Halberdier is the Human Tier .5 unit. This guy can be produced without any special buildings and is very simple. Only special bit about them is First Strike.  As I move to the south I recall the words that Gabriel said before I left, telling me of where I should head first. Hopefully I will be able to find more survivors along the way.  And as I travel along the road I spot a campfire off in the woods. With the Knight behind me we move to investigate, cautious of it being hostile instead of friendly. Me posted:Campsites are an interesting site. They can be friendly or hostile, allowing for forces that may join you or foes that you can fight to gain a reward.  The campsite is full of my fellow humans, but they refuse to join me unless I provide some resources to them to take care of their followers. This I accept, as their presence will further bolster my strength and make success far more likely.  As I parley with those survivors I feel a rush of magical power into me. One of my scouts that wandered north in search of more survivors found a ransacked caravan. Incredibly a supply of mana crystals was left untouched and was thus claimed by my scout.  The road curls up towards the mountains, mountains that I can see the towering spire of a Wizard's Tower peeking over. But the allure of a fire node in the valley draws my attention first. A pair of fire-wrought Tigrans lurk around it, no doubt in service to their master, Yaka. Me posted:Fire Cats are the Tigran archer-equivalent. Of interesting note is that they have such a high attack for a unit with no physical strike.  We assault the node in the morning, the two Tigrans that defend it move to block us, though they clearly have no chance. Their position is an advantageous one, requiring the crossbowman to move up to engage them. Me posted:In this shot you can see a few interesting things. The first is that the Crossbowman moved and is still able to fire. I'll be touching more upon this with the next bit. In addition on the left side you can see the breakdown of his attack. The Crossbow is an Attack 15, Damage 7 weapon with pretty good range. The To-Hit is based upon the distance of the shot, the difference in height between the attacker and target, and the comparative attack/defense of target and attacker.  Crossbow quarrels fly up towards those Fire Cats, pinning them down so that the Knight may begin his charge. He strikes at the cat wounded by the crossbow and dispatches it. The second one falls shortly afterwards. Me posted:Notice the three colors of the movement marker, Green, Yellow, and Red. These correspond with how many attacks the unit gets as it advances. Each change in color reduces the number by 1, so ranged units that only get one strike (Crossbowmen, catapults, etc) can move to the green distance and still shoot. All other ranged units just get less attacks as they move. Some abilities are unaffected by movement, such as healing and spellcasting.  With that first victory fresh in our minds we advance quickly over the mountain and attack the town beyond. Both Yaka and I call down upon the battlefield great comets of fire and in the end the town, and its all-important wizard's tower, are mine. Me posted:Blazing Comet is the basic fire attack spell. It's of interesting note in that it has three types of damage: Physical, Fire, and Wall. Yaka was able to cast the spell despite him not being present in the battle since it occurred within his domain. As long as a player has one unit alive in a battle, they can call spells into it.  I don't think Yaka was too happy about losing his holding. His words are clearly a cloak over fear.  Now that I have taken my first objective, I decide that I need to start adjusting how I allocate my resources. My resources are split between the casting of current spells and the mastery of new ones. Me posted:Unlike in AoW 1, this gains an interesting wrinkle in that you can gain dedicated resources of one type or another. Straight crystals or research, not just generic mana.  News of my victory spreads quickly, drawing to my banner one of the greatest warriors of this region. Belendor was severely wounded when he tried to stop the Tigran expansion before, but he has recovered now and seeks to correct that failing. Me posted:Two things of note here, one is that his class is Warrior, which decides what level ups he is likely to get, and the second is that he starts out with the skill Leadership I. Like many other skills Leadership has ranks now. for I and III it provides +1 Attack, for II and IV it provides +1 Defense. Very useful! With Belendor rallied to by banner, I can set into motion the second phase of my plans. Taerkar fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Dec 22, 2013 |
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Dec 22, 2013 17:47
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The images are huuuge. I'm pretty sure you could convert them to .JPG and shrink them a bit without any noticeable loss of quality.
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Dec 22, 2013 18:20
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What a plesant surprise to see this thread back so early. Id've though you'd want to take a christams break before starting up again. I'll take it.  One minor thing. Where Yaka's taut after taking the Wizard Tower should be, there's instead a duplicate of the previous image. my dad posted:The images are huuuge. I'm pretty sure you could convert them to .JPG and shrink them a bit without any noticeable loss of quality. Seconded, they stretch my screen by at least a sixth of it's usual width.
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Dec 22, 2013 18:52
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