Dominion 3 Strategy & Questions

Gnosticism Is A Hoot · Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:31 pm

Zinegata wrote:Air Dome goood.

Yes, yes indeed.

TheNotSoEvilNecromancer · Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:49 pm

Does Twiceborn work if the mage dies of old age disease?

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:00 pm

I'd assume so, yes.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:15 pm

Gnosticism Is A Hoot wrote:
Zinegata wrote:Air Dome goood.
Yes, yes indeed.

Actually, since I'm about to go nuclear in a couple of games I'm in, I'd be interested in more details on the merits of the various Dome spells if anyone feels inclined to share them. I mainly have access to Water and Air in the main game I'm involved in right now, but the game's gone on long enough that I have a bit of everything but Blood. I suspect that I'll have to deal with an onslaught of Fires from Afar and Disease Demons from Abysia as soon as Eriu expires, leaving the two of us the only remaining factions.

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:13 pm

Well, water domes have a 30% chance of stopping a spell and do cold damage any time someone casts a spell at them regardless of whether or not it is blocked. Fire dome does fire damage but doesn't stop spells, nature is 30% chance of stopping with 50% chance of burning if it stops a fire spell. Dome of solid air is an 80% of stopping each spell but shatters if one passes by. Arcane warding is a flat 50% chance and doesn't shatter. Blood horror marks dudes in the province but can feeblemind hostile casters. But, um, don't cast it on a mage-rich province. It would end in tears.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:16 am

Having an effective missile defense shield is very important in the later part of Dominions when everyone starts getting nasty ritual attack spells. And unlike Reagan's Star Wars, these actually work. Sort of.

The following Domes have a duration, so they're kinda sucky since you have to keep putting them up once the duration expires, but they often bring pain on the caster that tries to cast through it which is very good:

- Fire - costs 8 gems base, inflict AP fire damage on anyone who casts a spell on the province (but doesn't stop the spell)
- Arcane - costs 10 gems base, 50% chance of stopping spells. Probably the suckiest Dome.
- Frost - costs 15 gems base, inflicts AP cold damage AND a 30% chance of blocking

Air, Nature, and Blood Domes by contrast have no duration. Air is probably the best general-purpose one, blocking 80% of spells. Its only drawback is it goes down after a spell finally gets through, but that's just a 1 in 5 chance. It does cost 20 gems, but it's not that expensive when you consider the previous domes require extra gems to extend duration.

Nature gives you a flat 30% chance of blocking forever. Unless it's a fire spell, in which case there's a 50% chance of burning the dome down. Plus it's cheap at 10 gems and permanent duration.

The Blood Dome (Dome of Corruption) costs 20 slaves, lasts forever, and offers 75% resistance AND forces enemy casters to make a MR-2 check or be feebleminded if their spell bounces off. It would be hands down the best dome if it weren't for the fact that the mages hiding under the dome also run the risk of getting horror marks and and increased chance of getting attacked by horrors when they are horror marked. The Blood Dome may seriously cost you more mages than the enemy if he decides not to use remote attack spells!

Note also that multiple Domes can be cast on the same province. So you can have an Air Dome to block 80% of spells and a Dome of Flaming Death on top of that to deal AP fire damage to all comers.

One last note: Make sure the caster of the Dome doesn't die. Otherwise your missile defense system goes *poof*.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 5:11 am

TheNotSoEvilNecromancer wrote:Does Twiceborn work if the mage dies of old age disease?

Twiceborn works any time you die in your dominion as far as I know. It does not clear any afflictions, though it does make you immune to further damage from Disease. But if you go feeble mind or something before the Twiceborn triggers, you're just as useless as a Wight.

-Username17

Ikeren · Post by **Ikeren** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 6:16 am

So, I can never find myself interested enough to play out the end game against the AI. I usually get to research maxed out, thugging 10-12 Tart's, having all the unique summons, and just like, spending turns mowing through armies and provinces disinterestedly; knowing I'll win.

Is the problem that the AI sucks, or is the problem that the end game is tedious?

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:22 am

Ikeren wrote:So, I can never find myself interested enough to play out the end game against the AI. I usually get to research maxed out, thugging 10-12 Tart's, having all the unique summons, and just like, spending turns mowing through armies and provinces disinterestedly; knowing I'll win.

Is the problem that the AI sucks, or is the problem that the end game is tedious?

More of the former than the latter.

Gnosticism Is A Hoot · Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:08 pm

So what sort of units do people usually use Gift of Reason on? I know Gargoyles are popular candidates, and I can see why, but what else?

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:56 pm

Gnosticism Is A Hoot wrote:So what sort of units do people usually use Gift of Reason on? I know Gargoyles are popular candidates, and I can see why, but what else?

Tartarians. Some of the crazier stuff that pops up out of (improved) Crossbreeding. Some of the better stuff that pops out of the Void Gate. Anything you wish for (usually Seraphs). Anything really cherry that you enslave mind on.

-Username17

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:52 pm

Thanks for the info on Domes, I think that should eliminate the majority of my weak points in my MA Caelum game.

K · Post by K » Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:51 pm

Ikeren wrote:So, I can never find myself interested enough to play out the end game against the AI. I usually get to research maxed out, thugging 10-12 Tart's, having all the unique summons, and just like, spending turns mowing through armies and provinces disinterestedly; knowing I'll win.

Is the problem that the AI sucks, or is the problem that the end game is tedious?

Mostly, it's because the endgame is tedious. The amount of micromanagment becomes really bad after turn 40 and a single turn can take several hours to play.

I mean, I've sometimes spent an hour and a half scripting a single endgame battle. I think the game could really benefit from some kind of prototyping mechanic like in Alpha Centauri where orders are prescripted and magic item build orders are automatically made by the smallest caster capable of doing it and automatically placed on units. I'm also confused why mages aren't automatically on Research when they are in a lab.

More often, I'll just build an army I know the AI can't beat and just auto-pilot through. In MP, that kind of behavior gets you killed.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 1:59 am

Yes, scripting the entire army gets very annoying.

"Why is he casting Body Ethereal instead of Mass Enslave? Argh! Forgot to script! D'oh! There goes my Oracle Pretender"

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:15 am

BTW, question: Does Banefire Crossbow inflict as much damage as Bane Fire? Also, does wearing Boots of Quickness allow it to fire every turn, as opposed to every other turn?

Akula · Post by **Akula** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:27 am

Boots yes. Damage no, it says it deals 13 damage.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:39 am

Boo. It sucks then.

New question: Which Global gets removed when all five global slots are taken and somebody casts a sixth one?

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:40 am

One is randomly selected from the 5.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:54 am

Avoraciopoctules wrote:One is randomly selected from the 5.

Is it automatically gone though? Or is there a check?

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:09 am

I googled "dispel globals", and I turned up this quote:

Extra gems means the global in question is harder to "dispell". That means actually casting Dispel, and other ways spells get dispelled. If you cast a global when 5 are already up, the game will RANDOMLY pick one to attempt to "dispell", with out regard to how hard or easy it will be to dispell. If the spell selected had a lot of extra gems in it, then chances are it won't be dispelled unless you used extra gems.

Bolding mine.

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I am trying to turn a randomly generated map into a wraparound map, but the generator and editor combo is being uncooperative. I take it that you have to add all the new province connections yourself once you set a map to wrap in the editor?

TheNotSoEvilNecromancer · Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:09 am

What is the hotkey that lists all of the commanders going TO a selected province?

Akula · Post by **Akula** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:23 am

Korwin · Post by **Korwin** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:56 pm

Is it possible for an caster, to be both an communion slave ans master?

Akula · Post by **Akula** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:31 pm

No, I think the last one cast overwrites the other.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:24 am

I'm pretty sure it overwrites, or else funky things will happen.