oh, forgot to mention....the manual is a manual that takes you back to the days of MANUALS. 300 pages, spiral bound....it is a combo of manual and strategy guide. More like a reference manual. Incredible manual....

(NOTE: I could not find an edit button, so I had to reply to my own message)

EDIT: duh....it is located in the "tools" button....

I have Dom3, its excellent, been playing for just over a week now and barely scratched the surface, only played 3 nations out of 50+. This one will keep me happy through the winter...

yeah...it is an awesome game.

Maybe if there are some more....we can get a MP game going.....I can't host or anything....but, i would love to play some.

I bought Dominions 1 a long time ago, but had trouble getting into it. I skipped Dominions 2, and then downloaded the Dominions 3 demo a couple weeks ago. I'm having the same problem with it. I can see that there's an immense amount of depth there, but I have trouble even knowing where to begin. The tutorial shows me some stuff, but it still leaves me a little lost.

Any pointers? I read the Shrapnel forums occasionally, but it's full of people who've been immersed in this stuff from the beginning. All of the conversations go something like:

"I use a 4H2K8R RUD with a 8J9W NRL on a PUV."
"Really? I found a 8R9S0G0W works much better, unless you're facing a 8J3L NUL."

Gaaaah!

Edit: Does the manual help, since you say it's also a strategy guide?

yes....the manual breaks things down really well (at least I thought it did). I played the other two, but never went so far as most of the ppl on the shrapnel forums. I understand what is going on, but that is pretty much it.

What things are you having difficulty with? I can try to help you out. I am not sure what is in the demo, as I did not play the demo.

The manual is, like I said, 300 pages. There are formulas that explain combat, magic and why things happen the way they do. I enjoy reading that stuff, but I don't think of that stuff really when I am playing. The manual also lists each nation (and each nation by age), what fortresses the nation uses, and gives a sample basic strategy. These strategies are really just a start, as in Dominions, there are so many counters. After the nations, there is a strategy overview section. Oh, forgot to mention....in the manual, there are "strategy thoughts" after the big stuff. Like Pretender creation...the manual gives thoughts about what you should be trying to do with Pretender creation. A big section on units....magic....dominion....good info to know. The strategy overview section is interesting to read, as it puts things into perspective.

Also, the manaul really breaks spells down.....MUCH better than the Dom2 manual. I really like the way it lists the spells. Summons are broken down by nation. Just, an awesome manual....reminds me sorta of the Civ 2 manual/strategy guide that I had years ago.

Like I said, though....what questions do you have? I am not a great player....and in fact, I probably, and most likely, really suck....I am not a min/maxer, I just play to have fun. But I will help out as much as possible.

The game does have incredible depth, but the interface is really rough, and still pretty rough in Dom3. But, for some reason, I was able to click with the interface.

Chris

Edit: Does the manual help, since you say it's also a strategy guide?

The manual also lists each nation (and each nation by age), what fortresses the nation uses, and gives a sample basic strategy. These strategies are really just a start, as in Dominions, there are so many counters. After the nations, there is a strategy overview section. Oh, forgot to mention....in the manual, there are "strategy thoughts" after the big stuff. Like Pretender creation...the manual gives thoughts about what you should be trying to do with Pretender creation. A big section on units....magic....dominion....good info to know. The strategy overview section is interesting to read, as it puts things into perspective.

Each nation has its own example strategy, so u can play any nation straight away. Spells/magic items listed. It's very good, nicely presented and a decent read. There is a dominions glossary which list some of the Dominions slang, like GK = Ghost King, S7 = level 7 astral spell etc...

Also the shrapnel forum is a very, very friendly one. If u do not understand the slang, just ask, someone will tell u, I have seen several people ask what does SC mean for example, Supercombatant.

The spells r mind boggling, don't even try to get yr head around everything, play a nation and just concentrate on its magic paths ie... I am playing Man, tower of avalon, strong in A (air) and N (nature) magic. I am just going to stick with those and learn those 2 paths. Later move on to another nation/different magic paths.

yeah.....good advice....

The game screams replayability

Replay from frustration?

Magic never really made sense to me.

I can conceptualize lasers, missiles and mass drivers along with their entire evolution.

I can understand medium and large hulls.

I can understand the evolution of government from imperial to republic to democracy to federation.

I can, as a USian, easily understand cultural conquest.

Playing games like GC2 can even be interesting meditations on reality.

Magic? What's magic? How does it apply to anything?

Well, maybe I'll just break down and order a copy and see how it goes.

try the demo....55 bucks could be a lot of money if it is a game you end up not liking. But, really, for me, it is the best fantasy tbs game out. Even topping MoM (a game that for some reason, I just did not like much). It is for sure head and shoulders above Age of Wonders 2, a game that I played a whole week and a half.

Regarding space vs. magic....I take magic. Sci-fi is interesting....but I would rather watch Lord of the Rings, than a Star Trek movie. Even LotR over Star Wars.....but it is my own personal preference. A friend of mine would take Star Wars over anything.

But, the magic system in Dominions is one of the reasons I enjoy the game so much....

anyone have any thoughts on this game? I am personally loving it....

I am in a MP game, but also playing a SP game (and having a blast). In my SP game, I am pretty much right in the middle of the other 4 AI's. Agartha is on my western side, across the seas. Bandar Log is right to my east. Vanheim was down south. And Mictlan was to the far north, across the seas.

I am taking out Vanheim, while containing Agartha (hit and run raids into their provinces), while weakening and pushing Bandar Log out of my territories. Bandar Log and Agartha both attacked me on the same turn on different fronts. It was looking pretty grim for Shinuyama (the middle age Japanese-themed nation....the nation I am playing), but I pushed Agartha back into the sea, and then back to his own lands. I was able to mass enough troops to push Bandar Log back across the border, and have started prepping for the coming invasion into the monkey's lands. The bad part, my Pretender died in combat vs. a Bandar Log army....

Vanheim made somewhat of a comback, pushing all the way to their former capital, but I was able to break the seige. Since then, I have taken 3 other Vanheim castles. They are fighting desperate now though...no real threat anymore.

BUT....now Mictlan, who is directly north of me across the northern seas, has had a chance to expand....and expand they did. They have expanded across the northern lands, all the way to my southern lands (this is a wrap-a-round map). They are "helping" me eliminate Vanheim, and so far, have pulled their troops from my borders....but they are still a very major threat. In fact, they are probably the strongest empire in the game...just because of where they were positioned.

All in all, I am loving the game. Much better than Dominions 2....