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angrybowen
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Australia
Aug 2005
time: 15:37
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A note to people.
The full AOM game is like a book + sequels. It is long but I do not mind that as things continue to develop. 200 advances, over 200 different units, 64 building, over 50 wonders. It has at least 3 distinct eras.
If you want some hints, stancarp posted his strategy and milestones he aims for at this link.
http://www.interwebgames.com.au/aom...?t=113&start=15
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Nikolai
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Bergen, Norway
Oct 2000
time: 06:37
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I have tried one game with AoM. So far, I'd say it's not the best game I've played, but much, and then I mean muvh better than CTP2 vanilla. Much deeper for instance. What bugs me, is that it's pretty hard. I was right in the middle of my usual builder strategy from other civ games, when I was attacked by my only neighbour at the time. After taking his four cities, I played on, expanding by settlers. Then, out of nowhere, I got DoWed by 3 other civs I'd discovered(who all denied me any treaties at all, not even a formal peace) at the course of 2 or 3 turns. Two of them were so far away that they were no threat. But one of the others took two cities from me before I could stop him. Now those cities is back in my hands. But right in the middle of these wars, I lost half my empire to a large swarm of barbarians(events) and so far I've got some 4-5 Dark Ages events in the course of a little more number of turns. I am in no position to deal with this, as no civs wants to give me any deals. My reputation is good according to the game.
Well, it was a good game until this dirty business happened...
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angrybowen
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Australia
Aug 2005
time: 15:37
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quote:
Much deeper for instance. What bugs me, is that it's pretty hard. |
by Nikolai
That is a compliment for the game(AOM). The original ctp2 was voted the biggest disappointment of 2001 because it was a total pushover.
However, not withstanding that, you are not the first to quit their first game of AOM. Took me several goes and reading the startegy manual to develop a plan, and that is what the designer says you must do. AOM is not about building a few cities and moving a few units.
Instead of quitting altogether after one attempt, I had a couple of more goes and worked out the best strategy. And boy do you need a strategy. The scripted historical events such as barbarian spawn are not that bad (except the Dark Ages) and you can turn them to your advantage if you are good enough (eg, use a wonder unit to turn those barbarians into slaves and prisoners and capture those barbarian cities for no increase in your aggression level) . If you prepare for the Dark Ages, (and you ONLY have 300 turns warning as it is in the readme together with a list of things to do), you can navigate it without too much trouble.
Every civ style game to date eventually develops the same way, you get to a certain size then grind your way to victory. AOM is the first game AFAIK that requires you to keep thinking and planning right until you are about to see the victory movie. It is very civ, but also has a little city builder in it, a little total war and a little bit of war game (which I really like).
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stankarp
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australia
Feb 2002
time: 05:37
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Nikolai,
After 3 months playing by a wider audience I accepted that the diplomacy of AOM needed to be upgraded to match the rest of AOM, especially the more focused and aggressive AI. That has now been done.
Those changes are available for free download as shown earlier in this thread.
The changes make the ai movmement more subject to the diplomatic state between the human and the ai, passive ai personalities are easier to negotiate with, but if your aggression level goes to high, i.e., you become like a Hitler or Napoleon, then the AI will start to gang up on you again, just as happened to those famous gentlemen.
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DrKazanovaKK
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"I have tried one game with AoM"
by Nikolai.
Is that how you got to be an Emperor Nikolai, quitting the first time you found a game that fights back?
Pretty obvious from reading about AOM that it is not your stereotype Civ game where you use your "usual builder strategy from other civ games". The design notes for AOM point out that the biggest single activity of human beings has been war, and I agree. IMHO a "usual builder strategy" should not win you any civ style game and it certainly will not win you a game of AOM.
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stankarp
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australia
Feb 2002
time: 05:37
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quote:
Can you give us a civ list? |
The draft Strategy Guide, a pdf document of under 1MB, can be downloaded from:
http://www.theagesofman.net/index.html
It is a password protected folder,
Username: taom
Password: 2005
It contains the civ list and what each civ trait is. The civ trait only lasts till the start of the Dark Ages(turn 300) in the full campaign. You then can get a new civ trait by building a special wonder available to your government for the Middle Ages.
Boris, name ONE civilization that achieve a position of long lasting dominance without war?
Lord Montgomery of Alamein stated in his book on history, the biggest activity collectively of man has been war, and the biggest single cause of war has been desire for someone else's land or resources.
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Maquiladora
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Its possible to play the builder in AoM, but you still have to be able to defend yourself.
It costs you a lot of resources to keep moderate AI personalities happy through diplomacy (tech exchanges, gold gifts), but theres always gonna be bloodthirsty leaders that will attack you regardless, and thats how it should be.
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angrybowen
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Australia
Aug 2005
time: 15:37
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Nikolai, even your ancestors had the reputation for being fierce warriors who terrorised their neighbours for centuries and ended up settling conquered lands.
AOM beats Civ 3 in 2 areas IMHO that makes civ 3 seems like it is in Neanderthal Land by comparison.
IN AOM, AI don't fight to the death, they surrender to reward you for successful, well conducted war. As opposed to Civ 3 where in the regicide game, after you get through the stack of cheat created defenders, you get to see all their cities suddenly turn into piles of ruble. In the normal game of course in Civ, you have to hunt down and kill the cheat created settlers and defenders. 
In the combat system, instead of switching the clock back to Troy, where the armies paused 3 times to watch single combat between champions, combat in AOM is stacked and different types of units have different functions and abilities. This actually also makes combat quicker.
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Protra3211
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If Activison would only rerelase CtP2 with some of the updates made it would rebuild the fan base in no time.
Pardox did this with Hearts of Iron 1 called a Platinum release. It contained a major fan made mod with many improvements costing 20 dollars with update booklet.
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Proteus_MST
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Hm,
I liked CtP2 although it had a lousy AI
(because there were so many things I liked, such as PW, Tech-Trees which reach far into tha future and of course the stacked combat).
So yes, normally IŽd like to try AoM. I assume you havenŽt found a way yet to make it downloadable via ftp? I remember reading something about thoughts that it might be hosted by Apolyton.
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stankarp
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australia
Feb 2002
time: 05:37
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Proteus_MST
AOM has been available for download here for several months.
http://apolyton.net/forums//showthr...30&pagenumber=1
However, if you wait till Tuesday, you can download it with the diplomacy update.
quote:
Nikolai, even your ancestors had the reputation for being fierce warriors who terrorised their neighbours for centuries and ended up settling conquered lands |
By angrybowen.
Yes, some Vikings settled in Normandy under the Franks, became the Normans and dominated medieval europe (for 300 years). Then through their conquest of Englend, they dominated the world (arguable).
They also had a big part in the downfall of Byzantium through Roger and his Norman Kingdom in southern Italy. Those ex vikings arguable had the biggest influence on history and civilization (through conquest and war) of any group of people.
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angrybowen
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Australia
Aug 2005
time: 15:37
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quote:
The greatest compliment you can make about any game is that you cannot put your brain on cruise control for long stretches of the game. |
Well put. I agree with stancarp about AOM being close to competitive on line play. Especially the first 250 turns. AOM improved my gameplay, by necessity, as it accurately reflects what happens to empires that did not grow and achieve. They eventually became dominated by someone else. That has only started to change in the last 150 years.
As I said about Civ3, after the initial glitz wore off it was more like a TBS game of settlers, only thing missing was the "what mooooore work?" whine from the workers when you clicked on them.
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stankarp
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australia
Feb 2002
time: 05:37
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quote:
Thanks everybody. I'll watch more carefully this game. Gotta say, though, I haven't had this much fun learning to optimize my gameplay in a long time. This is a very good sign! |
By yin26, AOM forum, 14 Aug, 05.
Maybe having an open mind can be rewarding?
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DrKazanovaKK
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If Nikolai gets the AOM victory message, maybe it should read "history will know you as Emperor Nikolai, the Couch Potato". Where has that Viking spirit gone? Vikings get plus 2 hitpoints (ouch) as their civ trait and +1 boat movement in AOM.
One thing always amused me about Civ3 was the concept that some learned person sitting in a hut would think that if he found a large, not too wild animal, he might ride it, then when he finished this thought, the animal would appear outside somewhere. Or think, if I had a metal, I might be able to heat it up and make something.
In AOM, it is more logical. The man looks outside his hut, SEES the Horse or Camel, then forms a group of people (a settler type) with ropes and other materials (gold and public works) to go and capture it and work out how to ride it. Or if he stumbles across the interesting looking mineral, again he sends the group of people to experiment with it.
In AOM the prescence of the resources drives the early technology which is far more logical, rather than mysteriuously, the technology suddenly creates the resource!
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12-08-2005 18:32
I didn't read any of the documentation because I like to learn the game a little by myself before I try to get other people's strategies.
I do btw have the latest version of the game AFAIK.
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