Dominions 3: The Awakening - You Get What You Pay For - Games

[b]To get things started check this shameless copypasta:[/b] The game allows the player to design a pretender god with the potential to ultimately become the god of a fantasy world by defeating all other pretenders. The interface consists of a hand-drawn or randomly-generated world map and several menus. The maps are divided into provinces which can be conquered in tactical battles. Provinces provide gold and resources, needed to recruit units. Compared to other games in the genre, Dominions 3 only has a small amount of economic management, focusing almost entirely on creating and deploying armies. At the start of the game, each player begins with a predetermined number of provinces, typically one. This starting province is the nation's capital, with a fortress, temple, and magic laboratory. From here, the player can recruit soldiers, commanders, mages and priests to wage war upon their enemies. Mages cast spells, forge items, summon units, conduct research and search for magical sites. Priests can preach against enemy dominions in addition to using holy spells. Provinces that believe in the player's god are considered part of that god's dominion and enjoy several advantages: the player's troops fight better, enemy forces are penalized, and the global scales (things like temperature, magic resistance, luck, and supplies) are slowly changed to the controlling god's liking. Friendly dominion is indicated with white candles, whilst enemy dominion is shown with black candles. Should a player lose all provinces or all dominion, they will lose the game. While the game does not permit the alteration of core rules, it does support substantial modding capabilities; one could conceivably replace or substantially modify every unit and every spell, for instance. Mods have changed nations, duplicated nations, and added new ones. [b]Overview[/b] It's difficult to fully describe this game, basically, it's a 4x type experience, an RTS with "God-Game" like aspects. The player starts off by designing their choice of Pretender God. A creature worshiped by his or her followers, this represents the player. Starting off here you will realize the epic scale of this game. TONS of choices present themselves, what will the God look like? Will it begin sealed away, dormant, or awakened? What sorts of skills in magic will it have? What kind of characteristics will it carry? What sort of domain does it generate? That brings us to the next important piece of gameplay, the Domain. The domain of your God is its area of influence. It is worshiped here, and your troops get a bonus, as well as the area itself reflecting the choices you made at the beginning on the aspects of your domain. [b]Variety[/b] The sheer amount of STUFF in this game is overwhelming. There are around 50 playable Nations, ranging from the Greek mythological inspired Arcoscephale, to the Norse inspired Nephilim, to R'lyeh the Lovecraftian legion. Over 600 spells, 300+ magic items, and 1500+ recruitable units differing from each Nation, to which Age you play the match in. (Early, Middle, or Late) [b]Battle[/b] The combat system is very detailed; each unit amongst hundreds in an army has several values like morale, hit-points, strength, encumberance, health problems due to previous battle wounds, protection separately for torso, head and legs, and precision. Most units will rout if their squad takes too many casualties, rather than fighting to the death. Logistics is important, with starving troops very likely to rout, and mindless creatures like controlled undead or magically summoned beings do not rout at all, they simply dissolve if their commanding unit dies or routs. There are hundreds of different units to recruit within the game, including archers, infantry, cavalry and mages. Troops can be recruited in all provinces (except Late Age Ermor's capital), and which types are often influenced by the terrain. For example, woodsmen and druids can be found in forest provinces, while aquatic fish-men can be found on coasts. In order to recruit nation-specific troops, the player has to construct a fortress. Mages require a laboratory to recruit, whilst priests need a temple. The battle results are calculated by the computer and can be viewed by the players at the beginning of the next turn like a film. The battles cannot be influenced once the computer calculates the new turn, but players can set simple orders for their troops before the battle is calculated, allowing for basic tactics. This system allows for fast multiplayer games. [b]Further Information[/b] First off, if you want to buy this game, you are gonna have to pay [b]OUT THE ASS[/b] because it costs a full $60. Now I know that is the normal price for a new game out on the shelves (which doesn't really make it any less painful but hey), but this game is a little over 4 years old. That being said, patches are still being released, and there is still an active community. Patches aren't just bugfixes, they actually add new Nations, spells, and items. The latest patch release was in March of 2010, and they are all free for download off of the main site. [b]I couldn't ever do everything justice just by talking, so visit these sites to discover it all for yourself:[/b] [URL="http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Illwinter/DOM3/DOM3_page.html"]Shrapnel games Site[/URL] - Go here to buy the game, dowload the patches, and try the demo, as well as see some more info about it. [URL="http://dom3.servegame.com/wiki/Main_Page"]Dominions 3 Wiki[/URL] - A very helpful wiki, go here to see tons of specifics and help yourself to quite a wealth of info. So if any of this sounds good to you, at least give the demo a try, it isn't very space consuming, and the graphics are basic enough to leave the system requirements very, very low. [release] [LIST] [*]50 playable Nations, with unique spells, units, and characteristics. [*]Over 600 spells, each very different, requiring school and path research for each Nation. [*]300+ magic items for boosting your favorite heroes. [*]Customize every aspect of your armies, down to which squads have what troops, and each platoon's placement on the battlefield and specific orders. [*]Up to 21 person matches, AI and multiplayer supported through several clients. [*]Streamlined UI and micromanagement made easy and instantly satisfying. [*]Be a priest of R'lyeh and sacrifice blood slaves to summon up demons to supplement your armies of Lovecraftian hordes, I mean come on seriously.[/LIST][/release]

Sounds pretty damn cool, but $60 for a 4 year old game is a no-go.

Looks cool, though it's a bit two pricey.

How is the multiplayer?

My god why is it still $60 And for a somewhat niche 4x game? Good luck to the devs. Suppose if they have survived for four years they must have had some success then

In the website it says you can make custom maps. [quote] Still present, the cool ability to turn any image into a map! Battle across Faerún or Middle Earth! [/quote] What can you tell me about this?

As far as I know you can import image files of several types and it converts it to a 2d map with appropriate battlefield graphics for battles. The multiplayer is very stable, up to 21 players at a time, turns taken quite quickly, all features are available in both SP and MP. Just putting image files in the map folder will put them through to the game. Modding is VERY supported, many mods and special maps exist, including mods that add Warhammer and Tolkein inspired Nations. The price tag includes all patches and future patches, as well as all the mod tools, which are patched in as well. It is steep, but it's a long time investment if you are into the type of game. [URL="http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/forumdisplay.php?f=138"]Try looking around here.[/URL]

I'll consider ordering it then. I have always liked these types of games.

So far I have an army of Japanese mythological Oni demons and giants going against some human forces. We are led by Traven the Arch Mage. Oblivion reference yes, I couldn't help myself! Fire-breathing, No-Dashi wielding Oni! The humans won't stand a chance.

[QUOTE=gnoob;26476010]My god why is it still $60 And for a somewhat niche 4x game? Good luck to the devs. Suppose if they have survived for four years they must have had some success then[/QUOTE] Yeah it is pretty ridiculous. Now that there is a thread on this I have to "boast" about how the guy who did the graphics is a teacher at my school. I have to convince him to lower the price significantly. [editline]4th December 2010[/editline] Here's a funny thing, if you want to see him, just skip to 3:17 in this promo video for our school. He's dancing. :v: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssnUO39wtd0[/media]

I suppose if you really want to play a game, you will buy it, but geez it would be so much less painful if the price was at least 2/3 of it's current. Also, it's indescribably satisfying to see an army of mounted cavalry completely burnt to cinders by Oni! Oh yes I feel pretty special right now.

[QUOTE=Xion21;26488817]I suppose if you really want to play a game, you will buy it, but geez it would be so much less painful if the price was at least 2/3 of it's current. Also, it's indescribably satisfying to see an army of mounted cavalry completely burnt to cinders by Oni! Oh yes I feel pretty special right now.[/QUOTE] When I first met him and he told me about the game he said "Oh you can buy it over at shrapnel games or.. you could just pirate it." I am considering to talk to him next week about the price. I'm quite interested in it myself.

This looks pretty epic. How big is this game? I`m pretty low on disk space. Edit: Is it really 400 Mbs?

[img]http://linux.softpedia.com/screenshots/Dominions-3-The-Awakening_3.jpg[/img] This is a smaller scale battle, detailed 2d sprites and nicely animated effects tie it together. [img]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/351/reviews/925004_20061218_screen007.jpg[/img] This is the army setup screen. Here is where you set up your units under different Commanders, think of them as Heroes from other fantasy RTS games. Each unit is separately selectable, you can make as many squads as the commander can, well, command with his current leadership level. The green squares you see allow you to place the squads wherever you want on the battlefield, you can also give the squads and commanders specific ques of orders here. So many possibilities! [img]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/351/reviews/925004_20061218_screen004.jpg[/img] Each, and every single unit you control has a screen like this. Each stat acts differently, and each are important, the colored symbols near the middle that you see are specific characteristics that interact with each other, your allies and enemies, and your domain uniquely, so the number of strategies is quite literally endless, you'll figure so many different things out as you go. Say you have amphibious units, and the enemy has units that hate cold. Send your army to a high lake, and they will wave off every invasion with ease. [img]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/121/925004_20060502_screen013.jpg[/img] This is a list of a few of the water spells under the Conjuration school. There are a ridiculous amount of spells, and each one can supplement your strategies in new ways. As you start to combine all the things, new units, unique orders, placements, characteristics, magics, you will start to develop so many ideas on how to conquer your battles, and it really makes you feel in control. [editline]4th December 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=Antary;26489030]This looks pretty epic. How big is this game? I`m pretty low on disk space. Edit: Is it really 400 Mbs?[/QUOTE] Yeah the game is quite small space wise, especially for it's huge mass of content. After patches, expect to have no more than 1 Gig taken up.

Fuck, this really looks like my type of game. 60$ is just too much. I hope someone I know has it. I really do.

I had quite a bit of fun with the tutorial, printing off the accompanying guide for the tutorial felt old school. Those who buy it, update us with your opinions please :D Twist Fate, Personal Luck, Body Ethereal, awww rite.

Yeahhh. Something tells me I would love this game to death, but even with my sudden influx of some extra money I still can't afford a 60$ entertainment expense.

I tried it. It`s size makes it quite complex and I don`t really want to read a 200 page tutorial. I guess I`ll have to figure it out on my own.

[QUOTE=Libertas;26521371]Yeahhh. Something tells me I would love this game to death, but even with my sudden influx of some extra money I still can't afford a 60$ entertainment expense.[/QUOTE] Exactly. This is totally my type of game, but I'm not going to be paying 60 dollars, no way. Shame the developers/producers don't know basic marketing.

Which nation is the spartaish one?

How do I assign units to a commander? [editline]6th December 2010[/editline] Nevermind, figured it out.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;26521931]Exactly. This is totally my type of game, but I'm not going to be paying 60 dollars, no way. Shame the developers/producers don't know basic marketing.[/QUOTE] Looks like there is quite an interest. I really have to tell him tomorrow. Who knows, maybe he will drop the price. $20 should be good? I think I can convince him by telling him that there are plenty of people interested in the game who are put off by the price.

[QUOTE=CommanderPT;26531082]Looks like there is quite an interest. I really have to tell him tomorrow. Who knows, maybe he will drop the price. $20 should be good? I think I can convince him by telling him that there are plenty of people interested in the game who are put off by the price.[/QUOTE] I might buy for 15-20 dollars. If there was a demo or something that would be great.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;26535324]I might buy for 15-20 dollars. If there was a demo or something that would be great.[/QUOTE] There is a demo sir. Also, Arcoscephale is the Sparta-ish nation you could say, especially in the Middle Age.

Oh my god the undead faction is so awesome. They get lots of free units.

Try using Helheim. Get a pretender with high level Death Magic, and research Enchantment. Every battle, your commanders will be sending waves and waves of undead at the enemy, they can triple the size of your army for a battle! Also, sorry about not replying too quickly, the construction in the area I recently moved to is making my connection FAR less than reliable. :cheers:

[QUOTE=koekje4life V2;26540617]Oh my god the undead faction is so awesome. They get lots of free units.[/QUOTE] Which faction is that?

Good news everyone! I talked to him about the game's price. He says that he can not change it since it is up to Shrapnel games. However, he does have between 5-10 brand new copies that you can buy directly from him and he can also generate codes. Not sure about the price but I bet it will be discounted. Just leave a message quoting this post or something if you are interested and I'll resume talking to him on Monday.

Alright nicely done! What the game needs is more people to take the step and play it, that's just hard due to the price. The forums are very active, mods all over the place, good ones! Using 3 myself, and the community still thrives.

[QUOTE=CommanderPT;26602644]Good news everyone! I talked to him about the game's price. He says that he can not change it since it is up to Shrapnel games. However, he does have between 5-10 brand new copies that you can buy directly from him and he can also generate codes. Not sure about the price but I bet it will be discounted. Just leave a message quoting this post or something if you are interested and I'll resume talking to him on Monday.[/QUOTE] I'm in just to see if I can afford the discounted price.