«

[twillight]

Ok, I've installed this as consequence of bet with TheChosen.

Help me play this game folks.

What I currently need is to know how to cast spells with my leaders, and what are the crew-advancing trees. The units stats can be found on the net, but not how to invent them.

Otherwise it is a solid HoMM-clone with just the amount of differences to call this another game. The real good thing is, there are only 2 type of resources: gold and mana.

Also, playing all the campaigns would prove any adventages (like knowing all the story), or they are ttally independent? I have the Gold Edition.

[Tomekk]

Originally Posted by twillight

Ok, I've installed this as consequence of bet with TheChosen.

Help me play this game folks.

What I currently need is to know how to cast spells with my leaders, and what are the crew-advancing trees. The units stats can be found on the net, but not how to invent them.

Otherwise it is a solid HoMM-clone with just the amount of differences to call this another game. The real good thing is, there are only 2 type of resources: gold and mana.

Also, playing all the campaigns would prove any advantages (like knowing all the story), or they are totally independent? I have the Gold Edition.

I haven't played this in a while, so forgive me if I'm not 100% correct.

There are five or so buttons on the lower right area of the screen, and one of them should be the spellcasting... and you need to research spells from different types of mana before casting.

As for unit advancement... go to your town, start building, click on the unit buildings to see what that building upgrades your troops into. Note: you can't have all the upgrades, because some of them branch and lead to different units, out of which you need to pick one; and your units only upgrade when they get enough XP from combat to level up.

And yes, you need to play all four campaigns to find out what happens

EDIT: This review on Mobygames sums it up just fine http://www.mobygames.com/game/window...viewerId,6290/

[twillight]

Thx for the info.

Thing that confused me about the magic system, that there is no spellcasting during combat. What makes this even worse, you gain no exp when killing with spells.

And actually there are FIVE campaign for me, fifth being the elves (I hate elves).

EDIT: Damn, I can't see Abandonia nowdays properly, so I insert this here. I start to get the hang of it I think. I started with the Empire campaign with mage hero. Now my units did leveling properly.
First: units do NOT level until proper buildings are standing. Then they automatically level. But if the building is not there when the unit aquires the necessary amount of exp, it'll loose the exp above next level-1 is reached.
Consequence of levelup is also, that the unit gains a full healing!

Another tip: healing of the Empire is abusable. Keep an enemy with low (or none) damage (no damage means a unite with eg. petrify), then just go defensive (what means you only suffer 50% damage), and let the healer buff up all the party

[twillight]

Isee the major difference between this and HoMM now I feel.
It is this:
In HoMM if you f* up your party, then you can surrend, and go back for gazillion others.
Here you have to have for the whole scenario THE correct party to accumlate exp with it. If you did something wrong at the beggining, you'll have to restart from squat.

Also: although you'll be able to carry over just your only heroe, there is no chance to develop a superhero by sending 'im around without party.

My idea about different leaders:
- Warrior: you'll have a nice regeneration, so you'll have to return home less, and will be less vulnerable to surpriseattacks (or multiply attacks) from the enemy (yes, there are always enemy heroes wandering arounf like in HoMM, and here regular monsters do not spawn randomly, so exp is hard to come by, and enemy is twice as dangerous from this aspect). You'll also have abig mutha for the first row right at the start of each scenario.
- Mage: PUT HIM IN THE BACK ROW! Yes, even during the first scenario of a campaign, when only lvl2 units are avaiable so the difference isn't that great, is a nonworking idea to put 'im first line (and a party of four IS limiting). You'll have a strong, multiattack member in the back row with decent protection, and you will have to worry less about partymembers dying (most lickely someone from the first row will die, and that won't be you). The two spells per day thing doesn't seem that improtant, and not all lvl5 spells sound interresting, but casting "extra movement" and a battleboost does sound nice.
- Guildmaster: After the first week you won't know where to spend your money, so I do not recommend this. Also thieves are nice, but if you are not really into corrupting a lot, it is perfectly ok (for me it seems at this point) to just spy (required only once per race, result is being able to see the units of their parties), poison (damage without battle), and duel (against lone things, mostly rodplanting heroes).

[twillight]

Found an idea about rod-planting (the AI messed me up this way, so it is a good idea): if you plant a rod, it is impossible to remove until... Well, the game says until you kill the unit who planted the rod, but I'm pretty sure I did that against the AI, so I'm not sure.
Anyway, it sounds perfectly reasonable to protect all your mines as soon as you have the money with rods, then lead back the planter to your capital.

[twillight]

Ok,that thing about rodplanting was a misunderstanding, forget it.

Also a correction on unit-levelling: they loose the exp only if on the named map it is possible for them to evolve further, AND you didn't forced them to remain as they are (there is a special button for that on the team-management screen).

The "you have capital" system leads to a strange way of playing, and a cheat for the AI.
First: you can not destroy capitals, what mean on the middle of your territory will be an enemyspawning building, and they especially like to rod your manasources.
Second the solution: Put lvl1 heroes with lvl1 units all around the enemy capital. The bad news is, the AI cheats, and can create lvl2 units in town. Still, this is a pretty safe way to close them in. This tactic can be advanced the way I won the last battle of the first mission of the Empire Saga.,

what is: bleed them out! The enemy you supposed to conquer is just too strong for any of your team? Send there suicide ones! At the end of each scenario you can keep only 1 hero (and 5 items, each potion counts as one, so no possibility for cheating here, but you get some free healing + resurrection potion at the start), so the rest can be sacrifised for "the greater good".
So if you want to be sure you enclosed a capital, put there 2-3 basic hero in a row, and that's it.

Speaking about resurrection: if you carry the dead unit on your hero to a city (and you have the building), you can resurrect that unit. Or just use a resurrection-potion. Resurrection means the unit will be aive with 1 HP (so heal him too).
I don't have experience with summonings.

Going back to cities is only required for healing (hence the adventage for warrior Lord whose units on field also regenerates). Units with enough exp transform automatically, and spells you get also automatically.

Remember you have objective! Reaching THAT ends the scenario.
Before ending a scenario try to collect all items you want, and reach the level you feel! For the first map of Empire's Saga I suggest level 3.

Leveling happens only the NEXT DAY. Only then you'll be able to choose a special ability. If you reach next level when scenario ends, you'll get your levelup right at beggining of next mission.

Spells won't be carried over!

Rodplanting heroes: they can have 1 unit carried, but that's a joke. Use these on 1) mines far away 2) islands, because "influence" don't spread accross mass water 3) for delaying enemy rodplanters stealing your mine.

Thief heroes: infiltration is only temporary, and means you can see what party enemy player has.
They can not do regular shoping (so no selling things), but can steal any thing for sale.
Their prime use is "poison party" what means "X damage for entire party".
Duel can be also fun, but don't try that on stronger opponents.

All in all: nice game it is, only little strange.

[twillight]

A question for starters:
If the "Source of damage" is "Weapon", and the "Damage" is "Paralyse", then Assassins are able to resist (they are immun to mind, but no idea what that exactly means)?
If the answer is yes, then SOME use they'd have over the knight developement tree.

Second:
I started the second misson of Empire Saga. I like the variability of items, though that everything requires skill is tyring.

Second question: I only see 5 Sagas (Empire, Legion, Hrode, Dwarf, Elves). Where are the Guardian of Light and Servants of the Dark elements? (These last two in the same game means the Gaelen's Return expansion. I was pretty hard to figure out how many expansions this game had.)

EDIT: Strategytips:
- on Empire lvl 1 with main hero kill all immediate targets, then go capturing towns. When you reach first the middle of the map there'll be some hunted building with slightly strong undeads - loot that for the exp. Kill the ogre for the Stone Ring, then imediatelly capture the town at the center of the map. From that point things are up to you.
- on Empire lvl 2 imediatelly capture the town east, then the city southeast from that. Then run northeast if you ask me, then more northeast leaving behind the dwarf city. This way you don't eave time for the dwarves to capture any of these two cities. Ok, this way the manaspots will come later (or even with very slim chance the AI might capture some of them), but cities are more important anyway if you ask me.
Oh, and for this level always keep some money for emergency-purpose in your treasure room (like for buying more troops, fortifying cities, or resurrecting units)!

[twillight]

Dammit!
I was capturing the last city on the map besides the two capital and the Ork King's city, when the bloody dwarces decided to make WAR against me!
The little buggers! And they call this map "Alliance"???

Caputring those cities war hard anyway, barbarians hit high! The city the walkthroughs suggest to capture for third was actually so hard I required a Bark Potion (30% less damage for a day) to win, and a resurrection-potion to not "loose" any comrade during the battle. So it was hard. And my reward is some knee-high scum attacks me? Bloody bath!