Why does Elemental not have a strategy forum?

Why does Elemental not have a strategy forum?

 

Many here would say, "Because it doesn't take strategy to win the game!"

 

I ask because I've been warming to 1.1 over the past 2 weeks. I went from being on the fence, to harshly critical, to accepting and optimistic. My work on documenting faction and sovereign creation hints at that. Unfortunately, we currently don't have a forum to discuss game strategy. We only have General, and that gets bogged down with General criticism. (Case in point: all the drama from Stardock's hiring practices.)

 

I'd like to request that a separate subforum be made where people can focus on strategy in Elemental. Is that possible?

18,660 views 13 replies
Reply #1 Top

I mean, yea, I could create a topics there that says, Holy cow, every AI nation has declared war on me, how do I counter...wait, they are not even sending troops...infact, 200 years(not turns) have passed and they have sent nothing more than an occasional pioneer at me.  So, uh...how could I counter that?  I simply don't care to fight a war, I am just sittting around building cities, not even building an army, becasue, really, why should I?

Reply #2 Top

Sort of indicative of the problem, isn't it.

Reply #3 Top

For sure... very little strategy is needed.

Reply #4 Top

Quoting Lord, reply 1
I mean, yea, I could create a topics there that says, Holy cow, every AI nation has declared war on me, how do I counter...wait, they are not even sending troops...infact, 200 years(not turns) have passed and they have sent nothing more than an occasional pioneer at me.  So, uh...how could I counter that?  I simply don't care to fight a war, I am just sittting around building cities, not even building an army, becasue, really, why should I?

 

Do you still play the game, or do you just criticize? It's okay to criticize, and you do so very eloquently. But... It's hard to talk strategy in a forum full of critics.

 

I'd like to contribute to making the game better, just like you. My way is to figure out how the mechanics work and to figure out loopholes to exploit them. Admittedly, it doesn't take much to beat the AI. If I post enough about what exploits I'm using to beat the AI, hopefully someone will notice and correct the exploits.

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Reply #5 Top

Unfortunately, it's not (just) an AI problem, it's a mechanics problem. The game doesn't have the depth at the moment where distinct strategies are even possible. Get the best weapons. Get the best armor. Get as many units as you can, and you'll win.

Reply #6 Top

Quoting IBNobody, reply 4



Quoting Lord Xia,
reply 1
I mean, yea, I could create a topics there that says, Holy cow, every AI nation has declared war on me, how do I counter...wait, they are not even sending troops...infact, 200 years(not turns) have passed and they have sent nothing more than an occasional pioneer at me.  So, uh...how could I counter that?  I simply don't care to fight a war, I am just sittting around building cities, not even building an army, becasue, really, why should I?


 

Do you still play the game, or do you just criticize? It's okay to criticize, and you do so very eloquently. But... It's hard to talk strategy in a forum full of critics.

 

I'd like to contribute to making the game better, just like you. My way is to figure out how the mechanics work and to figure out loopholes to exploit them. Admittedly, it doesn't take much to beat the AI. If I post enough about what exploits I'm using to beat the AI, hopefully someone will notice and correct the exploits.

 

I really don't get what you are saying, but I'm not that bright.  All I am saying, is I don't need a strategy to beat the shit out of a paraplegic, in fact, it's a struggle to keep the poor bastard alive.  And, I doubt there is anyone that has played the game more than me. 

Reply #7 Top

The only real strategy is in what order you choose your research. Magic has almost no impact on strategy. You don't need any strategy in tactical combat,, besides making the enemy units waste their movement in their turn. Expand your cities until you hit an enemy border, then build your army in peace. Don't worry, the AI won't invade.

Reply #8 Top

I hate to say it, but you guys are proving my point. I think the game has strategy merit, but it doesn't sound like it's an interesting topic to you. Fair enough.

 

I could spend my time bashing a game that needs bashed too, or I could leave it to my betters in the vocal minority and instead spend my time finding ways to exploit and/or win efficiently. I'm just asking for a little corner of Stardock server space to do that in. :)

Reply #9 Top

We aren't proving your point in any way, since the strategy of the game can be summed up in a thread with ease.

Hardly something that warrants a subforum.

Edit: I'm not trying to sound obstructionist here. You seem to think that there aren't any strategy posts because there isn't a subforum. I think there isn't a subforum because there aren't many strategy posts. I would welcome a discussion if there was something that was up for discussion. Get the highest armor and the strongest weapon, build the units with the most amount of fighters using the highest unit quality. You won.

Reply #10 Top

Strategy: click end turn 200 times. (increase turn count depending on game speed and mapsize)

 

--> If losing: You fail at everything, restart game

 

--> If winning: Is too much hassle to finish everyone off and no scorecard so just restart because the game is lagging too much anyways.

 

If playing on Ridiculous you vary things up a bit because its more of a challenge.

 

Strategy: click end turn 200 times. (increase turn count depending on game speed and mapsize)

 

--> If losing: lolol some monster with 999 health and 2 attack just killed your entire army, learn to use armor noob!

 

--> If winning: comment "man AI was tougher when they all started with Swords of Wrath during 1.09 betas", and proceed to troll forums due to way too much free time.

 

 

Reply #11 Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 9
We aren't proving your point in any way, since the strategy of the game can be summed up in a thread with ease.

Hardly something that warrants a subforum.

Edit: I'm not trying to sound obstructionist here. You seem to think that there aren't any strategy posts because there isn't a subforum. I think there isn't a subforum because there aren't many strategy posts. I would welcome a discussion if there was something that was up for discussion. Get the highest armor and the strongest weapon, build the units with the most amount of fighters using the highest unit quality. You won.

 

I understand what you are saying. I also know can be difficult to see things from my perspective, too. I don't care that I can beat the AI with my hands tied behind my back. I want to do so as efficiently as possible. Or rather, I want to beat the AI properly. What's the best way to lay out cities? How should I specialize my cities? What's the best tech to pursue? How can I use my spells to the maximum effect? That's why I went through and processed all the starting talents of factions and sovereigns. There is strategy in that, and I think it's worth talking about.

 

I think it's difficult to have a strategy discussion in the general forum because this forum is the general forum. Everything goes on here. Bashing. Positive Outlook. Random forum craziness. This forum has 4000+ posts. Whenever I go to a gaming forum, I usually stay out of the general forum for that reason. The kind of post that I'm posting right now is a general forum post. 

 

But anyway... At what point does this game deserve a subforum for strategy?

Reply #12 Top

What's the best way to lay out cities?

Anywhere there's resources.

How should I specialize my cities?

Based on the surrounding resources.

What's the best tech to pursue?

Warfare, with a little Civ and Magic.

How can I use my spells to the maximum effect?

Don't bother, they're pretty much worthless in the mid to late game. Not trying to be snide or even funny, but that's really all there is to it, sadly.

Reply #13 Top

Most of the talk about "strategy" have been posts along the lines of: I'm not getting resource x, what do I do? I can't figure out y. I'm getting eaten up by monsters in turn 20, what's going on.

If they wanted a forum specifically for Elemental LPs, that would have a place. But the game isn't challenging enough to require strategy right now.