How to make the game harder?

choices you can make that are self-purposeful-sabotage?

from Elemental Forums

Hmm.. I'm back and decided to give all the new DLC's a try.. haven't seen much or I don't exactly understand the new content? (this is my old thread..)

I mean there's a new unit type.. there's some new equipment and did they write scripts for making the maps have lots of choke points down to 1 to 2 squares? Is that what new.. I thought 'battlegrounds' was supposed to be more challenging?

 

But my 1st game on insane with like 4 or civ's.. is not hard :( It looks like hmm in about 10 moves.. or maybe 50? I'll start rolling over cities (not sure) some cities have like 10-14 units.. and me I've got a 1 giant rock? spider and 3 hero's at level 6-8 

So I'm wondering about things I can do to make it harder..

what is the worst hero type? is it defender or maybe assassin? (they have some awful rolls.. can't tell you how many times there special abilities like 'eviscerate' or 'dice' just fail to hit :( ) I suppose commander is the worst for a battle hero?

I think there's a setting for 'low resources' right.. would that make it more challenging.. if there's like 1 mine or 3 crystal mines total.. something like that? maybe I just need a algined/coordinated me vs. all the civ's?

24,253 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

hmm.. I've come up one idea for a harder game..

1 hero challenge.. also the game could really use "a eternal war" button.. I've tried using "the teams" thing.. but it isn't looking good :(

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Maybe you'll first describe the way you play to beat AI so easily. In my experience, city militia on insane pretty much one shot 6-8 lvl hero.

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting geniusisme, reply 2

Maybe you'll first describe the way you play to beat AI so easily. In my experience, city militia on insane pretty much one shot 6-8 lvl hero.
I use hero's.. since I keep picking up collars.. I eventually take a good animal like the mauler guy (can't remember the name but not the bear!)

Umm 1 reason why I'm about to defeat the nearest AI is on turn 25.. he took his whole army and left his city :D  

If his city was guarded and he hadn't left.. yah, I couldn't have taken him with just 1 hero here.. but with 3 hero's some ranged attacks a mauler unit.. could have definitely taken it if he was "home" (I think)

I've decided in making it harder in my present game.. I'm only going to have 3 hero's.. (I don't bother to play with troops at all.. usually)

I think if I played with on purpose just the 1 hero.. like I said above.. that probably be "pretty hard" I'm not sure if I've ever tried this? (maybe)

Quoting geniusisme, reply 2
Maybe you'll first describe the way you play to beat AI so easily. In my experience, city militia on insane pretty much one shot 6-8 lvl hero.

Okay, let me try again.. typical game.. I try to (when doing it right) get lots of fame.. for more and more hero's.. I build only hero stacks with horses and as much "gear" as I can afford (that sh@# is expensive :P ) when I'm also doing it super right or going mage.. I'll get the ahh magic version of the tower spell and grab up the magic before the AI does (where possible)

I don't think there's much more to that? When I see the AI is strong.. I use strategy and (that means avoiding interaction with the enemy alot) and range them to death unless if I'm a super powerful mage.. I'll probably just magic them to death and move on... and in the earlier part of the game it's harder and I will have engage tactics a lot because if they get to my hero's.. they may kill them in 1 swoop. (tougher enemies.. can do this)

So it's a really a rinse and repeat at that point.. use tactics.. when super powerful (if mage or not) use your tough hero's to take out the ranged or the powerful one.. (and in the beginning toughness I might die the 4 or 6 tries but when it gets to no tries.. you know you've won.. I like blink a lot always try to equip that ring for at risk hero's and all that)

I really, really hoped 'battlegrounds' was some sort of custom designed scenario for a tougher game (based on the description) but so far not seeing that.. and still don't know exactly what it is..? other then some maps..

 

here I'll do more then describe.. I will give you save files.. in theory that'll work :)

this is my last save file for my last game I quit cause I thought it was too easy..

 

And I always create a "commander" hero just for the ability of roads.. so I can move quickly and with speed (the roads do that!)

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Looks like one game is in the very beginning and other two are lost...

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Nope, I won them all I think.. though it's possible I was beaten in one by the "spell of the making" :( (aka I couldn't necessarily conquer fast enough)

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Do you create your own Sovereigns and Factions? Because that can make a huge difference.

Try to beat the game with Gilden, for example.

Rushing is indeed the best strategy, imho, and the fact that you found multiple collars probably did not hurt either.

Also, do you save/load a lot? If not, what do you mean by '4 or 6 tries'?

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

hahah well i guess ive never heard that one before. Ive heard how to make a game easier not harder! funny :D

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Methinks he brags a lot while pressing that "RELOAD" key. :) Highest difficulty "easy" Just uses Heroe hardly any units. lol I find that hard to believe. I smell braggart without the real proof of victory. TALKS a nice STORY of winning though. They got one of those types on the AOW III forum. Tells about how he COULD have beat 7 emperor level AI's but never finished one game because he told a STORY about how he would have defeated them had he kept on playing. lol I love these "you know you would win" STORIES. :)

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

Hi,

The question is still legit, while trolling is always ugly.

When a game fails to provide adequate challenge, folks usually use homerules, like:

1. no save scum.

2. one city challenge (or maybe just three - a fortress, a conclave and a city).

3. no diplomacy with AIs.

4. when you become too powerful, use smaller armies to roam around the map, like just 3-4 units (it is also good for levelling your heroes).

5. don't do things which AI will never do (within reason, lol), for instance, don't plant arcane monoliths (those magical Periden outposts) deep into enemy's territory, or in places you haven't been yet.

6. try stock factions, as recommended earlier, but avoid Periden, which is too easy.

7. finally, design your own victory conditions.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Another thing you can do is to create unoptimized custom factions and custom sovereigns. You can pick weaker traits, or traits which don't really help one another (either by more strongly focusing the faction into one area or by covering for a weakness of the other trait) or the way in which you're planning to play, and it's also legal to have points left over in faction and sovereign creation. If you really wanted to, you could make a sovereign or faction with no traits aside from their profession, or one with only weaknesses.