JMiddleton

Reply to Future of 4X games? in Galactic Civilizations III GalCiv3 Forums

4X games will always appeal to those of us who enjoy taking our time and thinking about the challenges the game presents rather than being forced to react in real time. The turn based nature allows a much greater scope without overwhelming the player and grants the player a lot more control over initial conditions in the sandbox where the games are created. 4X also has the benefit that you can abandon a game to deal with some other life event and it will wait patiently for you to return. This

Reply to Elemental Timeline in Elemental Dev Journals GalCiv3 Forums

I find it fascinating that this thread appears in the GalCiv III forum complete with references to the Arnor and the Dread Lords. Is this just coincidence or is there some connection between these universes!

Reply to Founders discussion topic: Colony control in GalCiv III Founders GalCiv3 Forums

GalCiv II sets the overall direction of the economy with the sliders but each planet can specialize (or generalize) at the players option and the focus buttons allow concentration where needed. The sliders can be changed as the game progresses allowing a lot of flexibility. I think it's a good system though it can get a bit cumbersome if you're trying to manage 100 colonies. It would be nice to have a "civil service" to help with the micro management - perhaps scripts or macros to man

Reply to GalCiv3 System Requirements in Galactic Civilizations III GalCiv3 Forums

Microsoft offers an evaluation of Windows 8.1 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/hh699156.aspx It's the enterprise edition but will give you everything you need to evaluate the product. I highly recommend one of the Seagate hybrid drives (they now have desktop models) The Windows 8.1/hybrid drive drive combination boots my laptop (Celeron processor) to the desktop in 20 seconds.

Reply to All of that scrap metal just goes to waste. in Galactic Civilizations III GalCiv3 Forums

Given the technology required to support the premise of this game, it's likely any weapon that succeeds in penetrating a ships' defenses will vaporize that ship. I't's also likely that engagements will take place at ranges of hundreds or thousands of miles with ships travelling at hundreds or thousands of miles per second relative to each other. I'm not sure that captures are practical. Best to expand the espionage capability to steal technology.

Reply to GalCiv3 System Requirements in Galactic Civilizations III GalCiv3 Forums

The Pro version of Windows 7 (or 8.1) is intended for business use. The main benefit you get is the ability to join a domain. Most consumers will be perfectly happy with Windows 7 home premium or Windows 8.1 standard. Do consider Windows 8.1. It's much improved over Windows 8, especially if you add the Stardock Start8/ModernMix bundle ($7.99). I have Windows 7 ultimate on my desktop, Windows 8.1 on my laptop and prefer 8.1. It's faster, works exactly the same (with the Stardock bundle

Reply to Repetition kills games in Galactic Civilizations III GalCiv3 Forums

This is the nature of the beast. You start with a newly created map, it's fun to explore and develop your civilization, but eventually you get to the point where you dominate and the outcome is completely predictable. The developer can extend the life of the game by providing several playable races with different strengths and weaknesses, multiple difficulty levels, multiple victory conditions, Elemental style quests and wildlands (which I hope will find their way into GalCiv III), DLC&#3

Reply to Deemphasize Starbases. in Galactic Civilizations III GalCiv3 Forums

Starbases have always played an important role in my strategy but I would like them to be more flexible. I recall asking back in the Dark Avatar days why they couldn't be more like ships - upgradeable as you research better miniaturization, weapons and defensive tech. I also believe starbases should be generic - their purpose determined by the modules the player chooses to install. I don't want invulnerable starbases but believe they should automatically be part of any defending fleet

Reply to Events, and Mega Events in GC3? in Galactic Civilizations III GalCiv3 Forums

One of the best features of Stardock games is that there are a lot of different ways to play them. We are not limited by the developer's vision for the game. That's one reason why I continue to enjoy GalCiv II after 6 years. I understand why random events were added - generally you reach a point in mid game where the outcome is 100% predictable and the question becomes, do I push the turn button a few hundred more times to confirm my prediction or abandon the game and start over. Rand

Reply to Do you ever have the same trained unit from the start of the game to the end? in Fallen Enchantress Elemental Forums

I've had my initial trained units survive until I could replace them with mounted units at which point I use them for garrison duty. The first mounted units I build often survive to the end of the game. I equip them with ranged magic weapons and use them as artillery - it's the only way I've discovered to take down more powerful monsters in the early game. I upgrade them so they are still relevant in the endgame - a level 12 company armed with hailstone or hellfire staffs can infl

Reply to How important is it to design your own troops? in Legendary Heroes Elemental Forums

If you play larger maps, you'll definitely want a broader selection of mounted units than are offered as standard, particularly cavalry with ranged weapons. You can start training these fairly early - you'll need to research horses and enchantment (unlocks ice staff & incineration staff). I find that Champions tend to make better melee units since weapons and armor far better than anything available to your trained units in the early game can usually be found in goodie huts and la

Reply to Early game guide! in Fallen Enchantress Elemental Forums

Two of the most useful tactical spells in the game are Flame Dart and Sunder. To get both, your sovereign must start with Fire and Air magic. Upgrading to Fire Disciple unlocks Flame Dart, you need both Fire and Air Disciple to unlock Sunder. Sunder will make short work of Elementals, Flame Dart will inflict serious damage on most other denizens of the game. I start my sovereign with Fire, Air and Water apprentice. That doesn't leave many points for anything else bu

Reply to Improving Bows in Fallen Enchantress Elemental Forums

You can research Enchantment and get ranged fire/frost weapons a lot earlier than you can research bows. They seem to be at least as effective. The only catch is you need a lot of crystal to build units with these weapons. Some powerful bows are available through quests or monster lairs. It's well worth equiping a Champion or Henchman with these bows if you find one. There is also an archer unit available through a quest that can make a huge difference if you get them early

Internet Explorer 10 Release Preview in DeskScapes Stardock Forums

I just installed Internet Explorer 10 Release Preview for Windows 7 and it killed Deskscapes 3.5. Now getting no animation and a video codec message (both Microsoft and Cyberlink MPEG2 codecs are installed - no problem playing DVD's). I realize there are risks when installing Beta software - just want to make sure the developers are aware of this issue.

Reply to Ugh i give up X( in Fallen Enchantress Elemental Forums

Typically you will examine the location where you spawn. Is there a tile with a reasonable mix of grain/material/essence? 4-3-2 will give you a decent start and is fairly common. Is there a selection of resources in sight? Shards, Crystal, Metal, Horses, etc...? I like to have a shard and some crystal nearby because my style of play tends to focus more on magic than weapons and armor. You want at least 2 Essence, city enchantments like Inspiration (research), Enchanted Hammers (production) an

Reply to Countdown: 9 days to release in Elemental Dev Journals Elemental Forums

It will be interesting to see if it deals properly with custom ranged units as well as the built in archers. I've learned that I can research Enchantment a lot faster than Archery and have designed custom ranged units using Ice staffs and Incineration staffs. These are fairly expensive to build so it's quite frustrating when they are placed front and center in tactical combat where they can sometimes be killed before I can move them to the rear

Reply to Ugh i give up X( in Fallen Enchantress Elemental Forums

ctrl-N generates a new map. Like starting the game except you don't have to pick a sovereign or opening screen options. Popular if the random number generator deals you a lousy starting location or if you find yourself boxed in by dragons and want to start over. Purists argue that you should play the hand you're dealt. I argue the game is supposed to be fun - if a really good starting location makes the game more enjoyable for you - regenerate the map until you get one. Be advised tha

Reply to Autoresolving for fun and profit in FE Sneak Peeks Elemental Forums

Manually fighting every battle can be tedious, especially against weaker opponents but the standard order of battle places the weakest units in front. It would be nice if the game was smart enough to distinguish between melee and ranged units - placing the ranged units in the rear and the strongest melee units in front.

Reply to Like Civilopedia, So Hiergamenon! Why Not Put Hiergamenon in Main Menu! =) in FE Support Elemental Forums

Putting a copy here on the web site would also be a good idea.

Reply to Ugh i give up X( in Fallen Enchantress Elemental Forums

As a casual gamer who has been playing FE since April, I can sympathize - I find the current build very frustrating. In a strategy game, you shouldn't expect that all challenges can be overcome using brute force. Most need to be solved and that is part of the fun. I belong to the school of thought that all challenges presented to the player should be solvable and the process should be enjoyable. Thus far, the only solution I've found to the dragons infesting the landscape at the

Reply to [Suggestion] A possible solution for Wandering Dragons and other Strong/Deadly Beasts: Leveled Lairs in Fallen Enchantress Elemental Forums

Baby dragons that get stronger as they grow up should be fairly easy to implement - a number of current monsters get stronger (or more numerous or both) over time. I do like the idea of leveled lairs - you'd know because the lair doesn't disappear when you clear it. Current lairs will spawn more monsters if you neglect to clear them - I've discovered that to my chagrin because the plaguestalker lair is sometimes not visible and, if I don't clear it, a haunter will show up

Reply to Starting Position Options in FE Beta Elemental Forums

I can't recall ever having an enjoyable game after accepting a poor starting location - and why bother. Regenerate the map a few times and you'll get something worthwhile. I generally hold out for a 9 point tile; 4-3-2 is quite common, with 3 resources visible including at least 1 shard but I'm a casual player and find the game challenging enough even with the bonus of a good start.

Reply to [Questionnaire] Are Monster-Faction Interactions a Problem? in FE Beta Elemental Forums

I play on normal. 1. Monster behaviour doesn't bother me - as long as they are at a level I can cope with. 2. In Beta 5 I find myself surrounded by extremely powerful monsters - dragons, Juggernauts and others that I have no reasonable chance of defeating until midgame. Typically they are guarding the most fertile tiles for expanding my kingdom - that part is really frustrating. 3. I continue to see the AI settling in close proximity to powerful monsters, dis

Reply to [0.983] Trained units in FE Support Elemental Forums

I like to have an inexpensive trained unit lead my forces into a major battle. The AI will always attack them first and they will always die but they buy me time to organize my forces and I usually get a free shot before the real engagement begins. For combat troops, henchmen are awesome. A torch bearer with heal and fire dart is a major asset. They are available early, don't cost a lot, seem to level up quickly and can be equipped the same as Champions so you have a h

Reply to City Defense in FE Beta Elemental Forums

I agree that cities need and deserve better defenses. In my perfect world, fortresses would have a fairly large zone of influence within which they offer protection to towns, conclaves, outposts and resources. A game mechanic might be to require invading armies to defeat fortresses before they can attack anything else. The battle for an established and well defended fortress would be epic - think Stalingrad. Victory should be expensive, loss should be devistating. Once all the fortresses are