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Going against other humans is a blast as the added variable of diplomacy makes the game that much more addicting.The only fly in the ointment is a big one. Unfortunatley, this is going to be a big problem for a lot of people.If you can get past the graphics, Dominions 3 offers some of the finest strategy gaming around. It's a terrific example of gameplay overcoming graphics.The premise is simple. Maps can be randomly generated or customized by importing any 2D graphic and drawing territory lines on top of it. (This coming from someone used to playing 2D wargames all the time). In an age of 22" LCD monitors, the static low resolution sprite based graphics of Dominions 3 are a real letdown. Artifacts can be found that help to kit out your generals and confer battle-winning attributes to them.Since the game is based on taking turns, multiplayer is a great way to play the game.
Each turn, you build temples and castles, move and raise armies, and fight it out over territory against your rival gods. The graphics look absolutley atrocious. Dominions 3 is the latest gem in the Shrapnel Games fantasy strategy franchise. Researching spells, fortifying your territories, upgrading and outfitting your commanders, and spying on rivals are also activites to occupy your time.The nuances are what makes this game so good. Battle it out it Faerun. You create a fresh-faced new god as your character that leads an army of warriors and monsters to spread your "dominion" throughout th land while your enemies do the same. Huge, in fact. The range of spells available to you, the preference of territory, the armies willing to swear fealty, and even the mobility and appearance of your avatar has an effect on what you do.
Play by email and user servers are supported avenues for multiplayer. (Fight in Middle-Earth. Your god template has a number of variable attributes that can change how you play the game drastically. Divvy up the lands of Narnia). Ugly doesn't even cover how bad this game can look while in play.
For an old server person like me thats a game unto itself.The support forum at the publishers site is FANTASTIC. And this is very web friendly if you run a server and want to host games.The command switches is PAGES long if you are into such things. And its very laptop friendly (not full desktop machine needed to run it). And there is an IRC (direct chat) room.
That makes me feel better. Ive been gaming for decades. The developers have regularly released patches which are more like upgrades than they are patch. For fancy desktop icons that set the game parameters or automating things with scripts. Or great games that I found out about too late because by the time I got there the expert players had their tactics so down perfect that you couldnt last long enough in a game to learn the game.Call me a fanboi if you want but any game that can keep me trying new things and finding new useful tactics years after its release is well worth it.[/quote]I thought that maybe other people here might remember having such an experience in games. If you are into deep strategy and coming up with weird tactics or you love religio-historical-mythology-fantasy then at LEAST get the demo
If you love deep strategy more than flashy graphics and sounds then at LEAST try the demo. And thats not counting what the players do as more and more modding commands get added with each patch.But what made me think of coming here and posting was this comment I made in the Dom3 forum.[quote]Thanks for pointing the "winners list" out. Legally. Years after its release, its still going strong. In final, Ive paid this much for many games that lasted a month on my machine. Its excellent as an internet host server for multiplaying. Whole new nations, spells, equipment keep getting added.
:)I am still amazed at how rare that is. But luckily, it tends to actually average out that no matter how strong the opinions are that fly around, the saving grace is that they dont seem to agree with each other. You can load it on your windows desktop or mac laptop AND on your linux server to use one as player and one as server without needing another serial. I can remember many many games where 1 month to 1 year was just about the whole life of the game because some ultimate strategy was developed and posted. Anytime a discussion pops up here where various experts proclaim some nations worth or worthlessness I get concerned. :)Some things not pointed out by others:Its Windows AND Mac and Linux all on the one disc. This is one of the 5 games that refuse to die even after years of playing it.
Buy the game.4. I've played many many PC games over the years. Play the game single player (SP) for a week.5. Join the forum (above).6. 1.Surf the forum at Shrapnel games[.].2. This game is crushingly good especially in the multi-player (MP) arena. Feed the cat.3. Join an MP game (but just one).Cheers.
If you at all enjoy strategy games, you are doing yourself a disservice by not owning this game. It's that good.In an era of sleek overproduced software titles, software companies have largely failed to deliver a title which rewards patience and a thirst for depth in a fantasy game setting. With around 20 nations per age, and 3 ages, there are somewhere on the order of 60 different nations to play. Dominions 3 is an an amazingly deep game, there is nothing like it at all on the shelves of your local software store. With playable nations based on real-world myth and legend, this game can teach as well as an entertain. A staggering number, considering that the differences actually *do* make a very big difference in game play, I'm not talking about most games having 'different' units which simply dittle the graphics but basically fulfil the same role. You get actual replayability here, moreso than any game I've ever played before.Fair warning: the sound and graphics of this game are clunky when considered against modern standards, and the AI is a bit predictable (of course) but it more than makes up for it in almost every single other aspect of game design and game play.
This is an exception. Personally, I place it alongside such legendary titles as: the Total War titles, the Civilization series, and Alpha Centauri. It's certainly a throwback, and possesses what I feel is a great retro and authentic game feel. This is a game that after you play it, you want to quit your job and become a game designer.
Most software companies fall far short of the mark that Shrapnel Games hits with this title. With only a team of 2 people, they have produced a highly complex and diverse strategy game that has immense replay value. This is not a glossy high profile title with 3D graphics and real time online play, but despite that it is one of the best games I have played in my life.
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