MOM Hint II

[pchang]

In my latest game, I chose conjuror (summoning discount), sorcery master (sorcery discount), and 9 sorcercy books. This resulted in a summoning cost for sorcery creatures of 40% of normal. Very early on, I could summon 5 phantom warriors per battle. I would take a group of 2 or 3 wimpy units and send them into towns or ruins 1 at a time. 10 to 15 phantom warriors would almost always win the day. Since I burned through manna at a prodigious rate, I had to crank up the tax rate and convert gold to manna almost every turn.

I started to take over blue nodes and began getting some more sorcery books. 1 more book dropped my cost to 30%. Another 2 books dropped my cost to 10%. Finally, another book dropped my cost to 0%. Now, during a battle, I can summon as many creatures as I want and it cost me nothing.

[Exile]

I don't mean to threadjack, but is Microprose still producing this game? I have a set of 7 (!) old 3" disks with the game on them (for DOS), but one of the disks broke and now the installation process won't complete. I loved this game several years ago when I first bought it. (Why does anyone play as anything but dark elves? plus, they look so cool). Is there someplace where it can still be purchased? Abandonware? Something like that?

Salutations,
Exile
[This message has been edited by Exile (edited April 06, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Exile (edited April 06, 2001).]

[pchang]

Microprose has abandoned this game. However, if you follow the link to the original thread you will find a site to download a full working version of the game.

[Exile]

Thanks. Got it.

Exile

[pchang]

Under the latest 1.31 patch, Dark Elves cost 3 picks (start on Myrror) to get. This is fairly expensive. In addition, you have to build a lot of buildings before you get the really cool Dark Elf buildings. This can take a long time. Too long at the more difficult levels or against another human (if using the shell tool).

[Father Beast]

OK, we see the advantages to 11 booking, but is there something to multiple abilities? say if I got 4 nature, 4 sorcery, sorcery mastery, nature mastery, and archmage?

what about having 4 kinds of spellbooks?

[pchang]

The advantage to concentrating in one area is to get a fast start (easy ability to take over neutral towns/enemy towns early in the game). This is necessary to make up for the head start/cheating of the AI on the Hard/Impossible setting. In the long run, this limits what you can do (one type of spell, one type of tactic). However, the ability to do one thing really well will enable you to win the game. It just takes a little more creativity to guide battles to your advantage.

Having spell books in multiple fields gives you much more flexibility. But since you are not concentrated in anything, it takes time to build up your abilities and your power base (several productive cities). If you can get over the initial hump, you will have a powerful force which is much more flexible and can do many things well. However, on Hard/Impossible or vs. another human, you may never get over that hump.

BTW, I have played the game on a 486DX33 all the way to PentiumIII 750 machines. The AI improved with each patch, but it also seems to improve with each increase in computing power.

[pchang]

Using the Conjuror, Sorcery Master, 9 Blue book strategy I described above, I was summoning Sky Drakes at a cost of 0 manna points by the end of the game. Things get really easy when you can send 8 or 9 Sky Drakes into nodes, ruins, or enemy towns.

[Theben]

I tried the 9 nature book, nature mastery, and conjurer. I was able to summon warbears for cheaper than a magic spirit (23 vs. 30)! Never got to the point you described, pchang.
And I probably never will. The game kept freezing up when I finally got to the point I wanted to be at, and in a minor fit of rage I snapped the CD in half. Guess I'll wait for MOM2.

[Ecthy]

This thread isn't worth a penny without the grandlords Shadowstrike and me posting in it...

Bow down to me

[pchang]

Then start putting more useful strategies in here.

[Ecthy]

OK, apparently you're very proud of your knowledge, and you think you can intimidate me by bashing me with some random facts...

I'm talking about Humans and Dark Elves here, not Klackons nor Lizardmen nor Trolls. Also, being an alchemist sucks big time anyway.

Magic attacks? I don't see the connection... I'm pretty sure building an Alchemist's Guild and some basic land units (or air ones) is way more effective than waiting for magic attack units.

Also, you need the Alchemist's Guild for the Wizard's Guild... don't tell ne you don't know about the pleasures of Wizard units...

[pchang]

Wizard units were the point of that last bit of advice. Their magic attack does not get boosted by Mithril or Adamantium. If you build them, you might as well build them in cities without Mithril or Admantium.

[Ecthy]

Mithril and Adamantium are very nice things... I used to play as Humans, building up Paladin armies with Mithril or Adamantium weapons and conquer Myrror and Arcanus with those and a few Great Drakes... Chaos person, me

Oh, nowadays I tend to play as Dark Elves, I like Myrror so much and the fact they cana produce Mana on their own.. you only need to build many cities with a Myrran race in order to get magic power, you don't need the nods. but if you get them, you're even better off, as they produce even moremana than on Arcanus.


is that OK, pchang?

[pchang]

That's better. However w/ Mithril or Adamantium, you have to have an alchemists guild. Being an alchemist is not enough. The following races cannot build alchemists guilds:
Klackons
Lizardmen
Trolls
Also Mithril or Adamantium don't help out magic attacks. So if you are building units with magic attacks, might as well build them in cities without Mithril or Adamantium.