What mana nodes to build?

[Yoadm]

I don't nothing 'bout teaching AIs about what mana nodes to build. If I did, I might suggest for the Ljosalfars - whose palace provides them with Life, Air, Nature mana to start with - to build:

a) A Fire node -- for reasons cabbagemeister's given. Having no siege equipment, the Ljos need an easy to use and practical collateral damage (don't have to micromanage to avoid accidental lightning damage like Maelstrom).

b) A second Air node -- Maelstrom is my fav collateral damage but one has to be careful when calling the lightnings down from the sky as they tend to fall on friend and foe alike. A second node leverages Ljos' Palace Air mana making the spellcaster more potent as multiple mana sources allow for higher starting promotions. 15-50% damage caps, but war if non-hostiles hit.

c) A second Nature node -- Leverages the Palace Nature mana making higher start promotions available, the Ljos generally need Level III Vitalize spells. We want to improve the land, making more Ljosalfarian forests, sooner rather than later.

d) An Enchantment node -- The Ljosalfars aren't so strong in city attacking but having swordsmen/champions with City Raider promotions and Enchanted Blades help. Level II Enchantment spell Flaming Arrows gives a +1 Fire Attack strength for archers/longbowmen and as Ljosalfar archers are strong and thematic, I use them alot so it makes sense to have a mage with this spell in my production city.

Maybe Im missing out on something, but why would you want two Air or Nature nodes? Sorry but I don't understand your explanation.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I assume you'd want multiple nodes of those types so that your adepts get free promotions in that sphere. Having 2 sources of the same mana types means unitcombat_adept units with channeling 1 get the first level of that spell sphere for free when they are created, having 3 sources means those with channeling 2 get the first 2 levels of the spell sphere for free when they are created, and having 4 sources means those with channeling 3 get all 3 levels of the spell sphere for free when created. (Note that created covers building, upgrading, gaining from an event, and summoning.)


Of course, I never use arcane units for nature magic, as Druids can use that sphere without the mana or level requirements. Druids have Nature affinity though, so multiple nature nodes is still good.

 

[Emptiness]

When you have two sources of a single mana type, all the Adepts you build start with Level I of that sphere for free. If all your Adepts are planning on learning level I or higher in that sphere anyway it saves them a promotion that can be spent on something else.

(ie what he said)

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

I think Shadowwalk is underrated considering how incredibly useful it is. the spell makes all your units COMPLETELY IGNORE CITY DEFENSES! who needs cumbersome catapults, the stooges or fireballs when you've got shadow? sure, shadow can get banned by the overcouncil... but since the overcouncil sucks bad, and the undercouncil rocks, I don't consider that to be a big problem... nobody is ever dying to get in the overcouncil

 

[cabbagemeister]

Why would you build multiple Nature nodes? How about:

1) Druids with 15 base strength
2) Yvain with 23(!!!) base strength

But really that's the only reason--even Vitalize is overrated, because NatureIII is not worth spending an archmage or druid promotion on when Genesis requires the same tech as druids, has no alignment requirement, and is pretty hammer-cheap with just one Nature node.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I still think that the Guardian Vines summon needs to be brought back, probably at Nature III. The unit has returned to the game, why not the spell? This permanent, immobile, defensive summon was one of my favorites back in the day.

 

[popejubal]

Why would you build multiple Nature nodes? How about:

1) Druids with 15 base strength
2) Yvain with 23(!!!) base strength

But really that's the only reason--even Vitalize is overrated, because NatureIII is not worth spending an archmage or druid promotion on when Genesis requires the same tech as druids, has no alignment requirement, and is pretty hammer-cheap with just one Nature node.

I like Vitalize because I get to pick which tiles get upgraded and which don't. I can push Tundra to Grassland if I want and I can change Desert Hills to Plains Hills (don't forget to do this on your city square if you settle on a Desert Hill!) while leaving Plains Hills alone so that I don't lose that hammer to a Grassland Hill.

I can push Floodplains up to Grassland Floodplains whilie leaving Plains alone for Workshops.

I'm a fan.

 

[Der Kantelberg]

when Genesis requires the same tech as druids, has no alignment requirement, and is pretty hammer-cheap with just one Nature node.

I hate the genesis. It always turns fields, I don't want to turn (Mines on plain-hills. e.g.) and does not turn twice, tiles I want to turn twice. (Ice)

 

[travathian]

As the elves I always shoot for two Fire nodes simply because every one of my mages/illusionists is going to need fireball in order to efficiently bring down city defenses. Body and Enchantment are high on the list as well. Body allows for haste, which combined with commando units, means I can strike deep into enemy territory. Enchantment I will push for if I don't have access to iron, otherwise as the Svart I go death for access to illusionary skeletons and spectres.

 

[Jet]

What combos did I miss that I can teach the AI?

Strategic combos. That's how I approach choosing what mana nodes to build.

1. Am I going for Tower of Mastery? (If so, am I ready?*)
2. What VC do I want? What religion am I going to run?
3. Now, do I want to head for archmages, and are there any level 3 spells I want to head for? [I'm not sure there are many, but Trust might be one] (If so, am I ready?*)
4. Now, do I need arcane collateral? (If so, am I ready?*)
5. Now, do I need arcane summons? (If so, am I ready?*)
6. Now, what buffs and debuffs are good for me? And now I should also think about terraforming and whatever else misc stuff there is.

* Am I ready to prepare for the thing I just decided I like, or should I do something else for immediate benefit on the grounds that I am not ready yet, and that I have extra nodes, or will get extras, or will be able to convert some?

As to whether you "can" teach these things to the AI in the sense of being able to do it, for the purpose of this post I'm considering that to be your problem.

 

[Worm4life]

Personally I think the whole way AI deals with teching/religion/heroes should be higher on the fix priority list than mana types, BUT...



...I think enchantment mana is by far the most all around useful type in the game. Enchanted blades is the single best level 1 spell in the game (to the point I think it should be moved to a higher level. Permanent +20% stack strength for level 1??!!). It's one of the only mana types that has a very useful spell at every level, and on top of all that it has one of the best passive bonuses with +1 per node. Should be a priority for every AI.

The weakest seems to be Law. Probably the most useless level one spell in the game. Host of Einjerherjereherhejar is the worst summon. Valor is okay on its own but extremely weak for a third level spell, especially considering there are much better buff spells at level 1. No AI should ever bother with Law.


Except in instances where you'd want to get crazy with affinities, I've never understood why you'd ever want to have more than one in each mana type. I always find myself spending promotions on stuff I don't want or need just to get the unit up to a level where I can promote it to the next highest caster unit; the upgrade level has always been the bottleneck, not promotions. The only time I'd need free promotions is if I had tons and tons of different mana types to choose from, and that doesn't happen if I build duplicate nodes.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

In my version Valor is Law I, Einherjar start with the Valor and Guardsman promotions, and Unyielding Order is Law III (and the building was made to run its python effect of ending revolts every turn it exists in a city rather than just when first cast, so you don't need to send the caste rout of the city for 1 turn to deal with revolts) instead of a Prior spell. That makes law quite strong, but still probably not the strongest mana.

 

[Verdian]

...Unyielding Order is Law III...

Did you change what The Order gets for a High Priest spell, or let them keep Unyielding Order? I always liked the idea of moving Unyielding Order to Law III and letting Order High Priests channel Junil's divine power and getting a spell that gives them +2 affinity for Law mana.

I tend to hoard mana for sphere III summons (unless I am playing as the Amurites), and never really thought about the individual benefits of low level spells. I guess that shows where I am weak in my play style. Enchantment, Shadow, and Body are the best buff spheres. Fire and Air are the best attack spheres. Death is the best summon sphere. If you want to fight defensively, Sun and Earth are very helpful. I suppose it depends on how the AI wants to win. Perhaps working on getting the AI to work toward specific victories should be made priority?

Edit: Could you post the code for those changes to Law, MC? That is one change I would really like to use.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Well, those are just very basic XML changes, so it seems unnecessary to post. I guess I will though:

Spoiler :

in CIV4SpellInfos.xml
        <SpellInfo>
            <Type>SPELL_UNYIELDING_ORDER</Type>
            <Description>TXT_KEY_SPELL_UNYIELDING_ORDER</Description>
            <Civilopedia>TXT_KEY_SPELL_UNYIELDING_ORDER_PEDIA</Civilopedia>
            <Help>TXT_KEY_SPELL_UNYIELDING_ORDER_HELP</Help>
            <PromotionPrereq1>PROMOTION_LAW3</PromotionPrereq1>
            
            <bAllowAI>1</bAllowAI>
            <bInCityOnly>1</bInCityOnly>
            <bDisplayWhenDisabled>1</bDisplayWhenDisabled>
            <bHasCasted>1</bHasCasted>
            <CreateBuildingType>BUILDING_UNYIELDING_ORDER</CreateBuildingType>
            <PyResult>spellUnyieldingOrder(pCaster)</PyResult>
            <Effect>EFFECT_CREATION</Effect>
            <Sound>AS3D_SPELL_HOPE</Sound>
            <Button>Art/Interface/Buttons/Buildings/Unyieldingorder.dds</Button>
        </SpellInfo>

...


        <SpellInfo>
            <Type>SPELL_VALOR</Type>
            <Description>TXT_KEY_SPELL_VALOR</Description>
            <Civilopedia>TXT_KEY_SPELL_PLACEHOLDER_PEDIA</Civilopedia>
            <PromotionPrereq1>PROMOTION_LAW1</PromotionPrereq1>
            <bAllowAI>1</bAllowAI>
            <bDisplayWhenDisabled>1</bDisplayWhenDisabled>
            <bHasCasted>1</bHasCasted>
            <AddPromotionType1>PROMOTION_VALOR</AddPromotionType1>
            <bImmuneNotAlive>1</bImmuneNotAlive>
            <Effect>EFFECT_CREATION</Effect>
            <Sound>AS3D_SPELL_BLESS</Sound>
            <Button>Art/Interface/Buttons/Promotions/Valor.dds</Button>
        </SpellInfo>



in CIV4UnitInfos.xml
        <UnitInfo>
            <Class>UNITCLASS_EINHERJAR</Class>
            <Type>UNIT_EINHERJAR</Type>
            <UniqueNames>
            </UniqueNames>
            <Special>NONE</Special>
            <Capture>NONE</Capture>
            <Combat>UNITCOMBAT_DISCIPLE</Combat>
            <Domain>DOMAIN_LAND</Domain>
            <DefaultUnitAI>UNITAI_ATTACK</DefaultUnitAI>
            <Invisible>NONE</Invisible>
            <SeeInvisible>NONE</SeeInvisible>
            <Description>TXT_KEY_UNIT_EINHERJAR</Description>
            <Civilopedia>TXT_KEY_UNIT_EINHERJAR_PEDIA</Civilopedia>
            <Strategy>TXT_KEY_UNIT_EINHERJAR_STRATEGY</Strategy>
            <Advisor>ADVISOR_MILITARY</Advisor>
            <bAnimal>0</bAnimal>
            <bFood>0</bFood>
            <bNoBadGoodies>0</bNoBadGoodies>
            <bOnlyDefensive>0</bOnlyDefensive>
            <bNoCapture>0</bNoCapture>
            <bQuickCombat>0</bQuickCombat>
            <bRivalTerritory>0</bRivalTerritory>
            <bMilitaryHappiness>1</bMilitaryHappiness>
            <bMilitarySupport>0</bMilitarySupport>
            <bMilitaryProduction>1</bMilitaryProduction>
            <bPillage>0</bPillage>
            <bSpy>0</bSpy>
            <bSabotage>0</bSabotage>
            <bDestroy>0</bDestroy>
            <bStealPlans>0</bStealPlans>
            <bInvestigate>0</bInvestigate>
            <bCounterSpy>0</bCounterSpy>
            <bFound>0</bFound>
            <bGoldenAge>0</bGoldenAge>
            <bInvisible>0</bInvisible>
            <bFirstStrikeImmune>0</bFirstStrikeImmune>
            <bNoDefensiveBonus>0</bNoDefensiveBonus>
            <bIgnoreBuildingDefense>0</bIgnoreBuildingDefense>
            <bCanMoveImpassable>0</bCanMoveImpassable>
            <bCanMoveAllTerrain>0</bCanMoveAllTerrain>
            <bFlatMovementCost>0</bFlatMovementCost>
            <bIgnoreTerrainCost>0</bIgnoreTerrainCost>
            <bNukeImmune>0</bNukeImmune>
            <bPrereqBonuses>0</bPrereqBonuses>
            <bPrereqReligion>0</bPrereqReligion>
            <bMechanized>0</bMechanized>
            <bSuicide>0</bSuicide>
            <bHiddenNationality>0</bHiddenNationality>
            <bAlwaysHostile>0</bAlwaysHostile>
            <UnitClassUpgrades>
            </UnitClassUpgrades>
            <UnitClassTargets>
            </UnitClassTargets>
            <UnitCombatTargets>
            </UnitCombatTargets>
            <UnitClassDefenders>
            </UnitClassDefenders>
            <UnitCombatDefenders>
            </UnitCombatDefenders>
            <FlankingStrikes>
            </FlankingStrikes>
            <UnitAIs>
                <UnitAI>
                    <UnitAIType>UNITAI_ATTACK</UnitAIType>
                    <bUnitAI>1</bUnitAI>
                </UnitAI>
                <UnitAI>
                    <UnitAIType>UNITAI_ATTACK_CITY</UnitAIType>
                    <bUnitAI>1</bUnitAI>
                </UnitAI>
            </UnitAIs>
            <NotUnitAIs>
            </NotUnitAIs>
            <Builds>
            </Builds>
            <ReligionSpreads>
            </ReligionSpreads>
            <CorporationSpreads>
            </CorporationSpreads>
            <GreatPeoples>
            </GreatPeoples>
            <Buildings>
            </Buildings>
            <ForceBuildings>
            </ForceBuildings>
            <HolyCity>NONE</HolyCity>
            <ReligionType>NONE</ReligionType>
            <StateReligion>NONE</StateReligion>
            <PrereqReligion>NONE</PrereqReligion>
            <PrereqCorporation>NONE</PrereqCorporation>
            <PrereqBuilding>NONE</PrereqBuilding>
            <PrereqTech>NONE</PrereqTech>
            <TechTypes>
            </TechTypes>
            <BonusType>NONE</BonusType>
            <PrereqBonuses>
            </PrereqBonuses>
            <ProductionTraits>
            </ProductionTraits>
            <Flavors>
            </Flavors>
            <iAIWeight>0</iAIWeight>
            <iCost>-1</iCost>
            <iHurryCostModifier>0</iHurryCostModifier>
            <iAdvancedStartCost>-1</iAdvancedStartCost>
            <iAdvancedStartCostIncrease>0</iAdvancedStartCostIncrease>
            <iMinAreaSize>-1</iMinAreaSize>
            <iMoves>1</iMoves>
            <bNoRevealMap>0</bNoRevealMap>
            <iAirRange>0</iAirRange>
            <iAirUnitCap>0</iAirUnitCap>
            <iDropRange>0</iDropRange>
            <iNukeRange>-1</iNukeRange>
            <iWorkRate>0</iWorkRate>
            <iBaseDiscover>0</iBaseDiscover>
            <iDiscoverMultiplier>0</iDiscoverMultiplier>
            <iBaseHurry>0</iBaseHurry>
            <iHurryMultiplier>0</iHurryMultiplier>
            <iBaseTrade>0</iBaseTrade>
            <iTradeMultiplier>0</iTradeMultiplier>
            <iGreatWorkCulture>0</iGreatWorkCulture>
            <iEspionagePoints>0</iEspionagePoints>
            <TerrainImpassables>
                <TerrainImpassable>
                    <TerrainType>TERRAIN_OCEAN</TerrainType>
                    <bTerrainImpassable>1</bTerrainImpassable>
                </TerrainImpassable>
            </TerrainImpassables>
            <FeatureImpassables>
            </FeatureImpassables>
            <TerrainPassableTechs>
                <TerrainPassableTech>
                    <TerrainType>TERRAIN_OCEAN</TerrainType>
                    <PassableTech>TECH_MALEVOLENT_DESIGNS</PassableTech>
                </TerrainPassableTech>
            </TerrainPassableTechs>
            <FeaturePassableTechs>
            </FeaturePassableTechs>
            <iCombat>3</iCombat>
            <iCombatLimit>100</iCombatLimit>
            <iAirCombat>0</iAirCombat>
            <iAirCombatLimit>0</iAirCombatLimit>
            <iXPValueAttack>8</iXPValueAttack>
            <iXPValueDefense>4</iXPValueDefense>
            <iFirstStrikes>0</iFirstStrikes>
            <iChanceFirstStrikes>0</iChanceFirstStrikes>
            <iInterceptionProbability>0</iInterceptionProbability>
            <iEvasionProbability>0</iEvasionProbability>
            <iWithdrawalProb>0</iWithdrawalProb>
            <iCollateralDamage>0</iCollateralDamage>
            <iCollateralDamageLimit>0</iCollateralDamageLimit>
            <iCollateralDamageMaxUnits>0</iCollateralDamageMaxUnits>
            <iCityAttack>0</iCityAttack>
            <iCityDefense>0</iCityDefense>
            <iAnimalCombat>0</iAnimalCombat>
            <iHillsAttack>0</iHillsAttack>
            <iHillsDefense>0</iHillsDefense>
            <TerrainNatives>
            </TerrainNatives>
            <FeatureNatives>
            </FeatureNatives>
            <TerrainAttacks>
            </TerrainAttacks>
            <TerrainDefenses>
            </TerrainDefenses>
            <FeatureAttacks>
            </FeatureAttacks>
            <FeatureDefenses>
            </FeatureDefenses>
            <UnitClassAttackMods>
            </UnitClassAttackMods>
            <UnitClassDefenseMods>
            </UnitClassDefenseMods>
            <UnitCombatMods>
            </UnitCombatMods>
            <UnitCombatCollateralImmunes>
            </UnitCombatCollateralImmunes>
            <DomainMods>
            </DomainMods>
            <BonusProductionModifiers>
            </BonusProductionModifiers>
            <iBombRate>0</iBombRate>
            <iBombardRate>0</iBombardRate>
            <SpecialCargo>NONE</SpecialCargo>
            <DomainCargo>NONE</DomainCargo>
            <iCargo>0</iCargo>
            <iConscription>0</iConscription>
            <iCultureGarrison>6</iCultureGarrison>
            <iExtraCost>0</iExtraCost>
            <iAsset>4</iAsset>
            <iPower>9</iPower>
            <UnitMeshGroups>
            <iGroupSize>5</iGroupSize>
            <fMaxSpeed>1.75</fMaxSpeed>
            <fPadTime>1</fPadTime>
            <iMeleeWaveSize>5</iMeleeWaveSize>
            <iRangedWaveSize>0</iRangedWaveSize>
                <UnitMeshGroup>
                    <iRequired>5</iRequired>
                    <EarlyArtDefineTag>ART_DEF_UNIT_EINHERJAR</EarlyArtDefineTag>
                </UnitMeshGroup>
            </UnitMeshGroups>
            <FormationType>FORMATION_TYPE_DEFAULT</FormationType>
            <HotKey></HotKey>
            <bAltDown>0</bAltDown>
            <bShiftDown>0</bShiftDown>
            <bCtrlDown>0</bCtrlDown>
            <bGraphicalOnly>0</bGraphicalOnly>
            <iHotKeyPriority>0</iHotKeyPriority>
            <FreePromotions>
                <FreePromotion>
                    <PromotionType>PROMOTION_ANGEL</PromotionType>
                    <bFreePromotion>1</bFreePromotion>
                </FreePromotion>
                <FreePromotion>
                    <PromotionType>PROMOTION_GUARDSMAN</PromotionType>
                    <bFreePromotion>1</bFreePromotion>
                </FreePromotion>
                <FreePromotion>
                    <PromotionType>PROMOTION_VALOR</PromotionType>
                    <bFreePromotion>1</bFreePromotion>
                </FreePromotion>
            </FreePromotions>
            <LeaderPromotion>NONE</LeaderPromotion>
            <iLeaderExperience>0</iLeaderExperience>
            <bNeverObsolete>1</bNeverObsolete>
            <iCombatDefense>3</iCombatDefense>
            <iDurationFromCombat>1</iDurationFromCombat>
            <iTier>3</iTier>
            <DamageTypeCombats>
                <DamageTypeCombat>
                    <DamageType>DAMAGE_HOLY</DamageType>
                    <iCombat>2</iCombat>
                </DamageTypeCombat>
            </DamageTypeCombats>
        </UnitInfo>


(The part about not being able to enter the oceans until Malevolent designs is irrelevant here, that is something I added to almost every unit in the game to balance out my OO high priest spell that can give a temporary water walking promotion to the entire stack.)


in CvEventManager.py, under def onCityDoTurn(self, argsList):


		if pCity.getNumBuilding(gc.getInfoTypeForString('BUILDING_UNYIELDING_ORDER')) > 0:
			pCity.setOccupationTimer(0)
			pCity.changeHurryAngerTimer(-9)

I've taken different approaches to the Order high priest spell in different versions. In some, I just move Chalid's Pillar of Fire to Order High Priests. (That seems appropriate on account of the story of the order priests casting Pillar of Fire in order to punish the Luonnatar for their blasphemy, but of course the flames only burned the ropes binding them to their stakes as Junil did not want them harmed.) In other versions, I gave them Banish, a spell capable of outright killing any demons (and in some versions also units that would qualify to become Manes if killed) nearby or teleporting them to their capital or simply to neutral territory and holding them there for a while.

 

[Verdian]

Much obliged. Seeing even simple code is helpful for me.

I know you don't play DnD, but Banish is one of my favorite spells from it. It forces any creature from another plane back to their home plane. Of the spells you have tried to balance it with, which did you decide to stick with?

 

[Landmonitor]

This is something that really got me about this mod (which I am now playing exclusively on my few video game hours per week). I have found so far that the best thing to do is to pick one that will benefit your choice third-level summoning spell(s) (one or maybe two) and spam that one. Often my choice is dicated by my palace and/or shrines.

You can really leverage the power of your archmages by switching around your nodes when you level adepts to mages and mages to archmages as in this thread: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=329413.

I've used this in two games and am about to use it in a third (I've only played four real games of FFH). It lets you use the vast majority of your promotions for strength and spell extension, leaving the spells themselves to be gained through promoting your units.

 

[Kranden]

Fireballs are too amazing not to have, if you get a body mana as well you can have a fast moving army with mages to sieges that wont have catapults to slow you down.

 

[JonathanStrange]

Maybe Im missing out on something, but why would you want two Air or Nature nodes? Sorry but I don't understand your explanation.

The Ljosalfar starting mana: Air, Nature, Life

My fault: I should have written "Build a second source for Air mana" and "Build a second source for Nature mana" - the first source is from the Ljosalfar's Palace starting mana which includes Air and Nature - the second source would be from an Air node and a Nature node. You wouldn't need two Air or Nature nodes generally.

The reason for two Air and two Nature mana sources for the Ljos is to quickly get Maelstrom (Level II Air spell) and be on the path to Vitalize (Level III Nature spell). The Svartalfars love Poisoned Blades (Level II Nature spell) for their recon troops but the Ljos recon line isn't as impressive.

Basically, I like to leverage my starting manas in whatever civ I start with. I think FFH2's been pretty good at chosing appropriate starting manas. I haven't found Life mana as useful except in very narrow circumstances - Sanctify (Level I Life spell) I use quite a bit, but the other two levels are far less commonly needed.

 

[Rutee]

If you're going straight melee, shouldn't go up to Divination anyway, later on?

I mean, far be it from me to tell you to actually use mages, but you can use Law Nodes to bring down your maintenance.

 

[Breunor]

Sorry about the long post - but I felt that this should either be answered comrehensively or not at all. So I've written a very long post which I'll put in two messages. Here is the first part:

I’ll give my take on the question here. Note that there are better players out there, but I’ll give my take.

I do think board size matters, and a bunch of civ's do have special needs. Also, characteristics matter. Finally, victory type matters.

Victory Type

Let's start with victory type. Clearly if you are going for a tower victory, you want to go deep, and you will most likely want to get a metamagic node. At this point, then, it becomes a matter of which nodes to build when.

On larger maps there are more mana nodes; this means that we have two ‘pulling’ strategies – both going wide (building lots of different mana) and going deep (building the same mana for free promotions and strionger affinity bonuses) are stronger. Therefore, you have to decide if you are going for the tower victory ASAP and adjust. Note that also (I think) with the Blessing of Amatheon there are more nodes.

Indeed, the second question then is what type of victory you will go for even if you don’t go for a tower victory. Specifically, you have to decide how you will use your magic – to help conquer of help build.

If you are going to conquer, the next question is when you will make the ‘big push’. This could occur more than once. So, for instance, if you are playing on a continents map, you may want to conquer your continent early and then have an overseas conquest, but that may be late in the game. The reason this is important is that you have to decide if you will have just adepts, adepts and some mages, or a full set of archmages

If you are a summoner, then obviously, going for mana that helps summoning is more important. Death mana becomes a good choice because death provides solid summons at all three levels (and allows liches); if you are fighting using mages and adepts, then death is clearly the mana of choice. If you have archmages, then you want a mana with a real nice third level summons. If you go wide and find yourself with archmages, then those genies are real good; that is, genies/metamagic are the ultimate summon for a ‘wide’ strategy. Note that if you are summoning, you want to take strength and spell extension promotions, so the free spell with multiple nodes is useful here.

The next big decision is whether the mages/adepts/ archmages are the key to victory, or they are used to support. And to me, this decision is the single biggest factor.

Say we have an SoD with 50 units – then a support spell like dance of blades can impact 50 units, while a summon, although nice, has far less of an impact; but if you are a summoner and building mages out the wazoo to take the enemy down with minimal losses to permanent units, then you have a totally different strategy.

So, many of my specifics deal with this difference:

Support a large army mana

First level:

Enchantment, magic blade + a happiness, usually my first!
Body, for haste. If you know you won’t have non-alive units, this is probably the best spell – but it is good anyway. All three body spells can be real good.
If you are willing to take the diplo hit, Entropy for rust.
Chaos, dance of blades
Shadow, blur
Sprit, courage (optional). A must in some cases.
If you are on a water map, then air , fair winds, can be very useful.

(This is probably my order). At some point you will want life to sanctify in most cases if you are conquering areas with Hell terrain.

For mages, I like

Air for maelstrom (who doesn’t?)
Body here for regeneration.
Fire - If you go without catapults, we can add fire to bring the city defenses down.
Enchantment - Fire arrows can be nice but I don’t tend to get a lot of archers.
Sun , blinding light – I suspect this is considered a great spell for higher level players – when you are playing on deity and the enemy comes with 742 units in its SoD, being able to blind them to stop them in their tracks can be very useful! Obviously, it is less useful if you have Empyrean as your state religion since you will likely have combat units with this spell.
Shadow – This is especially useful if you are getting through defenses without pounding them down, that is, maelstorm or the equivalent to cause damage and then attack.

Destroy undead is kind of a ‘special’ spell. It is outrageously powerful in certain circumstances, but you need to determine if you will be facing undead.

The third level spells are so powerful I usually don’t choose based on them very often except for specific civ’s or I’ve already decided on death/wraiths or genies.

Builder Mana

Mind is really good! 3% increase in research, wow! And then you put one adept in each city with one FPP and two research, it REALLY ADDS UP!

If you aren’t running city states then think about Law, the 5% reduction in maintenance can be great. If you have overseas colonies it can be especially good.

The happiness from enchantment makes enchantment just a great choice all around when added to its combat benefits, especially early.

Clearly, if you have a lot of desert, I get water for spring probably first. Dessert is terrible!

Builder vs. Combat

This is tough, I usually go for combat, but I have to admit I don’t have a great set of rules.

Other Considerations

I mentioned above that some spells like sanctify are special (as is the second level life spell destroy undead) and the spell courage – sometimes courage is just plain the best spell in the game. Unfortunately, I think these are hard to ‘teach’ a computer.

Another consideration may be the ‘one more for a tower’. Even if you aren’t going for a tower victory, getting a tower can be strategically useful, especially the Tower of Divination which gives a free tech.



Best wishes,

Breunor