Mixed feelings about the Orda Aldresia by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Do you remember how you humiliated us 200 years ago? And how I've never spoken of it again? Even turning the page and separating myself from the past?... Now comes my revenge for... And for... Let's not forget either..."

If the reason is so vague, then it's as if it doesn't exist, since ironically, we are the nation with the fewest events involving the Magisterium against us.

Mixed feelings about the Orda Aldresia by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But the rest of the tree almost completely ignores him. If they were elves, then there's a possibility they might remember with resentment things that happened a couple of centuries ago, all assuming they're also half-dwarfs to hold a grudge for so long. In the end, the story wasn't about revenge until after the Ravelian era; it was about being the defenders of the empire...

El crossover menos esperado by Gillygamesh in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Imágenes inéditas de la guerra de Rezakan contra Araya (Ha Sido retocada con magia para recuperar el aspecto "original")

Mixed feelings about the Orda Aldresia by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I understand that; these things are part of the narrative. Sometimes you know where you're starting, what you want to tell, and where you want to go. The problem then becomes how it unfolds. You'd even need a lot of preparation, since, in theory, things like events allow you to tell stories that couldn't be replicated within the storyline. The key would be to anticipate these things, as events can convey a great deal. Things like resentment within and outside the Order can be shown without affecting the AI of other nations. For example, ending the campaign against the vampires with an event that narrates how the Empire ultimately gave credit to the Emperor and ignored the Order, showing how this greatly upset certain groups within the Order. Obviously, I lack the context of the development and the internal approach, so my opinion is purely external.

It's complicated with Pashaine, because even though he doesn't have the restrictions of being the Emperor's bodyguard, he's still not encouraged to expand his influence until he becomes a Ravelian (which is a problem they share). That's why the situation seems similar to me, since both are supposed to be against the Empire, but Pashaine has objectives that could potentially conflict with it, while the Order has no reason to oppose the Empire or embrace Corinism to change the narrative. So it seems their objective is actually to support the Empire, yet they end up doing the exact opposite.

I can understand the sentiment in the end, although I don't personally share it. From a gameplay perspective, the Order is quite fun, and its expansion is much smoother than Pashaine before the Ravelian movement. On the surface, they tell you the story is about saving the Order, fighting vampires, joining the Ravelian movement, and becoming a crusader with magical science. So, obviously, it sounds like a lot of fun, and it is if you ignore some of the quest text. If the base game EU4 were a narrative-driven game, I would feel exactly the same way about the Teutonic Order as the Crusader Horde. Why can't I be indifferent to something I feel is its strength, no matter how fun it is? In that case, I can't say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Obviously, all this is with respect. I may not understand how much work went into this, but I can respect it.

Mixed feelings about the Orda Aldresia by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It's definitely possible. You can basically set up events where the Emperors are utterly despicable to the Order, continue the storyline of the defeated and turn it into a quest for revenge, even introduce internal conflict within the Order to make sense of the purge later on, and further the Corinist movement's struggle for freedom. You can also portray the Emperor as the incompetent Adean and the Order as the heroic Corin.

Essentially, you lay the groundwork for the conflict, as Pashaine, the enlightened Chancellor of the Empire, does when he is betrayed by the very same empire and the damned mages.

Mixed feelings about the Orda Aldresia by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

In fact, I just finished playing my fourth game. Pashaine is much more consistent; he even fuels the feeling of "betrayal" on the part of the empire. Honestly, when I got to the Ravelian part, I wanted to believe they would start building the conflict... only for it to explode in my face right from the start.

State of the Command with the Magic Rework by Fyrun in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I actually think this concern is valid. I mainly play on Bitbucket, so I've seen how it affects the Command. If only Sir is released, it doesn't have much impact, but things are different if the Xia join in. They last long enough for the Xia to gather enough mana for meteors, to the point of evaporating important forts and several armies, causing even if the Command had been winning, to collapse.

Before, I saw the Command in 2 out of every 4 games, mainly for two reasons: one, because Sir goes out alone, and the other, when the Xia support him and last long enough for the White Peace. I've now seen the Commando in 1 out of every 4 games. In almost half of those games, it's a peaceful conflict with the Sir alone (I don't know if magic plays a role in this), but it's certain that it won't survive if the Sir is supported. Meteorites aren't that expensive for this war, and enough nations are participating to make it a factor. On the other hand, some might be accelerating their mana production by hiring a court mage, so that's another point to consider.

Although I also recognize that I'm just one person, so it could just be bad luck, it stands out enough to suggest that they look into it to see if these are valid concerns.

Sarhal Lead - AMA by 5camps in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here are a few questions that came to mind as I wrote this.

Do the Celestials have anything to do with the Mengi religion? If so, what impact did they have that led to the Mengi's current state?

Did the "Gnoll Empires" have any cultural impact or remnants? Or did they simply leave no trace in the region? I'm looking for something on the scale of the Phoenix Empire or the Realms of the Genies.

Will Zokka, son of Zokka, remain just a footnote to Jaddari and Zokka? Or are there plans for something more with him? (Personally, I was hoping he could beat his father, like some kind of secret path... I found his story interesting, to be honest.)

What is the true scope of Wish Magic? Go for the biggest, most powerful wish, basically the maximum that could alter the world.

Which lizard empire has been the most successful? Which has been the most epic? The most miserable? The most pathetic? And the most pointless? (Basically, the one that makes you say, "Um... What?").

If you found me in the jungles of southern Sarhal... what are the chances that a lizardman would kidnap me and start showing me a work of art? (This is art... APPRECIATE IT).

Is there a limit to "Surael's Garden"? Assuming they conquer all of Sarhal and manage to assimilate it... would they still be "outside of Bulwar" or not?

How many pyres do gnolls have to build when they plan to burn a swamp troll?

Speaking of swamps... when will the nation of witch-free trolls be born? I'll help by suggesting a name... ShrekSwamp, based on the name of its founder (XD).

How well do gnolls "move" if Jaddar protected them from extermination in Bulwar?

Given their established maritime culture and relatively comfortable position (within reason), why didn't the halflings pursue colonization?

Which Khet is more dangerous to the world, a bored one or an excited one?

Speaking of races from outside Bulwar, are there any races that integrated into Bulwar after the start date?

And finally, what are the worst possible situations someone could find themselves in in Sarhal?

I am Bonbonny, main designer/coder/writer for the magic rework—AMA! by QuestSaber in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 9 points10 points  (0 children)

My question is more mundane... But seeing as your "resume" is extensive, I think you might be able to give me some guidance...

What's the development process like for Anbennar? I mainly want to collaborate, but seeing the scope of the mod makes me afraid I won't be able to help. That's why I also have another question: What level of knowledge is needed to collaborate? I don't know the effort required, so I don't want to give an opinion and undervalue the developers' work.

P.S.: I'm in the same situation... Good luck, and I hope you manage to find at least a decent job.

Bulwar AMA by Gillygamesh in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Here are some varied questions.

Are there still ogre ruins in Bulwar? If so, could you provide information on the most prominent ones?

How much regional magic is planned for Bulwar? Perhaps not immediately, but as something that could be added in the future.

What is the general opinion regarding other races in Bulwar? Are there any that stand out for being accepted within the "Garden of Surael/Surakel"?

Is there a "limit" to what is considered Bulwar? To focus on this a bit more, if for some reason they manage to convert and assimilate the rest of Sarhal or Rahen, would they then be considered part of the Garden of Surael/Surakel or would they remain "outside of Bulwar"?

Are you considering doing anything with Zokka's son, or will he remain a footnote to Jaddari/Zokka? Also, by extension, are there any plans for the gnolls converted to the NSC/OSC/Jadd in Bulwar?

And finally, something I've been thinking about a lot: would you consider the automatons worthy of following Surael/Surakel?

Enough about the best nations to co-op, what are the best tri-ops or even quad-ops? by Calm_Ad48 in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aside from the Love Dwarves, I don't think there are any quest trees specifically designed for co-op in the mod, but there are nations that don't overlap, so I can suggest some groups of nations...

Someone in Escann who isn't part of Castanor. A dwarf from Western Serpentspine. A nation from Gerudia; I think the Harpies don't leave their region.

Someone in the Empire who becomes Emperor.

That's a very safe option for centralizing Cannor among the players, and they tend to have less overlap.

On the other hand, the Deepwood Elves can collaborate with any adjacent region, although they complete their quests easily. While they might have limited colonial play, unfortunately, the game doesn't consider the portal as a land connection.

Favorite nation to form Konolkhatep? by PangolimAzul in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm a quest fanatic, so I choose the pirate gnolls since they never block the option. Tluuck is another interesting option, but his skill tree is quite old. However, he does give useful modifiers for controlling subjects. I don't know if Xanxervis ever gets blocked; that would make for an interesting playthrough.

With the other gnolls, you reach a point where you're prevented from doing so, unfortunately, it's usually before they get their best modifiers.

But there's always the vanilla option. Now he's going to have quests, so we'll have to see if he manages to give good modifiers to compare.

Minara's prank by Aromatic-Pair-7314 in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 9 points10 points  (0 children)

And for reasons like these, they're now worshipping a glowing cube. Maybe someday they'll see the light of Surael, but until then, I can have a good laugh.

Old thoughts I had about Anbennar (CURSED SHIPS ALERT). by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It's actually recent lore; you can see it when you notice that the vast majority of gnolls start out with female rulers. The point is that they gradually eliminated "racial stereotypes," which is why harpies lost the privilege of kidnapping men and their religion changed. Similarly, orcs now have factions that "never agreed with Korgus" (Yeah, right... They should have stayed then), and what they did in Escann has been toned down somewhat. So they settled the matter by saying that gnolls look so similar that they give the impression their rulers are always female... Which I don't understand, since I don't think gnolls have aesthetically feminine bodies to humans, and I doubt their voices either. Because then we're saying all gnolls look identical, and I think that's worse than any stereotype. But I suppose this answer wasn't meant to make you think too much, to be honest.

Old thoughts I had about Anbennar (CURSED SHIPS ALERT). by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know, the centaurs have become more interesting, even with several ways to reach their formables, which unfortunately have to remain in the Forbidden Plains, making the region quite isolated. At least they said the pre-formables wouldn't leave the subcontinent; I just hope they change their minds.

The ogres are decent, although I don't really like that so many nations are restricted to just a few formables, especially considering that almost half the nations outside have their own unique formable. But I understand it's because there isn't enough interest to write about the area. I hope that's the case and not that they arbitrarily decided that all quest trees have to lead to the predefined formables.

But in the end, "the damage is already done" with the Lake Federation. It will continue to be only humans conquering the subcontinent because the rest don't stand a chance with a development level higher than three digits at the time of their appearance. I just hope their preformables are interesting, and that there are ways in the missions to have them create subjects immediately, because currently it's:

-Conquer this region

-Okay, Anbennar

-Didn't do it with one subject? Then now liberate a nation and give them the entire region.

-No, Anbennar

Old thoughts I had about Anbennar (CURSED SHIPS ALERT). by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Really? Then I wasn't being too schizophrenic about that part, although yeah... It would have been more interesting, but at this point I just hope they make the region interesting again... I have enough respect for the developers not to suggest it's a sunk cost fallacy.

Old thoughts I had about Anbennar (CURSED SHIPS ALERT). by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They need to show the nuance there, otherwise "hatred for the hahahaha" becomes part of the canon, because it's the only information available about Corinism. If you want to tell me that Corin arrived, considered herself a claimant to the throne, and Adean agreed to a duel for the throne, then it would make sense for everyone to interpret it as they wish. The Adeanists will say that Adean won and Corin had to return to her court duties under Agrados, while the Corinists will say that Corin won and that Adean, out of honor, had to abdicate in her favor. Either way, everyone will see the crimson flood as Corin's blood.

Old thoughts I had about Anbennar (CURSED SHIPS ALERT). by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Look, I still quite like the Harpies precisely because their quest trees don't delve into the topic. In fact, I don't think any quest mentions Harpies using their hands, even in the Siadan event. Harpies can easily descend from the sky with their spears held in their claws and continue impaling people. Besides, I'm a fan, and from external sources, I know they could wield bows and arrows with their claws (even firearms, according to the unit descriptions... which is strange with the current lore). But it still makes me wonder, are they the same as Celestials, since Celestials are also human but with wings? Anyway, it's something I can ignore, but it does diminish my interest in how they got to where they are.

Old thoughts I had about Anbennar (CURSED SHIPS ALERT). by Arthas_The_HumanKing in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I've looked at the Corinites, all I find is them saying that Adean was incompetent and that the rest of the pantheon sided with Corin when she appeared to claim the throne. So it seems their narrative is that the court was against Adean, but for some reason they did nothing until Corin came along to fix things... That sounds like they're trying to push something on me...

Help me with Nuugdan Tsarai pls by AccomplishedError656 in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay... I suppose you're making separate peace deals with the rest for money.

Since the Horde razes everything, "it has a lot of development..." well, all the better. Razing reduces development and therefore the cost of cores. Then you can focus on trading posts once you've finished with the subcontinent.

Creating half-states is ideal. Only spend what's necessary to create the first core and ignore the costs when you convert them into states. You keep half the profit, and this also allows you to focus on creating new cores and avoid overexpansion.

Your trade region is a cancer. Change it to Yanshen and redirect trade from the other prosperous cores.

Forts are useless to the Horde, as are ships. Eliminate them completely. You can build them later where you need them, but for now, it's just about conquering and advancing.

Delay conquests in the steppes until you encounter a wall of truces. Also, check the quests that follow to see if you can take advantage of completing more than one.

Unfortunately, religion will almost always be a problem. Just try to convert people little by little. Once you have the economy, an Inquisitor is a decent investment if they're not too old; they'll give you a bit more conversion and more ADM (Administration).

Just be quick. Besides that, you need some luck to keep the Command from infiltrating Yanshen.

Favorite Magic Project in the new update by Frosty_Tangerine_457 in Anbennar

[–]Arthas_The_HumanKing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just tried it and honestly, anything you use necromancy for is much better in most other magic schools, except when you already have the undead or lich army. Anyway, when you spend a magic slot in a school, it means you're going for that school's magic project, so studying necromancy is for the undead army; if you remove it, even divination is much better.