Dominions 4 video...huh??

[Nefaro]

Some nations got much needed buffing. 

I also noticed that some of the new spells filled out holes in some of the types.  There are a number of new Nature spells that help fill it out better, for example.

[Yskonyn]

On the Desura forums there is a rather big discussion about the impact on Blood Hunting with the new tax system mechanic.
It'll be interesting to see how this will play out.

[Yskonyn]

 ::) How people are stuck in their own box...

I see a lot of complaining about new or changed features in the beta and how they have an impact on their tactics and playstyle. So what? Adapt! It's a new game which -from the looks of things- has made a pretty good stride at trying to get things more balanced. Yes, that will mean your favorite OP tactic will probably not work anymore.
And yes that will mean that you, with your insane knowledge of every number and modifier in the game, will not have such an advantage over hapless noobs anymore. Uncomfortable, isn't it?

/ rant off

One thing I know for sure; I will stay away from so called Balance mods for quite a while with Dom 4. Until people actually know the inner working of the game well instead of just making it into a Dom 3 CBM clone again.

[tgb]

I finally dabbled in 3 enough (I was given a copy) to want to explore more, and like some of the changes I'm reading about.  Is this in good enough shape to play now, or do I need to wait until it spends a little more time in the oven?

[Yskonyn]

I haven't spent much time with the beta, but I'll go by a remark from Kris (one of the devs); the sprites are still riddled with missing ones and Dom 3 crap.

But gameplay-wise I think it's pretty well playable.

[Huw the Poo]

One thing I know for sure; I will stay away from so called Balance mods for quite a while with Dom 4. Until people actually know the inner working of the game well instead of just making it into a Dom 3 CBM clone again.

Excellent point, Ysk.  Given the depth and complexity of the game, I wouldn't trust any so-called balance mods for months.

[Yskonyn]

I've been inspecting the contents of the Dom 4 with the excellent Mod Inspector site found here:

Mod Inspector

Just choose Select Files in the last line under 'Local filesystem'. It can read .trs files.

There's an Evo 8 spell called 'Second Sun' which requires Fire 8 and 80 gems which is a global spell with the following discription:
"The caster creates a huge ball of fire in the sky. This Second Sun will always shine, day and night, resulting in severe effects across the entire world. Provinces will become hotter and drier every turn until the Second Sun is destroyed. This enchantment lasts until someone dispels it or the caster dies."

Pretty cool spell, but I would assume there would also be a cold equivalent, but I cannot seem to find it.
Do you guys know if there is one?

[Nefaro]

::) How people are stuck in their own box...

I see a lot of complaining about new or changed features in the beta and how they have an impact on their tactics and playstyle. So what? Adapt! It's a new game which -from the looks of things- has made a pretty good stride at trying to get things more balanced. Yes, that will mean your favorite OP tactic will probably not work anymore.
And yes that will mean that you, with your insane knowledge of every number and modifier in the game, will not have such an advantage over hapless noobs anymore. Uncomfortable, isn't it?

/ rant off

One thing I know for sure; I will stay away from so called Balance mods for quite a while with Dom 4. Until people actually know the inner working of the game well instead of just making it into a Dom 3 CBM clone again.

I definitely agree with everything you pointed out.

Been completely avoiding checking out the Dom4 forum as the old die-hards, set in their ways, will certainly be complaining about any changes.  Thus far I like what I see.  There has been more work done on it than I originally expected from all the cries of it being 'just an upgrade'.  It looks like it'll be more a bit more balanced than Dom3, and the only people who could complain about that.. well, you already mentioned.

Also enjoying some of the new sprite art.  I enjoy this kind of 2D art when it's done well, not just blobs of varied colors, or a jumble of pixellation, as some self-labelled "old school" games provide.

[Fetrik]

I'm not into mp and all that, but i have no doubt i will pick this gem up some day. It's just that for the moment i don't feel like it.

[Boggit]

I have and love Dom3, but I don't see enough meat on Dom4 to justify buying it, unless it's really cheap in a sale. I see both sides of the argument about graphics, although frankly the game would really benefit from an overhaul, as some have already said here. I imagine Dom4's best market are new players in this otherwise great game.

[JasonPratt]

Second Sun sounds exactly the same (in its description) to the Second Sun spell from Dom3 (possibly earlier); the winter/cold match was called Illwinter(!) in Dom3, and given that's the name of their company I expect it's still the same, too. :)

Of course the actual mechanics of the spell(s) may have changed. But the description is the same. Someone threw it during Groghammer, if I recall correctly.

[tgb]

As a new player who finally found the love thanks to a copy of 3 that was gifted me not long ago, I went ahead and purchased the beta, but haven't spent a lot of time with it yet.

A question about Desura - does it automatically update games the way Steam does, or do I have to manually apply any patches?

[Nefaro]

A question about Desura - does it automatically update games the way Steam does, or do I have to manually apply any patches?

If you use the Desura client for downloading your games, then each of your games with an available update on the list will show a circular arrow symbol.  Click on that symbol and you'll get a pop-up with patch notes and the 'Update' button. 

IIRC, I believe that's what it defaults to.  I may have changed my settings long ago and forgot.  I don't really like how every time I fire up the Steam client, it's downloading multiple patches for stuff I'm not playing at the moment.  So I may well have switched it to manual on the Desura client, if it has such an option.  I don't recall doing so, however. 

So yeah, just a button to click.  Unless you don't wanna use the client, then you can just download the installer file from your login in a web browser.

[Huw the Poo]

Nefaro's right, and it does default to having you manually click the circular arrow.

[son_of_montfort]

I could not get the beta to DL through the Desura client. Instead, I had to go to the Desura website, login, and DL from there.

The beta seems fun, although there is not a huge amount of change to the actual gameplay. The UI changes, however, may well be worth the $$, as everything is so much easier to understand and see.