The Things I Disliked about MoM

[Troy_Costisick]

Playing it again this weekend, I hated how I automatically felt like I had to choose fire to get some Bolt spells and Sorcery to get Phasmal Soldiers. Those spells are so useful, but I hate having to choose them especially if I feel like I'm playing a lesser race.

[Chilingsworth]

I've always hated the weak diplomacy system. Both the lack of options and the impossibility of forming lasting alliances (or even long term peace.) I'd like to see addition of trade and research agreements a la MoO2, or an equivalent mechanic. Also, it would be nice to be able to trade money or mana for spells rather than only trading spells for spells. Or, even trading (copies of) spell books with close allies. After all, you can gain them from ruins and such anyway.

[radu.pitica]

I would much prefer a AoW style fleeing : you can only flee by moving units to a specific cell(s) in the board. So chances of fleeing depend on tactical skill and units actual features. If your unit is fast, it can easily flee. If the ennemy has ranged unit, fleeing is harder. And so on.

I don't actually know how it is in AoW but I'd really like to see that taken to the next level where if you get certain units to the flee cells they flee but not everyone. It would make it harder to flee large cumbersome armies and also make retreating specific units more of a tactical move.

For example, if you had some settlers and some guard units your settlers have a higher chance of escape if you leave your guards behind to fight or be sacrificed it makes it easier for your settlers to escape.

It could create some interesting (read potentially bad) balance dynamics where you have a physically weak spellcaster unit who casts some spells then flees so they can't be hit. But then that unit would be alone after the battle and easier prey; so the whole issue could just work itself out.

Either way, +1 for both cell specific fleeing and costing big map movement points to flee.

[lordcy]

The things I disliked from MoM were the overland spells casted by the enemy wizards like Meteor Storm and Great Wasting. The corruption squares or the meteors would always hit specific Heros (even ones with Stoning immunity) and units or important city buildings or overland squares. These spells could easily cripple you early in a game if you didn't have any disjunction available to counter.

I also disliked if you built a spearman or a swordsman, why couldn't you pay some kind of "upgrade" fee to have this unit upgraded to a bowman or slinger? I would take a time penalty of 1-2 turns while they train and pay an "upgrade" fee which would surely be cheaper than building a new unit and disbanding the unit you don't need. It would have been even nicer if after a major battle, if your unit survived, one character in your units had the small chance to reach Hero status and become a playable Hero.

Following a similar "upgrade" path as above, I disliked that I couldn't take average weapons, armor, or rings and "upgrade" them. Only choices were to use or destroy.

Another thing I disliked was the ability to use the Surveyor tool to determine if a city was near your unit in the beginning of the game. I'm not saying that I didn't do that, but I did think it was unfair to the AI who probably weren't doing the same, even on the Impossible level.

Lastly, I disliked Nightshade because it wouldn't stop any spell attacks directed towards the city like Meteor Storm, Raise Volcano, and Call the Void. It would just stop lower quality spells like Pestilence or Famine which were slightly helpful, but the overland spells were much worse to a city. Thanks.

LordCy

[Gatts]

What I hated was hunting down armies.
I liked the approach of Age of Wonders: when combat commenced, the attacked unit plus all attached units attended the battle. So one epic battle instead 2-6 lame quick fights. I missed this especially when the enemy or I had Zombie Mastery and there were hundreds of Zombie stacks (of 6 o 8 units) blocking the way of my immortal hero. Waste of time and my clicking finger joints

Also I was totally missing some effective way of border control. (Either the system of Civilization, IV, V, where units can't pass beyond my country borders, and if they do, their movement is diminished)
As we speak about Fantasy TBS, well known Fire Wall could be expanded till country borders, so every enemy or neutral unit passing through would receive elemental damage... this could be expanded towards different spell circles: Elemental storm > Lightning damage, Falling rocks > mundane damage, Traveling Tornado > Air damage, Desecrated unholy plains > unholy damage...

I totally disliked the system of corruption... I would not mind, if the corruption removal would be somehow more automated (I would set up few armies of priests who would automatically remove corruption, or even better, if stationed in certain city, in the city area would be corruption removed automatically, regarding the count and level of the priests)
Same goes for Volcanoes, very cheap, but highly effective, when enemy did cast this spell 2x per turn all around my capital... without effective counter-spell. Here again, shall be some restriction placed in:
- Selecting of exact volcano position should be expensive proportional towards distance from casters capital + distance behind enemy borders... it is easier to place evil spell in neutral or own area, than in middle of enemy empire.

Also other global damaging spells (Armageddon) should have problem to get beyond borders of strong enemy sorcerers. The point should be in the extended magical protection. While in MoM the protection was only for the city square, it could be expanded to the city area.
This could give extra meaning to players, who do not like to wage wars and follow the path of perpetual offense, but also sorcerers who like to thrive on their own territory, may use their power to truly protect themselves. Such protection may of course not only consist from defending spells, but also may incorporate units (mages, shamans, priests) who would have to stay stationed in the towns. Also it may drain mana, each extra prevented offensive/destructive spell could take a portion of mana from the pool (or from power, making them weaker in turn-by-turn fight/battles)

[David Cook]

So I will agree with the following dislikes previously mentioned:
- AI was terrible
- Crazy randomness of monsters that could wipe out an early game
- lack of usefulness of the ocean tiles

I have not seen this mentioned:
- Risk not equal the reward. You finally put together your big army, take down the Sky Drake and find (bwah bwah) 100 mana crystals! What!
Imho if you are fighting something that hard to kill you should always find something useful. And I think it should scale accordingly so that when you beat the top guys you get the best loot.

- Rivers serve no purpose! Since rivers cost movement to cross and help defenders (or should), there should be some way to use them for transport. Barge units or canoe units or such. That would really change the way we view rivers. You might work harder to control a long river for strategic value.