«

[Smiling Spectre]

Originally Posted by kyrubb

1. Immediately after the beginning set the tax to 2.0 gold per population and put it down only if the unrest is unsupportable.

Not exactly right. Actually, income rises only for workers, BUT rising tax automatically rise revolting, and they are not paying anything. But farmers that needed for city's life never revolts. And garrison helps too. So it is "dynamic" question - I personally gradually rise taxes until my income start falling (it is visible immediately).

555. Diplomacy - Use spell gifts if you need to maintain good relations (works until turn 100, than useless due to a bug).

Wrong. My experiences (v1.31) says that computer never break any pacts by it's initiative. It is only your fault.

Avoid nearing cities for 3 turns = war.

You receive warning and slight decrease in relations if you'll end your turn close than 2 squares away of cities (the same zone that visible in city map, I presume). If you simply pass this zone, it is safe. And war, if this state remained more than 2 turns in row.

Originally Posted by Pex

Haven't been much of a diplomat really. I like exchaning spells (especially if I have a useless spell to offer ), but turns out that enemy will attack me sooner or later anyway, if I'm in their way (litterally, like in that example I used). And even then they won't consider being at war.

It is bug in pathfinding - enchanted roads and settlers often generate it. But if computer can reconsider, it is usually do it.

And diplomacy extremely useful, BTW. You can trade away almost any "your" spell, even if your spellbooks don't allow to research it.

Originally Posted by Nivm

It gets tedious after a while, but I've noticed that most of the time, 1-3 figures in towns can be taken of the current project to farm without changing the time until it's finished.

Check race, actually. There is no much good for farming, if you try to farm with dwarf, and there is little use of halfling-miner. Remember: farmer gave you more money as tax, but workers gave much more income when making "Trade Goods". My empire usually ends with ten halfling's capitals that feed all this remained 50 cities of working men, elves and trolls.

By placing Engineers on a Planar Tower, setting a road to be built from it, then changing the Engineers' plane, will allow that road to be built over water or anything at the time cost of what you first selected. Maga project bridges!

Looks like you are forgot something. Planar towers ALWAYS interconnected - there is not possible to built road in tower on one plane and simultaneously on water on other.

And I believe (v1.31 again) that Engineers cannot build over water - even with swimming or flying. I tried - but I can be wrong, of course.

When placing units with an Air Mage, sometimes the air mage's movement speed is used, sometimes he is as slow as the slowest unit. Why determines this?

If Mage have Wind Walking ability, every unit with him travelling on clouds, so stack always will have Mage speed (even if stack almost finish it's movement, but Mage is not). But if he is simply flying, you will not receive this bonus. I used it many times, so it is strange to hear... Is your version 1.31?

Originally Posted by Oso

I have noticed there are some things in the Official Strategy Guide that don't quite follow my game experience.

Yes, guide is very strange. I checked it, and it is totally different in many aspects.

1. There could be fixed population in dungeons for start - but it is increased over time! (At least on last difficulty level - Impossible, I think?). When lair reached full capacity, it began to spawn it's habitants into outer world, upgrading simultaneously population inside lair. So in first 100 turns in Sorcery nodes you will meed one-two Phantom beasts with five Illusion Warriors, but after, say, 500 turns it will be full set of 8 Sky Drakes.

2. There is always question of relative strength. Computer takes into account all "innate" abilities and number of units, but, it seems, don't count hero/unit enchantments and items. So heroes always receive better rewards, and better when they are in small numbers. Also only current opponent's strength counts. If you killed 7 Wyrms and retreated from one single bear, than returned and kill the bear - you will receive only reward for this bear, and this is all.