General's balance issue (not the one that has been so widely discussed)

reviving the dead versus summoning

The generals seem to face a problem with balance...Oak and Erebus both have ways of enlisting the dead into their service on the fly. Whereas Queen of Thorns and Sedna both have to summon to get their minions. I think both methods have some merit, but really, the lack of attention needed by the male generals (that probably has nothing to do with why their methods of acquiring followers is different...but the differentiation takes place along the same line) to acquire minions makes for something I think is imbalancing. The amount of mana required for the women's minions makes them...a bit of an investment, whereas the men can either do nothing and still get followers, or simply place a flag and pick up any in the area. I can imagine shamblers as a kind of zombie made when she kills something...Sedna I'm at a loss for.

Also; the women's spells/attributes that allow for them to inspire or help their allies is pretty weak and not as plentiful as their male counterparts. Rally and Divine Justice, and Erebus multitude of area effect spells, simply dwarf their female couterparts in terms of making troops more effective. Divine Grace is nice, so too healing wind, and may be sufficient. But I feel like it is only that...sufficient, where the male generals have well defined characters ripe with capablity for the role of a general, the female generals just don't. The Queen of Thorns has it much worse, her role as a general seems...odd, one area effect spell and one attribute that is helpful to her followers. She makes sense as a general in that she runs around a war between demigods largely naked and would need some support, but the actual charater is lacking...she does not fit the bill as a general. I'm not saying you should make her an assasin, but, if she is a general, then perhaps she should actually fit the role somehow.

I get the feeling these sorts of things aren't going to change this late in the development, but I'd like to voice these comments anyway.

Also (sort of related, but somewhat off topic) the female avatars are much shorter than the male ones. 4'10" women are fine, but not the average, if you look at the more anthropomorphic male avatars, like Oak, Regulus, or Erebus, or even torch bearer, either they stand at 8' compared to the female's 5'6"/5'8" or they're five feet or under in height. I don't know how tall they're actually supposed to be, but it seems a little distorted.

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My humble opinion is to put the tree that gives you more shamblers and the tree that expands their health and damage right below it together.

The problem is the cost of creating almost useless minions with much needed mana in the early game. Currently, any and all minions (including the Oak's spirits) are completely avoidable at any stage of the game. When you use precious skill points making your Shamblers tougher, your opponent can now stun the shit out of you and drain your health for 1000 damage, as well as throw up on you for another 1000. So you send your retarded minions after the Demigod that is about to pwn your sorry face because you wasted your points on speed bumps while you run and pray they don't follow you into your health stone seeing as how you wasted your money on +minion armor items, and they picked up some nice armor and Wyrmskin gloves.

Broke my friend.

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I can see your argument for that, and it's pretty reasonable a method. But that also plays into the investment element of the game. You invest time and mana in summoning, and even worse, have to separately provide yourself with either more minions or more minion health. I think the issue gets to this with your comment added, the minions of the male generals cost nothing (or next to nothing) to acquire, and in a like way are expendable without any real remorse. Erebus picking up a member of his coven, or Oak acquiring a spirit is no effort to acquire and no loss if they die. Whereas for the female generals, they are investments, ones that, as you say, don't pay off.

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I think the different methods of summoning minions bring some welcome variety to the game. However, seeing the complaints about Oak's spirits being overpowered, there is need for some balance adjustments. It is a thin line between the minions being overpowered and useless. On the other hand, an endgame Sedna with a bunch of mana regen items can resummon her minions pretty much at will too.

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