I love this game. It's complex, interesting, and requires a lot of strategy. I've played a lot of games like this one, and Illy is by far my favorite. There's just one little thing that's driving me insane.
Humans have a focus on cavalry, and thus do best in the plains. That's great. Cavalry makes sense as a focus, and plains settlements are pretty typical. I kind of wish humans could survive in the mountains, but that's okay.
Orcs have a focus on spearmen, and do fine almost anywhere. That's great. Orcs are like the rodents of mythology; they get everywhere.
Dwarves have a focus on infantry. That's great. Dwarves are best-known for their strong axe-wielding, heavily-armored warriors. However, this means they do best in the forest. Dwarves are not forest-dwellers. They are mountain-, hill-, or cave- dwellers in almost all folklore, mythology, and fantasy. Just look at Lord of the Rings! Dwarves should thrive in the mountains.
Elves have a focus on archers. That's great. Elves are typically shown in lots of fantasy/mythology with incredible reflexes and dexterity, and they typically have incredible archers. However, this means they do best in the mountains. Elves show up in all kinds of mythology and fantasy as people at one with nature. They are happiest and deadliest in a forest. In forests, they can move quickly and silently, ambushing and destroying noisy humans/orcs/dwarves. Once again, look at Lord of The Rings. Elves should thrive in the forest.
I enjoy playing this type of game defensively. I build up heavy defenses, both from buildings and from units, and am rarely targetted. I'm a major asset to my alliance by being able to send lots of defensive troops to bolster up an ally under attack. I really enjoy that role. So when choosing a race, I picked dwarf. However, much to my surprise, it turns out that elves are best for defenses.
Rather than laughing at the enemy horde from the inside of my impenetrable fortress, I'm camped out in a jungle... swinging on vines? I'm severely tempted to move to a mountain anyways, but then my troops would be at a large disadvantage.
I'm not really concerned with the mechanics of how it's done, but dwarves and elves should have their roles and primary terrains swapped. Dwarves are even described as defensive when choosing a race, but they've yet to live up to that. Let us play dwarves as they're supposed to be. And let the elves live in the forest like they're supposed to.
Edited by Acromir - 10 Apr 2012 at 18:41