Minecraft Minute - Industrial Craft 2 Experimental

One of my side hobbies is making Minecraft videos.  A series I did way back in January/February of 2014 was the Minecraft Minute for Industrial Craft 2 Experimental.  When I want to know how to do something in Minecraft I often appreciate videos that are short and to the point.

Here are 33 videos I made on various topics in Industrial Craft 2 Experimental.

• Forge Hammer (youtube)
• Iron Furnace (youtube)
• Cutter (youtube)
• Generator (youtube)
• Electric Furnace (youtube)
• BatBox (youtube)
• Scaffolding (youtube)
• Reinforced Stone (youtube)
• Iron Scaffold (youtube)
• Metal Former (youtube)
• Fuel Rod (youtube)
• Crystal Memory (youtube)
• Filling a CF Sprayer (youtube)
• Electric Wrench Lossless (youtube)
• Nightvision Goggles (youtube)
• Quantum Chestpiece Jetpack (youtube)
• Solar Panel (youtube)
• Rubber Boots (youtube)
• Scuba Helmet (youtube)
• Full Hazmat Suit (youtube)
• Compressor (youtube)
• Make a Diamond From Coal (youtube)
• Advanced Alloy (youtube)
• Carbon Plate (youtube)
• Energy Crystal (youtube)
• Basic Nuclear Reactor (youtube)
• MOX Nuclear Reactor (youtube)
• Macerator (youtube)
• Jetpack (youtube)
• Geothermal Generator (youtube)
• Pumping Lava From Nether with Buildcraft for Geothermal Generator (youtube)

Vanilla Reloaded - Authoring a quest driven experience

Minecraft is one of my great gaming loves for the last year.  I've played countless hours of vanilla, as well as modded packs.

However, when I try to introduce friends to Minecraft, sometimes it doesn't stick.  I think it doesn't stick for a variety of reasons

• Some players hear that Minecraft is an "open world undirected game" and decide it's not for them before they even start.
• Some players try it for 20 minutes but get stuck and frustrated and drop out.  The early game experience is not kind and they don't know what they're supposed to do.
• Some players are so used to a directed game experience they simply can't play games anymore without a task list.

To try and solve these problems I've begun work on a questing pack for Minecraft.  I am using the Hardcore Questing Mod (HQM) by the Hardcore Questing team.  Don't let the name fool you, it does not have to be Hardcore.  I'm mostly interested in the Questing component of it.

Before anybody says I'm "destroying the magic of Minecraft" by creating a directed experience, let me say - I love the Minecraft open-ended experience.  However, I believe many gamers simply don't know how to play without a task list anymore.  An important rule in game design is "don't fight the player psychology."  Or at least, if you're going to fight player psychology, you better have a good reason to do so.  I contend that most of the people who are ready for an open-ended experience already enjoy Minecraft.  I'm not making this mod for them. This mod is for people who haven't been able to enjoy the game in it's native state.

Have you noticed that Minecraft tends to be more popular with kids than adults?  One reason for this is that children's brains naturally look wide. They are easily distracted, naturally curious, and always looking around them.  Adults on the other hand have a greater ability to focus, but that ability to focus comes at the cost of our brains filtering out distractions.  We're also more task focused as adults, more satisfied when we feel like we've gotten things done.  I believe many adults who are able to pick up Minecraft are the ones who've been able to retain some of that child-like, unhurried curiosity of the world.  Many who don't would still love Minecraft if there was a quest log focusing their attentions towards the next task at hand.

I'll close with a teaser shot of Vanilla Reloaded during development.

Election War Room 2012 Strategy Tips

My friend Chris released his game Election War Room 2012 on the apple store last week and I've been playing it quite a bit.  If you haven't played it yet - what's stopping you?  It's free between now and election day!

Here are a few strategy tips I've picked up along the way

You only need 15 million dollars to get through the last 2 rounds of the game as long as you're in a decent position.  The last 2 rounds see cards like Freelancer's Union and Occupy Wall Street.

Although it can be very attractive to get a total of 8 or 9 influence for a single action, simply campaigning with a full 5 million dollars in 2 states, 2 turns in a row, is often enough to lock down the key states to win.

Here's a good example of a game I had recently

I'm playing as Obama.  I'm barely winning in 4 states, but winning nonetheless.  My best play is to actually bid 5 in Florida and 5 in Pennsylvania or Washington.  Although it doesn't get me as much total influence, moving either of those states to blue will win me the game.

Don't bother doing anything to influence Florida in the first half of the game.  In the mid game the card "End Embargo" will show up.

• If your opponent is significantly pushed in Florida, you can bid End Embargo and equalize it.
• End Embargo is extremely hard for your opponent to stop.  If you win the bid, it happens.  If your opponent outbids you and wins, it still happens.  The only way to stop it is for both players to bid exactly the same amount.
• If Florida is pushed in your opponent's favor then End Embargo becomes a mind game that's basically skewed way in your favor
• If your opponent is new, just bid 1 and win it.
• If your opponent has played a bit, bid 1 because they'll think "I don't want to equalize Florida" and they still won't win it
• If your opponent is pro, then bid 2, since your opponent will know the only way to stop you is to tie your bid.  But this never happens because pros know that you don't touch Florida until after End Embargo has passed.

Opposition Research is super strong.  You want to win this.  It always shows up early in the game.

You're probably thinking "Seems too situational, why would I spend a lot to sometimes get +3?".  The reason is (again) Florida.  As we've already covered, End Embargo will show up in mid game.  On the same turn that End Embargo equalizes Florida, campaign there for 5 million.  You have now locked down Florida for the rest of the game and guaranteed yourself 30 votes.  Anytime your opponent tries to make a move on Florida, just bid 5 there again to keep it solidly on your side.

Making a bid costs you one of your two actions.  If a player makes a bid but loses, it still uses up their action.  Use this to your advantage!  Always ask yourself what your opponent's best move is.  Sometimes one of the best plays you can make is to win a card that is not necessarily great for you, but you're denying your opponent the free play.  A great example of this is Big Oil on turn 1.

Very often Republican players will bid 1 or 2 on this.  It's only worth 5 million, and ties go to the Republican, so generally you figure hey - free money right?  If I'm playing Obama I'll happily bid 3 or 4 on this.  Yes, it's an action to win 1 or 2 million dollars, which is normally terrible, but my opponent almost certainly bid on the card, so I'll also be negating their action.

Similarly, you want to think about what your opponent's best move is.  If your opponent has two moves that are clearly amazing for them then you can assume they are going to bid on both of those cards and you can pick up the third card for a 1 million dollar bid.

Sometimes, if one move is clearly amazing for my opponent and only mediocre for me, I'll go ahead and dive for an aggressive amount.  No, it's not great for me, but the deny is super valuable.  For example, consider Mainstream Media when I have 4 states and my opponent has 1, with 1 state tied.

That's worth a total of 10 influence for my opponent and only 4 for me.  I know my opponent is going to bid on the card.  If I am already in a winning position it is worth bidding a solid amount to negate my opponent's action and deny them the money.

Avengers as League Champions REVISED 2.0

So I wasn't going to make a whole other post about my LoL Avengers Champions, but I went to see the movie a second time!  I figure hey - if I can see the movie a second time, doesn't that mean I can do a design pass on my Champions too?  Besides, design is about iteration - we'll consider my first pass a piece of garbage, and we'll call this one cleaned up garbage.

For convenience I did strikeout over deleted sections and posted new things in revision purple.

The Hulk

Passive: Whenever the Hulk takes damage, his attack damage is increased by 5% of the damage sustained.  This effect can build indefinitely, but resets when the Hulk has not taken damage for 5 seconds.  The hulk gains 2 Armor and 2 Magic Resistance every second while dealing or receiving damage.  This effect can build indefinitely and resets when the Hulk has not dealt or taken damage for 3 seconds.

Punch Smash![Q]: On an enemy, deals 30 (+AD) damage and knock them back.  When used on an ally Punch deals no damage but can still knock that ally back. 8 second cooldown.
Inspired by the great Ally Punch scene in the movie.  In this context it can be used to punch an ally to safety, to catch up to an enemy, or to push your ally through a  thin brush line, etc.

Leap! [W]: Leap to a location, dealing 60 (+AD) damage to enemies where he lands. 14 second cooldown.

Mighty Roar! [E]: Passive: The hulk regenerates 2 Life per second.  Active: The Hulk lets out a mighty roar, removing all CC effects from himself and nearby allies. 25 second cooldown.
Melee range allies, mostly used for waking up allies who just fell from the sky after redirecting nuclear missiles

Adopted God Flip Flop [R]: Grab an enemy and toss it back and forth dealing 40 (+AD) per slam. 90 second cooldown.
Works a bit like a Singed Toss, but with a Warwick/Skarner style CC to it as well as it lasts for a second or two.

Iron Man

Passive: Iron Man's suit uses energy to bolster his defenses.  Iron Man gains 5% of his AP as Armor and Magic Resist.  Intelligence Gathering.  Iron Man has superior tracking and sensors.  Iron Man gains vision of enemies affected by Laser Torch or Missile Barrage for 3 seconds.

Laser Torch [Q]: Fire a Laser Beam that deals 120 (+AP) damage to the first target in its path and mark it with Guidance System for 3 seconds.  Laser Torch deals 50% more damage if the target is also suffering from Missile Barrage. 8 second cooldown 15 second cooldown

Missile Barrage [W]: Launch 3 missiles at nearby targets for 80 (+AP) damage over 3 seconds. If there is an enemy with Guidance System on it, all 3 missiles will launch to it. 8 second cooldown

Billionaire Philanthropist [E]: Passive.  Gain an additional 1/2/4/6 2/3/4/5 gold every 10 seconds. Does not work while Active portion is on cooldown. Active. Drop a Sight Ward.  Cooldown 180/150/120/90 seconds.

Orbital Unibeam Targeting Array [R]: Lasers from overhead satellites instantly damage all enemy heroes for 50 (+AP) damage, places the Guidance System debuff on them and reveals their location on the map for 
3 seconds. 120 second cooldown. 
Rocket Jet Boots [R]: Take flight for 5 seconds increasing movement speed by 20% and allowing you to ignore collision.  120 second cooldown.

Feedback that his ult was too much like Karthas I think was totally valid, and I think it's more interesting to try and play out some targeted missiles mechanic.  He doesn't have any mobility yet, and while watching the movie I realized Iron Man was the only human that can "fly". I'm not sure how the LoL engine handles collision with trees, since no other hero can currently fly over trees I'm assuming there are issues?  If you lose flight while over trees I'd search the closest open landing spot and land there.

Thor

Passive: Thor wields the mighty Mjolnir. While wielding Mjolnir, 15% of Thor's Ability Power is added to his Attack Damage

Mjolnir Throw / Mjolnir Return [Q]: Throw your hammer dealing 70 (+AP) damage to all enemies along the path.  The hammer will remain at it's ending location until you cast Mjolnir Return, which brings the hammer back to you dealing 70 (+AP) damage to all enemies along the path..  6 second cooldown.
Mjolnir will sit on the map indefinitely.  The hammer is a visible object in the world, but players may not interact with it.  Mjolnir Throw has a standard medium-range skill shot range, but Mjolnir Return has infinite range (it returns to wherever Thor is at the time he casts it).  Slight variant to Orianna's ball.  Thor has a small sight radius around Mjolnir.

Control of Lightning Lightning Burst [W]: Toggled.  Melee attacks discharge a chain lightning dealing 40(+AP) damage to 3 targets.  8 mana cost per swing.  Let out a burst of lightning that electrocutes all enemies for 40 (+AP) in a cone in front of you.

Dimensional Portal [E]: If you are wielding Mjolnir, drops Mjolnir on the ground.  If you are not wielding Mjolnir, instantly teleports you to Mjolnir and you pick it up.  25 second cooldown.

Mjolnir Smite [R]: Only usable if Thor is wielding Mjolnir, Mjolnir falls from the sky and smashes target Champion for 300 (+AP) damage and stunning the target for 2 seconds..  Usable anywhere on the map. 90  90/75/60 second cooldown.
I realized that the "usable anywhere on the map" doesn't actually add anything.  A simple ranged stun move, combined with the rest of the kit, is plenty.

Captain America

Passive: Enemy Champion ranged basic attacks that pass through Captain America hit Captain America instead.

Shield Throw [Q]: Throw your shield at an enemy for 60 (+AD) damage.  The shield will bounce at up to 2 additional enemies before returning back to you. All targets struck will be silenced slowed for 2 seconds. 10 15 second cooldown.

Vibranium Dissipation [W]: Captain America can no longer move or attack but becomes immune to all damage and spells in front of him for 1 second. 18 second cooldown  Lasts until Captain America attempts to move.  8 second cooldown.
The spell is activated like a short-range skill-shot nuke, which is done primarily to help determine the facing of Captain America.  He puts his shield up and faces the direction cast.  All damage originating in a 180 degree angle from that direction is negated. 

Shield Slash [E]: Slash an enemy with your shield for 30 (+AD) damage and silence that enemy for 2 seconds.  9/7/5/3 second cooldown.
Defensive Roll [E]: Roll to target location.  Any enemy at the target location is pushed back and slowed for 3 seconds. 8 second cooldown.
Most of the kit is built on his passive, which blocks ranged basics.  To really make use of this Captain America benefits from a skill that lets him get in between enemies and his teammates, as well as a way to create a distance to help peel enemies off his friends.  The small knockback on enemies at the target location is intended to be extremely small, probably just the width of Captain America himself (like if a melee hero is on an ally, he can just inserts himself in between them)

Personal Sacrifice [R]: All damage done to nearby friendly champions is redirected to Captain America instead for 2 seconds. 120 second cooldown.
Beacon of Hope [R]: Captain America inspires his team, decreasing all damage taken by 15% for 5 seconds.  20 second cooldown.

I'm still not happy with this Ultimate.  Needs more work still.

Avengers as League of Legends Champions

edit 5/13/2012.  A revised version has been posted here
The Avengers is awesome.  League of Legends is pretty awesome too.  Just for fun, the Avengers as LoL Champions!  (note: powers listed are based on the movie, not the comic book.).

SPOILER ALERT: Some of the abilities have light movie spoilers.

Cooldown timers are approximate to communicate intent.

The Hulk

Passive: Whenever the Hulk takes damage, his attack damage is increased by 5% of the damage sustained.  This effect can build indefinitely, but resets when the Hulk has not taken damage for 5 seconds.

Punch [Q]: On an enemy, deals 30 (+AD) damage and knock them back.  When used on an ally Punch deals no damage but can still knock that ally back. 8 second cooldown.
Inspired by the great Ally Punch scene in the movie.  In this context it can be used to punch an ally to safety, to catch up to an enemy, or to push your ally through a  thin brush line, etc.

Leap [W]: Leap to a location, dealing 60 (+AD) damage to enemies where he lands. 14 second cooldown.

Mighty Roar [E]: Passive: The hulk regenerates 2 Life per second.  Active: The Hulk lets out a mighty roar, removing all CC effects from himself and nearby allies. 25 second cooldown.
Melee range allies, mostly used for waking up allies who just fell from the sky after redirecting nuclear missiles

Adopted God Flip Flop [R]: Grab an enemy and toss it back and forth dealing 40 (+AD) per slam. 90 second cooldown.
Works a bit like a Singed Toss, but with a Warwick/Skarner style CC to it as well as it lasts for a second or two.
Additional Commentary: I played around with some Bruce / Hulk transformation designs but didn't like the way it was working out.  It started to have the Lee Sin / Nidalee complexity of 2 functions tied to every ability on top of requiring an enrage mechanic.  So instead I chose to just go with a straight Hulk design that exaggerates my favorite moments from the movie instead. Finally, I had a lot of trouble coming up with a way to properly capture the "totally invincible juggernaut" fantasy, so I totally failed on that front.

Iron Man

Passive: Iron Man's suit uses energy to bolster his defenses.  Iron Man gains 5% of his AP as Armor and Magic Resist.

Laser Torch [Q]: Fire a Laser Beam that deals 120 (+AP) damage to the first target in its path and mark it with Guidance System for 3 seconds.  Laser Torch deals 50% more damage if the target is also suffering from Missile Barrage. 8 second cooldown

Missile Barrage [W]: Launch 3 missiles at nearby targets for 80 (+AP) damage over 3 seconds. If there is an enemy with Guidance System on it, all 3 missiles will launch to it. 8 second cooldown

Billionaire Philanthropist [E]: Passive.  Gain an additional 1/2/4/6 gold every 10 seconds

Orbital Unibeam Targeting Array [R]: Lasers from overhead satellites instantly damage all enemy heroes for 50 (+AP) damage, places the Guidance System debuff on them and reveals their location on the map for 3 seconds. 120 second cooldown.

Additional Commentary: Ranged AP Nuker.  Probably could have been built as a melee hero from a lore standpoint and also how he's depicted in the movie, but the other champions turned out so melee oriented I figured I'd design Iron Man ranged. The damage on his ultimate is deliberately on the low side, I feel bad because it overlaps Karthas' ult a lot, which made me not want to do it.  The Ultimate started as simply a full map reveal, but that didn't feel sexy enough, which is what led to adding damage and Guidance System.  Not entirely happy with this one.

Thor

Passive: Thor wields the mighty Mjolnir. While wielding Mjolnir, 15% of Thor's Ability Power is added to his Attack Damage

Mjolnir Throw / Mjolnir Return [Q]: Throw your hammer dealing 70 (+AP) damage to all enemies along the path.  The hammer will remain at it's ending location until you cast Mjolnir Return, which brings the hammer back to you dealing 70 (+AP) damage to all enemies along the path..  6 second cooldown.
Mjolnir will sit on the map indefinitely.  The hammer is a visible object in the world, but players may not interact with it.  Mjolnir Throw has a standard medium-range skill shot range, but Mjolnir Return has infinite range (it returns to wherever Thor is at the time he casts it).  Slight variant to Orianna's ball.  Thor has a small sight radius around Mjolnir.

Control of Lightning [W]: Toggled.  Melee attacks discharge a chain lightning dealing 40(+AP) damage to 3 targets.  8 mana cost per swing.  

Dimensional Portal [E]: If you are wielding Mjolnir, drops Mjolnir on the ground.  If you are not wielding Mjolnir, instantly teleports you to Mjolnir and you pick it up.  25 second cooldown.

Mjolnir Smite [R]: Only usable if Thor is wielding Mjolnir, Mjolnir falls from the sky and smashes target Champion for 300 (+AP) damage.  Usable anywhere on the map. 90 second cooldown.
Additional Commentary: Melee AP brawler with ranged abilities. I knew I wanted to do the hammer return, because they play that up in the movie a lot, but it was really hard to make hammer return work in terms of 4 abilities on a LoL champion.  In the comic book Lore, Thor could spin his hammer to create a dimensional portal to travel.  I wasn't sure how to make that work, but I could see Thor vanishing in a flash of lightning from a departure location and then a bolt of lightning comes down from the sky and allows Thor to materialize at his destination.  I think the final kit came out so-so on both the mechanics and aesthetic front.  Basically trying to do the Hammer Return that had value to a Hammer out in the world still feels a bit forced, but maybe it's 'cause I've been staring at the design all day.

Captain America

Passive: Enemy Champion ranged basic attacks that pass through Captain America hit Captain America instead.

Shield Throw [Q]: Throw your shield at an enemy for 60 (+AD) damage.  The shield will bounce at up to 2 additional enemies before returning back to you. 10 second cooldown.

Vibranium Dissipation [W]: Captain America can no longer move or attack but becomes immune to all damage and spells in front of him.  Lasts until Captain America attempts to move.  8 second cooldown.
The spell is activated like a short-range skill-shot nuke, which is done primarily to help determine the facing of Captain America.  He puts his shield up and faces the direction cast.  All damage originating in a 180 degree angle from that direction is negated. 

Shield Slash [E]: Slash an enemy with your shield for 30 (+AD) damage and silence that enemy for 2 seconds.  9/7/5/3 second cooldown.

Personal Sacrifice [R]: All damage done to nearby friendly champions is redirected to Captain America instead for 2 seconds. 120 second cooldown.

Additional Commentary: He's got a shield, he likes to protect people, so he's gotta be a tank.  

Rapid Review of Books

I've been a member of a game design book club for almost two years now. We read books at a relatively slow pace, since we're all busy working on game projects.  That said, the book club has been one of the best sources of professional growth not just because of the book material, but the conversations they have inspired. Here is a review of books (some from my book club, some just personal reading) with an emphasis on evaluating strictly from a game design point of view.

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses

Lots of good solid advice, and Jesse obviously has a lot of experience.  If I were ever going to teach a game design course, I'd probably choose this as the textbook.  Even if I'm not excited about every "lens" in the book, there's enough material to justify the price.

I have on more than one occasion considered buying a deck of cards with all the lenses, so when you're stuck on a problem you can pull out a lens to look at your design problem from a different perspective.

Freakonomics

This book holds lots of revelations on human behavior, but aside from all the  interesting insights, the most enlightening lesson I got out of this book is the author's approach to data.  The creativity demonstrated in finding ways to test theories that would be otherwise difficult or impossible to test is impressive and inspiring.  Often as a game designer you have reams of data available but you need to ask the right questions to make sense of that data.  This book cleverly illustrates how data can be used in the right hands.

Predictably Irrational

I absolutely love this book.  If you watch TED.com at all, hopefully you have seen some of Dan Ariely's videos.  If you haven't, go watch some right now.

The book expands on the concepts presented in the video.  If the video was enough for you, great - but there's a decent amount of new material and depth compared to the video and it's an incredibly easy read.  If a designer ever wonders why our players ever act so "crazy" sometimes, this helps put things into perspective.

The Design of Everyday Things

This is a classic.  I read it back in one of my second year Engineering courses and  it has significantly influenced the way I see the world.  When somebody asks me "Do you have any book recommendations for becoming a Game Designer" this is pretty much the first book I recommend.  My book club chose to read it, so I took the opportunity to re-read it.  I was a bit discouraged by how dated some of the examples have become.  Although the concepts are timeless, some of the examples aren't relatable to an 18-year-old because they haven't had personal experience with things like watches, phones with cords, or fax machines.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

The fundamental premise of this book is critical for any game designer to know, but reading the whole book is not required.  The lesson is so foundational, it is repeated in at least 3 other books on this list.  Every game designer should familiarize themselves with the concept of Flow, but not everybody needs the gruesome detail this book offers.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Most of the lessons from this book can be extracted from videos on the internet based on the author either raw or there is also a great annotated versions.  There is also a matching TED talk with similar content but is a lot funnier.  Watch both and you won't need to read the book.

Awesome content?  Yes.  If you're intrigued and want to look further, I'd actually recommend Punished by Rewards instead.  I am completely obsessed with extrinsic vs. intrinsic rewards as a result of these books.  Chris Hecker gave an awesome talk at GDC in 2010 "Achievements Considered Harmful?" that drew some connections between Motivation and Game Design.

How We Decide
This was my favorite book of 2011.  There are mountains of Game Design lessons in here.  If Sid Meier is quoted as saying a game is a "Series of interesting choices", shouldn't we take the time to learn how humans go about making those decisions?  What happens when I have to decide under pressure?  How much does presentation matter?  How about the user's mood?  What happens when players have more choices?  Fewer choices?  No choices?  Irrelevant options?  How does information affect choices, social situations, context?

If you're not sure whether you want to invest the time, watch this video first, if it strikes your fancy - get the book - you won't regret it.

Mistakes Were Made

This book surprised me with it's relevance to game development.  Though it contains no direct game design lessons, it contains the secrets to being a great game designer.  Here are some qualities I look for in a great designer that are touched on in one form or another in this book:

• Willingness to take risks, a willingness to fail.
• Takes feedback well from other people
• Understands that not everybody thinks the same way as you, and being able to see things from another person's perspective
• Self-awareness of how our own biases affect our decision making.  The worst of which is "confirmation bias", our natural tendency to selectively hold on to evidence that confirms our pre-existing notions and views rather than taking a genuinely objective view on problems.
• The humility to admit when you were wrong, with the ability to quickly refocus on constructive solutions - as well as the grace to let other people back down from positions they held.

Twin Paladins

The latest Tribes patch buffs Dwarves quite a bit.  Today I'm going to present my favorite way to play the Dwarves: Pumped up Twin Paladins!

The goal is to reach a point where I have a pair of fully upgraded Paladins.  They'll have Shield, Helm, Sword and be within range of each other to heal. 

Fully upgraded paladins are fearsome. 

• They have 1200 health
• Their aura buffs each other to 35% Armor and 35% magic resist
• Their mutual aura also buffs each other to 315 damage
• They heal for 600!

She's too sexy for this blog

To reach this point nowadays I play my Dwarves a little differently than what I've seen most people do.  A lot of people I've seen have super upgraded Annihilators, Grenadiers with Swords standing on red squares, etc.  To be sure, these approaches are super strong and win games and I will very often play my games this way if the opportunity presents itself.  In the absence of a clear opportunity, early game I focus on dumping a lot of units out onto the board.  If there are opportunities to gain an AP advantage then I'll take it.  Gaining an AP advantage mostly consists of trading units, or finding ways to do more than 400 damage per action point through AOE and red swords.

Throughout this process though I try to avoid using any of my swords, shields or helms on anything but paladins.  My first paladin is the most vulnerable, and I'll keep her in the back, load her with helm and shield early, and drink beer as necessary to keep her alive.  The goal is to cycle as many cards as possible while keeping a reasonable AP efficiency against your opponents actions until you can get to your second paladin.

Here's a game that ended on the final units, but my upgraded paladins carried the day.  Besides, what could be better than 2 Paladins?  How about 3 Paladins?  I hadn't saved any swords, but I guess when you have a scroll, who needs swords?

No swords, but I have a scroll

I'm sorry your necro is useless against 35% Magic Resist.  No wait.... I'm not.

Moar Paladins!

You can't cycle too fast, as you will definitely give up too much if you simply let your opponent use all 5 actions a turn stomping on your units or crystals, position so you're not a super attractive target, but make sure you're cycling through.

Much like the end game Wraith for the Dark Elves, end game Paladins are extremely difficult to stop without  bursty damage.

Here's a game from before the Tribal Patch

My crystal is lower but my twin paladins are in position

And now I'm going to win....

Now with the Tribal patch, 1200 health with both 35% armor and 35% magic resist is 1846 effective health (1846 damage must be done to kill her). Keeping in mind a stomp, this means an enemy needs to do 1850 damage in 4 actions.  Even an Archer with a sword (450 damage per attack) is only going to do 1800 in 4 actions

This strategy has proven to be ridiculously effective against Dark Elves.

• The Dark Elves have trouble doing much burst as their Impaler (300 damage) only has range 2
• Their "nuke" in the form of Soul Harvest is not really a damage dealer
• They do not have much physical armor, which makes them more vulnerable to the Paladin's swings
• The only unit which even comes close to posing a threat is a fully upgraded Wraith, which is easily disposed of with the assistance of your Pulverizers.

This strategy is also effective against Humans and Dwarves.  Dwarves can sometimes 'cause a problem depending on how you each use your scrolls and Pulverizers, but here's a game I played recently where my opponent did standard play with Annihilators, Sworded Grenadiers, etc. and I went as quickly as I could to triple upgraded Paladins

Double Paladins has been least successful for me vs. Tribe.  The Tribe Grunts are the most effective killers of the pumped up Paladins, combined with burst damage from Bloodrage and/or meat they can often stomp even fully upgraded Paladins.  In addition the Tribe Chain Heal is very effective in the early/mid game for counteracting any AOE moves the dwarves try to try and squeeze out a gradual AP advantage, so clogging the board with lots of units is not always working in your favor.