What's the point in "creating forests"?

[Sunbather]

What is this spell there for? In AoE3, when playing the elves you could make your environment suiting to the elves' liking (i.e. having dense vegetation). But as far as I can see there is nothing like that here? Not in the culture, not in the race traits, not in the culture traits. So why create forests except for exploiting them with forester buildings?

[Sunbather]

Автор сообщения: ::Maethendias::

well, if its anything like its with the cold terraforming spell, it gives you boni to your city
forrests are also alot slower to navigate for anyone that isnt versed in forrest terrain

Problem is, everyone is equally versed as me, i.e. not at all, to walk in forests. It doesn't matter that I am elvish and am a nature culture. I have to actually cut down forest to make roads. Or I do get the Leafskin unit which is a lot quicker in forests but then again, that one has nothing to do with my faction, does it? Only with the nature tome and that tome can be gained by any other faction, too. So theoretically no one is versed in walking through the forest, and then suddenly everyone could be because of a single unit.

[Sunbather]

I am out, thank you all for the answers though (seriously). And I am sure it will help others who find this thread via googling.

But this game just doesn't sit right with me at all. It feels way too generic in my opinion.

[KellyR]

There are multiple uninhabitable types of terrain. Create Forest lets you make them habitable, so you can annex them.

[Anarchy Burger]

What a weird hill to die on

[Fendelphi]

"Create Forest" is one of the earliest terraforming spells available. This can allow you to turn a highly negative terrain tile(like Desolate) into a more favourable one.
And while "everyone" can pick up the tome of Glades for Create Forest and Leafskin, for a lot of factions, it is a high opportunity cost. They are adapting to your strengths, rather than emphasizing their own. Or said in another way, they are reacting to your playstyle, rather than being proactive with their own.


Tier 5 tome of nature gives you vision of every forest in the game. Place forests in a few tactical locations as "scouts", which can be used in the future as "ambush" sites, by turning the forests into armies.

In the Nature Imperium tree, there is an unlock that grants you City Stability for each forest in the city domain as well.

[Neonivek]

There are also hedgecases if you get improvements that require forests or a wonder that boosts according to the number of foresters you have.

[Spawnling]

Nature empire improvement gives +2 City Stability for each forest in your domain

Herbalist (nature 1) gives +2 mana and food for each adjacent forest you control
Wildlife Sancutary gives +5 draft for each adjacent forest

Ritual Pyre (chaos 1) gives +3 mana for each adjacent forester

Tithe Collector (order 2) +2 gold per adjacent farm or forester

[titanopteryx]

Well the create forest spell does have a use. When engageing in recreational deforestation you will inevitably run out of trees. Create forest plants more trees so the party can keep going.

When George Washington was 6 years old he damaged his father's cherry tree with a hatchet. He told his father, "I cannot tell a lie, I damaged the cherry tree". Then he made dentures out of it.

I was brought up being taught honesty was the best policy. So I always admired George Washington for his honesty. So I intend to get a pair of hatchets, one named Slash and the other named Burn, and I intend to go down to the rainforest and finally put a stop to the green menace once and for all. Honest.

[Fendelphi]

Автор сообщения: titanopteryx

Well the create forest spell does have a use. When engageing in recreational deforestation you will inevitably run out of trees. Create forest plants more trees so the party can keep going.

When George Washington was 6 years old he damaged his father's cherry tree with a hatchet. He told his father, "I cannot tell a lie, I damaged the cherry tree". Then he made dentures out of it.

I was brought up being taught honesty was the best policy. So I always admired George Washington for his honesty. So I intend to get a pair of hatchets, one named Slash and the other named Burn, and I intend to go down to the rainforest and finally put a stop to the green menace once and for all. Honest.

1 Question. Was the dentures made out of the cherry tree or the hatchet?

No wait, dont tell me. I have already established a mental image I dont want removed.

[Yerdiss]

There are quite a few benefits, but most do depend on choices made during your game. Some have been mentioned earlier, but for easy reading, I will repeat those in the list. Credit to those who posted them before, of course.

• Several Army Units have Camouflage in forests: Outrider, Entwined Thrall/Scourge/Protector, and Hunting Spiders;
  
• Animate Flora Unit Ability transforms a plant obstacle into a summoned unit (and forests have more plant obstacles);
  
• Awaken the Forest Strategic spell turns a forest into a full army of summoned beasts and plants;
  
• Several City Structures require one or more Foresters province improvements as prerequisite (and those require forests): Armory, Forester's Guild, Smiths' Guild, Wood Conjurer, and Woodworker;
  
• Cover provided by plant obstacles may provide tactical use when using a melee heavy army against a ranged-heavy opponent (and forests combat maps provide more cover tiles);
  
• Forest Awakening World Spell grants vision from all forests;
  
• Forest of Stakes Province Improvement gives draft per adjacent forester (which requires forests to build);
  
• Forest Warden Hero Ability provides a bonus to the army while in forests;
  
• Forester Province Improvement requires a forest to build;
  
• Fortress of Vines City Enhancement gives extra fortification per forest province;
  
• Herbalist Province Improvement gives food and mana per adjacent forest;
  
• Leafskin Unit Enhancement improves movement and gives concealment in forests;
  
• Natural Order Empire Development gives City Stability per Forest Province;
  
• Plant Units have Forest Walk;
  
• Ritual Pyre Province Improvement gives mana per adjacent forester improvement;
  
• Tithe Collector Province Improvement gives gold per adjacent farm or forester improvement;
  
• Wildlife Sanctuary Province Improvement gives draft per adjacent forest.

[Elgareth]

Автор сообщения: Omar Telo D. Rego

Автор сообщения: Chthonic Guardian

Good point. I guess if the concealment actually worked, and you had the buff for forrest concealment it would be useful.

Other than that purely aesthetic I suppose.

Wait, concealment is not working? Any form of it?

And here I was finding it weird how sometimes the AI coud nab my universal concealed scouts with no detection units...

It is working against other players. The AI however always knows where and what all your armies are, so it's absolutely useless in singleplayer.