Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

Creating summonable thug chasises has got to be the least imaginative way to "balance" paths. For example, I'd love to get some units that help with magical diversity, like an Earth summon with 4 randoms each F/E. Or how about summons with unique skills, like an Argus summons whose 100 eyes gives him Patrol-100. Or a water summon that causes unrest and cold scales in his current province.

I am not saying don't make thugs (especially if they have an interesting mythological background, of which Tolkein is only a mediocre example of), I am saying trying to use some creativity and imagination.

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

I do not disagree with you that having imaginative thugs is good. However I would point out that the exercise here is not one of balancing paths but rather simply adding summonable thugs and super combatants such that there are greater options for people in larger games who are not first up to bat with getting the current uniques. This is not to say that balance should not be taken into serious consideration, but the primary intent is variety and options.

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

I agree that there should be lots of variety. I suspect that Jim does too.

I've got quite a few odd things, not least the Wendigo that grows in size and power as it eats population, from initially human size to a huge giant. It grows faster if it takes part in battles (it devours the bodies).

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

Omikron.. the problem with the sort of summons you mention is that they will probably never be used and that would be a waste of long hours of modding. (unless they are a usefull thug besides :D)

Ow I still like the sandworm btw, I've used it in my unfinished nomads and djinni mod. It could be a commander or a trooper, and basicly it's just there for it's devour attack so not a real SC but if it's a commander it could be kitted out.

The non attack sprite was just some vague lines (where it crawls under the earth, I had them in a roughly U form shape I think with some small lines beside in earthish brown but now I think of it it would be better in shadow (magenta)) and then an attack sprite with an open maw doing an attack that will kill nearly everything in 1-2 AoE. Size 6, high prot, fire res, flying (burrowing), lots of terrainsurvivals, siegebonus. --> it's huge siege bonus could put it in the niche category like omicron wanted.
And could of course have any number of other skills (regen, reinvig)
would be an earth summon of course :D

Heck I'm putting him in dom 3 K (well I already have my space eel which fills the same nice, but I just LOVE dune and it's a scifi mod so how could I've kept him out so long).. there is a critter that will at least still be usefull in the times of tanks etc since it will swallow everything and some more whole.

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

PS some of the flavor texts are dom3K ish but the idea should be fine.

#newspell
#name "Capture Sandworm"
#descr "You pay a team of experts to capture and train a sandworm for your cause, like most mercs they like to be paid in earthgems. Your own powerfull earth magics are needed to divine a province where a sand worm could be found."
#school 1
#researchlevel 7
#path 0 3
#pathlevel 0 5
#effect 10001
#fatiguecost 1000
#damage 2410
#nreff 1
#end

#newweapon 765
#name "Devour"
#aoe 1
#dmg 999
#armornegating
#bonus
#nratt 2 --- to simulate it can swallow huge numbers of troops at once.
#att 0
#def 0
#len 0
#end


#newmonster 2410
#spr1 "./dominions 3000/2410_Sandworm_1.tga"
#spr2 "./dominions 3000/2410_Sandworm_2.tga"
#name "Sandworm"
#descr "The sandworm is one of the largest creatures known in the galaxy. It prefers to live deep under ground where it spends most of it's time burrowing. It attacks by swallowing whole regiments of troops or even multiple tanks at a time. Once devoured by a sandworm nothing can survive since the combination of the bowelmovements and extreme heat, which it uses to burrow through the ground, are deadly to everything. The Sandworm burrowing makes it tactical and strategical maneuverable like flying units."
#hp 300
#size 6
#ressize 6
#prot 20
#mor 15
#mr 18
#enc 3
#str 30
#att 13
#def 12
#prec 10
#mapmove 4
#ap 10
#gcost 100
#rcost 20
#itemslots 12288 -- two misc
#wastesurvival
#forestsurvival
#weapon 765 - devour
#trample
#regenerate 10
#stealth 5
#fireres 100
#coldres -50
#shockres -50
#flying
#siegebonus 100
#animal
#maxage 100000
#older 10000
#end


And this would be it. Insane high HP, high prot, high strenght.. I hope I don't need to explain those.
Fireres, since it's got high heat in itself.
Weakness to shock (It could be killed by giving each segment a shock)
Weakness to cold .. just to make is not so powerfull and it was also vulnerable to water. Stealth: it burrows, but not to much since it's still a huge beast.
High map move and flying.. the burrowing (the mapmove might be reduced since this is nearly the equivalent of a jet I think.)
Trample: it can trample I think, but if it uses this to much I'd remove it since the..
Devour attack: attacks 1 spaces for AoE 1 and should do damage there.
regen: I like durability :D
Siegebonus: burrowing helps a lot, not to mention ot could probably burrow right through the outerway and leave a gap for your army.
Animal: cus it's one (I do hope this doens't influence the sigebonus, just the regular siege effectifity.)
Att/def, not to high but a creature is used to it's natural weapons.
waste and forest survival becuase it can burrow there just as easily. Swamps are water which it shouldn't like, and mountains would be more of a problem I'm thinking.

Well it's probably not what you are looking for (but if you use it and redo the pics I might steal em... though I like these, they are decent enough) but I like them.

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

10 earth gems? AOE 2 unresistable death? :shock:

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

wel'l.. it's no commander :D sort of like a tart :D.. ok MAYBE some more then.. but it's for dom 3K and there the spaceeel (15 gems) has the same attack but can also go into space and this one can't hence it's lower cost it can't be used on half of the map. Maybe I should make it 4-6 seperate attacks w/o AoE though so defence can protect you. Ow and it only has 2 slots so you can only give an amulet of luck and an amulet of regen.

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

You could make it do say 40 damage, so troops would be munched just the same, but SCs would get at least some chance to swing back. Also make it normal damage, not AN.

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

Or AP if we wanna think of digestion acids :D

Re: SC and Thug Diversity Project
 

Heh, yea. I was reading the description and thinking it aught to be more like 100 earth gems, at least.