Worst unit poll
 

What do you think is the worst unit in the game?

Personally, I don't think i would ever build the Gnome cutpurse. It's comparable to a runner in resource cost, except that a runner has the movement, attack range and abilities to keep it out of harm's way. The cutpurse is slower, can't trailblaze, and needs to be at an attack range of 1. The best you could hope for is to hit a def 1 unit and get 150g back before it gets the smackdown from any other tier 1 unit.

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Skeleton is the worst. No special abilities. but its very cheap so its really not all that bad. But I would like it to be immune from poison seeing as it has no flesh to be hurt by it... Also it needs something, come on.

Re: Worst unit poll
 

I like this thread... Once you guys post some of the units you don't like, I'll play devil's advocate and post why I think those units *are* valuable in their own ways.

For now I'll say this: We worked pretty hard to make sure all the units were balanced, but some units' stregths are less obvious than others'. For example, The Cutpurse definitely isn't a combat powerhouse, but I maintain that if it's used correctly it can still be surprising powerful. =)

-Hiro_Antagonist

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Skeleton http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Hm tough one, I also don't like the skeleton, also agree with the cutpurse.

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Thee worst has got to be the Human's Archangel. Too expensive, too slow, and not much armor (he's flying, so no terrain bonus), and relatively few hitpoints.

If his Peaceful attack could last for an extra round he might good to disable other top tier units. But for the money (6 human cities worth of income) and my style of fighting, I'd rather have 2 Paladins or 3 Wolf Riders.

Re: Worst unit poll
 

My answer was based on the "worst" unit... not the "less cost effective" unit!!! LOL http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif
...and I will keep it that way.... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

cheers

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Okay, it's time to come to the defense of the Skeleton and the Cutpurse, I guess. =)

There's really not too much to say about the Skeleton, other than the fact that its low cost *is* its special ability, and it's a darn good one! More than any other unit, you can build one at each city each turn while still saving up money for more powerful units. The Undead have their own playing style, and overwhelming your enemies with hordes of cheap skeletons is part of their strength. But I guess if you're just trying to find the unit with the lowest stats, then yup, the Skeleton is it. But I don't think it's the worst unit!

The Cutpurse is a bit more complicated though. Yes, it's $200 more for basically the same stats, but it has 2 abilities that help make up for the difference: Nimble and Mug.

The way I see it, Mug will usually recover most of the money difference with one attack, and if you can get two attacks with it, it becomes cheaper than a Skeleton! And I think Nimble is one of the most underrated abilities in the game. At worst, if your enemy is totally on the ball, they'll have to drastically adjust their screening/blocking tactics to account for Nimble. At best, your opponent will forget your Cutpurses can pass through their units and you can deal a costly deathblow to an expensive unit or move onto a city that they didn't expect. Both of those things can really turn the tide of a game.

Another point with the Cutpurse -- although many people think they're lucky to get one hit in, I've found otherwise. If you use Cutpurses with more powerful units, the enemy usually focuses their attention on the more expensive units (Wolf Riders, Legendmakers, etc.). That means the Cutpurses are generally ignored, which lets them earn a surprising amount of money in the long run. I've played several games with Cutpurses that have turned a profit after paying for themselves, and dealing a ton of damage in the meantime!

So yeah, in a 1-on-1 fight, a Cutpurse isn't that good. But they really start to shine when they are present in a much larger battle where screening/blocking comes into play and where there are bigger fish for your opponent to fry first.

Of course, if you still think those units aren't very good, I'd love to hear why. Talking about balance/strategy stuff like this is a lot of fun to me. =)

-Hiro_Antagonist

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Heh I know, you had some real fun with the afficted disscussion during beta testing http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Cost is a stat; wouldn't the cutpurse argument be moot if he was free http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif Maybe there's a different question in this we could ask:

If you could stick your opponent with just one unit, and that's the only unit he would have the rest of the game or until it dies, which unit would it be?

Re: Worst unit poll
 

... How we call the vampire (flying) unit who paralyze the victims...? (sorry I don't remember the name...)

this is the best for one on one !!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: Worst unit poll
 

Haha, very true. And the Gardener is probably the worst. =)

-Hiro_Antagonist

Re: Worst unit poll
 

I have to agree with sammas on this one - cutpurse is the worst in my mind.

I think the skeleton is a fine unit - it fills a role for the undead (cheap firepower and screening) not covered by the other units, at a reasonable cost.

The cutpurse however, really doesn't fit in with the other gnome units. It is slow and more importantly limited to melee attacks, unlike both the wolf rider and legendmaker, which means mixing it into your army is almost certainly going to end up giving away kills. Plus on a direct cost comparison, it's almost dead-even in terms of firepower and durability versus wolf riders. The mug ability is a neat, but I don't think it outweighs the probability that it will end up being killed in a situation where a wolf rider could have survived. Losing an extra cutpurse because he couldn't attack from two squares away on that nice safe mountain costs you a whole lot of mugging proceeds.

I would also like to offer up the PlagueBearer for consideration as one of the worst units. About the only thing it has going for it is it's better at killing hags than hags are, but otherwise why not build a hag instead? Damage *now* is much more important than damage later in most situations. And taking damage itself every round really makes it too fragile. I think he might fit in with the afflicted much better at tier 3, with an initial attack of 5, 1 armor, and cost scaled appropriately.

- Loops

Re: Worst unit poll
 

I think the only problem I have with the plaquebearer is that it loses health every turn. Maybe make it so it only loses health every other turn perhaps?

Re: Worst unit poll
 

I actually don't mind the plaguebearer as a unit. It causes decent damage, and is pretty much necessary for afflicted to counter skeletons and other 5hp units which would flood hags. And it isn't ineffectual against armored targets either.

I suppose afflicted and gnomes can't really complain though - they're two of the strongest races.

Re: Worst unit poll
 

I'd second the vote for the Gardener. He's great as part of a force, but since he can't attack . . .