How stealth really work ?

[liga]

Hi,

in my continuos efford to find information to create a good newbie guide I found that I totally lack precise information about scouts, spy and possibility to detect hidden enemies/armies so:

1. Which kind of imprvement a scouts/spy gives on informations about enemies in a provinces ? I have found that normal informations are between 50% and 200% accurate ... what about informations from a scout and/or a spy ?

2. How Stealth works ? Which is the difference between Stelath 0 and Stealth 30 ? How does patrolling and PD works in catching hidden enemies ?

3. Which is the formula that determinates if two army meet each other ?

thank you any one could help me
Liga

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by liga:
1. Which kind of imprvement a scouts/spy gives on informations about enemies in a provinces ? I have found that normal informations are between 50% and 200% accurate ... what about informations from a scout and/or a spy ?

Hmmm I use stealth alot but I dont tend to try and figure out how it works. I know spys give more exact info.

2. How Stealth works ? Which is the difference between Stelath 0 and Stealth 30 ? How does patrolling and PD works in catching hidden enemies ?

Almost everything in this game has some random dice-roll added to it. So I think thats your base chance, then a random, for getting caught.
If I remember fight, defence over 20 starts looking for sneaking enemy in that province.

3. Which is the formula that determinates if two army meet each other ?

I think thats random. Magic goes before movement so if one of the armies was "magicked" in then they would go first. Otherwise I dont think there is a way to know who goes first. Hmmm if one army is standing there I dont remember who goes first defender or attacker.

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
If I remember fight, defence over 20 starts looking for sneaking enemy in that province.

Defence over 10 patrols for sneaking enemies.

[archaeolept]

there must be an OE die roll, as my (random event generated) PD 11 once discovered the +25 stealth abyssian slayer hero wandering through.

[ May 14, 2004, 16:17: Message edited by: archaeolept ]

[Vynd]

I could be wrong but I think that a "Scout" is just a stealthy unit that most nations are capable of building. I don't think it is inherently any better at revealing informaiton about enemy provinces than any other stealthy unit, like say, a Vanjarl, or a Friar. Spies, on the other hand, have a distinct special ability.

I've never tried to figure it out exactly, but my impression has been that spies are no better than scouts at determining how many regular units are in their province. (They're both reasonably good at it.) But I've had spies detect stealthy units, which I don't think I have seen scouts do. And unlike scouts, spies display the full stats for the province that they are in, including revealed magic sites.

[ May 14, 2004, 16:30: Message edited by: Vynd ]

[Kristoffer O]

All sneaking units give reports on the province they enter. Scouts are not particulary good at this, but spies are. They give you more accurate info on numbers, more info on commanders and specials, and reveal sites. They are also less likely to be detected (not by being spies, but because they have a higher stealth value than most scouts).

[LintMan]

Originally posted by Kristoffer O:
All sneaking units give reports on the province they enter. Scouts are not particulary good at this, but spies are. They give you more accurate info on numbers, more info on commanders and specials, and reveal sites. They are also less likely to be detected (not by being spies, but because they have a higher stealth value than most scouts).

Are Friars supposed to be worse than scouts at giving information? I recall from my Marignon game that it seemed I was getting almost no province information from the friars I had preaching in enemy territory.

[Pocus]

I'm under the impression that the base number of patrolling units get a penalty equal to the stealth value of the sneaking unit.

The formula could be :

chance to get caught:

# of patrolling units + # of sneaking units - sneaking value of worse sneaking unit - 10

-10 because we know that the chance only trigger for 10 units and more.

IMO the formula is more complex anyway

[ May 15, 2004, 06:31: Message edited by: Pocus ]

[Chris Byler]

So the only benefit of scouts compared to other stealthy units is that they're cheap?

Is there a way to tell what units (that aren't named "Spy") have the spy ability? IIRC Bards have it too, but who else? Is there an icon for it now, or do you just have to sneak them into enemy territory and see if they get the Incite Unrest order?

[PvK]

I think it says "spy" in the description text, but there is no icon yet.

PvK