Tip: The Art of Placement

[lch]

Nice map there vfb.

Foodstamp, we're not playing American Football.

[Lingchih]

Foodstamp said:


This is the pattern I normally use when placing my units.

That looks like a Hook and Go pattern. How exactly do I script that?

[vfb]

lch said:
Nice map there vfb.

Thanks, but I'm not sure it's 100% accurate. PvK thinks the zones are incorrect. I created one army with 4 commanders in the corners to determine the standard starting area, and then a 4000 unit army to see what happened in that case. From there I just counted the grids on the battle map.

[PvK]

The grid is more like 58 wide by 28 deep. If the default placement spots are both filled to 4x4, then there are 26 squares between them. I think if you place a commander on the back edge, he starts out in the very rearmost square, or close to it.

[vfb]

I've got 26 squares in the neutral zone, that's the yellow/black striped area.

I've got the 'startable' areas as 28 by 28, growing to 38 by 54. Should the max be 38 by 58 instead?

I know what you're talking about in respect to starting at the back edge. It seems commanders there don't have to run 10 full squares as I have it, when they retreat. But I have seen enemy flyers surround a commander on the back edge. I'll have to test it again.

[MaxWilson]

And of course it's possible to move off the edge of the grid, e.g. when being trampled, and then the tramplers pursue off the grid too.

-Max

[malthaussen]

If having two bodyguards is effective, why not ten? Ten of your cheapest brand of troop, since the idea is to soak up ranged attacks, not to fight. Most mages, I daresay, cost more than ten chaff troops.

-- Mal

[llamabeast]

The idea is to fill up the square of the commander being guarded. Two bodyguards will do that just as well as ten.

[NTJedi]

vfb said:
I think the grid is this size, please correct me if this is wrong.
((IMAGE))

The battlefield grid actually grows depending on the size of the attacking and defending army.

[Edratman]

One thing I have noticed and haven't seen mentioned is that single unit spells (paralyze, soul slay, eg)seem to preferentially target by size, ie, the size 5 and 6 creatures are targeted first, regardless of placement on the battlefield. They don't seem to pick out commanders per se, just the largest units on the field.

Because of repeated losses I stopped using SC pretenders against anything but indies. I also try to change spell scripts from single unit spells to AOE spells if scouting reports do not indicate large commanders or troops. No pleasure like soul slaying a slinger (say that fast 3 times).