Problems in demo exist in regular game?

[TruePurple]

Content might be good but design and mechanics leave something to be desired.

If these units are so generic like you describe then wheres the content? Whats the point of having so many different races? If there are many different types of units you can encounter, you need a option to be able to see enemy unit stats. I have a terrible memory as it is, stats of a hundred different units and variations there of is not something I wish to try to fill it with. One should also be able to see spheres of magic users and artifacts of commanders.

[TruePurple]

An elaberation of my simple suggestion of a dismiss command.

For injured units.
Option for groups ordering themselves in injury first, putting them first on the list by most injured. You highlight all the units you see has having the most injury and dismiss them together enmass with a hot command.

For just dismissing units you can't afford you would have the highlight units and dismiss enmass option.

Flexibility, yet reduces micromanaging. No fretting with moving units to squads for killing or having to bother to send commanders on suicide missions.

I know, they probably won't do it else they already would have.. or something like that. Just thought I'd express my hope for things.

[Endoperez]

TruePurple said:
Content might be good but design and mechanics leave something to be desired.

If these units are so generic like you describe then wheres the content? Whats the point of having so many different races? If there are many different types of units you can encounter, you need a option to be able to see enemy unit stats. I have a terrible memory as it is, stats of a hundred different units and variations there of is not something I wish to try to fill it with. One should also be able to see spheres of magic users and artifacts of commanders.

I said usually, and that counters [g]generally[/b] work against the same types of units. Ulmish non-shielded basic infantry is almost tough enough to ignore normal archers, black plate infantry is pretty resistant to crossbows; the shields still help against crossbows, and especially against special missiles (Banefire Archers, Jotun Javelinists, normal archers with Flaming Arrows active). And of course, Ulmish infantry is all very cheap (10 gp) and tougher and stronger than normal humans, if a bit more vulnerable against magic. Marignonian infantry doesn't have shields and is vulnerable to arrows, and especially to crossbows, but they have higher morale (11 instead of 10). Marignonian Man-at-Arms have shields, but are a bit more expensive. Machaka's Hoplites have good armor, but their Great Hide Shields are weaker in melee than most other shields - on the other hand, they are very good against missiles. Agarthan medium and heavy human infantries use Kite Shields instead, and are the only infantry to do so, giving them slight edge against missiles and against heavy weapons. Their own weapons have rather low damage, though, and they themselves will have trouble against heavy units. Their encumberance is also rather high, due to enc 2 of the Kite Shield. Their Darkvision also makes able to fight under Darkness. Pale Ones of MA are medium infantry with very poor attack and defence, and only Bucklers to protect them from missiles, but they have lots of hp, good strength and an array of useful special abilities. They are vulnerable to missiles, though, and are prone to losing their only eye and thus becoming useless. Satyr Hoplites have very good base skills and stats (14 hp, 13 def, 13 magic res), but their archaic bronze armor causes them to fatigue quickly and their body protection is rather weak; however their ability to heal battle afflictions means that you can have them get lots more experience than infantries of other nations.

Magma Eruption works against all of these. Lighting spells work against all of thies. Massed crossbows work against all of these, but with wildly varying results. Crossbows with Flaming Arrows cast works pretty well against all of these and devastates most. All of these get fatigue rather quickly, and you might be able to beat them if you can tire them somehow.

The counters are similar. The uses, the strengths and particular national bonuses vary.

[TruePurple]

You can tell by their stats whether they would be good against missles, special missles or melee, etc?

If they vary in their strengths and weaknesses, don't they vary in what you want to use against them? From what you say it sounds like yet more reason to make enemy unit stats visable.

Theres definitely no downside at least other then programming time. Since theres already a unit stat screen its a matter of making a new access point system for it. It doesn't sound that hard to program.

[Endoperez]

I agree that it would be nice addition. I'm just trying to explain why I think it's not necessary.

The main thing that varies is Protection. If they have shields, high shield Parry value helps.

Unshielded Ulmish infantry has protection of 17. Unshielded Marignonese infantry has protection 14. Crossbows cause 10 (armor-piercing) damage, so they deal about 1.5 [20 - 17/2] points of damage against Ulmish and about 3 [20 - 14/2] points of damage against Marignonese infantries. Flaming arrows adds another armor-piercing attack with 8 damage. Thanks to the random rolls, the damage varies quite a lot; just stacking enough armor-piercing attacks against heavy infantry will ensure that damage gets through and afflictions happen even if the armor is a bit better (prot 20 of Black Plate infantry of Ulm) or if a Shield gives a chance of parry.

Satyr Hoplites have protection 16 and Shield, Arcoscephale hoplites have protection 17 and Shield, Machaka Hoplites have protection 16 and Great Hide Shield, Agarthan Heavy Infantry has protection 17 and Kite Shield, Ulm has access to troops with protection 17 and protection 20, both varieties with and without tower shields, Pale Ones Soldiers of Agartha have protection 13, 18 hp and Buckler.

Normal crossbows work against all of these. Armor-piercing and -negating spells work against all of these. All have rather high encumberance.

[TruePurple]

Lets say your facing a "markatas" Is it a shooter, foot soldier of low or high grade defense/offense? How about a "peltest"? I know a markatas is a real low grade shooter and a peltest is a javelin thrower (bonus against riders?) But their names do not tell me this.

What would you build against a markatas or a peltest army if you didn't know what they were?

Do certain other weapons give bonus against riders? If you were facing a enemy that had such weapon but you didn't know they did, do you build riders or not?

Lets say you have a army of slingers (low grade shooters) or are considering building them since at 2 resource you can make alot quickly. But your facing a foe you don't know whether they have high def shield protection.. what ever.. where the slingers shots might be almost completely ignored... or low def where their large numbers can do alot of damage?

You could be facing "Marignonian infantry" or "Machaka's Hoplites" but if you don't know the difference...

Normal crossbows work against all of these.

So you don't need to know what kind of units your facing because crossbows can be used against everything? Or just maybe everything except riders & fast units which are always riders?

Lets say you want to try to seduce a commander with that 400 gold magic user whos name I forget. You want to equip her with something to defeat the commander if the seduction fails (and its never succeeded yet against commanders weak or strong, I'm starting to wonder if its broken)
and you have to have that one unit battle enemy commander and guards together. Is it a air mage with air rocks and good items that can cast lightning that you should build the item that makes a unit immune to lightning for her? A archer that you need a good shield even if that means more incumbrance?

Lets say your facing same commanders in a regular battle. Lightning can pass by troops and injure enemy commanders directly unless their properly equipped.

Lets say you have a army of wyvrm spawn which have foul vapor ability. Its nice to know if the enemy is protected against poison or weak against it. Or your facing a army of wyvrm spawns. Or if you have or are facing those units that give off heat verses something cold themed or fire protected.(or you need to know to make item to make commanders fire or poison immune)

I still see it as a must to be able to see unit stats. What you said has convinced me of this more. It would also be nice to be able to scout out enemy commanders and see their stats & equipment.

[TruePurple]

Between turns it sometimes gives game play tips, but this usually passes by too fast to read. Is there a way to read these without taking up speed reading and staring hard at the screen between turns?

[Endoperez]

TruePurple said:
Lets say your facing a "markatas" Is it a shooter, foot soldier of low or high grade defense/offense? How about a "peltest"? I know a markatas is a real low grade shooter and a peltest is a javelin thrower (bonus against riders?) But their names do not tell me this.

What would you build against a markatas or a peltest army if you didn't know what they were?

Do certain other weapons give bonus against riders? If you were facing a enemy that had such weapon but you didn't know they did, do you build riders or not?

Lets say you have a army of slingers (low grade shooters) or are considering building them since at 2 resource you can make alot quickly. But your facing a foe you don't know whether they have high def shield protection.. what ever.. where the slingers shots might be almost completely ignored... or low def where their large numbers can do alot of damage?

You could be facing "Marignonian infantry" or "Machaka's Hoplites" but if you don't know the difference...

Markata and Peltasts are cheap, weak units. Slingers are handled just like arrows, mechanically; Shields help against them (Parry), but high defense doesn't. Javelins don't have bonus against cavalry.

I still see it as a must to be able to see unit stats. What you said has convinced me of this more. It would also be nice to be able to scout out enemy commanders and see their stats & equipment.

It seems I'm not good at arguing for my point, so I'll just drop it. IMO, the one thing that you should know is an approximation about how much protection the enemy troops have, and that alone is enough in most cases.

There are few problems with letting scouts see the amount of enemy commanders, and especially the details of enemy mages. Knowing the numbers and types of the commanders would already be quite powerful, because then you would know how much magic you should expect the opposition to have. Knowing the gems and items of the mages would let you guess at their strategies, as well as script for spells that work against them especially well. If you know what that Gorgon pretender is vulnerable to, your mages can easily kill her.

[TruePurple]

Of temples prophets and pretenders, which raise dominion in provinces they aren't in .. All of them?

Endoperez said:
Markata and Peltasts are cheap, weak units.

I know that, the point is that if one didn't know that.. or what kind of unit they were.. range.. melee.. etc Its helpful to know

Endoperez said:
Javelins don't have bonus against cavalry.

I also asked if there were any weapons at all that had bonus against riders? If there wasn't it would be skipping out a important aspect of medieval warfare as well as paper rock scissors game mechanics.

Endoperez said:
IMO, the one thing that you should know is an approximation about how much protection the enemy troops have,

Don't want to memorize that either.

Markato for example only do 2 damage range. It doesn't take much protection to reduce that to zero. Though I don't know that its such a linear subtraction (2 damage verses 2 protection=zero damage?)but still probably pretty important to know if your enemy has high protection with them.

Parry subtracts from a units missile accuracy right? Markata & slingers have only 6 & 8 precision. So you'll want to know about that too. Gave a few other examples where unit stats would be real helpful to be able to know.

[Agrajag]

TruePurple said:
Theres definitely no downside at least other then programming time. Since theres already a unit stat screen its a matter of making a new access point system for it. It doesn't sound that hard to program.

Then I'm guessing you don't have that much experience in programming
(It might be easy to program, but it just might be really really hard)