Stealth vs Starvation?

cleveland · #1 December 21st, 2007, 07:07 PM

Quote:

llamabeast said:
Sneaking units can't starve? That sounds like a bug to me. I can't see any thematic reason for it.

Because then they wouldn't be stealthy.

Feeding yourself without being noticed must be part of the stealthy skillset. Nuts, berries, insects, etc. Think lunatic survivalists.

TwoBits · #2 December 22nd, 2007, 06:12 AM

Dang, if quantum_mechanic is right, I'll have to rethink my whole "scorched earth" strategy, at least versus the sneakers...

Wick · #3 December 23rd, 2007, 12:50 AM

It still seems like a bug. Checking their hunger against the base supplies of the province wouldn't give them away but would stop large armies passing through the Carrion Woods, where even the plants are undead.

Loren · #4 December 23rd, 2007, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Wick said:
It still seems like a bug. Checking their hunger against the base supplies of the province wouldn't give them away but would stop large armies passing through the Carrion Woods, where even the plants are undead.

Actually, I think it *SHOULD* give them away! If you truly want to sneak an army through you should have to bring food as the locals would note the missing food.

Endoperez · #5 December 23rd, 2007, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Loren said:
Actually, I think it *SHOULD* give them away! If you truly want to sneak an army through you should have to bring food as the locals would note the missing food.

However, that'd also mean that if your enemy was using stealth armies against you, the best way to fight them would be to check all of your provinces every turn, and see how much supplies are used. EVERY TURN!

Doing something very boring and very unfun shouldn't give benefits that can't be gotten other ways.

TwoBits · #6 December 23rd, 2007, 05:50 AM

IMO, there should be some kind of check against a province's supply level, just to represent a stealth army's ability to live off the land or not.

A large, sneaky force might be able to forage and steal enough food in bountiful farmland, but it's hard to imagine them getting by on just roots and berries in a barren wasteland...

Loren · #7 December 23rd, 2007, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Endoperez said:

Quote:

Loren said:
Actually, I think it *SHOULD* give them away! If you truly want to sneak an army through you should have to bring food as the locals would note the missing food.

However, that'd also mean that if your enemy was using stealth armies against you, the best way to fight them would be to check all of your provinces every turn, and see how much supplies are used. EVERY TURN!

Doing something very boring and very unfun shouldn't give benefits that can't be gotten other ways.

No. I wouldn't alter the numbers on the screen, I would just have a message if the province was in starvation due to them. "Inexplicably, the units in <x> can't find enough food."

How about an order for stealth units: Eat. Their supply consumption increases say 3x or 5x, although this will not cause starvation amongst *THEIR* units.

vfb · #8 December 23rd, 2007, 08:19 PM

One possible solution would be to cause starvation in sneaking units in enemy territory, but not update the display of available supplies when the owner of the province looks at it. And since the stealth units are sneaking, they get last dibs on the twigs and berries, so standing armies of the owner won't starve (normally) either.