Mod: New nation : Shangri La, Hidden City of the Secret Masters

[HoneyBadger]

Thematically, you're doing great, and sorry, I thought this had been changed to EA-
So my bad there. I don't honestly have that much experience with MA, or LA, I'm an EA player, for the most part, atleast that's what I'm used to.

Anyway, I didn't mean that the theme itself was off, just that there are ways to take a theme, and introduce it to the game mechanics-like your great example for "bind scorpion beast".

Magical diversity also isn't necessarily a problem, it just becomes a problem when you've got too much and too powerful. It sounds like you're giving that some consideration, though, and that's good.

Here's a few thoughts:
One way to balance these guys out would be to remove some of their Movement (as in Provinces-per-Turn). Tibetan armour might have been known and renouned as far away as Arabia, but the Tibetans themselves don't seem to have wandered terribly far away from Chomolungma. Not every 3 needs to be a 2, or every 2 reduced to 1, but if you made your horsemen a 2, and your crossbowmen a 1, it would do a lot for balance (and not make them quite as crossbow-crazy as every other MA nation), and also give more reason to use your archers.

Also, your yak-riders are both awesome and terrible. There's really no reason in the world to buy a horseman, with yaks around. But, other than the Gore replacing the Hoof, they're currently interchangeable with horsemen. If it were me (and it's not, I know), I'd take away all of your horse-mounted units' Mountainwalk ability, and just give it to the yaks, which I would then make "No need to Eat" (to better represent the Tibetan treasure-trove that is a yak), and give Stealth (0) to-along with a Gold-hike. You might even put your Rta-Pa on yaks, since that would further single them out from all the other heavy calvalry running around in MA, and give them "No Need to Eat" too-although I don't know that I'd go so far as to give them Stealth. Yak secondform is also a possibility-Some riderless yaks (animals) running around the battlefield would be interesting. I'd give the yaks (only, not the riders) NNE + Supply (2)--giving your army a little food-boost in those hostile wastelands they like to live in--which opens up the possibility of making recruitable yaks. Armies traveling around with herds of yaks would definitely distinguish them from other nations

[Nounours]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

One way to balance these guys out would be to remove some of their Movement (as in Provinces-per-Turn). Tibetan armour might have been known and renouned as far away as Arabia, but the Tibetans themselves don't seem to have wandered terribly far away from Chomolungma. Not every 3 needs to be a 2, or every 2 reduced to 1, but if you made your horsemen a 2, and your crossbowmen a 1, it would do a lot for balance (and not make them quite as crossbow-crazy as every other MA nation), and also give more reason to use your archers.

I will consider reducing heavy cavalry movement. For crossbowmen, I have augmented their movement so much that now they are in LA (yep, they are so fast they travel through eras !), so no more crossbow in MA, I think. But perhaps a special-crossbowman unit in LA (I was thinking in something like the chinese Chu-Ko-Nu, or repeating crossbow : less powerful than ordinary crossbow, thus less damage, not armor-piercing, but poisoned, as it was often the case historically...)

Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

yak-riders are both awesome and terrible. There's really no reason in the world to buy a horseman, with yaks around. But, other than the Gore replacing the Hoof, they're currently interchangeable with horsemen. If it were me (and it's not, I know), I'd take away all of your horse-mounted units' Mountainwalk ability, and just give it to the yaks, which I would then make "No need to Eat" (to better represent the Tibetan treasure-trove that is a yak), and give Stealth (0) to-along with a Gold-hike.

Yeah, I already had remover mountain survival from cavalry, so I agree entirelly , but NNE for a yack ? I would give it supplybonus instead (It eat, but less than a horse, and is a potential source of food). Stealthy yack ? Don't know...

"Hey, man, is it a yack I've just seem ?" "Yeah, and what ? Everybody knows that we Abysians/Agarthan/jotuns/Bandar/(fill in with your favorite nation name) have huge herds of yacks, so it's all normal to see yacks here..."

No, I guess even a bakemeno is not stupid enough not to note a yack...

BTW, I'll PERHAPS include a Yack summon... just for fun (and to use some yack graphics I initially made for yack-riders)...

[Sombre]

[quote=Nounours;640262]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

But perhaps a special-crossbowman unit in LA (I was thinking in something like the chinese Chu-Ko-Nu, or repeating crossbow : less powerful than ordinary crossbow, thus less damage, not armor-piercing, but poisoned, as it was often the case historically...)

Be aware that neither shield nor armour protects against missile weapon poison. So you'll be giving them a powerful anti heavy infantry weapon.

[Nounours]

Originally Posted by Sombre

Be aware that neither shield nor armour protects against missile weapon poison. So you'll be giving them a powerful anti heavy infantry weapon.

Yes, I know about poison.
But historically, Chu-Ko-Nu was often poisoned because it's not a powerful weapon. It fired small bolts, the range was shorter than normal crossbow, and it lacked power to go through heavy armor. It was not even very accurate. The main advantage was its fire rate (about ten bolts in 15 seconds). So, it was not very useful against well protected troops, safe, of course, if you'd poisoned your bolts.

Some historical details here :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow

Thus, I think I will make two version of the Chu-Ko-Nu in LA Shangri La :

- normal Chu-Ko-Nu, with damage 9 (no strength added, of course), range 30 (even less than a bow, because I think bolts are too light to go as far as normal ones), Att 0 (less accurate than normal crossbow), ammo 6 (in fact 12 bolts, but you fire 2/round, so you can fire only 6 times), and 2 attacks/round (to represent high fire rate), NO armor-piercing.

- heavy Chu-Ko-Nu, with damage 6 (no strength added), range 25, Att 0, ammo 6, and 2 attacks/round, NO armor-piercing, BUT weak poison.

[Sombre]

Originally Posted by Nounours

So, it was not very useful against well protected troops, safe, of course, if you'd poisoned your bolts.

Well only if it can penetrate far enough to actually come in contact with the flesh. By giving one weak poison it will penetrate through the heaviest magical plate armour, black steel tower shields etc

I understand it's the best solution you can come up with though.

I'm looking for a way to get around the poison arrow problem via mod commands. I'll let you know.