Posts from Harmony - Troop Symmetry

preliminary version of skill drop probabilities

Magic guilds in cities.

P.S. Destruction magic = Chaos magic; primordial magic = summoning magic. P.P.S. I also considered this option: since the Inferno guild in any case duplicates some other guild, we can give them something else – for example, give them not darkness + chaos, but chaos + summoning – this would reflect their inclination towards primordial magic (according to the lore, primordial magic is closest to them, followed by fire magic and then darkness magic). Also, this way we would equalize the number of guilds with light magic and with darkness magic (3 against 3), but the thing is that demons without darkness magic seem strange to me, and it is also canonical, so for now I will leave them with chaos + darkness.

And with the new arrangement, won't there be any problems with preparation?

No – the main thing is not to mess up with the number of human units (5 units).

preliminary version of skill drop probabilities...

Well, I reworked it after all. The old 3*15+3*10+3*6+3*2=99 has been changed to 3*15+6*8+3*2=99.
And here's another one - it's just a concept, so don't pay attention to the factions - it should result in 4*15+4*8+4*2=100.

We are looking forward to the release of the beta version.

Unit table (slightly edited)
It might seem strange to some, but vampires will be stronger than Death Knights:eek:, which is a bit odd even for me, but I'll explain why I made this decision:
In Ashan, the lore shows several types of human cavalry (three) and several types of Necropolis cavalry (two).
In the case of humans, these are:
1. Cuirassiers (Heroes 7) - the simplest cavalry, in the form of cuirassiers with increased damage range and an additional chance to stun after the unit is upgraded.
2. Sacred Knights of the Sun (Heroes 6), possessing magical abilities and blessed by Elrath - they can't be called ordinary humans, and their position right before the 7th tier is justified.
3. Paladins (Heroes 5) - units occupying a position between the previous two, as they are not as close to Elrath as the Knights of the Sun, but at the same time they are not devoid of magical properties (laying on of hands) and are essentially an improved version of a cavalryman.
In the case of the Necropolis, there are two types of riders:
1. Death Knights (Heroes 5) - based on their equipment (sword, shield, helmet, armor), we can talk about their proximity to ordinary cavalry + they possess certain magical properties (which is quite natural for a dead rider-horse pair), but they do not have a bonus to damage from a charge.
2. Reapers (Heroes 7) - in my opinion, this is not cavalry at all, and for them, the Necro-horse is not a means of combat (speed, charge, stun), but rather a means of transportation - essentially, it is the same Death Messenger from Heroes 5 who has climbed onto a horse. Think about it - they have a hood on their head, a scythe in their hands, no shield, and they are capable of killing at least one unit.
Now let's consider the vampire, based on the lore of Heroes 6 and 7 - their origin, position in the army and in society:
"As their power grows, liches may gain the right to approach the Spider Queen, dying and being reborn as an "ahharus", i.e., a vampire. They undergo a painful ritual, but receive a renewed body, devoid of all flaws. After this, they no longer need to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe, as all their internal organs "petrify", and instead of blood, sacred spider venom flows in their veins. This venom, unfortunately, gradually corrodes them from the inside, and to neutralize it, they have to regularly drink human blood.
When a vampire fully masters his powers, he begins to "age in reverse", and with each century of his unlife, he looks a year younger. Then he is considered a higher vampire and becomes one of the members of the ruling council of necromancers."

i.e., a vampire should be located somewhere between a Death Knight and a Reaper.

Since there is no other cavalry in the Necropolis, we take the Death Knight, and for humans, we take the Cuirassier (standard cavalry without any magic, such as the "Laying on of Hands", "Solar Steed", "Blinding Charge" abilities). Such ordinary cavalry can easily be placed in the 5th tier.

Of course, you can take the Paladin and the Reaper, raising both to the 6th tier and lowering the vampire and griffin to the 5th tier.

Sources
http://ru.ashan.wikia.com/wiki/Всадник_Солнца
http://www.might-and-magic.ru/articles/_/heroes6/creatures/necro_units

but again, according to the lore, a griffin shouldn't have 6 attack points – this is also an inconsistency. In short, share your thoughts – there's still time; I'm not focusing on units yet – my priority is heroes, magic, skills, and abilities.

Added 29 minutes later
On the other hand, should we try to standardize everything? In the original game, armies differ in the number of ranged units (from 1 in Inferno to 3 in Academy) and in the number of flying units (from 1 in Dwarves to 3 in Necropolis). Currently, I plan to give demons one ranged unit, add cavalry to the undead, and so on – in principle, this can be presented as faction-specific features – a weakness in one area, but strength in another – as long as the balance isn't affected. Giving and leveling abilities within a single unit, in my opinion, is not the right approach – we need to consider the overall picture for the faction.

What do the solid and dashed lines represent?

Added 10 minutes later
I think it would be better to make the griffin and the Knight of the same strength. The Knights will be a strong Tier 5 unit, and the griffins will be a weak Tier 6 unit.
With the Knights, it's silly: a vampire on a horse in armor < a vampire with a sword, flying
According to your information: an inexperienced vampire on a horse in armor < a vampire with a sword, flying
My opinion: an inexperienced vampire on a horse in armor = a vampire with a sword, flying
Something is not right here. It turns out that the Knight has become a higher-tier vampire and got off his horse?
I would return them to their original positions: vampires will fly far and attack, and knights will take the hit, but have the Lizardmen skill.

Added 30 seconds later
And that way, they can be made equal.

vampires on tier 6 are undoubtedly overpowered in Heroes 5, but if we consider Heroes 6 and 7, they are conditionally tier 6 – there, we have a division not into 7 levels, but into three (base, elite, champion). Vampires are the strongest in the elite tier in both Heroes 6 and 7, which essentially makes them the local tier 6 (only champions are stronger). I think I'll leave Necropolis without cavalry; I'll put Reapers on tier 6, but they don't perform the cavalry function, even though they ride horses. Regarding humans, changes for the sake of changes are bad, and Heroes 5 is characterized by having Paladins with Lay on Hands, so I'll probably move Griffins to tier 5 and leave Knights on tier 6, increase their growth rate, reduce their stats, and explain their proximity to tier 7 with a connection to the magic of Erathia (the infamous Lay on Hands). Orcs – on the second level, it will be either Gnolls or Wolves. Necrodrakes are ugly lizards – I'll try to create something based on Twilight Dragons, and I'll be inspired by the Necrodrake from Heroes 6 (in green tones) and the Necro-Viserion from Game of Thrones (in turquoise tones).

Oh, Viseryon... I still see him...
I would be glad to have him as a creature in your mod.

Are you still working on the mod?

Yes, of course, but there is very little time left for modding.

Well, I finally reworked it. The old 3*15+3*10+3*6+3*2=99 has become 3*15+6*8+3*2=99.
And here's another one - it's just a concept, so don't pay attention to the Factions - it should result in 4*15+4*8+4*2=100.

Essentially, you've done the most difficult part. So, what's the holdup?

Added 1 minute ago

Actually, "Mentor" is a cheat skill in itself - it's better to remove it from the skill wheel.

By the way, there's already a mod like that.

Added 2 minutes ago

Based on what I described in that message, the following conclusions can be drawn:
changes to skills relevant to the Factions:
- "Summoning" has been removed from the Dwarf and given to the Elf.
- "Machines" have been removed from the Orc and given to the Dwarf.
- "Logistics" has been removed from the Elf and given to the Orc (through the perks "Path of War" and "Aura of Speed").
All these shifts are necessary because all skills are duplicated as relevant skills on the path to Faction specialization (i.e., "Light" for Humans and Elves, "Attack" for Demons and Orcs, "Chaos" for Dwarves and Dark Elves, etc.).

That's undeniable. A good decision.