Alex_soldier
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Issue # 3: BIRDS IN GENERAL, STONE GARGOYLES IN PARTICULAR
Hello, dear readers!
Today we will talk about birds. Or more precisely—about Stone Gargoyles. These amazing creatures have remained almost unchanged since the dawn of the heroic series! It is time to finally sort things out with this ancient species.
While reading fantasy literature (Asprin's "Myth" series), I noticed an interesting fact: arrows do no damage to (stone) gargoyles! They simply bounce off! Now that is an interesting feature, one I haven't encountered before. Gargoyles are second-tier creatures (and this trend has historically persisted), therefore, their rating in the general list of units is not that high. Adding this ability would earn them more points. The storming of castles could take on a whole new quality! And in a regular battle against archers, there would be something to counter them with.
However, one should not absolutize this specialty: it is possible that higher archers—Titans and Archmagi—could deal damage, as their arrows are clumps of magical energy.
Now for the main and most pressing point: shouldn't Gargoyles move away from the wizards and closer to the earth race? After all, their body is composed of stone! They would look great in the company of some Stone Trolls. Besides, the earth race is short on aviation. Such an addition would immediately give the armed forces of this element a worthy appearance!
From a mythical standpoint, this is very realistic. Myths are a treasure trove of game realities! Many ideas are just waiting to be noticed and implemented. And we aren't just talking about some sophisticated authorial fantasies, but most often about simple, logical things.
Now let's take the entire family of feathered creatures. What valuable features can we identify in them? Correct—the ability to fly! What follows from this? A lot: overcoming ground obstacles, increased maneuverability in flight, a high risk of being "shot down" and dying upon impact, a strong dependence on air currents (the air element). If desired, more can be found, but for now, this is enough for us. Let's try to incorporate all of this into the game.
So, birds move through the air, and ground obstacles have no significant influence. Moreover, they can land on some of them to wait out an unfavorable moment in battle. Also, flying consumes less strength than walking, so the birds tire less (just in case). One more point:
B-box (quote from the forum):
What about additional damage for archers against creatures with the levitation property?..
Indeed, in some games of other genres, the unit type was also considered when calculating damage: after all, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. But I don't think this factor should be brought into HMM. Because on one hand—it hurts birds more when they are shot (they fall to the ground and crash), on the other hand—it is harder to aim and hit a flying object. It remains to be seen what the result would be.
There should also be a possibility to "blow away" an approaching enemy several cells back (using Air Magic, of course)!
And finally—the best part! How can birds be attacked? With magic—one; with archers—two; with a special military machine (like a throw-net)—three; with their own birds—four; and with infantry during defense—five. I'll explain the last one in more detail. Can an ordinary infantryman, even a Pikeman, reach a "crane in the sky"? No! Only if the "titmouse" flies down to attack itself. Thus, birds have a significant advantage in attacking first. One might argue: that the one with the better aviation will win, and some races will have an overwhelming advantage from the very start of the game. This is fair, so "flight altitude" should be taken into account. If a bird has already attacked, its altitude is low—anyone can reach it. But if it is still circling the victim or has intentionally climbed higher after an attack—sorry, attack by other means. Considering all these innovations, Gargoyles significantly raise their class!
And I'll reveal one more secret: there will be no stalemate situations! I have found a beautiful mechanism that guarantees the conclusion of every battle, but more on that later!
It should be noted that today we have analyzed one of the most important and key themes of the game. Therefore, I am still accepting any suggestions and corrections on all the issues touched upon. It is possible that in the future, the proposed model will be significantly adjusted!
Hello, dear readers!
Today we will talk about birds. Or more precisely—about Stone Gargoyles. These amazing creatures have remained almost unchanged since the dawn of the heroic series! It is time to finally sort things out with this ancient species.
While reading fantasy literature (Asprin's "Myth" series), I noticed an interesting fact: arrows do no damage to (stone) gargoyles! They simply bounce off! Now that is an interesting feature, one I haven't encountered before. Gargoyles are second-tier creatures (and this trend has historically persisted), therefore, their rating in the general list of units is not that high. Adding this ability would earn them more points. The storming of castles could take on a whole new quality! And in a regular battle against archers, there would be something to counter them with.
However, one should not absolutize this specialty: it is possible that higher archers—Titans and Archmagi—could deal damage, as their arrows are clumps of magical energy.
Now for the main and most pressing point: shouldn't Gargoyles move away from the wizards and closer to the earth race? After all, their body is composed of stone! They would look great in the company of some Stone Trolls. Besides, the earth race is short on aviation. Such an addition would immediately give the armed forces of this element a worthy appearance!
From a mythical standpoint, this is very realistic. Myths are a treasure trove of game realities! Many ideas are just waiting to be noticed and implemented. And we aren't just talking about some sophisticated authorial fantasies, but most often about simple, logical things.
Now let's take the entire family of feathered creatures. What valuable features can we identify in them? Correct—the ability to fly! What follows from this? A lot: overcoming ground obstacles, increased maneuverability in flight, a high risk of being "shot down" and dying upon impact, a strong dependence on air currents (the air element). If desired, more can be found, but for now, this is enough for us. Let's try to incorporate all of this into the game.
So, birds move through the air, and ground obstacles have no significant influence. Moreover, they can land on some of them to wait out an unfavorable moment in battle. Also, flying consumes less strength than walking, so the birds tire less (just in case). One more point:
B-box (quote from the forum):
What about additional damage for archers against creatures with the levitation property?..
Indeed, in some games of other genres, the unit type was also considered when calculating damage: after all, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. But I don't think this factor should be brought into HMM. Because on one hand—it hurts birds more when they are shot (they fall to the ground and crash), on the other hand—it is harder to aim and hit a flying object. It remains to be seen what the result would be.
There should also be a possibility to "blow away" an approaching enemy several cells back (using Air Magic, of course)!
And finally—the best part! How can birds be attacked? With magic—one; with archers—two; with a special military machine (like a throw-net)—three; with their own birds—four; and with infantry during defense—five. I'll explain the last one in more detail. Can an ordinary infantryman, even a Pikeman, reach a "crane in the sky"? No! Only if the "titmouse" flies down to attack itself. Thus, birds have a significant advantage in attacking first. One might argue: that the one with the better aviation will win, and some races will have an overwhelming advantage from the very start of the game. This is fair, so "flight altitude" should be taken into account. If a bird has already attacked, its altitude is low—anyone can reach it. But if it is still circling the victim or has intentionally climbed higher after an attack—sorry, attack by other means. Considering all these innovations, Gargoyles significantly raise their class!
And I'll reveal one more secret: there will be no stalemate situations! I have found a beautiful mechanism that guarantees the conclusion of every battle, but more on that later!
It should be noted that today we have analyzed one of the most important and key themes of the game. Therefore, I am still accepting any suggestions and corrections on all the issues touched upon. It is possible that in the future, the proposed model will be significantly adjusted!
