01-26-2016, 01:36 PM (This post was last modified: 05-25-2016, 12:23 PM by unclemike.)
Hey now, let's not get carried away with all of the map changes
I spent a lot of time researching how to create the next generation map for Kingdoms of Arcania and found the best quality software at a fairly low price that will enhance our maps of the future. See the attached examples that can be made with this cool software.
After taking a look at these examples, there will be no doubt that the interactive maps for Kingdoms of Arcania will blow away Fall of Rome's version by far!!!
The fog of war file shows that hexes may either be darkened or have clouds over them to disguise the terrain (that's not snow but clouds though snow-capped mountains may be made as well). The other attachment shows that roads may be added to help facilitate group movement through a region if such is desired for a particular map. There are plenty of other things that can be done to enhance the upcoming interactive map for Kingdoms of Arcania so the future is looking really nice for everyone.
So let's not drop the hex map concept for now otherwise the weeks that I spent trying to find the best quality software for our needs would have been time better spent doing something else...
01-26-2016, 06:54 PM (This post was last modified: 01-26-2016, 07:09 PM by Ry Vor.)
I've been spending frustrating time trying to get 3rd Cycle battles, specifically brigade losses, attrition and morale to where they should be with the new variables, including brigade experience. Fingers crossed about getting synapsis to fire some of those neurons up again. Something to do with holding 16 variables in your head.
Once more into the breech: Military changes were probably as extensive as any area in 3rd Cycle. Brigade experience, four new tactics, improvement of artifacts, particularly weapon artifacts, as well as introducing several, Companion brigades, individual brigade attrition, morale, experience, new leader titles and the introduction of decorations (medals), increase in intercept range, terrain mastery, improvements to group counter espionage, the introduction of several new military kingdoms, some others I'm not thinking of. So, not to my mind neglected, now we just need to get those remaining battle details worked out. I also want to get some new presentation to groups, encounters, and PC battles. In battles, brigades do not elevate if they aren't significantly involved in the battle. Leaders still may, and are at risk, as may wizards be. Getting a brigade to Elite is to be an uncommon, maybe rare, thing. This is in part why the revisions to the heal abilities and the clarification to the brigade loss assignments are important.
Then I should be able to get the rest to Mike. Below I pasted where I am with Feature / Order changes. There are other sections including clarifications / bugs and Presentation Changes. I've already posted Trait changes and some other changes. There will also be some changes to spells, and upkeep for Companions and Summoned brigades.
The Choosing Touch up January, 2016
Feature / Order · HP and Spell Heal stronger and specify which brigade types to heal.
New order: Causus Belli numbered #415 if available – “Issue Causus Belli”, costs 3000 gold. King specifies which kingdom has given (is the target of) the kingdom issuing Causus Belli. This is a declaration made before the High Council, but is in addition to the HC issue, not a different High Council issue. A kingdom who has not issued a Causus Belli against a kingdom that attacks that kingdom loses two points of influence. This warning should appear on the order entry/validation web page. There should be a new table after the enemy / ally declaration to show all the issued Causus Belli. ·Sea of Terror freezes in Winter. Movement is at the kingdom’s rate for desert and combat is treated as on desert. No sea patrol, sea movement, kraken. If possible, allow 710 and 715 in Winter, in Sea of Terror to be treated as 720, 725. Add text result to military results in Late Autumn that “The Sea of Terror will be frozen through the Winter, and no naval actions are possible. Groups can move across the ice using #720 with moving on ice at the movement cost of desert.” · A kingdom cannot be worse than Suspicious in a region it controls. So if already at Suspicious, it does not go to Hostile for any action as long as it controls the region.
Order #960 & #945 – Steal Artifact and #945 Assassinate Leader or Wizard needs to be modified to require the target area. Ensure that non-detected invisible groups cannot be successfully targeted.
Order # A B C D E
945 Agent Area Grp ID L or W H or L
960 Agent Area (below) Short Name
Col C for 960 would be blank if PC, else Em Ab, or Group ID. Column E is not used · In spy report, please ensure that the area the foreign agent reconned is not revealed. So in the Spies on Reconnaissance section, any foreign agents based there that were on recon just says, “Undertook a reconnaissance mission.”, and not include the area that the foreign agent recon’d. · When a successful recon of a group or area had counter-espionage, report that in the Covert section results, “There was active counter-espionage in area (xy).”
·Please ensure that a hidden capital is only revealed when an L4+ agent does a #970 or similar order like a single area Eagle Familiar.
·While agent mission success is reduced 10 points and agent capture reduced 10 points, ensure that at L4, an agent always succeeds in a basic recon (970).
·Restore 920 and 925 to range of 8 (had been reduced to 3 in beta).
·Counter Espionage from an agent depends on that agent’s health, and does not also protect the agent on counter espionage himself. If the agent is assassinated or otherwise incapacitated, his counter espionage is reduced to zero.
On quick question on these changes. Does this mean that order 711 wont work during winter? It seems harsh to lose out on additional gold for the Northern regions.
(01-26-2016, 06:54 PM)Ry Vor Wrote: I've been spending frustrating time trying to get 3rd Cycle battles, specifically brigade losses, attrition and morale to where they should be with the new variables, including brigade experience. Fingers crossed about getting synapsis to fire some of those neurons up again. Something to do with holding 16 variables in your head.
Once more into the breech: Military changes were probably as extensive as any area in 3rd Cycle. Brigade experience, four new tactics, improvement of artifacts, particularly weapon artifacts, as well as introducing several, Companion brigades, individual brigade attrition, morale, experience, new leader titles and the introduction of decorations (medals), increase in intercept range, terrain mastery, improvements to group counter espionage, the introduction of several new military kingdoms, some others I'm not thinking of. So, not to my mind neglected, now we just need to get those remaining battle details worked out. I also want to get some new presentation to groups, encounters, and PC battles. In battles, brigades do not elevate if they aren't significantly involved in the battle. Leaders still may, and are at risk, as may wizards be. Getting a brigade to Elite is to be an uncommon, maybe rare, thing. This is in part why the revisions to the heal abilities and the clarification to the brigade loss assignments are important.
Then I should be able to get the rest to Mike. Below I pasted where I am with Feature / Order changes. There are other sections including clarifications / bugs and Presentation Changes. I've already posted Trait changes and some other changes. There will also be some changes to spells, and upkeep for Companions and Summoned brigades.
The Choosing Touch up January, 2016
Feature / Order · HP and Spell Heal stronger and specify which brigade types to heal.
New order: Causus Belli numbered #415 if available – “Issue Causus Belli”, costs 3000 gold. King specifies which kingdom has given (is the target of) the kingdom issuing Causus Belli. This is a declaration made before the High Council, but is in addition to the HC issue, not a different High Council issue. A kingdom who has not issued a Causus Belli against a kingdom that attacks that kingdom loses two points of influence. This warning should appear on the order entry/validation web page. There should be a new table after the enemy / ally declaration to show all the issued Causus Belli. ·Sea of Terror freezes in Winter. Movement is at the kingdom’s rate for desert and combat is treated as on desert. No sea patrol, sea movement, kraken. If possible, allow 710 and 715 in Winter, in Sea of Terror to be treated as 720, 725. Add text result to military results in Late Autumn that “The Sea of Terror will be frozen through the Winter, and no naval actions are possible. Groups can move across the ice using #720 with moving on ice at the movement cost of desert.” · A kingdom cannot be worse than Suspicious in a region it controls. So if already at Suspicious, it does not go to Hostile for any action as long as it controls the region.
Order #960 & #945 – Steal Artifact and #945 Assassinate Leader or Wizard needs to be modified to require the target area. Ensure that non-detected invisible groups cannot be successfully targeted.
Order # A B C D E
945 Agent Area Grp ID L or W H or L
960 Agent Area (below) Short Name
Col C for 960 would be blank if PC, else Em Ab, or Group ID. Column E is not used · In spy report, please ensure that the area the foreign agent reconned is not revealed. So in the Spies on Reconnaissance section, any foreign agents based there that were on recon just says, “Undertook a reconnaissance mission.”, and not include the area that the foreign agent recon’d. · When a successful recon of a group or area had counter-espionage, report that in the Covert section results, “There was active counter-espionage in area (xy).”
·Please ensure that a hidden capital is only revealed when an L4+ agent does a #970 or similar order like a single area Eagle Familiar.
·While agent mission success is reduced 10 points and agent capture reduced 10 points, ensure that at L4, an agent always succeeds in a basic recon (970).
·Restore 920 and 925 to range of 8 (had been reduced to 3 in beta).
·Counter Espionage from an agent depends on that agent’s health, and does not also protect the agent on counter espionage himself. If the agent is assassinated or otherwise incapacitated, his counter espionage is reduced to zero.
If 945 and 960 require a target area wouldn't the order fail as long as the group moves each turn?
(01-26-2016, 06:54 PM)Ry Vor Wrote: I've been spending frustrating time trying to get 3rd Cycle battles, specifically brigade losses, attrition and morale to where they should be with the new variables, including brigade experience. Fingers crossed about getting synapsis to fire some of those neurons up again. Something to do with holding 16 variables in your head.
Once more into the breech: Military changes were probably as extensive as any area in 3rd Cycle. Brigade experience, four new tactics, improvement of artifacts, particularly weapon artifacts, as well as introducing several, Companion brigades, individual brigade attrition, morale, experience, new leader titles and the introduction of decorations (medals), increase in intercept range, terrain mastery, improvements to group counter espionage, the introduction of several new military kingdoms, some others I'm not thinking of. So, not to my mind neglected, now we just need to get those remaining battle details worked out. I also want to get some new presentation to groups, encounters, and PC battles. In battles, brigades do not elevate if they aren't significantly involved in the battle. Leaders still may, and are at risk, as may wizards be. Getting a brigade to Elite is to be an uncommon, maybe rare, thing. This is in part why the revisions to the heal abilities and the clarification to the brigade loss assignments are important.
Then I should be able to get the rest to Mike. Below I pasted where I am with Feature / Order changes. There are other sections including clarifications / bugs and Presentation Changes. I've already posted Trait changes and some other changes. There will also be some changes to spells, and upkeep for Companions and Summoned brigades.
The Choosing Touch up January, 2016
Feature / Order · HP and Spell Heal stronger and specify which brigade types to heal.
New order: Causus Belli numbered #415 if available – “Issue Causus Belli”, costs 3000 gold. King specifies which kingdom has given (is the target of) the kingdom issuing Causus Belli. This is a declaration made before the High Council, but is in addition to the HC issue, not a different High Council issue. A kingdom who has not issued a Causus Belli against a kingdom that attacks that kingdom loses two points of influence. This warning should appear on the order entry/validation web page. There should be a new table after the enemy / ally declaration to show all the issued Causus Belli. ·Sea of Terror freezes in Winter. Movement is at the kingdom’s rate for desert and combat is treated as on desert. No sea patrol, sea movement, kraken. If possible, allow 710 and 715 in Winter, in Sea of Terror to be treated as 720, 725. Add text result to military results in Late Autumn that “The Sea of Terror will be frozen through the Winter, and no naval actions are possible. Groups can move across the ice using #720 with moving on ice at the movement cost of desert.” · A kingdom cannot be worse than Suspicious in a region it controls. So if already at Suspicious, it does not go to Hostile for any action as long as it controls the region.
Order #960 & #945 – Steal Artifact and #945 Assassinate Leader or Wizard needs to be modified to require the target area. Ensure that non-detected invisible groups cannot be successfully targeted.
Order # A B C D E
945 Agent Area Grp ID L or W H or L
960 Agent Area (below) Short Name
Col C for 960 would be blank if PC, else Em Ab, or Group ID. Column E is not used · In spy report, please ensure that the area the foreign agent reconned is not revealed. So in the Spies on Reconnaissance section, any foreign agents based there that were on recon just says, “Undertook a reconnaissance mission.”, and not include the area that the foreign agent recon’d. · When a successful recon of a group or area had counter-espionage, report that in the Covert section results, “There was active counter-espionage in area (xy).”
·Please ensure that a hidden capital is only revealed when an L4+ agent does a #970 or similar order like a single area Eagle Familiar.
·While agent mission success is reduced 10 points and agent capture reduced 10 points, ensure that at L4, an agent always succeeds in a basic recon (970).
·Restore 920 and 925 to range of 8 (had been reduced to 3 in beta).
·Counter Espionage from an agent depends on that agent’s health, and does not also protect the agent on counter espionage himself. If the agent is assassinated or otherwise incapacitated, his counter espionage is reduced to zero.
If 945 and 960 require a target area wouldn't the order fail as long as the group moves each turn?
Yes. We might add an order for maybe an L7 to be able to assassinate if another agent has tracked, but I don't think assassinating is really where we want to go - I mean about how players feel about their game experience.
We saw an incident where an artifact was relocated to an undiscovered, hidden capital and was stolen as the 2nd Cycle order doesn't require an area.
01-27-2016, 02:02 AM (This post was last modified: 01-27-2016, 02:02 AM by Atuan.)
Im not sure how a magically deficient kingdom fights a wizard kingdom without the ability to hamper his wizards. As the CI is 502 my ability to combat the WA without the ability to target his wizards would be drastically reduced. While he would have the ability to ward any PC my group shows up at and blast the ones that they don't show up at. Knowing where the group was before they moved no worries and if you want to change the order number to 700 I could support such a move. But knowing where they will move to, that makes the mission almost impossible unless you are surprising the kingdom.
Im torn on the ability to steal an artifact as well as a well trained agent would be tracking the emissary or group that has it, tailing them and then stealing it when they settled down.
I've noticed in the two betas that groups are too big and too overwhelming in battles which doesn't really provide a good test for verifying certain battle conditions (or special effects like flanking or troop-specific abilities). I would rather have an evenly matched battle where both groups attack on aTAC 3 and no wizards involved (or cast self invisible). That way, the battle will inflict serious casualties in brigade losses and attrition to test the new code that Ry Vor developed.
You may want to post your group size and say that you can teleport to another's location (of nearly the same combat value) this turn so that the two of you can battle on Wed's turn. Again no wizards (or invisible) to extend the battle for lots of casualties.
Or if that doesn't work out then how about attacking a pc with a group at 1x pc defense (or just under pc defense value) and attack on a 3. That way, your group will lose and take significant casualties from the pc.
I also want to see if the Destroy Undead spell works correctly (# 87 listed under the Group Spells category on the new website). I want to check if only undead troop types are killed off while others are left alone.
