View Full Version : The Undead
seZereth Jul 06, 2006, 02:38 AM I managed to get a look into Alaskans Technique of transplantating Bones and it is quiete fast to do and can produce very impressive effects, have a look at this :P
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4469/skeletonandconstructionkit20tp.th.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=skeletonandconstructionkit20tp.jpg)
can upload the files tomorrow if you like it ;)
Psychic_Llamas Jul 06, 2006, 02:41 AM Wow! those would make nice Vampire count skeles! It would be good if you could make the bones a bit more white for Khemri, as they are a bit more 'sun bleached'
Ploeperpengel Jul 06, 2006, 04:42 AM The models are fantastic! The armor should appear a little more rusty and the cloth rotten but this is just the last polish. Good job. No, fantastic job! Though I said I won't put more units in until after the release for these guys I make an exeption! Send them as fast as you can:drool:
woodelf Jul 06, 2006, 04:54 AM Those are terrific seZ. I love the archers. What happens when they die, a pile of bones? :)
Ploeperpengel Jul 06, 2006, 04:59 AM Though that would be cool it's nothing you can do with the nif viewer so I suppose not(not yet);)
woodelf Jul 06, 2006, 05:04 AM Kind of off topic, but wouldn't corpses littering the tiles where battles took place be cool? And wouldn't it be cool to then have a unit that could reanimate these corpses in x number of turns if they entered that tile?
Psychic_Llamas Jul 06, 2006, 05:26 AM OOOH! thats an awsome idea Woodelf! and have them dissapear after 'y' turns. the death and necromancy winds of magic would have a field day!
woodelf Jul 06, 2006, 05:33 AM OOOH! thats an awsome idea Woodelf! and have them dissapear after 'y' turns. the death and necromancy winds of magic would have a field day!
That's exactly what I had in mind P_L. :evil:
Duke van Frost Jul 06, 2006, 06:36 AM Those Units are just great SeZ!
I´m really looking forward to have them in the Mod.
Civmansam Jul 06, 2006, 09:00 AM Kind of off topic, but wouldn't corpses littering the tiles where battles took place be cool? And wouldn't it be cool to then have a unit that could reanimate these corpses in x number of turns if they entered that tile?
I think that would be cool, and it wouldn't be hard to do. But there should be only a X% chance that a corpse will appear otherwise the world would be full of corpses. If we pursue this idea, we could make a event where when a unit dies there is a X% chance that a corpse will appear. But what should we make a corpse? A feature or a recource?
Ploeperpengel Jul 06, 2006, 09:07 AM I think that would be cool, and it wouldn't be hard to do. But there should be only a X% chance that a corpse will appear otherwise the world would be full of corpses. If we pursue this idea, we could make a event where when a unit dies there is a X% chance that a corpse will appear. But what should we make a corpse? A feature or a recource?
Well if you dip into it whatever fits better to the spell that raises undead(that spell should make the corpses dissappear again). From Designer point of view it seems more like a kind of "resource" for the undead civs. Corpses could appear every time a unit dies but dissappear after 10 rounds maybe. The tile could produce one food less or have no production at all like waste maybe as long bones litter it. Is waste a feature or resource in game?
woodelf Jul 06, 2006, 09:08 AM A resource that gets consumed if that's easy to code. Definitely make it only a chance of one appearing per unit lost.
Ploeperpengel Jul 06, 2006, 09:12 AM Another idea to get rid of corpses could be besides raising undead a blessing spell by Priests of good civs or workers removing them(like waste) in the latter case corpses shouldn't dissappear by turns just if removed by units. Being waste that should be enough motivation removing them for good civs so they won't litter the whole map forever.
If you still think there should only be a chance corpses appear make it not to low.
Psychic_Llamas Jul 06, 2006, 06:31 PM give good civs with life magic a 'sending' spell, which sends the dead persons soul to the spirit relm, and then the body can decompose as normal.
seZereth Jul 07, 2006, 04:43 AM The Undead:Skeletons have been Released.
Ploeperpengel Jul 07, 2006, 04:49 AM Great! Think you can manage a skeleton horsie too with that method?:D
seZereth Jul 07, 2006, 08:11 AM Great! Think you can manage a skeleton horsie too with that method?:D
I already thought about that, cause i want a undead Chariot :)
I think at least a partly "armored" (for those parts which cant be well scaled) should be doable... somewhere in the future ;)
Ploeperpengel Jul 07, 2006, 08:34 AM This will be a bomb then.:) I hope the dl won't screw up again tonight when I will add them.:(
Ploeperpengel Jul 10, 2006, 05:41 AM To summarize the Corpse resource idea:
Everytime a unit gets killed there should be a chance corpses appear on the tile(imo about 50%)
Corpses could have similar effects like waste(pollution) on the tile, leaving it without production.
Corpses could be removed in three ways:
1: a necromancer raises them
2: A priest sets them to rest(via prayer/spell)
3: Workers bury them
Ifs possible I'd like to have a small chance like 5% every turn the undead rise by themselves(undead barbs) also removing the corpses. This chance could rise to 10% if workers are burying them(disturbing the dead)
After a long period the corpeses also coud simply get consumed(something like 50 or more turns)
@Civmansam
Think you can write that code?
woodelf Jul 10, 2006, 06:12 AM I love the whole concept of the corpse resource. :)
DutchJunkie Jul 10, 2006, 06:46 AM I love the whole concept of the corpse resource. :)
Me too .. only the 5 or 10% is too much .. or you should give the player a chance to bury them first. In toher words: 5% chance the corpses come to live by itself after 5 turns. This way the player has a chance to clean and if he doesn't .. well then he has a chance to be hunted by the undead ..
seZereth Jul 10, 2006, 07:03 AM Me too .. only the 5 or 10% is too much .. or you should give the player a chance to bury them first. In toher words: 5% chance the corpses come to live by itself after 5 turns. This way the player has a chance to clean and if he doesn't .. well then he has a chance to be hunted by the undead ..
sounds very nice! and if not too complicated, perhaps if you raise them in 10 turns you get zombies and after that you get skeltons... (i think someone already suggested that)
DutchJunkie Jul 10, 2006, 07:06 AM sounds very nice! and if not too complicated, perhaps if you raise them in 10 turns you get zombies and after that you get skeltons... (i think someone already suggested that)
It get's even better and better .. :crazyeye:
And what about dead dragons and giants? a little more work for the necromancer, but they could become a Zobie Dragon and Bone Giant!
Ploeperpengel Jul 10, 2006, 07:18 AM Me too .. only the 5 or 10% is too much .. or you should give the player a chance to bury them first. In toher words: 5% chance the corpses come to live by itself after 5 turns. This way the player has a chance to clean and if he doesn't .. well then he has a chance to be hunted by the undead ..
5 % means round about every 20 turns DJ. And if you can bury them safely what for youneed a priest? Workers could mass together to bury them faster also.
Dragons and BoneGiants are powerful individuals. They shouldn't be spawned randomly everywhere on the map.
Civmansam Jul 10, 2006, 02:54 PM To summarize the Corpse resource idea:
Everytime a unit gets killed there should be a chance corpses appear on the tile(imo about 50%)
Corpses could have similar effects like waste(pollution) on the tile, leaving it without production.
Corpses could be removed in three ways:
1: a necromancer raises them
2: A priest sets them to rest(via prayer/spell)
3: Workers bury them
Ifs possible I'd like to have a small chance like 5% every turn the undead rise by themselves(undead barbs) also removing the corpses. This chance could rise to 10% if workers are burying them(disturbing the dead)
After a long period the corpeses also coud simply get consumed(something like 50 or more turns)
@Civmansam
Think you can write that code?
I'll see what I can do, but I'm an amatuer pythonist so I don't know. Especially the last part
Ploeperpengel Jul 10, 2006, 02:59 PM That's ok. If you can get the first part done that would already be good to post. We can allways add the more tricky stuff later- but you allways grow with the challenge:D
Psychic_Llamas Jul 11, 2006, 02:24 AM Love it all! this would be awsome.
Civmansam Jul 23, 2006, 08:36 AM Finally started on this, just wanted to ask something, if I could make bones a feature, because it would be a ton easier to code that way
Ploeperpengel Jul 23, 2006, 10:56 AM I don't mind if we get the same effects.
Arexack_heretic Oct 11, 2006, 06:55 AM corpses = pollution is a bit much IMO.
so is 50 turns for them to decompose, a year or five and only scraps should
remain!
hmm. 10 turns, then 5% every turn of rising up...no chance they are gonna take decomp lying down. They will rise eventually.
I also like to see a wonder (black piramid?) that does what Nagash did: kill all humans in his kingdom and raise them as undead.
It should be a fairly difficult thing to build, but the rewards would be high:
-no more food needed.
-Plus free raise dead spell/turn or -free 5 free lichlord units (for raising dead).
Hmm population growth could come from 'harvesting' those corpse fields.
(All undead units can disband in necropolis to add 1 pop)
or from 'mining' graveyard enhanced squares, bones/skulls would replace shoves of grain.
Could a wonder replace all irrigation/hamlet with graveyard enhancements?
edit:
Maybe if chance of a corpsepile can be kept relatively low, you can cleanup a tile by burrying them, creating a graveyard. (no chance of undead rising spontaneously, unless by winds-of-magic.)
This has no value for most civs appart from + :) maybe or - :).... But for undead civs these would be great attractors.
Graveyards can be cleared by workers at the same rate as clearing a forest. But with a chance of 10% of barbarian undead rising.
If dead rising spontaneously % could be tied in with warpstone or other souces of magic being nearby, that would be realistic. but much trouble for something that could be a rare occurence. Unless people start fichting for a chunk of green glowy stuff.
-technical question: can terrain appearance be changed according to culture? (Undead fields / chaos plains / bleak forrests etc)
Psychic_Llamas Oct 13, 2006, 01:04 AM those are some damn ambitious ideas, I love em! especially the wonder killing all your people and then raising them as undead, that would be cool, one for the Khemri (Black Pyramid and Black Tower of Arkhan but can only build one of them not both), one for vampires (Nagashizzar?) and one for Lhamia(also Black Pyramid or Black Tower of Arkhan but can only build one of them not both) .
Chamaedrys Oct 13, 2006, 09:26 AM :eek:
cool ideas, I like it.
neener Oct 13, 2006, 10:00 AM I think someone floated this idea in another thread, but I'd definitely get a kick out of being able to send Necromancers into other people's civilisations. I used to play Undead back when they were still one army and there was tons of fluff text about Necromancers living undetected in Empire towns, employing graverobbers and slowly building a cadre of Undead. Eventually they'd be discovered and make some dramatic escape, cursing the town forever and such. I'd love to have Necromancers be able to act as 'spies' of sorts, being sent into enemy territory and being able to set up a cult much in the same way you set up an Embassy in Civ. The longer you have the Necromancer in the enemy town, the stronger he gets, with a % chance of being discovered, until eventually when you don't want to push your luck anymore you either bring him back or he 'erupts' as a slew of Undead units around the town, kind of like Partisan uprisings in Civ 3.
I don't know if it'd be worth all the trouble, but it would give a unique flavour to playing the Undead.
Arexack_heretic Oct 13, 2006, 11:34 AM I like it. :evil:
Ghouls, warped by chaos winds while still in the womb, IIRC also lived at the fringes of human civilisation, robbing graves and eating drunks too dazed to fight back.
Same goes for vampires. They could 'live' undetected in a town and decrease it's population growth or health. Only a witch hunter or other higher servant of Sigmar would be able to track him/her down and expose him/her.
Psychic_Llamas Oct 13, 2006, 06:34 PM nice idea neener! that would certainly be an awsome addition for the vamps! i hope it wont be too hard to implement...
Ploeperpengel Oct 13, 2006, 06:47 PM Necromancers in disguise:
The invisibility wouldn't be a problem. The rest we need a programmer for. I support that idea. For Necromancers as well as Vampires. But they should need a special promotion "disguise" i.e. for it. Not Every Necromancer or vampire should be able to act that way.
I also agree the undead spawn chance should be reduced but I council against changing the basic concept to much else it would get to complicated. Ghouls could simply be another unittype able to spawn from battlefields besides skeletons and Zombies.
About the wonders I'm not so sure. Undeadtype units already don't need military support mostly I changed that already on my homeedition but we should search for an easier way to balance that. My solution now is simply low morale(later additional damage if they break) and slightly weaker units.
I don't think the AI could easily understand it need to sacriface units in order to have cities grow. We maybe could use these wonders simply to give undead civs the necromancy tech. Also needs coding but much less complicated since there's already a modcomp "secret tech" we could use for that.
Psychic_Llamas Oct 13, 2006, 10:57 PM thats a point about the wonders, damn Artificial-Dumbness :p
Arexack_heretic Oct 15, 2006, 08:31 AM Compensating rules for undead:
1) Undead have a drawback called 'instability' reflecting the tenuous magicall and inherently unnatural state of being undead.
(have that:) -undead units suffer additional damage when pushed back.
2) Most undead units need a powerfull hero to lead them or they suffer from stupdity.
-Undead-civ-rule: undead units need a 'leader/necromancer' units within, say, 1 tile or suffer collateral damage and stupidity.
3) No natural population growth. Could be a problem for AI...true
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