Flank attacks

[KHM]

Maybe it has been discussed here, in this case please forget about the following.

AFAIK the vulture thopter can make flank attacks on maula mortars. However, its successors can not, which can lead to the frustrating decision whether to upgrade it or not. And not because of the upgrade cost, but because of the enemy attacking you with (mixed) stacks with some maula mortars .

I see 3 solutions:

1) Bad solution: Delete the flank attack (don't forget about the AI codes). Bad, because I always found the concept of flank attacks very teasing.

2) Give all thopters the ability to flank maula mortars. This could easily be done, because all AI routines can be copied, and it can easily backed up by the lore of the mod itself (the maula mortars are merely infantry units, while all others are more like vehicles).

3) Give later thopters the ADDITIONAL ability to flank attack later artilleries. More work to do.

Or is there anything that makes solution 2 or 3 less attractive?

 

[ChrisAdams3997]

The fact that at least option 2, if not 3, are not already implemented is most certainly an oversight. As you said, if vulture thopters are capable of flanking them, any other thopter would logically have the same ability.

 

[Ahriman]

A lot of this stuff is really just residual code from the very early versions, where mortars were catapults and thopters were horse archers.

I don't see any particular need to use the flank attack mechanic as an anti-siege device, and thopters have a harassment role through their withdraw chances. So I'd probably just cut it completely. Alternatively, save it just for UUs.

If it does exist, it should probably apply uniformly though to the entire siege class.

 

[ChrisAdams3997]

Yeah, I gave them all flank attacks on Maula Mortars for consistency and left it at that. As you felt, I don't think it's an entirely necessary mechanic for the thopters, but it feels at least thematic that they'd be able to hit the slow moving mortars.

I also think it's fine to leave it alone for the later siege units myself. No real prevailing logical reason for it, it just feels right to me in this case . If anyone needed a reason to soothe them over, we'll just say that all the others are much harder and more mobile targets.

 

[davidlallen]

A lot of this stuff is really just residual code from the very early versions, where mortars were catapults and thopters were horse archers.

Welcome back! Are you still working on civ 5 or are you just passing through?

 

[Ahriman]

Unclear, I will see how things go. Getting married next month, still lots of prep to do.

Civ5 doesn't really seem to be very moddable yet, so the only things I've really been contributing to there are Thal's balance mods, which seem to significantly improve the main game (though I've been out from there for a few months too, finishing up grad school).