Brainstorming attack-modifiers

[Skajaquada]

I've been thinking a little about interesting things to add to my mod. I haven't tried adding an attack-modifier yet but I think I've seen someone do that in a mod so it seems doable. I like the idea of adding attack-modifiers as it've got a very low chance of feeling glued on as it's already part of the game. It's just like adding more civilizations, units and technologies.

I previously had an idea of a fear-modifier where built units would get a Total Fear-, Fear Resistance- and Spread Fear-, and Routed Fear Limit-value. I'm not sure if there's a better way to add and keep track of them, but I was thinking of simply adding arrays for them in the LUA-files. Then when a unit is built these values are applied based on their names or part of their names. Maybe even some promotion can affect it.

At appropriate times like when the unit survives a bad attack the fear is increase (or morale is decreased, whatever sounds better), maybe generals nearby reduce the effect. Every turn all units total-fear could also decrease. Then when that routed-level is reached the unit gets something like 75% less attack-strength. I was originally thinking the unit could randomly run away but that feels a little glued on.

Recently I got a similar idea of Supply Count. Simply after a unit is built there's a Supply-value that's always decreased whenever it fights until again... Attack-strength is reduced with 75%. It can then increase whenever the unit is on friendly territory, or to make it a little more interesting it needs to rest in a city. It would also give melee-units an edge (all of this makes more sense considering a WH40K-mod ) over ranged units.

Another idea is similarly Rage, the unit would get a slight bonus for every attack it succeeds until it fails... Or Corruption (in WH40K) for everything Daemonic it kills it gets something...

One question is if the AI could have any chance to work with any of this? Perhaps it just by default withdraw it's units if they've got very low strength? I suppose it could easily be disabled for the computer-players to even it out, still that makes it also seem glued on... Anyway, I'd just like to know if anyone got any ideas, or thoughts on how this could work.

 

[magzhi]

I wanted to include morale system in my napoleonic mod. however I think that ai will not understand it unless you are going to program auto retreat so ai and human player will be forced to retreat

 

[Skajaquada]

I did have that idea that at-start-of-turn if unit is routed it's given a move-command in the opposite direction of the nearest enemy. However it kind of felt glued on, like it's not part of Civilization... Figures as I ripped it from Total War

One possibility with attack-modifiers like these could simply be to balance in favour of the computer-players if they're immune to it's effects. I suppose Firaxis didn't go this way (if they even considered it) is that it's too obvious you're playing a different game than the AI. At-least if the AI receives production-bonuses behind the scenes you can pretend they just know what they're doing. However if we just admit the AI is crap we can perhaps throw in a bunch of challenges like these. As long as it's not turning into mini-games.

Still wouldn't the AI have some built-in understanding of attack-modifiers? Naturally I'm not expecting it to withdraw units ahead of them lose morale but if it at-least understands it's effect when it can't win a battle it should move the unit away as it's useless... Likewise with a Rage-modifier it would just enjoy the attack-bonus and do what it does more effective.

The question then is if the attack-modifier adds anything. In a WH40K-mod I would say yes, otherwise no. It might even be a "thing" with unique attack-modifiers.