change beastmasters

[kenken244]

by the time you get teir 4 units there wont be that many animals left

 

[onedreamer]

okay how about,

Empty the cages-
The beast master removes cages from cities, adding strength(promotions?) to himself for each animal freed.

wolf, +1 str or enables sprint w/+35% vs meelee
bear, +2 strength
elephant, +2 strength, +35% vs mounted
panther, +1 strength, +35% vs archers, or stealth in jungles
lion, +1 strength, perm courage and loyalty effect
gorrilla +1 strength, +25% city attack
spider +2 poison, enemy units become entangled
(units attacking the beastmaster can't withdraw, if it withdraws from another unit that unit can't move)

could be interesting but only if these promotions would work for "any" freed animal and not for "each" one (not cumulative), otherwise they would be a bit too powerful ? I'm counting a possible +10 strength and various neat boni there...

by the time you get teir 4 units there wont be that many animals left

Then it wouldn't make much sense, would it ?

 

[Sovin nai]

How about you have to choose, and only have one at any time?

 

[White Elk]

How about you have to choose, and only have one at any time?

Yeah, how about make work sort of like an Animal Familiar. Each Hunter, Ranger and Beastmaster could choose one familiar. That familiar would stick with the unit through upgrades. The familiar is gained through combat and each type provides a unique attribute. ?? I think it would add some extra interesting flavor to the recon line. (not that recon needs the help, I just think it would be fun... might be something cool for an FfH mod)

 

[R0GERSHRUBBER]

by the time you get teir 4 units there wont be that many animals left

Ever played on a Terra map? There are tons of barbarians and animals on the new land by the time you get there.

...I don't like the idea of a beastmaster being balanced around the expectation that all animal types will be joined to it.

I agree wholeheartedly. I rarely capture more than one or two animal types in my games because I prefer crowded maps, and animals don't last very long. It seems far more reasonable to implement special effects that are interesting, but not so gamebreaking as to balance the unit around them.

I like the 'ship-like' promotion thing.

Change the name to 'Legionarie'.
Give it 'Formations' promotion. [the promotion could be gained by other units on certain XP lvl, i.e. combat 5?] Formation promotion would give the unit an option like ships to chose betwen:
- shield wall - +40 vs melle
- testudo - +40% vs archery
- hedgehog - +40% vs mounted
It would require whole movement of a unit to switch to another formation. A great commander[when attached to a unit] could make it cost no movement to switch between.

I think the new ship/crew mechanic is a lot of fun, and implementing formations with a similar mechanic would make Shield Walls similarly interesting. How about a formation for increased movement, but with a penalty vs everything as well? Perhaps the unit should require Military Strategy as well.

 

[Sovin nai]

How about for the beastmaster only, or maybe some other recon units, 'animal familiar' would be a promotion. After he gains a level, he can get that promotion. Then, the next time, he can get a 'gorrila cunning' or any of the other ones mentioned above. But, if he has one, he can't have any of the others. Would that work?