Does Anyone Feel Like Making An Elephant Worker Unit?

[Ozymandias]

I think that a Unit like this - faster Movement and Work speeds - has been lacking for a very long time, especially given how many excellent Elephant Units we already have, and how obvious a benefit this would be to South- and Southeast Asian Civs.

Whenever he next drops by, perhaps @Blue Monkey might weigh in on Stats & Whatnot.

 

[timerover51]

Let me think about what might be good stats, Oz.

 

[Ozymandias]

Let me think about what might be good stats, Oz.

A Gentleman & a Scholar, as ever.

 

[Vuldacon]

Those who have made Elephant Units have the Elephant Models and are (from that regard) in a better position to make an Elephant Worker than others who do not.

 

[timerover51]

Sir Garnet Wolseley has the following comments to make on elephants in the 1886 Edition of The Soldier's Pocket Book for Field Service.

The load for steady work should not exceed 1200 lbs. for the large-sized, and about 800 lbs. for the small-sized animals: in Abyssinia the weights carried by the artillery elephants averaged from 532.4 to 844 lbs., including weight of pad (5oo lbs.): the 12 pr. Armstrong guns (weighing 924 lbs.) were carried on elephants.

It is most tractable in disposition, is invaluable during marches in countries flooded by rain for extricating carts, guns and wagons that have stuck in the mud. They are now used in India for the draught of guns in siege trains; before such guns are taken under fire it is necessary to have the elephants taken out and replaced by bullocks, as the former will not stand fire. The average weight of an elephant in India is from about 5,600 to 6,600 lbs. They are often used in hilly countries to carry guns on their backs.

One elephant is calculated as equalling 3 or 4 two-bullock carts, or 3 camels. In Bengal 3 S.S.'s tents are allowed as a load to each elephant, or 1 1/3 elephant to every 2 E. P. tents. They only sleep for about 4 or 5 hours in the 24, so when
possible they should be left undisturbed from 9 A.M. until 3 P.M. daily.

I would say based on the load-carrying ability, the correct job for elephant worker units would be building roads, building railroads, building forts, irrigate, clear forest (pretty obvious), and clear jungle. Probably build colonies as well, along with build barricade. No mining or clearing pollution.

The stats could be, because of their size, attack 1, defend 2, moves 1, with a worker strength of maybe 150 to 200. Ideally, they would upgrade in the Industrial Era to something like a bulldozer, but not necessarily as they are still in use in lumbering operations.

So, what does everyone think?

 

[Ozymandias]

I like the stats, except for the MF. @Blue Monkey had recommended an MF of 3; I'd say 2, as I think that they have a greater endurance than horses.

 

[timerover51]

You need to allow the elephant time to eat. More comments from Wolseley.

when laden can keep up well with infantry in their daily marches.

Elephants in India are given from 15 to 30 lbs. of wheat flour, according to the size of the animal and the work he is doing. Mixed with it is 1 lb. of coarse sugar or molasses. This is given to him in large thick cakes, in addition to about 400 lbs. of green food, such as sugar cane, branches of the peepul and other trees, green corn, &c. ; or, if green food is not to be had, to about 240 or 250 lbs. of rice or other straw. (Emphasis added.)

In Bengal it is found that a full-sized animal will eat 750 lbs. of sugar cane, which is more nourishing than 800 lbs. of any other green fodder. (Added note: That food consumption is per day.)

It takes a while to eat and process that much food. You are not going to use elephants in a desert area.

they require from 25 to 30 gallons of water daily.

 

[register]

A bit out of scope but you might be intrested, don't know.
I have an animated worker unit with ploughing ox which I never used. I know it's not elephant.
It's ready to render to 8 direction folders. The Blender script will automaticly do that. I can share it with you if you like the idea.

 

[timerover51]

A bit out of scope but you might be intrested, don't know.
I have an animated worker unit with ploughing ox which I never used. I know it's not elephant.
It's ready to render to 8 direction folders. The Blender script will automaticly do that. I can share it with you if you like the idea.

That does sound interesting.

 

[register]

The unit looks like as below:

 

[Ozymandias]

The unit looks like as below:

That is an excellent Worker! If you'd finish it up, I'd certainly use it (and, as you know, I'm comparing your anims to many fine others.) But, sadly (and to borrow from Winnie-the-Pooh speak) it isn't a Heffalump.

 

[Ozymandias]

You need to allow the elephant time to eat. More comments from Wolseley.



It takes a while to eat and process that much food. You are not going to use elephants in a desert area.

So, if Inf = 2 MF, then elephants = 2 MF, and cavalry 3 MF? (And I'm 100% with you viz. Deserts.)

 

[register]

That is an excellent Worker! If you'd finish it up, I'd certainly use it (and, as you know, I'm comparing your anims to many fine others.) But, sadly (and to borrow from Winnie-the-Pooh speak) it isn't a Heffalump.

I'm not sure what do you mean by finish it up. It you mean unit ready for adding in editor then I had no such a plan. Vuldacon sugested to ask someone who did elephant unit and might have 3d models.
So I was thinking only to provide a 3d model, nothing more.

 

[timerover51]

I'm not sure what do you mean by finish it up. It you mean unit ready for adding in editor then I had no such a plan. Vuldacon sugested to ask someone who did elephant unit and might have 3d models.
So I was thinking only to provide a 3d model, nothing more.

I think that what Oz means that that he will use the unit as is, and hope for someone to make an elephant unit later. I would be interested in using it as is, with no additions.

 

[Plotinus]

That is an excellent Worker! If you'd finish it up, I'd certainly use it (and, as you know, I'm comparing your anims to many fine others.)

Well to be fair, they're my animations really, other than the ploughing one (it's nice to see them still being used though)!

 

[Ozymandias]

Well to be fair, they're my animations really, other than the ploughing one (it's nice to see them still being used though)!

CREDIT SHOULD ALWAYS BE ASCRIBED WHERE DUE! (cf. @Delta_Strife use!)

 

[timerover51]

Well to be fair, they're my animations really, other than the ploughing one (it's nice to see them still being used though)!

Thanks for making them.

 

[register]

@Plotinus
Sorry for not crediting you. I completely forgot from who I had those animations. I assumed they were free to download on this forum. I never used your animations anyway apart from converting it to Blender.
The ploughing animation is done by me. The ox was downloaded as a free content and remodeled by me, also the character mesh was taken from one of the software generating human characters.

Below is a blend file with a script. It works under latest version of Blender 3.5. To see the rendered animation folders you need to change a highlighted path, as per image and then press the play button at the bottom right of a script window.

It was my first of this kind of file done and has some errors which need to be fixed. Death animation for instance, where character mesh is sinking to much into the ground. Same with location of a character a little of the center to accommodate ploughing animation, etc. I will leave it to you.

 

[Plotinus]

No problem - like I say, it's nice to see them being used, and yes, they're freely available around here somewhere.

 

[Ozymandias]

.... Which still doesn't address (as Winnie the Pooh would say) my "Heffalump" Problem.