Gameoption: Ranged Warfare

[Sephi]

This Gameoption deserves it's own thread . Archer units (and Heroes like Gilden) gain the ability to do ranged attacks which adds to their support role. The basic mechanism is the one bombers use in BTS, in which they target a plot and damage a unit.

I merged most of the tweaks Xienwolf and Vehem did in FF to it and added some AI and Automation functions.

Gameoption Ranged Warfare has the following effects:

• archer units have an Range and Ranged limit %
• Range :Strength: increases the damage a Unit can do with a Range Attack
• A unit can never damage another unit below it's Ranged limit %. If an archer has a limit of 25%, he can't damage a 4 axeman below 3.
• Amount of Damage suffered by a Range Attack is reduced by high Defense value
• making a Range Attack counts as making an attack
• Even with Blitz a unit can make only one Range attack a turn
• Range Attacks can only be done if a unit has movement left
• Archery Promotions allow to increase both and limit of Range Attacks
• Walls/Palisades increase Range Attack of archer units in the city
• Tech Bowyers allows to construct a fletcher building. gives free Archery1 promotion to archer units in the city
• Ljosalfar can give Elven Accuracy Promotion to their archers
• AI should have a decent understanding on how to use range Attacks
• Units can gain Experience from making successful ranged Attacks.
• Ranged Attacks can be automated similar to spells. A Unit set to automated Ranged Attacks will do a Range Attack at the first opportunity in a turn.

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

absolutely fantastic

 

[Sephi]

This automated Elven Archer will automatically perform a ranged attack after moving adjacent to the adept.

Spoiler :

 

[lemonjelly]

Damn you, making me want to play WildMana, even though the BUG interface confuses me!
I think I may have to download it now!!!
Ah, it sounds amazing!
Good job Sephi!

 

[Sephi]

take your time, it is not included in the download yet. Most of it and the really time consuming part (balancing, bug hunting) wasn't done by me, but Xienwolf and Vehem.

 

[lemonjelly]

Ah, I thought it was, my bad. I'll still play it though, get used to it.

Are the modules included with WildMana compatable with RiFE?
And, is the python commented?
I may want to use some of the modules im my mod for RiFE, is this okay?
Thanks =]

 

[Goodgimp]

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES! I've always wanted this for Civ!

Regarding Ranged Warfare, Sephi, how difficult would it be to hook this kind of functionality into spells? There's a bunch of spell ideas I've been mulling over that I didn't want to do in a Summoned unit sort of way.

 

[Sephi]

@lemonjelly allmost all python for modules is modular (in an extra file), so easy to find. It really depends on the module if you can use it in Rife or not. Some will require DLL modifications (new tags and such)

@Goodgimp Not sure what you mean. You could let a spell give a Promotion which allows range attacks, for example.

 

[lemonjelly]

I was thinking of the '+' modules for civs. Some things I would edit, so if I have to, I'll have to cut them things out.

Out of curiousity, what tags does WildMana add? Is there a list somewhere?
Perhaps you need a Modding WildMana thread?

 

[Goodgimp]

@Goodgimp Not sure what you mean. You could let a spell give a Promotion which allows range attacks, for example.

Sorry I wasn't clear. It's probably obvious to someone with more experience, but as I'm yet a noob I haven't found the functionality I'm looking for.

For instance, the Fireball spell in FFH2 creates a summoned unit, which you then use to attack an enemy unit just like a regular unit. But what if I wanted to create a tile-targetted spell from range. Say I gave a mage an Eye Laser Beam Of Death spell (kidding on the name, of course ) that could hit a unit two tiles away. It doesn't summon any unit, it just attacks or inflicts damage on the enemy selected, within range. How does something like that work?

And sorry, this is close to a derail of the thread.

 

[arstal]

Does this avoid the OOS issues that other mods have with ranged warfare?

 

[Valkrionn]

The only OOS I know of is caused when an AI uses a ranged attack, and all human players are NOT able to see it.

If Sephi fixed that, I can tell you that quite a few people playing FF/Orbis/RifE will be happy.

 

[Sephi]

@lemonjelly should be possible. Amurite+ requires BonusApititude, can't really think of another tag right now. A few things are done different in FFH/Wildmana though. For example instead of a unique tag a Prereqciv tag is used.

@Goodgimp There is no easy way to do this. I believe it is done in some science fiction mod, but uses tons of python and I don't know if the AI understands it.

But the spell could give a promotion with 100% expire chance, that allows a ranged attack range 2 (lazer eye).

@arstal I can't test it, but there shouldn't be OOS issues. As Valkrionn mentioned, the OOS issues are related to the AI use of it, and that I completly rewrote.

 

[Valkrionn]

I'll have to look at your AI code for it then.

 

[Fafnir13]

Thanks for keeping this an option. I'm not a fan of ranged attacks like that.

 

[Sephi]

I try to keep most things optional.

 

[DioAurion]

Was the imbalance of using ranged attacks to mass exp farm ever fixed?

 

[Sephi]

I don't know, haven't played FF/Rife in ages. I had to rewrite that part anyway since FFH/Wildmana uses a different XP system. You will only get XP for actual damage, if you meant that bug, it is definetly fixed.

 

[Kalina]

In Orbis (and other mods with ranged attacks I suppose) it was easy to just sit next to unit in lair and get XP from dealing damage to it. Unit won't attack as long as there are less then 2-3 units on tile, so you get xp without risk. I might have been fixed of course with Wildmana AI.
And btw, when can we expect to see this ranged attacks option ? Just asking

 

[xienwolf]

Since the opponent will always heal at least a LITTLE bit, and never move (in the case of python forced lair defenders), a single unit can permanently leech XP from another single unit. It is really bad when you set your first city right next to a lair.

The solution we had used in FF was to break the forced defender status if the unit is damaged, thus allowing them to run away (or if strong enough, attack).

Also, I think Vehem had introduced either a cap or at least a diminishing return so that a unit which uses only ranged attacks to gain XP will eventually find that the amount gained is worthless, unless the damage done is significant (ie - full health opponent)