[Module] Mekara Order

[Oranos]

I've been thinking about ways to bring vamps more fully into the civ, and I've come up with a few ideas. Would it be possible to add a random chance for a unit to be created with the vampire promotion? Starting with Adepts of course. None of the peasants would be vampires. Or maybe Combat Overseers and Slave Hunters could start as vamps. Might need some way of giving Slave Hunters the promotion if they upgrade from Bounty Hunters though.

 

[Calavente]

what about upgrading an adept to mage (lvl 4needed) has a 25%chance killing the unit, 25%chance making him a vampire mage, 50%chance a normal mage.

Or mage gets "un-initiated" promotion allowing a spell (need to create a spell)
"try for vampirisme" or "Enter the initiation"
with following results :
-25%killed
-50%vampire promotion + remove the "un-intiated" promo.
-25% no vampire promotion, "weak promotion", remove the "un-initiated" promotion.

It would allow you to chose if you want to take the risk of him becoming a vampire.
(and as before : vampirisme can only be gifted to lvl6 units)

 

[Viatos]

what about upgrading an adept to mage (lvl 4needed) has a 25%chance killing the unit, 25%chance making him a vampire mage, 50%chance a normal mage.

Or mage gets "un-initiated" promotion allowing a spell (need to create a spell)
"try for vampirisme" or "Enter the initiation"
with following results :
-25%killed
-50%vampire promotion + remove the "un-intiated" promo.
-25% no vampire promotion, "weak promotion", remove the "un-initiated" promotion.

It would allow you to chose if you want to take the risk of him becoming a vampire.
(and as before : vampirisme can only be gifted to lvl6 units)

Definitely should not be an automatic chance of killing the unit. I'd also be against allowing the Arcane line easy access to vampirism in general, kind of slaps the Calabim in the face, doesn't it?

Making Slave Hunters and above vampires sounds reasonable. I don't think there's an issue with just making them vampires directly; upgraded units gain the new promotions. They will naturally be able to Gift Vampirism just from being vampires (so no need to give the Arcane line any way to access it), but they're way up on a non-Arcane path so competent Calabim will probably have Losha Valas out by the time you get there, which seems only just.

 

[Jheral]

Definitely should not be an automatic chance of killing the unit. I'd also be against allowing the Arcane line easy access to vampirism in general, kind of slaps the Calabim in the face, doesn't it?

Making Slave Hunters and above vampires sounds reasonable. I don't think there's an issue with just making them vampires directly; upgraded units gain the new promotions. They will naturally be able to Gift Vampirism just from being vampires (so no need to give the Arcane line any way to access it), but they're way up on a non-Arcane path so competent Calabim will probably have Losha Valas out by the time you get there, which seems only just.

I'm not sure I want them to be that common in the main civ, though. What I could do is give them a small chance (maybe 10% or so) of getting vampirism when they are created or upgraded to. Should be fairly easy to add that with python.

I'd agree with not having it too easily available to Arcane, though. I wanted the vampires associated with the Mekara to not automatically be mages, and they will stay outside of that line. Unless you Gift them, naturally.

 

[Calavente]

Sorry.
I do not know the civ well. I was just making a proposal with oranos's post as a base.

 

[Jheral]

Sorry.
I do not know the civ well. I was just making a proposal with oranos's post as a base.

No problem. Suggestions are always welcome.

I just don't like the idea of such a gamble when gifting is around (with no risk whatsoever). It feels a bit wierd, tbh.

 

[Sjru]

Is the "Settle slave" option for the slave, broken? Because I've used that option in one of my cities, and when I enter to that city screen, nothing is there, no tab, nothing.

 

[Jheral]

If you are using the latest version, that shouldn't happen. There was an issue before, because I had made a unique specialist (modular specialists aren't working, because of the racial specialist icons).

The updated version solves that (or should, anyway). It's available in the second post in this thread.

 

[Viatos]

I'm not sure I want them to be that common in the main civ, though. What I could do is give them a small chance (maybe 10% or so) of getting vampirism when they are created or upgraded to. Should be fairly easy to add that with python.

I'd agree with not having it too easily available to Arcane, though. I wanted the vampires associated with the Mekara to not automatically be mages, and they will stay outside of that line. Unless you Gift them, naturally.

Could always make Corgayle a vampire. Slave Hunters are hardly "common" until lategame - you can get Corgayle without Rangertech, and you need to prioritize arcane tech. Random chances are really distressing when you have a highly promoted Bounty Hunter you'd love to pick up the advantage with.

 

[Jheral]

In this case, I don't see randomness becoming an issue; you can always keep building them and Gift that Bounty Hunter once you have one. If gifting wasn't available, it would be a different story, but it is.

And I don't think I'll be making Corgayle a vampire; it wouldn't fit with his character concept.

Maybe I should add to the Recon line, though, if Arcane overshadows it that much.

 

[Viatos]

In this case, I don't see randomness becoming an issue; you can always keep building them and Gift that Bounty Hunter once you have one. If gifting wasn't available, it would be a different story, but it is.

And I don't think I'll be making Corgayle a vampire; it wouldn't fit with his character concept.

Maybe I should add to the Recon line, though, if Arcane overshadows it that much.

You can stop at Alteration and charge up Recon and have a perfectly viable game, but you must pick up KotE ASAP and Alteration provides an exceptional military force that is viable offensively and defensively way before you could get to the Recon level you need for that. Sorcery is just one tech further for controlled mutations, but you can live without it.

 

[Jheral]

Fair enough, I'll wait with rethinking the units until after the RifE unit pass.

 

[Jheral]

v1.02 is now online and available.

Changelog - v1.02

• Corgayle's Sneak ability has been moved from Deception to Tracking, making it possible for him to learn it
• Two Familiar units have been added to the starting units, to make the civ less slow in the early game
• The Slave Hunter, Combat Overseer and Assassin units now have a 20% chance to start with the Vampirism promotion

 

[arcticnightwolf]

... yay!

 

[Sjru]

Good job for the patches.
Tell me, are they cumulative? Do I have to apply the first patch and then the other?
They break saves?

Bug: Are "Augmentation ritual" working? I cannot figure out how to use it, and held my mages on a tile till I leave the ritual.

 

[Viatos]

Bug: Are "Augmentation ritual" working? I cannot figure out how to use it, and held my mages on a tile till I leave the ritual.

You need to have the unit you want to target activate the Ritual Target ability.

JHERAL: When you put Iram back in, possibly give him his own line of unique units? Given that he's barred from both of the Mekaran military options, and an Altar victory is far and away his best bet, perhaps a unique line of tough, defensive Disciple units down the religious path? (If Zarias is the Mind and Jamaal is the Metamagic, figure Iram should be the Body)

 

[Sjru]

Really? I already knew that, I've put my unit as "Target ritual" but still, nothing happens, my mage is still held, and the "target" gains nothing, but "target promo"

BTW: "Casting bloom" spell for overseers and slugas is really broken: When the spell is done, the promo is not removed, hence they (overseer and sluga) remain held, and the only solution I could find is to enter WB and remove the promo manually.

EDIT: I suggest you to remove Battle overseers promo that enables them to cast "Maelstrom". Maelstrom is already a very risky spell (It also damages the casting stack) and the 1 turn casting makes it even more unreliable.

EDIT: Balance: Perhaps Karas (and combat overseers) can be modified to be defensive only, or deal a maximum of damage? Because I see him more as a commander than a piece of your army.

 

[Jheral]

You need to have the unit you want to target activate the Ritual Target ability.

Really? I already knew that, I've put my unit as "Target ritual" but still, nothing happens, my mage is still held, and the "target" gains nothing, but "target promo"

Once the target is designated, the you can cast the augmentation using the mage; I would make it a popup like the 'Load' command that you have with ships (which would give you a list of the viable units on the tile), but I don't know how to do that.

JHERAL: When you put Iram back in, possibly give him his own line of unique units? Given that he's barred from both of the Mekaran military options, and an Altar victory is far and away his best bet, perhaps a unique line of tough, defensive Disciple units down the religious path? (If Zarias is the Mind and Jamaal is the Metamagic, figure Iram should be the Body)

He will have his strengths: I'm greatly improving his trait, once dynamic traits is merged into RifE. It will give increasing health, GPP and non-military production bonuses (the trait he has now is the first stage, with all three he will have twice what it has).

I might consider adding some units, though. I'll have to essentially remake all units once it's time for the unit pass anyway, and I have some thoughts that might fit him.

By the way, he isn't locked out of anything; he can't build the Battle Sluga, true, but he can still create them from slaves. The only things that Jamal has that he doesn't is Karas and Behemoths.

BTW: "Casting bloom" spell for overseers and slugas is really broken: When the spell is done, the promo is not removed, hence they (overseer and sluga) remain held, and the only solution I could find is to enter WB and remove the promo manually.

EDIT: I suggest you to remove Battle overseers promo that enables them to cast "Maelstrom". Maelstrom is already a very risky spell (It also damages the casting stack) and the 1 turn casting makes it even more unreliable.

I'll look into the Bloom thing. Are you sure it's not just the fact that the promotion has a duration (i.e. you have to wait until it goes away, after which the Sluga will plant the forests and be free to move again)?

The Maelstrom is kind of intended, really. Once you get Sluga Commanders, you get a version that only targets enemy units. Keep in mind that the spell only has a range of 1, too, so it's not that hard to keep your own units away. I could remove the duration, though.

Edit: Oh, and the updates aren't really patches; I update the whole thing, and upload it. So yes, it's cumulative.

 

[Sjru]

Yes, I'm pretty sure of what I saw. They casted the spell, but the promo would still be there, preventing them from moving. Unless it last more than 10 turns, I have a problem...

And now I have another issue with Korgayle: How I can upgrade him to Ascended? I have Divine essence and he is level 14, but I don't see any upgrade button, really. It is an event or something?

 

[Jheral]

It's supposed to be just level 10 and Divine Essence. I'll check it out.

Edit: Confirmed; the only other requirements are that he must be in a city, and that he hasn't cast a spell that turn.