More items? Civ-specific items?

[MiKa523]

(I hope I didn't miss any thread - maybe modmod - dealing with this topic.)

I'd love to see more items in this mod. I kinda miss gathering items with my heroes or best units like you can do it Heroes of Might and Magic e.g..
So I'm curious wether the team plans to add more items in the next versions or if there is maybe already a modmod adding more items?

While I was thinking about what those new items could be, it came to my mind that civ-specific items would be really cool.
Something like magic mandrake for elves giving 25% defense to the tile
or a town portal like item (yeah, replaying Diablo 2 atm ) to teleport one or multiple units back to the capital.
Every civ has a unique item with certain prerequisites (building, tech, unit)
like the netherblade e.g.
You could get items with heroes like the netherblade or have to build them after researching a certain tech or creating a certain building.

What are your ideas for civ-specific items?

 

[pan 1xa]

i like the idea...

 

[rusty217]

I like the idea aswell, aslong as the current equipment for civ specific heroes (such as the netherblade) stays in addition to the new 21 peices of equipment...

 

[Fafnir13]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that they are trying to avoid too many items in the game. Something about being able to stack too much and make scary units. Might be misremembering.
I'd be for the idea though. There's a lot of stuff that can be done with items besides just direct combat, but such notions haven't been explored too much. There would probably need to be a national limit/world limit based on number of players that are that race. Say....five of each. That way, you could hand them out to team members to help them out without unbalancing things.
Or you could go another route and simply have the item placed on every unit of a certain type, kind of like how Amurite mages get an item like ability with their spell staffs. Mayhaps some races could get an item that acts like a wonder, such as the orcs getting something to represent that fire they've got in Braduk. Could hand out promotions like the Dragon's Hoard does.
Anyways, lot's of potential. Certainly warrants looking at, I should think. Just so long as they're not straight up combat adds. There's plenty of those already.

 

[Ahriman]

One possibility would be to limit units to one item each. Certainly at the moment, Orthus' axe + Hyborem's Gela can be pretty damn nasty with several units.
But I think they also want to keep items "special" by limiting their numbers.

 

[mahazel]

In Fall Further or Marnoks Mod you have more item (but only from exploring dungeons or barrows), and there schould be some mod which add only the item. Ask Vehem or Marnok.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I plan to add plenty more items. I hadn't thought of civ specific items (although that could be nice), but I was planning to add at least one item per god/sphere.

Just so you know, a "town portal" item that works for a single unit would be extremely easy to add. That is just the Escape spell, which used to require the Dimensional I promotion but is now an intrinsic spell for Chanters. Actually, making it work for a whole stack (presumably only your units) wouldn't be hard either, although you would not get a lot of control over specifically what units to transport.


I was actually just thinking that The number of Cross-sphere spells I'm planning to add for Dimensional I (i.e., most summons) in my modmod might warrant not giving the promotion any spell of its own, so I'll consider moving the ability to a piece of equipment.

 

[Justicar333]

I like the ideal, being somewhat of a treasure seeker at heart. A suggestion for the Calabim item.

The Bloodstone: Civ specific national wonder. +2 research +2 gold +4 culture +1 happiness +10% crime rate. Can be equipped.

As equipment: Either heal 25% damadge for the caster with summon ability. Summons blood familiar str 1 move 2 30% withdrawl chance and Resurection. Ideally these would spawn in the event of the owner dying.

Or instead grant the immortality promotion. I'm uncertain because the Vampire Lord unit already has immortality.

-----

History of the item in rl: Subspecies is a cult classic vampire quadrology. It revolves around the doomed love of a evil nosfertau called Radu for a fledgling his brother created called Michelle. Central to this is a relic called the Bloodstone.

His brother, Stefan, holds the relic and uses it's power to try to exist in the shadows alongside humanity. Radu on the other hand is a monster, twisted and deformed, with a far more brutal ideal about humans. The stone drips with the blood of the saints, and with it a vampire need not feed. Radu eventully kills Stefan after seeming to die, resurected by his little familiars that are formed by Radu's spilt blood.

Needless to say, his infatuation with Michelle gets Radu killed every movie, and he turns on everyone that trys to talk sense to him. Eventually destroying his entire family. Though he does corrupt Michelle, she won't go far enough to love him. Watch the films if you want the particulars.

The stone is what keeps bringing him back. It can heal terriable wounds, or completly regenerate it's owner. The blood it drips is so powerful, or just tasty that it grants great influence over other vampires. Many times Radu would make deals, offering a few drops to have his bidding done. Everyone, even his caged bird Michelle is willing to risk destruction to try to steal it away.

That influence is why I think it would generate gold and culture, as well as research in the host city in game. It draws other immortals, creating a small society inside the city walls, who barter their wealth and services for just a taste. Also, the rise in crime is from the backstabbing of those trying to take the stone for themselves.

Here is a prop shot showing it in detail..

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q217/Taliesin_ttlg/subspecies 2/subspecies2_bloodstone.jpg

The main difference in movie is that it glows red, shown here..

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/...cies 2/subspecies2_michellewithbloodstone.jpg

 

[Annex]

I dont know if many items in the game would be a positive thing, just as many dragons in the game would reduce thier "awe factors"

but civ specific items do sound tempting...

 

[rusty217]

I dont know if many items in the game would be a positive thing, just as many dragons in the game would reduce thier "awe factors"

but civ specific items do sound tempting...

Well if that would be too many items what about a few religion specific items, with a few strong unique items the council could actually become a viable choice to adopt...

 

[MiKa523]

I understand the concerns about too many items being either too powerful, if gathered by few heroes/units, or making the few current items less unique/special.
But you have to consider that design is actually responsible for those two issues.
You can make the items less powerful, but still useful and limit the amount of items per unit to something like 3 or 4.
For example, items adding +1 Attack are only powerful in the early game and become less powerful with increasing base strength of units.
With the proper prerequisites you can control the appearance of the items and thus make more powerful ones available later.
Moreover some items may be more usefull in cities as wonders in some situations, so there would be less on the field.

There are a lot of possibilities for items and with some great ideas those few current items won't loose their uniqueness, because all items would be different and unique.
I like the idea to change it to religion-specific items though, if it really is too much regarding civ-specific ones.

 

[Nicopol]

the problem with items is that you can use two, three, 4, .... weapons, helmets, ... for one unit at the same time (this maks uber units).
i would love to see a system in which u can only use 1 weapon for 1 unit at the same time.
how about a system like in diablo whwere u only can use 1 helmet, max 2 rings, 1 weapon, 1 shield, 1 amulet, ...

(in my last game my uber hero has 1 axe and 3 staffs - wth, he needs at least 4 hands to make use of it?)

 

[Caradoc]

How about items that can be used only once? For instance a ring that summons a Fire Elemental and then disappears.

 

[El_Duderino]

i like the idea of having more items and having a limit on how many a unit can carry, but i also think that there should be an option of turning off the "extra" items so you can still play the game as it is currently

 

[Nikis-Knight]

Well, most units represent more than one guy, but still for balance reasons I'd like a limit if more equipment was added, probably two pieces max per unit. Don't know if Kael wants more, but when there are a few pieces in play it makes the battles more interesting, trying to manuver to take them before they are recovered, etc.

 

[Gabriel21]

Orthus Axe was more or less the only one, it's effect was strong in the beginning, but later a Blitz promotion was stronger (exept +1 str). If items are added, some spectacular effects (e.g. ice or lightning damage) would be nice to have.

Also if an enemy has a GP such as a general, capturing this GP would be a good prize for the winning.
Generals are rare indeed.

 

[Gabriel21]

How about items that can be used only once? For instance a ring that summons a Fire Elemental and then disappears.

A good idea such as the healing potion now. But I prefer effects which cannot be achived by "normal" spells.

a ring giving unvisibility for same turns
a potion giving some extra strenght
a flute giving several attacks or dispells undead

We all know many from tales etc.

As we now can cast a spell and attack within one turn, this improvement offers many possibilities for such items.

 

[Justicar333]

Perhaps an enchanted candle that would reveal hidden units within X range?

Would be helpful, short of being Empyrean, find invisiblity to be quite annoying. Specially random angels of death.

 

[Fafnir13]

I like the idea of an item granting invisibility. Very useful if you get it on the right unit.
I think the simplest solution would be to limit the number of items that can be held to two. Why two? Not as restrictive as one, and would let a hero with weapon also carry around something expendable like a healing potion.