Option for disableing random in battles

[warpstorm]

Why can't a spearman use Molotov Cocktails? Unarmed mobs can.

 

[RCL]

Why can't spearmen use anti-tank rifles then?

According to Civilization paradigm, a unit type is determined by weaponry it uses. Changing the weapons is not possible without upgrading the unit.

 

[warpstorm]

Actually, during C3C development we seriously discussed added era specific artwork to the spearman to show it using an RPG if it was still around in the modern era.

 

[Mewtarthio]

I thought I read that they were reducing the randomness element by increasing the hit-power of the more modern units, so that there was less chance of the

By having more hit-points, you increase the number of times in a row the spearman needs to get lucky to destroy the tank, for example, and so you reduce the chance that it will happen, but it's still possible.

Actually, from what I've heard, the damage dealt will now be based on the relative strengths of the units. So, if a Spearman wins a round against a Tank, it'll take off about 10% of the Tank's health, while a Tank victory will take about 90% from the Spearman (this is using the CivIII numbers, and is therefore an approximation; I have no idea how it'll turn out exactly). So the chances of a full-health Spearman beating a full-health Tank are approximately 0% (using the combat calculator and giving a Spearman 2 HP versus a Tank with 10), as opposed to CivIII's 1.5%.

 

[frekk]

According to rumours, Polish cavalry once attacked German tanks during WW2 (or got ambushed by them, what is probably more true) :> They weren't able to damage a single tank :>

Lol, no you've got this one absolutely wrong. Polish cavalry didn't charge tanks with sabers and lances or anything. Polish cavalry at that stage weren't real cavalry, they were mounted heavy infantry with plenty of heavy equipment - HMGs, recoilless rifles, tanks, you name it, in addition to having attached artillery units. They did, in fact, win a few (not many) battles even though they overwhelmingly lost the war, primarily because of German air superiority and the radio (Polish tanks didn't have it, German tanks did).

From the wiki on Polish cav:

At the outbreak of the Polish Defence War of 1939, the Polish cavalry units were organised in 11 cavalry brigades, each composed of 3 to 4 cavalry regiments with organic artillery, armoured unit and infantry battalion. Two additional brigades had recently been converted to motorized and armoured units, but they retained their cavalry traditions. In addition, every infantry division had a organic cavalry detachment used for reconaissance.

In contrast with its traditional role in armed conflicts of the past (even in the Polish-Bolshevik War), the cavalry was no longer seen as a unit capable of breaking through enemy lines. Instead, it was used as a mobile reserve of the Polish armies and was using mostly infantry tactics: the soldiers dismounted before the battle and fought as a standard (yet fast) infantry. Technically speaking, in 1939 Poland had 11 brigades of mounted infantry and no units of cavalry as such.

Although the cavalrymen retained their sabres, after 1937 the lance was dropped and it was issued to cavalrymen as a weapon of choice only. Instead, the cavalry units were equipped with modern armament, including 75mm guns, tankettes, 37mm AT guns, 40mm AA guns, anti-tank rifles and other pieces of modern weaponry.

During the campaign, the brigades were distributed among the Polish armies and served as mobile reserves. In this role, the Polish cavalry proved itself a successful measure in filling the gaps in the front and covering the withdrawal of friendly units. Polish cavalry units took part in most of the battles of 1939 and on several occasions proved to be the elite of the Polish Army.

 

[RCL]

Lol, no you've got this one absolutely wrong.

Ok, I agree - I read that in Guderian memoirs and he is surely biased
In other place of his memoirs he claims that his troops suffered from -50'C temperature while being on their route towards Moscow - definitely not true. European part of Russia does not have that harsh climate (e.g. in my home city of Voronezh it often rains during Christmas ) and the lowest temperature that was once registered in the region was -35'C (that was really an exception). Typical winter temperature in my region is about -10'C and rarely gets as low as -20'C - very much the same as in Warsaw. Moscow region is a bit colder (it is more northern), but -50'C for this part of Russia is just unbelievable (to remind: you're risking freezing your eyes at such temperature, if it really was THAT cold during 1941 winter, the Wehrmacht troops just couldn't survive without winter clothes).

Anyway, Polish cavalry vs. tanks is probably lie, but had it ever happened in real life, the result would be disastrous for the cavalry unit. It's natural that without anti-armor weapons you can't inflict any damage to armored units and this should be reflected in game. Even with current improved model in Civ4, Spearmen are able to inflict a 40% damage to tank unit (if they're lucky), while they should be literally useless. Why doesn't anyone question the fact that Archers can't be used as Anti-Air against planes, huh? After all, they can shoot vertically and there's a really tiny probability of plane flying so low that it can get somehow damaged by arrows (like it gets damaged by birds). But the probability is so small that the whole Earth existence is a too small time for such event to appear, so it is considered zero. Why the same does not apply for units without anti-armor weapons (at least those notorious spearmen?)

 

[Andas]

From programing part .. to reduce the random is child's play.... is not a MAJOR feature thing...
When 2 units with the same parameters fight... offcourse on should win...with help of random...but with very heavy losses.
But maybe will not be necessary in Civ 4..... I HOPE !

 

[warpstorm]

The programming is trivial for the combat system. The impact on the AI and general team balancing on the other hand is MAJOR.