Rename promotions and modify their help text

[stmartin]

Ambreville has done an awesome job renaming lots of the hero promotions and rewriting their help text. See following:

First note: in general drop the caps, unless you want to emphasize something important. They just make the text harder to read.

I included alternate wording when I could come up with one. (n/c = no change other than the caps of course). I also suggested different promotion titles as well if you’re interested. I’m sure you’ll get the idea what source I was using for inspiration here!

TRIUMPH – (BELLS OF TRIUMPH)
Original: 5% Chance per Enemy Hero Level to Start a Golden Age upon Killing An Enemy Core Troop
Suggested: 5% chance per enemy hero level to start a Golden Age when killing an enemy core unit

INSTIGATOR – (MAD MONKEY, or DRUNKEN MANTIS)
Original: Performing Pillage has 90% Chance of Causing the Destruction of Improvement on Adjacent Tiles
Suggested: 90% chance Pillage will affect adjacent tiles

SWEEP – (PRESS-GANG, or TYRANT GRASP)
Original: Sprawl Friendly Units Upon Pillaging Own Town, Village, or Hamlet (Chance: Town 100%, Village 80%, Hamlet 50%)
Suggested: Pillaging own urban tiles spawns friendly units (Chance: Town 100%, Village 80%, Hamlet 50%)

DO_OR_DIE – (BLAZING FURY)
Original: No Self or Enemy Withdrawal (No Effect on Siege Units Reaching Combat Limit or Commander Promotion) [...] Transform Withdrawal Chance to Strength Bonus When Attacking
Suggested: No one withdraws (except siege units) [...] Withdrawal odds become an Attack Bonus

MARKSMAN – (CLANS OF DEATH)
Original: Target Weakest Unit First
Suggested: Targets the weakest unit first

GUARDSMAN – (HEROES TEARS)
Original: Defend First Against Snipe and Assault [...]+50% Strength Defending Enemy Core Troop
Suggested: Thwarts enemy Marksmen [...] +50% Defense Bonus against enemy core troops. (Note: I’m not entirely sure what you meant here. To what does “Assault” refer? I’m assuming by “Snipe” you referred to the Marksman promotion, right?)

NINE_TERRAIN – (NINE SPIRITS)
Original: Ignore Enemy Terrain Defense Bonus in Field Combat
Suggested: Ignore enemy terrain defense bonuses (by “Field Combat” did you mean combat outside cities only?)

FLYING_WEDGE – (FLYING TIGERS)
Original: Gains +30% Strength for Every Extra Movement Left When Attacking
Suggested: +30% Strength for each extra Movement left

SOLID – (DRAGON SCALES)
Original: 40% Chance of Not Losing Hit Point When Hit by Enemy in Combat (First Strkes not Affected)
Suggested: 40% Chance of avoiding combat damage (First Strikes not affected)

TOUGH – (LEGION’S HONOR)
Original: +50% Strength Versus Enemy Legions
Suggested: +50% Strength vs. enemy core units

SHOCKING – (NORTH WIND)
Original: 40% Chance of Pushing Enemy Units on Target Plot to Random Adjacent Plot in Field Combat
Suggested: 40% Chance of forcing enemy units to retreat to a random adjacent space

DESTROYER – (FISTS_OF_IRON)
Original: Decrease Target City's defence by 40% Upon Winning or Retreating from a City Attack Combat
Suggested: If surviving an attack vs. an enemy city, reduces its Defense Bonus by 40%

MOTIVATED – (WINDS OF COURAGE)
Original: Gains +25% Temporary Strength After Defeating an Enemy Unit
Suggested: Temporarily gains +25% Strength Bonus when destroying an enemy unit (Note: by “Defeating” did you mean just “destroying” or also forcing a withdrawal?)

LEARNED – (MONKEY EYE, ‘cuz Monkey-see-Monkey-do)
Original: 50% Chance of Gaining a Promotion from Enemy Core Troop after Surviving from Combat
Suggested: 50% Chance of learning an enemy core unit’s Promotion during combat

FEARFUL – (FEARMONGER)
Original: Reduce Strength of Surrounding Enemy Units by No More Than 10% Each Turn (Max 15%, no Effect to Enemy in City or Fort)
Suggested: Damages adjacent enemy units outside Cities or Forts 10% per turn (Max. 15%)

SURPRISE_ATTACK – (CUNNING TIGER, or CROUCHING TIGER)
Original: Target Enemy Core Troop First[...]Defeating Enemy Core Troop Will Reduce Morale of Enemy Units on Same Plot by 1% - 10%
Suggested: Targets enemy core unit first [...] Enemies in the defeated core unit’s space incur 1 – 10% Morale Penalty

HEROIC – (DRAGON HEART)
Original: When Defeating Enemy Hero, +20% Chance of Hero Surrender (No Effect on Hero with 100 Loyalty or is a Leader)
Suggested: +20% Chance a defeated Hero surrenders (no effect with 100 Loyalty or Leader)

SWIFT – (BLINDING STEEL)
Original: Restores All Movement When Defeating Enemy Core Troops
Suggested: Restores all Movement when defeating an enemy core unit

SHARPSHOOTER – (SIEGE MASTER)
Original: Increase Bombard Distance of Archer Unit and Siege Unit by 1 [...] Double Bombard Damage, Archer won't Miss when Bombarding
Suggested: +1 Bombard Range for archer and siege units [...] Double Bombard Damage, and archer units do not miss

FIGHTING_WITHDRAWAL – (FISTS OF FURY)
Original: When Enemy Unit on Adjacent Tile or Friendly Unit on Same Tile Retreats from Combat, 80% Chance of Launching a Free Attack Against the Winning Enemy
Suggested: n/c (Boy, you sure are splitting hair here!!)

STEALTH2 – (SHADOW LORD, or HIDDEN DRAGON)
Original: Invisible When in Forest, Jungle or Hill (no Effect in City or Fort)
Suggested: n/c

DEFENDER1 – (MIGHTY LORD1)
Original: +50% Versus Barbarian [...]+25% Versus Player Whose Official Belief isn't Revival
Suggested: +50% Strength vs. Barbarian [...]+25% Strength vs. enemy with faith other than Revival

DEFENDER2 – (MIGHTY LORD2)
Original: Captures Barbarian Enemy [...]+25% Versus Player Whose Official Belief isn't Revival
Suggested: Captures Barbarian enemy [...]+25% Strength vs. enemy with faith other than Revival

PSYCHO_ATTACK – (WINDS OF WISDOM)
Original: 20% Chance of Converting Defeated Enemy Unit
Suggested: n/c

INDOMITABLE – (INVINCIBLE SPIRIT)
Original: +50% Strength Against Units With Higher Strength
Suggested: +50% Strength vs. units with higher Strength

STRONG – (ROLLING THUNDER)
Original: Wins Combat Directly if Strength Ratio is Better than 3:1
Suggested: Automatic victory with odds 3:1 or better

HONOR – (MASTER DEFENDER)
Original: Increases Plot Defensive Bonus by 50%
Suggested: +50% Terrain Defense Bonus

FAR_SHOT – (FLYING CRANES, or CROWS OF FATE)
Original: Archer Units and Siege Units can Perform Ranged Bombard
Suggested: Archer and Siege units can perform Ranged bombardment

SEA_LORD – (PRIVATEER, or BROKEN OATH)
Original: Give Hidden Nationality to Naval units
Suggested: n/c


(Note: by the way, did you consider a promotion allowing the capture of other ships?)


SILK_SAIL – (ADMIRAL, or SEA LORD)
Original: Gains Money from Enemy Treasury When Winning Naval Combat
Suggested: n/c

YELLOW_TURBAN1
Original: Sprawal Barbarians When Winning Combat on Enemy Territory
Suggested: Spawns Barbarians when winning combat in enemy territory

YELLOW_TURBAN2
Original: Converting Enemy Culture When Winning Combat on Enemy Territory
Suggested: (I don’t understand what this actually does)

DISCIPLINED – (LEGION’S REVENGE)
Original: Gains 25% Temporary Strength When the Core Troop of our Own Legion was Defeated
Suggested: +25 Strength temporarily if own Legion’s core unit is defeated

ENCOURAGEMENT – (LEGION’S PRIDE)
Original: Gains 50% Temporary Strength When an Enemy Core Troop is Defeated by Own Legion Member
Suggested: +50% Strength temporarily if own Legion defeats an enemy core unit

In general I really like these help text changes and will apply them! However, I have some reservations about some of the name changes, because in general Ambreville's names and the original names are of two distinct styles. So it's not Ambreville's names are not as good, it's just I think the original style has more historical feeling, while Ambreville's style more like fantasy style. At this point I don't think changing all promotion names into fantasy style is worth it.

Would like to hear from more players about this matter.

PS. about capture enemy ship idea, Zhou Yu's leader trait has that ability already, in the future if we introduce Zhou Yu as a hero, we can add this promotion.

 

[Kenjister]

I already replied to this in the main thread, but I think you do a great job explaining your reservations. I prefer the old style simply because it seems more to the point, more elegant, and more historical (the names could of been pulled straight from a description in the novel).
Still, it's not saying the new names don't work, but I simply prefer the old, more down to earth style more.
As for the text changes, they work perfectly, and describe everything quite well.

 

[Dknight99]

I didn't like the name changes either. It is clearly inspired by shaolin kung fu and the terrible translation it has in English. The Shaolin temple wasn't even established until 477 AD in Northern Wei dynasty by Emperor Xiaowen, so the names clearly does not fit the Three Kingdoms period. I also found the proposed new names to be confusing, and that the original names were more to the point. Why change something that's not broken?

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Zuul]

But I think "SHARPSHOOTER – (SIEGE MASTER)" should be changed, to not confuse it with achers.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

The only one I really don't like is psycho attack. WTF?!
A better term would be something like Chivalry, since Honor is taken already. When you defeat a worthy opponent and take mercy, sometimes they'll join you.

 

[Kenjister]

Well, ambreville was taking the promotion names from the XML file, so Psycho Attack was always used there instead of Persuasive. Perhaps the promotion originally had a different effect, but who knows?

 

[ORION11380]

SURPRISE_ATTACK – (CUNNING TIGER, or CROUCHING TIGER)
Original: Target Enemy Core Troop First[...]Defeating Enemy Core Troop Will Reduce Morale of Enemy Units on Same Plot by 1% - 10%
Suggested: Targets enemy core unit first [...] Enemies in the defeated core unit’s space incur 1 – 10% Morale Penalty

I would request for this to be changed to "Hero's Challange," "Warrior's Dual," or something that suggests personal combat. I've always invisioned Core vs. Core combats to be really a Hero vs. Hero dual, followed by the victor's troops overrunning the demoralized troops of the dead or losing hero. Like DongZhuo's HuaXioning challanging the League of Heros' champions to personal dual, and taking them out one by one until GuanYu came to the task and chopped off his head.

In the game it would be like
Axemen, Guan Yu Core Troop, Liu Bei vs.
Crossbow, HuaXioning Core Troop, DongZhuo

 

[Kenjister]

I don't know about the Assault promotion being duels... though it makes sence for some of the battles to be duels, the other half that go like Guan Yu showing up and chopping off Yan Liang's head then get left unrepresented in the promotion name. I prefer to think of it as the tear through the enemies to get to the general type more often due to the heroes that have it, and also the victory text (Due to _____ appearence, _____'s troops have fallen into a slight chaos).
For some specific match up's a like to pretend they're duels though.

 

[stmartin]

But I think "SHARPSHOOTER – (SIEGE MASTER)" should be changed, to not confuse it with achers.

ARchers can have 'sharpshooter' promotion too, so siege master won't work, maybe just call it 'Hundred Steps'? This is the direct translation of Chinese name for that promotion, it means you can shoot enemy from '100 steps' away and still got him.

Well, ambreville was taking the promotion names from the XML file, so Psycho Attack was always used there instead of Persuasive. Perhaps the promotion originally had a different effect, but who knows?

Psycho Attack is just a random inner name I came up. Kinda a direct translation to the Chinese name so I can understand it.

SURPRISE_ATTACK – (CUNNING TIGER, or CROUCHING TIGER)
Original: Target Enemy Core Troop First[...]Defeating Enemy Core Troop Will Reduce Morale of Enemy Units on Same Plot by 1% - 10%
Suggested: Targets enemy core unit first [...] Enemies in the defeated core unit’s space incur 1 – 10% Morale Penalty

I would request for this to be changed to "Hero's Challange," "Warrior's Dual," or something that suggests personal combat. I've always invisioned Core vs. Core combats to be really a Hero vs. Hero dual, followed by the victor's troops overrunning the demoralized troops of the dead or losing hero. Like DongZhuo's HuaXioning challanging the League of Heros' champions to personal dual, and taking them out one by one until GuanYu came to the task and chopped off his head.

In the game it would be like
Axemen, Guan Yu Core Troop, Liu Bei vs.
Crossbow, HuaXioning Core Troop, DongZhuo

Hmm, I think putting some duels into combat system is very interesting, I'll make into a hero ability so you can literally challenge the opponent! However, other than showing some text on screen, the only way to represent the actually dueling process would be to make a mini-game that requires a new screen but no animation at all.

 

[Kenjister]

Hmm, I was thinking about proposing a mini game (after I was playing RTK for a bit) but the biggest challenge to that would be to A) make it relatively balanced and B) to make it fun. If it's too easy for the player to defeat Guan Yu with Ji Ling, it won't be very fun since it's too easy. Still, it should be fun in it's own right. Perhaps similar to the debate system in RTK but without a "topic" so it comes down to random luck, hero strength, and the occasional equivalent to a "guile" card.

 

[stmartin]

FUN!! Now I can't wait to make that duel minigame. I'll release patch D today and then working on something that will finally break save game!