Some bombardment investigation

[TimBentley]

Improvements have a defense value of 16, which is modified by terrain and fortresses/barricades.

I found a nice way to show these using the fact that a saved game saves the seed, so I'll mention it. I saved a debug game, bombarded a road on a plain, reloaded, bombarded a mountain, reloaded, and bombarded a barricade, and got different results for the plain, and the same result for the mountain and barricade (these two vary slightly in their defense value, but the results seem reasonable regardless), so that confirms that terrain modifiers hold. I got the same results attacking modern armor with a sipahi as bombarding a road on a plain with a cannon, so that confirms the defense value of 16 (this happens to be the default for citizens and buildings as well).

 

[Beorn-eL-Feared]

Good idea saving the seed, thanks for the investigation

This explains why Dromons only hit so little: 1/9 chance on plains, roughly, and as low as 1/17 on mountains.

I was wondering, too: do defensive bombard rank up against the attack or defense value of the attacker?

 

[TimBentley]

The defense value of the attacker. I tested this by making spearmen 1/99 and archers 99(10)/1.

 

[gmaharriet]

Good information, Tim! Sometimes your gut tells you something is likely to be so, but you always wonder if it's a mistaken perception. Nice to have some testing to back up hunches.

 

[Aabraxan]

Good to know. Thanks for taking the time to test it, TimB.

 

[Virtual Alex]

Wow really? But I have had such remarkable success with Dromon bombardment, as well as frigate bombardment of roads and mines. Sure doesn't seem like 1/9 chance.