The Sailors Dirge

[Gamestation]

Maybe every civ palace should provide a defense boost. May help keep the AI from getting screwed early if it starts out next to the shore or the player.

 

[Keldan]

I don't think the Dirge is too difficult or not enough. But I think it's nothing more than a immobile skeleton spawn...
I played three times (one 16a, 2 16b, difficulty "prince" and speed "quick", map type archipelago, continents and terra) and I never really see it. Each times it stayed in a barbarian town and be destroyed when a civ take the city...
Ok, it spawned skeletons, and a lot when staying in a town placed on a barbarian continents, but it never moved, I never saw it on the sea... but I thougth it was like vikings, coming from the sea, spitting its invading army in lands and going away until the next raid.

 

[Oldfrt]

Well, I downloaded .16b, installed, and started a random game.

Popped a settler, sent it to the coast, with a warrior and then this strange ship appeared..... well it didnt do anything for a few turns, then with a settler sitting next to my coastal city, skeletons swarmed from its side and destroyed my unit!
Ha!
Next turn, they assaulted my city but were turned back by my valiant warriors!
Needless to say, after that precautions were made and I had warriors fortified at strategic places to counter those pesky skeletons.... luckily after about 60 turns the ship moved off into a neighbouring barbarian city.... which I promptly captured a few turns later.... (so ends that threat).....
.
So, weaken the Dirge???? NOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!
The "threat" it poses is great. 2 fortified warriors is normally enough to hold out against the skeletons it produces, it just means you need to be more careful moving around - the world, even inside your borders becomes a darker, more dangerous place.
I will take the chance of imminent destruction anytime.... makes life more interesting than knowing that you will always be "safe" in the opening moves...

 

[CuteKills]

Too late to vote....

I'd like to see it a bit more mobile. Most recent games, it's annoyed me for a few turns, then sailed off to sulk with the dragon.

Unless you're very unlucky (or very unprepared), it doesn't seem to be that big a threat at present.

It evolving to create more powerful units as time passes would be a nice touch (been mentioned, I know).

 

[manooly]

The other night I was playing FFH2 and had the Sailor's Dirge drop off 3 groups of strength 3 Skeletons right on the shore next to my fourth city (I believe it was around year 200). I only had 2 warriors guarding the city at the time. They were fortified with a Homeland promotion. I though for sure they would walk through, wiping out a couple of my cities. They all were defeated while attacking that fourth city. I am a noob to FFH2 for the most part. I love the idea of this randomness. It scared me a little, I was shifting more troops to take out the Skeletons, but I didn't have to worry overall since they all got wiped out while attacking the first city they tried conquering. Cool stuff! I say leave it.

Anyone else have something similar happen to them with the Dirge dropping off visitors?

 

[flashbacck]

Can it be made to spawn once someone researches sailing? It would make sense logically...

 

[Keldan]

Can the Sailor's Dirge be captured by Lanun's boarding party ?

 

[Unser Giftzwerg]

Can the Sailor's Dirge be captured by Lanun's boarding party ?

Can the Sailor's Dirge transform Lanun Boarding Parties rash enough step aboard into skeletal cargo?

 

[Kael]

Can the Sailor's Dirge be captured by Lanun's boarding party ?

Yes, and it will start spawning skeletons for the owning player.

 

[MrUnderhill]

Last night I came up with an idea to keep the Dirge from standing in one place.
How about a promotion called "restless" that prevents a unit from fortifying/skipping turns. We could give it to other units, too, like Typhoid Mary, the Baron, Berserkers, undead, etc.

I think it would give a lot of new flavor to them.

 

[Gamestation]

I don't think that would really do a lot. The AI might just move the Dirge between two spaces but stay in the general area. It would just prevent fortify bonus.

 

[Sureshot]

dirge needs to randomly teleport or something, as is its always in a city and dies boringly

 

[Dora190]

Other than that -- my fastest demise to the Dirge was yr. 37 as Amurites (Noble). I was the only culture to have built a coastal capital and it bee-lined straight for me with 3 skeletons against my two warriors. That and some earlier bad luck and poof, empire gone, xD. Most fun I've had in the early game yet!

Yup I had something similar except it was turn 31, with 3 skeletons.

On the skeleton point is the combat calculating correctly? They seem to be winning even when they are outpointed. I had a hunter with +60% (melee and the +20 bonus) and first strike in forest, up a hill get completely creamed. It wasn't a one off for the skeletons either. Other strange examples that repeat include a first strike scout with +20% in similar terrian got cuffed by a wandering lion. Conversely the enemy orcs can't seem to fight their way out of a rice pudding. Any ideas?

dirge needs to randomly teleport or something, as is its always in a city and dies boringly

In my expierence, it moves until it finds a player then annihilates them then goes to sleep. I think it should arrive disgorge then move on. every game I've played someone has died before turn 50, goto worldbuilder and you see the dirge sitting next to the ruins.

 

[CuteKills]

Could be wrong, but skellies are undead, not melee, so your +40 for melee wouldn't apply. You'd need "undead slaying"

(Seems strange, I know - you might expect any unit which damaged things by thumping them to count as melee, but I don't think that's how it works)

 

[Sureshot]

itd be nice if the undead slaying was available with ancient chants to help give an early counter to skelettes.

on that point, it would be nice if everything that had the +40% vs had a second +80% versus as well.

 

[Silverkiss]

The +40% vs melee works on skeletons too, IIRC

 

[anisotropy]

The melee (shock) promotions have no effect vs. skellies. Only combat promotions and undead slaying (which comes too late to be effective vs. the dirge anyway)

 

[Grey Fox]

I think skeletons have the animal unitcombat, or they used to anyways.

 

[Kael]

The melee (shock) promotions have no effect vs. skellies. Only combat promotions and undead slaying (which comes too late to be effective vs. the dirge anyway)

You are correct. Skeletons have no unitcombat. Having no unitcombat means that the skeletons cant ever level up, they will never earn promotions.

 

[DieselBiscuit]

You are correct. Skeletons have no unitcombat. Having no unitcombat means that the skeletons cant ever level up, they will never earn promotions.

That means they can't pillage either, right?