Unit Design Garbage File

[xienwolf]

Well, I managed to think too fast and made a fun little unit that is, sadly, useless for the design contest.

I figure most people will run into similar problems: Too many ideas, or ideas not quite up to par. So here is a topic to dump them in just so you can vent

 

[xienwolf]

Meant to write this up for the Sidar. But I accidentally thought of the Calabim instead

Unfortunately, the mechanic relies on the strategy and style of the Sidar, and the units and design of the Calabim. Thus making it absolutely useless for direct use in FfH. Besides, from what I hear the Calabim are already far too powerful anyhow (never used them myself as yet because of that).

Thrall

Calabim Special Unit, Replaces Worker

Starts with Promotion: Thrall
Grants Promotion: Thrall to all units in same tile

Same as normal worker for stats/abilities. Cost is 10% higher though.

Promotion: Thrall
Unit cannot attack Vampire units
Grants Promotion: Thrall to all units in same tile.

Vampires auto-convert any unit with Thrall Promotion without combat (like as if attacking a worker)


Intention was that you could gift them to your opponents and hope that they would make use of the free worker instead of deleting it. Then eventually forget to keep the other units away from him, and then BOOM, a whole civilization just waiting for you to claim them.

And even if that didn't work, at least they would think twice before attacking your defensless workers when they attempt to invade your territory. That or they would have to delete the worker and the unit who captured it immediately to prevent you from taking them over.

 

[TheJopa]

AI would never, ever handle this well.

 

[Frozen-Vomit]

My first idea was a malakim worker that could build a nomad camp on desert tiles. This should have worked like a reverse town. So maybe 10 turns +2 / +2 , then 20 turns +1, +1. 30 turns +1 and then nothing for 40turns after which the camp can be build again. Should have been unrazable and be automatically set to the "nothing" stage when an enemy unit enters the tile.

After I though that the ability to build this should be give to all Malakim recon units I realized that this is not a "design a unit" idea after all.

So I post this under the "design a feature" and think of another unit for the contest.

 

[CXDamian]

Svartalfar: Snake (Animal)

• 35
  
• 2/1
  
  (+1 poison)
• 1
  
• Hidden Nationality
• Invisible Animal
• Can see Invisible Animal
• Tech: Animal Husbandry

 

[White Elk]

Thats not a garbage unit CXDamian. You must have come up with a better one?

A cheap disposable unit which weakens and poisons powerful units would be useful and interesting to use.

 

[xienwolf]

The problem was Rule 10. No new graphics. The closest graphic in game now is the half-snake Lamia, but half snake and snake can't quite share a graphic

 

[Rex rgis of Ter]

The trick is to look in the civilopedia and look through the models. Think your idea and skim through to find a model. Not there? Repeat. I got mine that way.

 

[kenken244]

it could use the sea serpent model

 

[TheJopa]

I agree for the sea serpent, just smaller^

 

[CXDamian]

Not for a lack of trying, it just didn't pass (to me) as a snake

Spoiler :

Going smaller, the unit is barely visible. I took Rex's advice and started thinking about tigers, but spiders fit what was already known about svartalfar(2 instead of 1 baby spider).

 

[kenken244]

Actually i think it should be barely noticable. It is more realistic then. there is a reason why it is invisible

 

[MagisterCultuum]

It doesn't look too bad to me, but I think it might be better if you changed <bRenderBelowWater>1</bRenderBelowWater> to <bRenderBelowWater>0</bRenderBelowWater>. I'm not sure, but I think that would mean you could see the whole serpent instead of having the middle portion missing. Of course, I guess you could claim that its body is as easily hidden by grass as by water. The head doesn't quite look right though, nor does the picture at the bottom left (why can't I think of what to call the place where units stats/promotions are shown?) where it is so close to the bottom and clearly has limbs. I just realized that not rendering below "water" would probably mean that you could see limbs on the main screen too.

(Also, if the snake is chosen, I don't think it should be called simply "snake." Serpent, Adder, or Viper would sound much better.)

 

[CXDamian]

actually, bRenderBelowWater was changed to 0 in the above.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

oh...never mind then.

I wonder how it would look otherwise...Maybe then you could see little pieces of the snake though the grass.

 

[CXDamian]

It looks the same, pretty sure that tag actually reflects whether the water is opaque as far as the 'bottom' of the unit is concerned.

I haven't messed with graphic files before, but I may give it a shot tomorrow and see if raising its position will adjust it(just to confirm, I'm guessing theres a baseline).

(sorry about dragging thread into a discussion xienwolf)

 

[xienwolf]

Meh, kinda the point of the thread (nobody wants to talk about my idea. I'm so hurt /sniff /pout j/k).

Even though there are ideas proposed which I would LOVE to have just so I can abuse them in ways I see them being unbalanced, I do enjoy the simplicity of the snake idea you had. And often simple is the most useful down the line for practical terms.

However, I do like your new idea. Just not the name

 

[westamastaflash]

Sidar

Shade of Eternity
National Unit (max 3), available with medicine
400
1 4 :moves:
Any city with the shade of eternity in it has no

I couldn't think of a model for it.

 

[smurven]

I would sick my inquisitors on these guys so fast if i was calabim

 

[thomas.berubeg]

the Angel of migraines

Belseraph

requires: medicine

can travel through enemy (though not at war) terrain

effect: when in any city,
in any city the angel of migraines is +1, -25%