Units and Research Cost

Master_Hugian · Jan 18, 2009

I decided to go through all the main units and check out how much it costs to research the unit. (This is a work in progress)

Key
# : A number
(Tier #) : What tier the unit is
(###) : How much the tech or unit costs assuming you have no technologies
- ### : How much the unit costs if you have all the technologies required to build the previous tier unit.
[]: Technologies that are used in the previous tier units or have been factored in elsewhere.

Melee

Spoiler :

Archery

Spoiler :

Mounted

Spoiler :

Recon

Spoiler :

Arcane

Spoiler :

Master_Hugian · Jan 18, 2009

Side by Side Comparison (by total research required)

Tier 2

Spoiler :

Tier 3

Spoiler :

Tier 4

Spoiler :

Analysis
Melee: The most expensive unit, but grants access to the metal resources increasing strength and production. The Immortal is the most expensive unit, however they are very hard to kill. Phalanx on the other hand are incredible city attackers. Both will, in the ideal situation, be outfitted with Mithril Weapons.

Archery: After Melee and Arcane, they are the most expensive units to research. They are the best city defenders and with their many first strikes and defensive strikes, they may be a pain to kill. Rememer however that a simple Shadow I spell: Blur, nullifies these two abilities. Marksmen are excellent for picking off enemy weakened units and are actually useful in attacking cities as they do not suffer from a penalty to city attack like other marksmen units do. Arqubus, while weak for tier 4 units, have the advantage of not being a national unit and thus you may build more than 4 or them. Crossbowmen are weaker and more expensive than Marksmen, only slightly better at defending cities and hills.

Mounted: Fast and deadly, the mounted are excellent at hit and run tactics. Quite cheap to research, they can be an excellent unit for protecting your lands and harrasing your enemy. If you can build Ride of the Nine Kings, you can make excellent knights, however, they can potencially use Mithril Weapons which may make them more expensive than they seem if there strength is to be fully realized.

Recon: Cheap to research, fast moving and deadly, they place they fall behind is attacking cities. They are excellent wilderness attackers though and may capture animals and provide excellent visual with the usage of hawks. The assassin and shadow possess marksmen which can be used to take out weakened shadow's invisibility means you will be able to carefully pick of enemies one by one.

Arcane: Second most expensive, the arcane line provides versatility and many ways to increase research. They are the weakest defenders by themselves, although they can potensially summon defenders. Without death mana, you should get yourselves another defensive unit before researching adepts. Archmages are truely powerful but are hard to get and each loss is incredible painful. Oh, and Wonder is a fun spell.

Master_Hugian · Jan 19, 2009

To do list

Disciple Units
Other Religious Units
Heroes

Zechnophobe · Jan 19, 2009

I actually wrote a program a while back that did this. Was for the old research costs though, so it might need to get updated. It was technically for the 'total' research cost of a tech, not a unit, but they go hand in hand. Search for technology cost in the forum, you might find it.

Thunder_Gr · Jan 19, 2009

Nice job there. Perhaps the comparison would be more complete if you included what you get for your extra research. Immortals definatelly worth the cost, if you ask me.

Master_Hugian · Jan 19, 2009

I will be doing that, for example, while Champions are expensive compared to other Tier 3 units, you get access to the Iron resource and the Forge building.

Master_Hugian · Jan 19, 2009

Added Arcane units and updated the analysis section, I also think this thread might have been a bit more suitable in the Strategy section. Next on the list is to add the disciple units and the religious units.

Kael · Jan 20, 2009

This is good analysis, thanks for doing it. I like how its falling out so I dont see any changes that need to me made, btu it is good to see.

MagisterCultuum · Jan 20, 2009

Phalanxes never really seem worth the research cost, since the Mithril Weapons tech isn't required for anything else anymore. It also seems odd that your units can all be outfitted with Mithril Weapons before you research Mithril Weapons.

I'm thinking that Mithril Working and Mithril Weapons should be merged together.

[to_xp]Gekko · Jan 21, 2009

that's a solution. another solution would be to have the mithril weapons promo available at mithril weapons tech, instead of mithril working ( as you mentioned ) .

it makes sense and would keep the consistency with bronze and iron weapons, so I'd vote the latter.

Mesix · Jan 21, 2009

I thought Mithril Weaopns did work the same way. I have been researching this expensive tech solely to unlock the Phalanx unit?!? I feel like I was robbed. I 2nd the suggestion to move the Mithril Weapons promotion to the technology with the same name. Getting +4 str for Champions, Heroes, and Tier 4 units should have a higher cost and the Mithril Weapons tech sould be more useful.

cabbagemeister · Jan 21, 2009

Yeah, very surprising to me how much more expensive Phalanxes are than Archmages. Especially since I tend to want to upgrade my best Champions to Immortals, not to Phalanxes, because Immortals are a much better unit. Which means Phalanxes are weakish (not highly promoted) AND expensive.

Keeper_GFA · Jan 21, 2009

So maybe Phalanxes should be available at Mithril working, and Mithril weapons should be available at Mithril Weapons.

Black Attila · Jan 21, 2009

where is it indicated(what file) that mithril weapons comes in at mithril working. I looked at both promotions and techs and did not see it.

MagisterCultuum · Jan 21, 2009

The Mithril Weapons promotion has no prerequisite except that a unit with a high enough weapons tier must be in a city with access to the Mithril resource, which cannot be connected until Mithril Working.

Making any weapons have tech prereqs would require changes to what is basically hardcoded in the SDK. (Kael doesn't call it hardcoding because it uses global defines and doesn't break if those defines are left blank, but that is still hardcoding in my book.) If how they work is to be changed I'd rather remove the code entirely and move to a system like that Xienwolf created for FF.

Units and Research Cost

Master_Hugian

Warlord

Master_Hugian

Warlord

Master_Hugian

Warlord

Zechnophobe

Strategy Lich

Thunder_Gr

Emperor

Master_Hugian

Warlord

Master_Hugian

Warlord

Kael

Deity

MagisterCultuum

Great Sage

[to_xp]Gekko

QCT junkie

Mesix

Obergruppenführer

cabbagemeister

Please wait...

Keeper_GFA

Prince

Black Attila

Chieftain

MagisterCultuum

Great Sage

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