Mod request - one more slot

[kadrzys]

Is it possible to make a mod which gives you one more slot for your troops?

thanks for every clue

friendly greetings

[Keneth]

Short answer: No.
Long answer: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. :P

Actually I'm not completely sure, you probably don't have access to the required code, but even if possible I imagine it would require a lot of code editing as well as a redesign of the interface. Not to mention it would be monumentally imballanced, the game is easy enough as it is. :grin:

[Gatts]

Well, there are always two kinds of mods ->
The ones that make it more balanced
and the ones that make it overpowered (some part of the game goes overpowered - what I as megalomaniac totally understand)

I could imagine that very good core code master could make one of the backup slots to normal slot (or even both) - would that be overpowered? Well - it is mod - it is on everyone if he/she choses to use it.

Even in the normal game I sometimes chose to have only 4 or even only 3 slots populated (hoping to get more XP), Also I believe that I have enough work already (mental/planning, physical/clicking) with 5 armies :)

[Keneth]

I imagine reserve slots act much like a castle garrison that you carry around with you, so it's a bit doubtful that you could carry them to battle. And yeah, a base code master could make the necessary changes but if there were any such masters areound then all the requests in this part of the forum could have easily been fulfilled. :mrgreen:

[Lestas]

It's possible to make mod that would 'summon' troops from reserve :) This info is stored in 'army' variable and it's fully accessible.

Some ideas on this mod:
* make an icon for "Reinforcements"
* summon these troops after X turns
* summon these troops for Gold, Rage or Mana (or some else resource)
* disable this ability off when fighing bosses
* add possibility of enemy's reinforcements (increased chance when fighting against a hero)

so..if someone else wanna help me :) u're welcome

P.S. Maybe....it could be a replacement for Iron Fist?

[Gatts]

Well, I have made one button manually (old-scool pixelbypixel pic) and one "steal it" style button:

I would it:

- You can call from back-up slot only limited ammount of units (as you can have there 2000 dragons... but if your leadership can handle only 4, you will get in battle only 4)
- You will pay for it (like other games have - building your own unit costs 100 money, but recruiting it by instant costs 10x more - as time penalty - no waiting, no training, you get "mercenery" - So you have to buy the units first and place it to the back up slots, than if you want them in battle - you have to pay again and even more - first than they will enter combat
- You should call them anytime you want - you are paying - you are the master :)

I agree to disable it when fighting bosses

I could imagine it as Iron Fist (as Lestas suggested) or even as Necromancy... it could even work differently - If using Necro Call - your reserve units would be considered as "dead" and formula for Raise Dead would apply (so if you have shamans in our backup slot- you will get vampires or necromances... ) again - your limit will be your own leadership.

[Lestas]

Ooops :) thx for correcting me.

Leadership limits
Of course reinforcements should be capped by leadership limit.

Costs
* Iron Fist - pay gold to summon reinforcements from your reserve slots (1 stack per turn). Gold = Stack_Leadership x 10. IronFist level gives you discount equal to it's leadership bonus for human troops :)
* Necromancy - pay mana and gold to summon reinforcements. Gold = Stack_Leadership x 10. Mana = constant value based on Necromancy level.

If u don't have nough money, then their quantity should be limited to Leadership x 10

what d'u think about it? :)

[Keneth]

Well if that works there would be several things to consider. Putting aside that it's insanely overpowered, there needs to be a way to limit the number of creatures summoned, a way to point where they should be summoned, a way to choose which reserve slot is getting summoned, a way to limit how many times you can summon. The summoned creatures should also count against your leadership total since summoned creatures normally don't, otherwise you'd be able to summon several stacks of the same creature. The number should also be significantly lower than your leadership actually allows for, summoning a full stack of creatures would completely wreck what little balance is still left in the game. It's not a project to be taken lightly. :mrgreen:

[Gatts]

Well if that works there would be several things to consider. Putting aside that it's insanely overpowered, there needs to be a way to limit the number of creatures summoned, a way to point where they should be summoned, a way to choose which reserve slot is getting summoned, a way to limit how many times you can summon. The summoned creatures should also count against your leadership total since summoned creatures normally don't, otherwise you'd be able to summon several stacks of the same creature. The number should also be significantly lower than your leadership actually allows for, summoning a full stack of creatures would completely wreck what little balance is still left in the game. It's not a project to be taken lightly. :mrgreen:

Well - we knew it will be overpowered... but this mod is not supporting balance, but ... well... I more likely would like to see it working in first place... for sake of fun :)

I would make only first of the two possible backup slots the pool for this kind of summon - OR the first would be only for IRON FIST, the second would be only for NECRO CALL [where necro call could be limited aslo by INT - as original necro call]

I think we could think about balance after we manage this project finished (first things first I say)

If Necro Call is limited also by INT, why not limit the IRON FIST one by ATT? (just a thought)

[Keneth]

That's the problem with modern developers, they always want to finish things halfway and worry about the rest later. :P

[Gatts]

Well - we are working on a mod - so we may afford not being 100% on planning, right?

Also I believe that focusing on balance in single player would be logical on one hand, but on costs of end fun on other hand...

When I feel I am too strong (only when playing easy) I just delete my units, but I more often miss some "secret power" (and I don't want to use cheats) when on impossible - just I want to challange the huge armies AND survive... MOD's that would somehow increase my power would be the solution here.

Well - I also believe that as soon we figure the way how to "pick up" from backup slot - we may than focus on the way of limiting it, so it would be still same great fun, but not so owerpowered.

Basically - battles where I had huge difficulties were when enemy used armageddon(Baal), or stole life (Korador) or had many red/black dragons - so for each three types more units would not be the "owerpowering" solution - as more units you have- armageddon is more effective, red dragons may have more targets, black dragons may still fly over six as over five units and Koradors vamps will just have more blood banks

The oposite effect would be quite overpowering : sacrifce one of original 5 slots and get +20% to INT for each (imagine to have only one stack - green dragons, so you would have +80% to INT - use gloth's armor + armageddon - that is owerpowered :) )

For instance I remember Fallout 2 - there were weapons which could kill 3 or more alliens on one hit (bozar, LMG) still when MODs where created - and these were called "balance" mods - these weapons gone even more powerfull - it was officialy called "owerpowered" still many downloaded it and nearly all liked it.

Well, on the other hand (some random thinking attacked me from flank) if this MOD would not be desired, the efforts to create it would go in vain... maybe we could create a POLL - (still even to create a poll - we would need as precise descriptin of what we want to create as possible) - based on the POLL we may decide wether or not invest the time (mostly Lestas's time :) ) in this MOD. So if you agree, feel free to iniciate the poll.

[Keneth]

Well that depends, I don't make mods for others, I make them for myself because I find it fun, so even if no one wants them, it wouldn't be a waste of my time. That said, I still believe that if anyone simply wanted to steamroll everything with overwhelming force, they would simply use leadership # and doublearmy cheats and go for it, whereas mods need to at least give the illusion of being somewhat balanced. Obviously if the idea is as insane as this one to begin with the mod is gonna end up overpowered no matter what you do but that doesn't mean that you should neglect even trying. Anyway, I likely won't help you guys with this unless you need any aid with the language files since I'm rather busy with other projects atm, so feel free to do this any way you want, just venting some suggestions. :)

[Lestas]

Maybe...a player should pay not only for summon, but for each turn they fight at your side ;) And you must press "Pay gold" button each turn or...if they aren't dead..they'll become very-very maaaad :) And I've already said...it can be also weakened by giving this ability to all enemy heroes and by limit to 2nd+ round to summon (time to ready troops to fight). Or maybe this summon should work not instantly, but on the next turn. So I think that constructive criticism is much better than saying "No!" ;)

[Gatts]

and the lifetime would be limited :

1 round only + another round for each 15 INT
(or 15 ATT for the iron fist version)
and still you will pay for summon + for each round (where each subsequent round will cost double so much money - what would make it much MORE tricky on impossible :) )

And yep - the stack of reserve units may pop up next round after summon (like demon gate)
What makes sense - they are not part of your army - they are back up army - so it takes some real time till they can marsh in the battlefield... (or float/fly, whatever)