problems and patch question

[nusinge]

Can anyone from 1C comment on whether a patch is expected or whether I should just junk this game? Because the unit balance is horrible, though for a Russian developed game it's surprisingly well done otherwise. Kudos for the graphics, story, and bringing back a much loved strategy type of game. Please pass all this on to the Russian development team.

Bug : Units frequently disappear though the flag is still present, and the unit can be used normally, they are just invisible from most viewing angles. Happens to all units and seemingly at random, normally 1 unit per map.

Bug? : The first single player mission is essentially impossible to finish a gold victory on the hard setting, though other missions it's only difficult but not impossible. 1 or two turns should be added for a gold victory, and IMO a magic item should always be awarded for gold victories. (in that mission you get only a militia for gold, which is a pitiful reward considering how difficult it is.)


Balancing issues:
1. Knights of all types are horribly underpowered to the point of being useless. The charge of fully armored knights should devastate virtually any unit but it does little more damage than any other units attacks. Coupled with the inability to control their attacks, virtual inability to enter rough terrain, and tendency to take kills rather than wounded, these units are simply useless. I would rather have a simple militia than the "big armored knights".

I recommend adding 2-3 points to defense and 3-4 points to the charge attack.

2. The armored effect in the game is horribly implemented. According to the description normal attacks should be near useless (which IMO should mean 50% damage, for instance) but armor piercing abilities should do normal damage. Instead normal attacks seem to do normal damage while armor piercing attacks (like from crossbows) seem to do double! damage. It makes having normal archers useless compared to crossbowmen, though they are essentially the same price. (see suggestion 4, an interesting balance might be to make archers have a range of 3 but remain less powerful)

3. City defending AI is not effectively implemented. Enemy units should emerge to attack vulnerable archers not just sit there and be shot at. (perhaps any unit in a castle type square should automatically have a 2 range weak archery attack, to simulate a real siege?)

4. Archers in the game are too vulnerable given their limited range and weak defenses. I recommend a range of 3 not 2 for retaliation strikes to make strategic battles more interesting, as well as making river crosses more feasible instead of standoff to see who is stupid enough to cross first.
In the same vein, siege weapons should have extra range and do more damage, especially given how vulnerable they are.

5. I'm unclear on the archer ability to defend itself multiple times in a turn. Does this mean it defends nearby units also, or only itself?

6. Eagles are overpowered in their land attacks. They should have separate air and ground attack values and reduce the ground attack by 1 or 2. Right now they are some of my best units for killing ground troops, especially since they rarely take killing damage. I would also argue they should have segmented movement by default not upgrade.

7. !!!! biggest problem with the game and the reason I'm unlikely to play until a patch fixes this --- THERE IS NO REASON TO HAVE ANY UNITS OTHER THAN SCOUTS. This is totally, ridiculously imbalanced.
The scouts start with being hidden, segmented movement, get a poison attack early on, and get double attacks when defending. The skirmish units should not get their skirmish attack when defending !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They also tend to take wounding not killing damage, unlike my useless swordsmen.
Right now I do more damage and take less by attacking cities, trolls, cavalry, or any other unit, using scouts rather than swordsmen, knights, even heroes????? The only thing my scouts fear is other skirmishers, who can only be attacked with archers because they will tear my "heavy" infantry and cavalry to shreds.
Combined with the segmented movement over long distances the scout is the only unit you need to totally dominate maps with the exception of an eagle for air cover.

Please Please Please nerf the scouts. They must have lowered defenses and not use their skirmish attack PLUS melee attack when defending.

8. River crossings should not lower defenses such that a unit can be killed in a single shot even by weak units. It is ridiculous to think that no units will survive crossing a river, especially on a bridge. Please change the greatest reduction in defense to 6 not 8, and maybe only 4 for units that have light or no armor and could cross a river quickly (or even use the water as cover) such as militia, peasants, scouts, and archers. Also, archer attacks should not be so weakened in a river hex that they cannot do any damage at all, or their range should be increased to 3 hexes not 2. In real river crosses military units have historically had the ability to support the crossing or even create their own safe ford.


Thanks!

[Guardian]

Well, looks to me that You need a different game

Have You played campaign? Surely one could use solely Scouts (providing enough cash, they're expensive) to win the game, but I dare to say that one would do much better in campaign with several different types of units (I had roughly 1-2 of each foot and mounted skirmishers)
No offence, but from what I read it looks like You haven't given the game a spin yet, and played with mostly unpromoted, low level units (where scouts are actually looking nice, true). In my opinion knights are great (no Impetous near First Seneshal or they can have special perk to negate that), defence, movement and attack/charge can be raised as one prefers thanks to deliberately chosen perks. When they level up they are a serious threat.

Archers. Again, You can find perk for Youself if You look for it. Range, damage, defence... Upgraded archers in the forest beat *** out of crossbowmen, and besides, I wouldn't use archers to attack armored targets, rather as a cover and for wiping out enemy archers/flyers.
For Your question nr 5, if Your archer has "multiple support" perk then Yes, it can provide cover for every attack on neighbouring friendly unit, other than that it's only once. And to increase support on two tiles...

for #6
If Eagles are overpowered, wait for flyers from other races And believe me, wussy archers in the forest can make a nice shish kebab from eagles

as for #7 I've written above. I like them as they are, especially that 1-2 units in Your army with "see invisibility" perk solves problem with ambushes.

And again, in #8 I disagree. Cavalry or heavy armored units are extremely vulnerable while river crossing, proper ambush on such unit results in large casaulties. That's why You need Light Infantry, support of Your archers (if unit goes into river, place archers behind their back and You can have "safe ford"), and of course special perks, with bonuses to river/swamp fighting, or fast crossing. Everything balanced, works fine.

So aside of some minor tweaks (I've noticed disappearing units too, and they hadn't had any special perks to do that! ) I'd say that it's better to concentrate on new campaigns, races, units, map editor and random map generator, like in HoMM III.

My opinion only - play the game a bit more, it gets really nice, and even gold with most of units/cities done is quite possible

[jombee]

I think the river crossing penalty is fine, but it should not apply when crossing on a bridge. This is something that definitely should be fixed/changed.

[tulan]

dude, you suck?

Seriously though me and my 3 friends who have the game beat the first mission for both sides on gold on hard with no problems.

1-Knights are fine, you want them to become overpowerd IMO they do serious damage vrs sevral types of enemys and the other types get a bonus fighting them.



2-Armored works fine not seen any problem with it.

3-I agree with this the city AI is sorta lame sometimes they come out to fight heavy troops and die and then sit back while archers and range beats them up.


4&5- Archers are fine, if you give them more range they become broken, the idea is for you to keep them safe(btw archers can be 1 shoted by most knight units) Bows get unlimted assisting when your troops get attacked and there nearby, xbows get 1 attack.


6-All Air seem to a bit powerfull vrs ground units but at the same time they can be killed very fast with some range attacks.



7-Sounds like you didnt go far in the game, those scouts later do little damage vrs alot of the armored troops and can easly get 1-2 shoted by heavy hitters.


8- river crossings are fine, but i agree bridges should not give you the same neg.