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War of Magic: v1.3 running log

War of Magic: v1.3 running log

Next week we plan to release Elemental: War of Magic v1.2 which is largely a rewrite of how War of Magic deals with memory.  So the change log in v1.2 isn’t that long but involves a lot of work.

v1.3, which mostly gameplay, will begin its journey immediately following.

Follow this blog for a status report of where things are.

 

War of Magic v1.3: Changes Implemented

  • Base HP lowered from 10 to 2 for trained units.
  • Minimum trained unit group size changed from 1 to 4.
  • Base map movement speed increased.
  • World Difficulty will set the default difficulty of the AI players
  • When a sovereign dies, its faction is inherited by the player with the best relationship with them.
  • Improvements that can repeatedbly be built (studies, workshops) use increasing numbers of citizens
  • Tile limit per city level reimplemented with housing no longer using up tiles (so you never get "stuck")
  • Random Events
  • Notable locations no longer require a tech level
  • Quests no longer require a tech level
  • Champions are now rare to find on their own
  • New notable locations added
  • Low level notable locations more likely to provide equipment
  • Harbors (sea faring techs) eliminated until further notice
  • Special buildings no longer required to special units (but they'll be helpful)

War of Magic v1.3: To-Do

  • Champions will offer to join you automatically when your faction meets certain milestones
  • Minor Factions are going to go bye-bye until they can be loved more by us
  • Tactical battles: AI re-design
  • Major AI updates to general strategic areas (unit design, city management, unit and army movement)

War of Magic v1.4: Tentative To-Do

  • New Setup option: Notable Location frequency 
  • New Setup option: Random Events [enabled][disabled
  • World Generation will now place exotic things far away from starting points.
  • Clairvoyance (Channelers can cast spells from remote but the cost is based on the distance
  • New Random Events

More to come. Stay tuned. List will grow and shrink and change over time as we determine schedule as well as make adjustments.

LAST UPDATE: 5/29

v1.4 is a tentative build as the Fallen Enchantress beta will likely start after v1.3 is released but before v1.4. So we'll have to see what the demand for v1.4 is since virtually everyone who has War of Magic will be getting Fallen Enchantress.

427,831 views 271 replies
Reply #251 Top

Quoting razor436, reply 248
I don't mean to be a source of discontent, but I don't understand why they can't just add to the 1.3 running log a change to damage calculation during tactical combat to avoid the problem with having troops immune to attacks by having overly high defense ratings. Wouldn't it be very easy to do?

There is no immunity, once you get above 1damage and 1 armor. There's ALWAYS a chance of dealing damage, no matter how high armor goes. The real problem is displaying that in a way the user can understand and use.

Edit: Here are the calculations I did before, armor in the rows and attack in the columns.

http://thedyinggrounds.com/Elemental/patch12.htm 

Reply #252 Top

Update: The beta won't be out this week as Kris/Nakor is on vacation this week and I don't want to have to get publishing involved on my quasi-private beta of v1.3. So plan on the following Thursday.

Reply #253 Top

I like a lot of the ideas posted here.  Just bear in mind that scope is often a cruel limiter on what can be put in. I don't think it's any secret that I'd like to see dynasties get a lot more love.

As a practical matter, the dynasty system needs to be re-imagined and I don't think that'll happen until Elemental: Game 3 (WOM =1, FE=2).

Reply #254 Top

Please, please, please add the

  • New Setup option: Notable Location frequency

option in 1.3... and one for location-quests too! I'm so tired of running after the same old goodiehuts, knowing exactly what's inside. It's no longer exploration, it's a guaranteed resource boost.

Reply #255 Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 254
Please, please, please add the


New Setup option: Notable Location frequency

option in 1.3... and one for location-quests too! I'm so tired of running after the same old goodiehuts, knowing exactly what's inside. It's no longer exploration, it's a guaranteed resource boost.

 

Just curious, are you thinking of turning them off or set to very low to minimize the boost against the AI?

Reply #256 Top

Off, all the way to minus 11. It's a tedious chore.

Reply #257 Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 256
Off, all the way to minus 11. It's a tedious chore.

Yeah, they're kind of like the anomalies in GC2. I just set a ship to auto-survey and turned off the notifications of them, so its like they didn't exist but I got random income boosts for the first ~30 turns.

 

Reply #258 Top

Some ideas that could spice them up (for something beyond 1.3 where it be FE, game3 or 1.4)

  1. Could possibly find a rare ore or material that could be made into one piece of equipment for a character.
  2. Possibly find a champion to recruit (very rarely. < 5% chance)
  3. Find blueprints off a lost tech. This would be a tech that cannot be found otherwise.
  4. Found a special resource (location turns into a random resource)

 

Just some thoughts

 

Some more thoughts,

 

  1. Certain adventure techs increase the amount of loot received from goodie huts. This represents learning that civilization X hid their treasure in certain places.
  2. Monsters guard later notable locations. They have made a nest.
  3. These monster guards could act as monster camps. Basically they keep spawning a certain MoB every few turns.
  4. Only heroes can participate in quests. Going further in the "quest tree" allows for more heroes and special "monster killing" items. For example, a dragon slayer sword that may only get bonuses against dragons.
  5. Cities could offer quests. Maybe a random event occurs and a quest is the way to stop it. For example, bandits keep raiding the city at night to steal gold. Until the quest is accomplished, the city get a gold penalty.

 

Again, some of these ideas may require FE's new attribute system.

Reply #259 Top

New Setup option: Random Events [enabled][disabled]

huh I would have thought this would have made it into 1.3. Seems kinda weird not being able to turn off random events.

 

Reply #260 Top

The main thing is that I want to see v1.3 come out in June and when you add in the beta phase, we have to be careful not to try to stuff too much in there.

Reply #261 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 252
Update: The beta won't be out this week as Kris/Nakor is on vacation this week and I don't want to have to get publishing involved on my quasi-private beta of v1.3. So plan on the following Thursday.

Take your time you swamp dwelling amphibian!  This should give you an extra week to add "pioneer protection" to the AI and turn on "AI can be attacked by wandering creatures / armies" in v1.3.

Reply #262 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 260
The main thing is that I want to see v1.3 come out in June and when you add in the beta phase, we have to be careful not to try to stuff too much in there.

All the more important to get the minor stuff in, if the next update won't be out until after FE?

Reply #263 Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 262
All the more important to get

 

I believe Frogboy was inferring that the beta of FE will come out before WoM 1.4 enters beta/release.

Reply #264 Top

Yeah, but the beta for FE was going to be released feature-complete, possibly a few weeks before retail. Granted, we don't know when FE is coming out, but I've heard everything from this summer to next year.

Reply #265 Top

Notable locations no longer require a tech level
Quests no longer require a tech level
Special buildings no longer required to special units (but they'll be helpful)

 

Frogboy, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind elaborating on these changes? What purpose will the adventure tree hold if you can do all quests and locations from the start? What kinds of helpful effects will the archery range confer to archers?

Reply #266 Top

Frogboy, have you considered adding more tactical magic spells to Elemental? About 10 to 15 new tactical spells.

This would would give the player and the AI a wider range of tactical choices to make on how to fight the battle.

Furthermore, excluding the AI progamming, some of the spells (i.e. tactical summoning spells) would be relatively simple to implement.

Example: Tactical summoning spells where the summoned creature(s) stays for only a number of rounds equal to the casters level. These would use models of existing creatures; spiders, bears, wolves, etc.

  • Summon Wolves (Level 1), Summon Wolf Pack (Level 3)
  • Summon Bears (Level 1), Summon Bear Pride (Level 3)
  • Summon Giant Spider (Level 2), Summon Giant Spiders (Level 4) 
  • Summon Darklings (Level 3), Summon Darkling Tribe (Level 5)
  • Dispel Summoned Creatures (Level 5) - Chance to dispel summoned creature, ineffective against non-summoned creatures (i.e. you waste the spell if its used against recruited darklings as opposed to summoned darklings)

Enchantment

  • Confuse Summoned Creature (Level 2) - Summoned creature does not move for a turn.
  • Break Summons (Level 3) - summoned creature goes berzerk and attacks a random creature
  • Free Summons (Level 4) - summoned creature attacks its summoner
  • Mind Shield (Level 4) - shields unit/summoned creature against effect of enchantment spells.
  • Control Creatures (Level 4) - take control of summoned creature (ineffective against recruited creatures)

Example: Spells that change the battlefield and change player's movement options

  • Forest Fire (Fire - Level 4) - All wood terrain tiles are engulfed in flames for duration of battle, creatures in those tiles suffer damage
  • Earth Maze (Earth - Level 4) - 25% of all unoccupied tiles become impassible as the earth raises from the ground
  • Downpour (Water - Level 4) - Dispells Forest Fire, reduces line of sight and attack range to 1 tile for 2 turns
  • Windstorm (Air - Level 4) - Reduces range of all missle weapons on the battlefield by 5 (minimum 1)
  • Flood (Water - Level 5) - a flood of water renders 50% of all unoccupied titles imapassible to those wearing metal armor (light or heavy plate).
  • Drain Earth ((Earth - Level 4) - Dispells Flood
  • Clear Skies (Air - Level 4) - Dispels Windstorm

Example: Spells that change day to night and reduce the line of sight for all creatures or dispel these effects.

  • Fog (Water - Level 3)- reduces line of sight and attack range to 3 tiles for all units on the battlefield
  • Darkness (Level 3) - reduces line of sight and attack range to 1 tile for all units on the battlefield.
Reply #267 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 253
I like a lot of the ideas posted here.  Just bear in mind that scope is often a cruel limiter on what can be put in. I don't think it's any secret that I'd like to see dynasties get a lot more love.

As a practical matter, the dynasty system needs to be re-imagined and I don't think that'll happen until Elemental: Game 3 (WOM =1, FE=2).

I am glad to hear this, even if it means I will have to wait a while longer.  One of my favorite parts of Medieval Total War was the dynastic system and when I discovered WoM didn't have anything like that, it was like a kick in the...well, you know.  x_x

 

My ideal for the third expansion would be Elemental meets Crusader Kings (with the dynamic family crests you guys were thinking about some time ago).  B)  

 

 

Reply #268 Top

Quoting RooksBailey, reply 267
ideal for the third expansion would be Elemental meets Crusader Kings (with the dynamic family crests you guys were thinking about some time ago).   

 

 

 

Oh god, PLEASE!!!!

Reply #269 Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 264
Yeah, but the beta for FE was going to be released feature-complete, possibly a few weeks before retail. Granted, we don't know when FE is coming out, but I've heard everything from this summer to next year.
My understanding is that they are planning to have a feature-complete beta, but not necessarily to never have feature-incomplete betas.

There will certainly be more than one beta release, after all.

Reply #270 Top

Hey, just bought the game a few days ago and played a half dozen times thus far. I appreciate the new developments but would like to suggest a few things:

1) When researching Tech Tree "Civilization", the Housing technology which enables 'Villas" for the Kingdoms inevitably crashes my game regardless of how early or late in the game. Might be a unique crash to my game, but its consistency suggests a deeper issue.

2) The list of units & settlements on the left side of the screen should be scrollable; essentially after you get to around 12 units and settlements, the left side is useless and takes up space.

3) the income boxes at the top should be refined a bit: if you're collecting crystals, metals, wargs/horses, materials, gold, and people it doesn't take long before your bar at the top is unreadable as it gets hidden by the year/season tab. If the bars could be moved around, hidden, shrunk, or whatever it might help.

That's it for now. Thanks for giving me a minute of your time.

Reply #271 Top

I suggest a flag for hero unit only tactical battles.

This would be used to create quest encounters where only friendly heros can participate in the tactical battle. No armies, just heros.

With such a flag I could build encounters that has heros exploring ancient caverns, the ruins of a castle or the interior of an inn.

- Ruins of a dragons lair that only heros can enter.

- In the hall of an ancient castle the heros encounter giant spiders.

- In the catacombs of an ancient city the heros encounter a demon......

- Heros explore caves that are home to a tribe of darklings.

This would make for much more interesting tactical battles and increase the importance of recruiting adventurers; as only they can accompany your sovereign during hero only tactical battles.