Caster of Magic Release thread : latest version 6.06!

[Seravy]

Not to be pedantic, but doesn't "a" mean 1? I like the new to-hit calculations.

Intentional. Knowing for sure it's exactly 1 would make it too easy...but finding 3 was overkill. Scouts are just that, they look around and report what they find. There is no guarantee they'll spot every single monster, they might notice the footsteps of a giant and report there is a giant around, but just because the giant walked there alone does not mean there isn't another left behind in the cave.

[Seravy]

1.21a
-The optional portrait files now replace the merchant portrait with Recette.
-Fixed AI bug : ships carrying settlers get stuck on shore
-AI will prefer to build Ship Wrights Guild early on Small and Tiny land size
-AI is now limited to 1 ship per 10 turns into the game instead of 35, and a max of 16 instead of 4.
-Small or Tiny land size doubles the chance for the AI to produce ships.
-AI will reevaluate continents more frequently.
-Holy weapon is now available in combat and works!

[Seravy]

1.21b
-It is no longer possible to enchant spells with a slider into items. (both in game and with itemmake.exe)
-Heroes can now use the spell slider again.
-Fixed bug : Spell lock does not protect Haste
-Fixed bug : Spell lock dispelled but no message
-Fixed bug : Spell lock displays wrong spell name for moved spells and replaced enchantments

[Seravy]

1.3 is available for download!
Although does not look like a major update on the outside, this continues what I started in the 1.2 versions, and adds entire missing features to the AI.

The AI can now
-attack enemy armies over sea with idle ships
-attack enemy armies over sea with flying or waterwalking stacks on nearby land
-use the Plane Shifting or Planar Traveling ability of units
-Use Astral Gates

Edit : reuploaded, the AI can now also
-attack enemy armies over sea with flying or waterwalking stacks on sea
-Reroute going stacks towards a new destination before they arrive

Edit 2 : reuploaded one more time. This time the above should work without disturbing the AI's stack building process.

1.3
-New AI combat unit buff spell targeting procedure : various spells have various targeting criteria, defensive spells prefer heroes and stronger units in genereal, offensive buffs usually target the unit with most figures and melee attack. Units standing in the gate also gain extra priority.
-Further improved AI dispel magic targeting and fixed some bugs in it.
-Spell reward from treasure now can't contain an arcane spell if rarity is Rare or Very Rare, to avoid finding low value spells instead of the appropriate rarity. (Arcane does not have rares or better)
-Pikemen (both types) lose 1 melee attack and 1 defense. They are far too powerful due to the Armor Piercing to have more attack than a Halberdier which is the same tier.
-Fixed bug : when checking if adjacent land cell is empty for disembarking a ship, the check orders the addition and the multiplication wrong Y*3Ch+Ymodifier instead of (Y+Ymodificer)*3Ch, resulting in the occupied cell considered empty and blocking the disembarking completely.
-The AI can now use ships to attack targets over sea.
-The AI now has a max ship limit based on both land size and turn count instead of just turn count.
-Fixed the buggy To Melee display on the unit production screen.
-AI can now use Astral Gate.
-AI can now use Planar Travel and Plane Shifting on units.
-Fixed bug of AI targeting a flying unit with a melee attack if another, nonflying copy is present.
-The AI can now use idle flying/waterwalking units or stacks to launch a ground to sea attack.
-The AI will not target Spell Locked units with Banish or Dispel Evil (they're immune)
-Units entering a ship don't get set to patrol status automatically
-Fixed bug : Units automove during time stop.
-Fixed Bug : AI can't attack due to nonexisting central structure.
-New formula for AI Disenchant True casting priority in combat. Also updated Dispel Magic a little -Fixed Vault item bug affecting certain people only.
-Fixed bug : AI spends more skill into slider than available.

[RobertusAmor]

Awesome mod! It's really brought me back to MoM; I adore this game, and your mod has really improved on it in a lot of areas.

I see that you've just uploaded a new version, so perhaps this has been addressed by it, but I've noticed that enemies don't seem to have a limit to how many units they can place on a single trireme. I'm in the middle of a game right now, and Sharee has bombarded me with wave after wave of 5 to 8 unit stacks loaded onto triremes. I know in the base game they can only support 2 units, so I'm wondering if this is a bug or if its an intentional change?

Regardless, having a blast with the mod, gonna finish this game up and then update to the new version I suppose. Cheers!

[Seravy]

Awesome mod! It's really brought me back to MoM; I adore this game, and your mod has really improved on it in a lot of areas.

I see that you've just uploaded a new version, so perhaps this has been addressed by it, but I've noticed that enemies don't seem to have a limit to how many units they can place on a single trireme. I'm in the middle of a game right now, and Sharee has bombarded me with wave after wave of 5 to 8 unit stacks loaded onto triremes. I know in the base game they can only support 2 units, so I'm wondering if this is a bug or if its an intentional change?

Regardless, having a blast with the mod, gonna finish this game up and then update to the new version I suppose. Cheers!

In fact, insecticide 1.40 changed the ship carry capacity from 2 to 8 because the AI was unable to handle it otherwise.
I decided not to undo this change because, first of all I don't know if the improved AI could deal with that, in theory it should be able to but I rather play it safe - there are so many ways the AI can get stuck in intercontinental travel that it's not even funny - and also because it is more fun this way. If the AI was sending smaller stacks, that would be no threat, too easy. This however opens up an interesting decision, do you use one ship loaded to max and risk losing them all if you run into a stack of 3 ships...or play it safe and use more ships in your stacks which is more expensive? I like to give players the option to choose, instead of forcing the many ships option.
In this 1.3 update the AI finally learned to attack things - especially transports fully loaded - on the sea so it's no longer certain that you can get away with doing the 1 ship 8 units tactic.

[RobertusAmor]

As good a reason as any, I suppose. So the only advantage in the higher tier ships is their higher stats, I take it?

Regardless, it's no big deal. My pegassi have become rather adept at destroying triremes.

[Seravy]

As good a reason as any, I suppose. So the only advantage in the higher tier ships is their higher stats, I take it?

Regardless, it's no big deal. My pegassi have become rather adept at destroying triremes.

Yes, better ships are for better firepower. I don't even remember how it was in the original game, but I think it was like 3 units on a warship? Maybe Galley was the one that had highest, but even that wasn't enough to take a full stack. Not that I ever needed ships there, I preferred flying units myself, too.
Those better stats do matter in the mod though. A warship can probably take out 4-5 triremes on its own. Pegasai are awesome, flying firepower is always great

[Tiltowait]

Trireme moves 2 carries 2. Galley moves 3 carries 3. Warship moves 4 carries none. I can remember the sweet spot was 3 Triremes carrying 6 units for a stack of 9. Helped defend themselves too due to 3 ships. I was disappointed when 1.4 removed the carrying restrictions but understand why it was necessary.

None of it really matters as most players choose the larger land sizes which make ships and naval warfare an afterthought. There just isn't enough water in the world so controlling it isn't necessary.

[Seravy]

Warship moves 4 carries none.

wow, that would really mess with the AI I think. No carry capacity = not ship = has to move to the nearest conquerable land if at sea.
lol
not that it would be of any use anyway, original AI did not even have the concept of "attacking at sea" coded.