Random questions

[Xardion]

It's been a while since I used real DOS.
I checked DOSBOX and it says 632k free memory so that 15k difference might explain it.

I'm guessing the extra memory used by allowing 2000 units in play instead of 1000 might be the reason for the difference but I'm not entirely sure.

Ahh, ok, so it does use more memory. I'm guessing that '583k' text must be hard-coded. I was able to get it working using DOSMAX and the other utilities with it (SHELLMAX, ENVIMAX). That and some manual EMM386 tweaking let me squeeze out enough conventional memory to get it working, and without really sacrificing any of my TSRs. So yay!

[MrBiscuits]

You can only find spells from each wizard once, so if you banished him before, you don't get any.

Ah I didn't realise this, has it always been like that?

This makes the decision of when to banish a wizard more tactical as you can wait until later in the game to potentially get better spells.

[Seravy]

No, that feature was added somewhere around version 6.0

[Anskiy]

Is there any point to using Gnoll Halberdiers? I tried a game yesterday and noticed Wolf Riders were just better even on the defensive because of their high speed letting them get to the attackers. Perhaps Gnoll Halberdiers need more HP, or some sort of defense against ranged attacks to compare well to Wolf Riders.

[roarmalf]

Is there any point to using Gnoll Halberdiers? I tried a game yesterday and noticed Wolf Riders were just better even on the defensive because of their high speed letting them get to the attackers. Perhaps Gnoll Halberdiers need more HP, or some sort of defense against ranged attacks to compare well to Wolf Riders.

I can't remember building them. Always wolf riders.

[Seravy]

Halberdiers have more figures and more defense so they respond much better to buffs and in general are stronger when speed isn't relevant on top of costing less per unit.
I'm not entirely sure if there is a phase of the game when they are necessary though, wolf riders do well for the early turns and beyond 1406 jackals are far stronger if you can afford them. The case of having to fight a stronger melee force before 1406 might be too rare and that's what halberdiers are best at.
Still, if you need a large amount of units quickly and don't plan to put a multiple buffs on one unit, Halberdiers are good because you get 2.5x as many than jackals for the same price and without having to buy an armorer's guild. Yes, jackals are better but they are one unit so if the enemy has spells like Confusion or Sleep (or even Fireball) and you can't afford a lot of jackals yet then jackals are probably a suicide strategy - you are literally losing 2.5 as much value for each successful spell the enemy manages to cast on you and you most likely don't need the jackals yet to actually win most of the fights against Chaos/Sorcery/Death wizards because they don't buff their units.
Overall, the convenience of having the wolf riders from just a stables and with 5 speed overland makes it easy to overlook the cases when halberdiers would be better even though they obviously have higher defense, attack power, and with enough levels, even hit points for less production cost.

[tehemperorer]

Halberdiers have more figures and more defense so they respond much better to buffs and in general are stronger when speed isn't relevant on top of costing less per unit.
I'm not entirely sure if there is a phase of the game when they are necessary though, wolf riders do well for the early turns and beyond 1406 jackals are far stronger if you can afford them. The case of having to fight a stronger melee force before 1406 might be too rare and that's what halberdiers are best at.
Still, if you need a large amount of units quickly and don't plan to put a multiple buffs on one unit, Halberdiers are good because you get 2.5x as many than jackals for the same price and without having to buy an armorer's guild. Yes, jackals are better but they are one unit so if the enemy has spells like Confusion or Sleep (or even Fireball) and you can't afford a lot of jackals yet then jackals are probably a suicide strategy - you are literally losing 2.5 as much value for each successful spell the enemy manages to cast on you and you most likely don't need the jackals yet to actually win most of the fights against Chaos/Sorcery/Death wizards because they don't buff their units.
Overall, the convenience of having the wolf riders from just a stables and with 5 speed overland makes it easy to overlook the cases when halberdiers would be better even though they obviously have higher defense, attack power, and with enough levels, even hit points for less production cost.

I think you nailed it and would go further to say Gnoll Halberdiers are a waste of production at any point in the game. 
Basically the Gnolls are an early game race that are only successful when they have had their power spike before other nearby cities (and were able to conquer races with good ranged units during this power spike). Wolf Riders are best suited for this, therefore, because of their pathfinder and movement of 5. An opening strategy then is Barracks, Alchemist Guild Wolf Riders and any buff that lets it cross oceans to control the early game. In fact, the Fighter's Guild is usually the last thing I build and a lot of the time I don't even build it since Halberdiers and even Jackal Riders end up being liabilities and I don't want the gold maintenance on my city. By the time Halberdiers come into play for me I'm getting ready to switch my Gnoll cities to Trade Goods and have Werewolves guarding my gates. The same mostly goes for Jackal Riders, I end up building a few of them but they are unplayable without buffs because their resistance is so bad. Nothing can hammer this point home harder than having an enemy Death wizard possess your lone Jackal Rider unit who carves a swathe through your own army. I'd rather take a spearman or bowman I made earlier and change it to a Werewolf.

[Anskiy]

Does Elemental Armor protect against Stoning? I just lost my huntress to some Cockatrices in a nature node even though she had 11 Resistance and Elemental Armor. There's no way they could have got through her armor; she had 19 armor while fighting them.

[Seravy]

No, Elemental Armor does not protect against Stoning.

[Anskiy]

Weird, I assumed it would since it's supposed to be an upgrade to Resist Elements. What other spells protect from Stoning then?