Caster of Magic Release thread : latest version 6.06!

[vicwaberub]

Question: Would it be better to change the sequence of active units in battle (I mean for the human player)? Units with caster ability, magical and ranged weapons first, melee units at last? Or is it impossible?

[Seravy]

If the units are standing on city tiles, the horsebowmen entering are within range and get attacked next turn - the city is only 4x4 large which is easily covered by several move 2 units). If the units are outside, the horsebowmen will wreck the AI's city (assuming any survived the fire) as they are still outside of range and cannot be chased due to speed difference.

[Seravy]

Question: Would it be better to change the sequence of active units in battle (I mean for the human player)? Units with caster ability, magical and ranged weapons first, melee units at last? Or is it impossible?

I don't want the game to tell the player the ideal order of using their units.

[Nelphine]

What if we made it an option in the setting screen? That way the player would gave to choose. Give 3 or 4 options - closest first, order of units in stack overland, ranged first, caster first? Doubt its possible, but I do like convenience.

[Domon]

That's the mostra convenient, mostra practical order, rather than the ideale OBE. Besides, as long as an ideale order is there, why not? It teaches the game faster, giving wrong options is never better than givibg less options.

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[Catwalk]

My standard movement depends on how I play. Usually it is 2 water walking (javelineer stacks). Combined with war ships if they are available. If I have high elves, 4 movement pegasai stacks. I do play on normal power generation so summoned units are usually too late to include in real doom stacks. Sometimes I use a stack of shadow demons with endurance (3 speed).

Hitting the enemy fast isn't really important with my style. Hitting many fronts at the same time works for me. If I can take out the enemies fortress, then speed is great. I usually go for the weaker cities first as the fortress is too well defended. If I can take out the fortress, enemy stacks and nodes are just as high on my list as cities. Sure, spell of return might happen. That just means I have a second chance to steal spells.

Side note. Early and mid game, I hit with settlers (lizardmen preferred for speed). I place one next to outposts or weak cities in peacetime and as soon as war is declared, I hit with them. They can survive a psionic blast, fire bolt or life drain. A fire elemental or life siphon takes care of defender. Mid game, flame wave, wave of despair or earth elementals do the same. It works as long as there are no ranged troops. Engineers are too fragile and too high on the target list. Settlers get ignored most of the time. Since I've learned that there is no diplomatic effect for them, I've started experimenting. Even during war, they get free passage from most troops.

Is this for Impossible? Nice idea with Lizard settlers, that is indeed a good way to get access to casting combat spells. Still, wouldn't a stack of lizard spearmen or swordsmen accomplish the same thing cheaper?

[zhantul]

Is this for Impossible? Nice idea with Lizard settlers, that is indeed a good way to get access to casting combat spells. Still, wouldn't a stack of lizard spearmen or swordsmen accomplish the same thing cheaper?

I used it both on extreme and impossible. Spearmen or swordsmen could work. There is just one problem with those. They get intercepted by wandering troops. Settlers rarely get attacked. Possibly because they don't have an attack rating.

They don't get targeted by strong spells either. Stacks of spearmen or swordsmen tend to get flame wave or wave of despair. With a single settler, I've only seen life drain and similar. Mostly, the ai tends to buff his own troops.

[Nelphine]

I definitely think banishing lasts too long now. Impossible AI don't come back for more than 5 turns - given the huge number of troops/spells/resources/everything that occurs on impossible (the human has to figure out some way to keep up with the AI, or get swallowed like a gnat), 5 turns is forever. I can cross the whole map in 5 turns with one stack, let alone multiple stacks, which means the AI can't hide its new fortress.

[MrBiscuits]

Just started playing this awesome mod again.

When I've been clearing some of the hardest nodes I've been getting really lame rewards, 200 mana crystals for a nature node with two behemoths in it for example.
Items seem very hard to come by as well.

Also I've got a hero with a bow, how can I get him to melee attack rather than use his ranged attack?

[Seravy]

A unit uses a melee attack instead of a ranged attack if one of these are true :
-the target is immune to the ranged attack (missile immunity)
-the unit has at least twice as much melee attack strength as ranged