Insecticide strategic combat

[Seravy]

In the original game, units with higher defense were less likely to get selected as the receiver of the damage when distributing the damage taken by the army between units on the survivor's side.

However, insecticide attempted to change this code and as far as I can tell it's somewhat messed up. If the unit does not have 50 or higher defense (no unit has that...), the chance of receiving the damage is just equal between units. I would think Kryub wanted to make this cost based (units over 50 defense get a chance based on cost) and did it only halfway or something.

What is your experience with this, if any?

What do you think would be reasonable? I've set my mod to do 50-(unit cost/10) but a minimum of 1 as the chance of the unit being the receiver of the damage, so more valuable units will take less damage and will get killed much later in the queue.

I can however justify the opposite just as easily :

A., Weaker units take more damage because they are weaker and less valuable, so the wizard will care about their loss less and will attempt to save the stronger units.
B., Stronger units take more damage because you normally try to keep weak units away from being damaged, and let the strong ones tank for them, their survival is much more likely even if damaged.

In terms of gameplay I think the stronger unit surviving is better, and allows the AI to build up armies more.


Another thing to consider.
Damage is being applied in chunks of 3 points. A unit that is selected to take damage will automatically get selected again the next time, until it dies or damage runs out. This means that after every combat there can be at most one damaged unit, everything else is either dead, or has full health. Not very realistic. I think it would be better if it selected a random unit after every 3 points of damage, with - or without - the already damaged unit receiving a boosted priority for the next selection.

I've applied this change to my mod and the results speak for themselves.
After the change, most units survive from the army of 6 attacking the "many" War Bears, but roughly 75% of the surviving units are wounded to varying degree. (Attacking army had mostly equal value units, cost 100 heroes, a priest and 2 cavalry, all cheap units)
Previously, there were fewer survivors but most of them not wounded at all.

[Tiltowait]

I don't think anyone has any experience with this, because nobody uses strategic combat. The only time it's used in the game is when CPs battle other CPs or ruins.

[Seravy]

I don't think anyone has any experience with this, because nobody uses strategic combat. The only time it's used in the game is when CPs battle other CPs or ruins.

Yep. Which is a pretty important part of the game, how strong the AI is directly depends on how much and which units they lose during combat, especially as they tend to fight each other a lot before turn 200.

Besides...people don't use strategic combat exactly because of the problems listed above I think. No one likes it when their Sky Drake dies first and their 8 Spearmen survive the same battle.

[Tiltowait]

I think it's more because the tactical combat is so much more fun than strategic combat. It's half of the entire game, and it's the half where all your planning from the first half pays off. I don't think people know about the casualties of SC because they never use it.

[Seravy]

I think it's more because the tactical combat is so much more fun than strategic combat. It's half of the entire game, and it's the half where all your planning from the first half pays off. I don't think people know about the casualties of SC because they never use it.

True, but like Grand Wizier, it could be useful in the endgame when it's obvious you already won and have an overwhelming advantage. Not gonna work even for that if your best units die first, so....we need that change as much as the AI.