I found a flaw about Spearmans description!

[CoolDude]

i mean,they said they use spears because swords is too expenisve(need more metal).

ok.that true

but when we see a elvish fighter,he do lower damage on melee than a spearman

7-3=21 damage in total=spearman damage
5-4=20 damage in total=elivish damage


so yeah,the difference is minimal,but he do bigger damage to a weapon that can be called inferior to the sword.WEIRD!

[pauxlo]

i mean,they said they use spears because swords is too expenisve(need more metal).

ok.that true

but when we see a elvish fighter,he do lower damage on melee than a spearman

7-3=21 damage in total=spearman damage
5-4=20 damage in total=elivish damage

so yeah,the difference is minimal,but he do bigger damage to a weapon that can be called inferior to the sword.WEIRD!

They are elves, not humans. They have no metal swords, but some other material, and they have to train with the bow, too. Compare the spearman with the human swordman, this is what a real sword looks like.
(The fencer has a saber, which is a bit sword-like.)

[CoolDude]

i mean,they said they use spears because swords is too expenisve(need more metal).

ok.that true

but when we see a elvish fighter,he do lower damage on melee than a spearman

7-3=21 damage in total=spearman damage
5-4=20 damage in total=elivish damage

so yeah,the difference is minimal,but he do bigger damage to a weapon that can be called inferior to the sword.WEIRD!

They are elves, not humans. They have no metal swords, but some other material, and they have to train with the bow, too. Compare the spearman with the human swordman, this is what a real sword looks like.
(The fencer has a saber, which is a bit sword-like.)

bow or not,its praticcaly born with this talent,so i dont think they need much train to learn

about the metal,what material they use?plastic?

[Noob]

I think that elves are weaker then humans, description says they are taller and graceful and more fragile.

Orcs have swords too but they are stronger and slower with them so they hit 9-2

Part of it is the sword but also part of it is who uses the sword, elvish fighter and elvish hero have the same looking sword picture but they do different damage.

Elvish archer has the same looking sword too although elvish champion has a different sword and a much stronger attack.

Also if a elf is strong he is 6-4 which is 24 damage which is superior to either a 7-3 or equal to a 8-3 so you could say elves have good weapons but they are just weaker.

[wesfreak]

Humans are probably more militaristic than elves are, and probably get more training with their spears than elves do with their swords. Spears are also much simpler weapons and would probably require less training to use. But it never says in the description that swords are preferable to spears: both have their uses. (against undead swords are better, against drakes spears are, for example.) The only reason that human recruits use spears rather than swords is the one given in the description: spears are cheaper.

[thespaceinvader]

So what? Amount of damage =/= cost.

[boru]

7-3=21 damage in total=spearman damage
5-4=20 damage in total=elivish damage

Only if they hit successfully every time. Which probably won't happen. I think a unit with 4 attacks/round is generally superior to a unit with 3, even if the amount of damage per attack is slightly lower.

Also, take into account that the elf attack will not be weaker at night. Elves can be played more aggressively without regard to time of day.

[pauxlo]

7-3=21 damage in total=spearman damage
5-4=20 damage in total=elivish damage

Only if they hit successfully every time. Which probably won't happen. I think a unit with 4 attacks/round is generally superior to a unit with 3, even if the amount of damage per attack is slightly lower.

The expected damage for a foe with sufficient HP on terrain with defense X is 21*(1-X) vs. 20*(1-X).
The difference between 3 and 4 swings comes only to pay when you have low HP enemies. Assuming neutral TOD and 0% resistance to both blade and pierce, the elf is better for 1..5 HP, 8..10, 15 HP (better chance to hit 1x, 2x, 3x), while the human is better for 6..7, 12..14 and 16...21 HP (needs one hit less) - assuming you want to kill this enemy unit, of course.
Also regeneration/healing may play a role.

[Reepurr]

21(1-X)?

So...

21(59) for something on mountains (excluding dwarves).
21(19) for something wading through shallow water (which isn't good in water).
So you do more damage in mountains than in water!

I'm going to presume that you meant 21(1-(x÷100)) which means 21(0.40) on mountains and 21(0.80) on shallow water? Or am I being silly again?


As for the spearman description, I agree with most other answers. The Elvish Fighter is weaker and a rushed conscript, while the Spearman is a trained soldier. They both have equal damage when strong. Finally, balance!

[pauxlo]

21(1-X)?

So...

21(59) for something on mountains (excluding dwarves).
21(19) for something wading through shallow water (which isn't good in water).
So you do more damage in mountains than in water!

I'm going to presume that you meant 21(1-(x÷100)) which means 21(0.40) on mountains and 21(0.80) on shallow water? Or am I being silly again?

Yeah, defense measured in % is 100 * the unit-less defense value which I meant, like X = 0.7 for dwarves on mountains. (1-X is not the same as X-1, though.)

So, 21*(1-0.7) = 21*0.3 = 6.3 to attack dwarves on mountains or elvish archers/shamans in forest, and 21*(1-0.2) = 21*0.8 = 16.8 to attack most land units in shallow water.

[Kalajel]

Hmm? Spear inferior to swords? It is far easier tlo train someone to effectively use a spear than it is to use a sword…

[Velensk]

Even after training spears are not necessarily less effective a weapon than swords. Spears do have a bit of a vulnerability to things that get inside their guard but there are techniques that exploit how long and relatively easy to control (depending on the type of spear) spears are to help avoid such happening. Alternatively you can skip the easy to control bit, focus on the long bit and use formations to make it impractical to try to get around it. When your foe is not inside your guard you can attack them with relative impunity; only have to be careful that they don't get a chance to grab the shaft or get around and (at least when you're using a short spear) it is very very easy to feint.

EDITED to clarify

[Dixie]

So what? Amount of damage =/= cost.

QFT

The crown of wesnoth is probably way more valuable than any (basic) weapon, but I bet it would have awefully low damage in combat.

[thespaceinvader]

Or, to use a more useful example: a Thug's club does more damage. It is in no way more valuable in monetary terms. Ditto a Troll's club.

[joshudson]

Elves don't like iron in Wesnoth right? That would make their swords of an inferior alloy. (Really good iron-free or low-iron alloys are modern inventions).