Oath of Allegiance [SP Desert People Campaign for 1.13.5]

[Kwandulin]

Right, I noticed the description doesn't match the effect of the ability. It says

Adjacent own units of will do more damage in battle. When a unit adjacent to a unit with Inspire engages in combat, its attacks do 25% more damage times the difference in their levels.

but it is actually independent from the level difference. So it's a flat +25% damage bonus for nearby friendly units and that should work, at least it is working here.

[michchar]

Oh that's weird, it's just straight up not working for me :/

I'll keep playing and let you know if the problem resolves itself

[Daniel17022002]

Well , I've met some problems at Sandthorn pass. Insane. Insane . Insane . If I try to keep the mercenaries away from the way to Kesh , I end up killed by Saurians instantly . Instead , if I make my way easily through them , the mercenaries escape . Also , I wish this campaign would be in the official wesnoth campaigns , but it is no good for new players . The three kings and Ruins of K'thar are insanely hard and it took me 2 weeks to finish em both.

[Kwandulin]

That matches my experiences. I also found Sandthorn pass to be rather hard and I even knew what would come at me there. You either got some fast elvish riders or rami, or you are done. I think it is very hard to balance, therefore it will be replaced in v.1.0.
What was your problem about The Three Kings? So I might as well fix that directly.

[ForestDragon]

hmmmm, i think he could have meant lack of Naffat, one of the few good things against undead Khalifate has

[ahmannar]

I played the level "The three kings" a long time ago so this might have changed but, at least back then, the spawn location was totally random to the point that enemy units would spawn between my army of units. I think that a pseudo-random generator of enemies(spawning randomly only in certain areas instead of the whole map) would alliviate this problem.There´s also the fact that, given the existence of certain bottlenecks needed to pass in order to reach the enemy leaders and the spawn nature of the enemies, people can get really unlucky and become trapped for too long without managing to cover enough ground and prevent a horde of enemies of reaching then. Basicly, in my view, the combination of bootlenecks and random enemies can make or break this one.

[Kwandulin]

Yes, "The Three Kings" has changed a lot since then. There aren't enemy units spawned randomly anymore, there's still some bottlenecks, though, see top right picture. It's a really small map with a lots of high lvl enemy units.
I still want to use the random-spawning (restricted to a specific, yet relatively large area) thing in another scenario. Do you per se think, that random spawning is something that should not be used? Personally, I like some enemy skeleton awaking right next to my army or even between the units, as it forces me to keep my units together, without any empty tiles inbetween.

[ahmannar]

Given the changes you specify and the general feeling of that image i would say that the general problem of that level is solved. The only thing to worry about could be the amount of high level units/the type of them, given that it´s the first scenario with undead(if i recall correctly, at least some time ago it was) and the player may not have a good army to deal with them because of it. But at this point im just speculating(really need to try this one again xD).

Regarding the random-spawning: this is just my opinion, but every "surprise" should be at least foreshadowed in some away(so that the player isn´t surprised and simply reloads) and the surprise should be one that will not eventually lead to simply restart the level to get better results(for example, the player may feel that the spawn points were directly on top of critical units and that it was the only way to lose them, feeling injusticied). When you launch the new version with that scenario i would give more detailed informations, but i think that approach should be taken with caution as to not simply turn into a "reload scenario/couple of turns back to get better results for me".

I think if the enemy spawns and only attacks on the turn after(not on the same turn that it spawns), it could be easily balanced. Just don´t make them spawn and attack at the same time if you go for that method please.

[Lumen]

Good job ! 10/10 keep up good work

[Kwandulin]

Oh, you won't be moving anywhere, man of the desert. This woman is mine! It's been a long time since I saw someone like her! Hand her to me! [A few moments later] Men! Men! Into the woods! That man is not from this world!

- Esgolf(†), 696 YW

It has been more than a year and a half since Oath of Allegiance first appeared on the add-ons server. Being a short 6 scenario long introductory campaign at first and featuring a cursed king, Oath of Allegiance soon became more than that, shedding light on the magic of the desert realms and why the khalifate features no magical units. Slowly expanding throughout the months, the plot soon featured the magical circle of the mysterious Athvari and their connection to the cursed king. Yet for all the time, OoA never had a true ending and for many players, the campaign seemed to be unfinished.

This update now aims to close the plot.

Delving deeper into the southern deserts, its geographical and cultural characteristics, the people and monsters living there and also shedding more light on the historical ties between the realm of Wesnoth and the Far South, OoA tries more than ever to be a little history lesson. The relationship between the known protagonists has changed a lot, new protagonists and antagonists have been added, the whole story feels very different from what it had been first.

Siege walls with catapults, use the mighty Masun to protect your units, use the Waghads to literally burn down your foes, visit huge trading cities that have been built up by magical beings, find legendary items of ancient times, fight beasts as strong as a bull and as huge as a tower, befriend with mighty heroes to support your cause and let them choose their own path.

This update is what Oath of Allegiance should always have been.

Players changelog

• huge story changes: different relations between the characters, introduced new characters, Ilriel and Dawoud keep on being important throughout the campaign and don't get replaced by Iskandar (importance-wise)
• fixed timeline
• new AMLA system for Ilriel and Dawoud: 3x3, then pick one out of three advancements
• new AMLA system for commander units (e.g. Uthain): pick one out of three advancements
• new commander units
• new item system: a unit can only pick up one item
• (nearly) full set of new portraits
• features amazing terrain art by doofus-01
• added new advancements for Arif, Naffat
• added a bowshooter unit, genies and other monsters
• removed, replaced, added scenarios: 25 scenarios in total, 17 new, 2 bigger map changes,
• added knockback
• re-introduced difficulties
• added the non-battle "super scenario" S13: Th'arwya
• improved elevated terrain

Full changelog (does contain spoilers!)

Spoiler:

• Heroic
• added new amla tree for Ilriel and Dawoud, each with new icons
• applied new icons for the amla tree
  
  New mechanics
• added knockback ability (Masun, Maeqil, Wyverns), doesn't affect steadfast
• added hate ability (genie deal more damage against afariyaten and vice versa)
  
  It's not just easy
• Re-introduces difficulties: EASY, MEDIUM, HARD
  
  Pearl of the Desert
• guardians are now protecting catapults
• give hint to train riders
• give hint that Ibn Khazul leaves your troops after the fight
• Serrul isn't damaged from the beginning on
• Uthman's army is now stronger, featuring monawish
• Ilriel now casts a spell and can't move in this scenario, if she is attacked, the scenario is lost
• at the beginning, the control over all villages next to Serrul is given to the player
• give riders the task to destroy the catapults
• added a merchant that can be saved, he'll then reappear later
• AI: monawish are heavily targeting Ilriel
• woses at the side of Serrul
  
  Peril
• Uthain shouts when attacking a troll for the first time
  
  Lost in the deserts
• removed Uyanmak, Koruma, Vasi, Elvish Pikeman, Saurian Bonecaster, Saurian Prophet, Archaic Wose
  
  Welcome to the deserts
• added Duneworms, Afariyaten, Genies, Wyvern Riders, Minotaur, Scarab Beetle, Alqasir, Altawir, Waghad-al-lahab, Masun, Maeqil, Wahash
  
  Removed scenarios
• removed sandthorn hills
  
  New scenarios
• S5: Six Feet Under
• S9: Beneath the Sands
• S11: Cloud River
• S12: Eye of the Hurricane
• S13: Th'arwya
• S13a: Sandthorn Pass
• S13b: Harbor of Th'arwya
• S14: The Great Wall
• S15: A Heavy Price
• S16: Ceremony of old
• S17: The Sphere
• S18: Above the Stars and below Earth
• S19: All Alone
• S20: Battle of the Eons
• S21: Timeless
• S22: Epilogue
  
  Miscellaneous
• Nuvdael is now less bulky
• Ibn Khazul is now a hero unit featuring his own 'one-out-of-three'-AMLA path with unique advancements
• introduces desert schedule for the deserts
• Saray are now mystical sand warriors
• the player can no longer recruit elves (and he won't get the chance to do so later in the campaign)
• Eskiya and Calik are now chaotic
• improved Athvari line sprites, added a fifth level
• Added the new sand mountains by doofus-01
• Added stone pillare camp by doofus-01
• improved Hurasch sprite
• added signpost image
• removed the Three Kings from the Depths of Isanbar
• improved elevated terrain; it is now more than just a graphical aspect
• introducing non-xp-advancements for specific units
• in most scenarios removed dispersed villages to promote using tabibs
• added unique sprite for Uthain -> Dwarvish Hammerdin
• catapults are now handled as units
• slightly increased number of items to be found
• units may only pick up one item at a time
• Th'arwya features merchants: weapon merchant, armor merchant, potion dealer, wyvern tamer, mercenaries that can be bought, sell your own units
• re-implemented Eskiya and Calik bobs
• introduced Wahdet
• split Siege of Kesh into several scenarios
• new sprite for Dawoud
• Ilriel and Dawoud are a bit tougher at the beginning
• added races and race descriptions: Athvari, Genie, Afariyaten, Half-Genie
• unique sprite for Uzar
• reduced map size of S7: Face to Face with the Snake
• removed wose from S4: A Whisper in the Sands
• introduced talk icons in Th'arwya
• more talking in Th'arwya
• added hint for the use of an Alqasir
• hints are now given for each mechanic: e.g. doors, items
• messages are not in italic anymore
• get more historical ties between the realm of Wesnoth and the southern deserts
• Khazran no longer lurks in the Depths of Isanbar
• S8: Isanbar isn't dialogue-only anymore
• Khazran is tougher
• introduced 'pick-one-out-of-three'-AMLA for unique commander units
• normed size of portraits
• improved Uthman sprite
• Ilriel and Dawoud fight better when close to each other
• less hills in S7: Face to Face with the Snake
• Scurvy Dogs is now played at the end of a scenario (when there's much to talk)
• added fire arrows
• stronger default AMLA for the unique commander units
• Khazran can't fly anymore
• new improved map for S3: Peril
• new improved map for S4: A Whisper in the Sands
• allowed Arif->Masun->Saray advancement
• Athvari with elvish shield animation when defending
• norm XP needed for commander units to 75XP
• Nuvdael is now stronger
• updated icon for OoA for the add-on manager
• created new title image
• added Ilriel and Dawoud bob
• early wyvern rider to be obtained in S4: A Whisper in the Sands
• allowed wyvern rider advancements: W. Linebreaker -> W. Breaker, W. Siegebreaker
• added unit specials to unit descriptions
• fixed timeline
• added intro mentioning the time
• losing a hero unit is now always counted as a defeat
• commander units are introduced story-wise
• fixed endlevel-repeats
• fixed unit images being blurry
  
  New Set of Portraits
• Khazran, Ilriel, Dawoud, Afariyat, Athvari, Balariel, Biqu, Duneworm, Genie, Ibn Ghani, Ibn Khazul, Khazran, Malykh, Nuvdael, Ridwan, Uthman, Uzar, Wahdet, Waghad-al-lahab

Impressions


Download
The v0.9.0 update can only be obtained and played on Wesnoth 1.13.5. It does not work on any other version due to using some fancy 1.13.5 stuff. It looks like 1.13.5 is stable, but make sure to save every once in a while. The version on 1.12.x is old.

[Sudipta]

Wow!!! I cant wait to play this campaign. My exams will end in 2 days and then i'll have a 3 week holiday. I plan to complete your campaign by then and provide my feedback. Thanks for this holiday present!! You rock.
P.S. The screenshots look amazing.
A question - should i play it on hard or normal? I am a long time wesnoth player and i don't mean to brag but i am pretty skilled at campaigns. Most mainline campaigns i completed on the hardest difficulty with relative ease( except SotBE, i gave up on that. ) and finished many UMC campaigns too. What do u recommend ? Did u test it on the hard difficulty ?

[Kwandulin]

Wow!!! I cant wait to play this campaign. My exams will end in 2 days and then i'll have a 3 week holiday. I plan to complete your campaign by then and provide my feedback. Thanks for this holiday present!! You rock.
P.S. The screenshots look amazing.
A question - should i play it on hard or normal? I am a long time wesnoth player and i don't mean to brag but i am pretty skilled at campaigns. Most mainline campaigns i completed on the hardest difficulty with relative ease( except SotBE, i gave up on that. ) and finished many UMC campaigns too. What do u recommend ? Did u test it on the hard difficulty ?

I recommend playing Normal first, as a ton has changed and the player pretty much needs to know what happens in each scenario when playing on hard (also you'll have to get most of the secrets/loyal units/items in order to beat hard). Also there are some new units which will need some 'different' thinking when playing with them. Hard is for the OoA-veteran and can be done when playing safely.

[ForestDragon]

hi Kwandulin, can you please provided an attachment of the campaign file in a .zip or some other format (the copy should be without the server.pbl file), since it isn't shown in the wesnoth addon website (not the overall server, but 'http://addons.wesnoth.org/1.13/') and i don't have 1.13.x, but would like to take a look in the files, btw screenshots are amazing no wonder it took you so long to make it. i can safely say that you returned to the forums with a big bang

[Kwandulin]

What's hindering you from getting 1.13.5? Also I'm pretty sure you can download the files from the link you just posted.

[ForestDragon]

Also I'm pretty sure you can download the files from the link you just posted.

ooops, sorry, i missesed that, sorry for disturbing you i kinda have problems when it comes to paying attention