"Asia Mod" by Thelost1 Updated to version [0.2]

[Seleukus]

What exactly does "Berserk 2" do? I'm a bit confused here.

Last time I checked, "Berserk" meant that the unit continues attacking until either it or the defender is dead. That would make it a bit too overpowered - units without ranged abilities would be slaughtered. But what does "Berserk 2" do?

[Prometheus]

weapon was extremely easy to manufacture

That is assuming your people had the skill to manufacture crossbows at all.

More important than the cost of a weapon, was the cost of training. Using a bow well took many years to build up the relevant muscles. Anybody could use a crossbow. As I said earlier, the Chinese would store crossbows in government armories and hand them out to peasants at the start of a campaign, hence the 0 level unit.

Unfortunately it is true that a multi-attack unit would get very tedious, at least with the recent releases of Wesnoth. The only other way I can think of to give repeating crossbowman high hit probabilities but low damage would be to give them marksmen. That could work if marksmen was understood in a metaphorical way. Maybe a 3-4 with marksman.

I have a hard time imagining a berserk or raging crossbowman. It seems to me they are the least berserk or raging of all units.

[Seleukus]

Perhaps this would be the line:

Level 0: Levy Crossbowman
Cost: 5
HP: 15
Resistance: normal
Dagger: 2-2 (blade)
Crossbow: 8-1 (pierce)

Level 1: Professional Crossbowman
Cost: 15
HP: 30
Resistance: 20% pierce, otherwise normal (given armor against enemy arrows.)
Dagger: 4-2 (blade)
Crossbow: 11-2 (pierce)

Level 2: Heavy Crossbowman
HP: 45
Resistance: 20% pierce, otherwise normal
Sword: 5-3 (blade)
Heavy Crossbow: 17-2 (pierce)

Level 3: Arbalester
HP: 55
Resistance: 20% pierce, otherwise norma;
Sword: 8-3
Arbalest: 24-2 (pierce)

OR:

Level 2: Repeating Crossbowman
HP: 35
Resistance: normal
Sword: 4-3 (blade)
Repeating Crossbow: 5-6 poison (pierce)

Level 3: Double Repeating crossbowman (couldn't think of a better name)
HP: 40
Resistance: normal
Sword: 5-3 (blade)
Repeating Crossbow: 5-10 poison (pierce)

The fragility of the repeating crossbow line should hopefully counteract their more powerful attacks.

[Ranger M]

one marksman like way of showing that the repeating crossbow fires many times, but without it firing many times (which is what you seem to want to avoid) would be to make a new ability that is very similar to marksman (increases the chance to hit) but call it something else, like "repeating fire", and mention in the description of it what it is supposed to simulate.

[Prometheus]

I think we should keep the crossbowman having a weaker defense, this is the "defense_weight" tag. It's seldom used but can be effective- for example why the giant scorpion doens't poison people on defense.

Now for the Chinese General. These guys didn't level up through combat, rather they studied warfare academically. Sometimes they were put in command of an army without having any personal combat experience of their own.

This unit would have Leadership, obviously. They should be level 3 so they have units to command. But their combat abilities are pitiful. To compensate, they are recruitable- they don't level up from anything or to anything. So only one unit art is needed!

No other Chinese units should have leadership. It's this guy or no one.

Something like

hitpoints=45
ability=leadership
level=3
advanceto=null
cost=50
name=staff
type=impact
damage=5
number=3

[appleide]

Nice Ideas. I am having doubts about the general being recruitable, however. First, generals aren't that common anyway. And if they are, generals costing 50 gold aren't going to be recruited. At most I suggest they are the leader of the whole army. Maybe a level up of another unit that is not a combat unit. For the Berserk 2 ability, you could always rename it to "repeater crossbow". I like seleukus's crossbowman tree, but if you put level 0 levied crossbowman into the faction, then all the crossbowmen the player can recruit are level 0s... Either you make them level up really quickly (which will cause this to become main feature of the faction), or not include them at all. Repeater crossbows armed by soldiers usually don't have poison, because their velocity is fast enough to kill at close range anyway. They usually give poison to their bows when it is armed by civilian. A 5-10 attack will also become cumbersome to watch. Another suggestion:

The level 2 repeater crossbowman has:
a 8-2 sword attack
a 2-4 ranged attack attack weight = 0
a 9-4 ranged attack defense weight = 0

His primary attack is higher than normal because it can only be used when he is attacking, not when defending. Assume when defending the enemy archer stands very far away and the chu ko nu does little damage, but when the repeater crossbowman come close to that archer they would use their shorter ranged attack.

[turin]

The general would be worth it if his AMLA was +1 level to his leadership...

[Prometheus]

The general should start as level 3, with no advancements, because that is the particular nature of a Chinese general. He doesn't level up through combat. That's what makes him a Chinese general rather than someone else's general. His cost might be lower.

I don't think players would recruit hordes of generals. They're too useless in combat for that. Balancing the unit would be difficult, but that's true of any unit which strays from the usual templates.

you make them level up really quickly (which will cause this to become main feature of the faction),

Yes. There are also a collection of special units like the rockets, and basic spearmen/swordsmen types, but the mainstay of the army is crossbowmen. This means the level ups should be diverse, not just variants of each other, which is why poison should be an advanced ability.

[appleide]

The general should start as level 3, with no advancements, because that is the particular nature of a Chinese general. He doesn't level up through combat. That's what makes him a Chinese general rather than someone else's general. His cost might be lower.

The leadership ability allows any level unit to have any level of leadership. You could have a "general's assistant" called a "Tactician", who has a short sword, and provides level 2 leadership, and levels eventually to a general.

Tactican -> Prometheus's with short sword and hp 30

For crossbows I have an idea. This is the main ranged unit for the faction. Normally in the Ancient chinese army soldiers are recruited from peasants, because the military is thought of as commoners who have no way to a proper job. Peasants are often recruited into regular army with little training, however, many peasants are already very skilled in using the crossbow and can make very good ones themselves, and even without the use of metal, through exceptional skill they can often kill animals with a single bolt.
Level 0 Crossbow Hunter
Costs 14
Experience: 6 to level 1
hp 26
Bash 3-1 Impact Melee
Crossbow 12-1 Pierce Ranged

Levels into:
Hp : around 34ish
XP: around 30-40
Level 1 Repeater Crossbowman
5-2 Bash Impact Melee
2-4 Crossbow pierce Ranged (Defend)
6-4 Crossbow pierce Ranged (Attack)

Level 2 Iron bolted Repeater Crossbowman
6-2 Bash Impact Melee
4-4 Crossbow pierce Ranged (Defend)
7-5 Crossbow pierce Ranged (Attack)

Level 3 Multi magazined Repeater Crossbowman
6-2 Bash Impact Melee
6-4 Crossbow pierce Ranged (Defend)
10-5 Crossbow pierce Ranged (Attack)

Level 1 Iron Bolt Crossbowman
5-2 Dagger
13-2 Crossbow pierce Ranged

Level 2 Steel Crossbowman
7-2 Dagger
17-2 Crossbow pierce Ranged (First Strike)

Level 3 Steel Crossbowman
11-2 Dagger
23-2 Crossbow pierce Ranged (First Strike)
23-1 Crossbow pierce Ranged (Marksman)

[RCG Tiburon]

just wondering, are you just doing the typical 'far east' factions? or will a subcontinental [i.e. indian] faction be available? because i think that would be interesting both in terms of art and gameplay. [see hindu religion/mythology]

[TheLost1]

I'm not doing anything, this project is dead.

If it had continued, however, I would have made an Indian faction.

[RCG Tiburon]

hehe, didn't check dates. :[