Flight to Freedom (drake campaign)

[Nova]

See picture below.

You! I offer you your life in exchange for the location of the manor’s vaults. You have 10 seconds!

Th-there is a caravan. P-p-prax kept no money here, but a large sum was sent once a month from his castle i-in the south. The caravan arrives on the east road t-tomorrow morning.

I will never lay eyes on you again. Do you understand? Go. Go!

[Nova]

I mean no offense, Malakar, but what use do we have for the humans’ filthy coins? We have our freedom!

Not yet. We will need money to finance our campaign. We will only be free when the Humans cower at our name and we again breathe the air of Morgodor in peace. Our fight is only beginning.

[Nova]

...

[Nova]

And the weenie little guy comes back!

CARAVAN

MALAKAR: Now that I have freed the tribe, I have true warriors at hand!
MALAKAR: Our next step towards home is simple: seize the caravan. It must not enter the hills!

HALORAN: Scaled creatures! Do you know of Kogw?
MALAKAR: No. I have heard of no such name. Out of our way!
HALORAN: Watch your tongue, scaled one!
HALORAN: Even the insulting are allowed safe passage through our forest. Do not try us, however, or you will find us unmatched in the woods. The rules are simple: take no longer than necessary, start no fires of any kind, and harm no living creature while within our borders.
MALAKAR: Very well, we will be gone from your lands shortly.
MALAKAR: Remember, men, take the caravan! We have no quarrel with the elves.
MALAKAR: Well, at least not yet.

TURN 3 –

TREVOR, THE SERF: <gasp> Elves! Have mercy on me! I come from the Baron’s manor, to the west, with terrible news! I need your shelter!
HALORAN: We cannot offer you sanctuary, but we can promise you safe passage to the other…
TREVOR: Winged beasts! They killed everyone, and burned everything! Fires! And bodies! And Wings! And… and… <collapses>.
SCOUT: Lord Haloran, my men have returned. The western hills are ablaze!
HALORAN: Those Fiends! Rally! Drive out the beasts! Do not rest ‘til you cannot see their scales beneath our arrows!

---


MALAKAR: No! The caravan has escaped into the hills!

MALAKAR: 500 gold! This will go a long way toward our cause!
HALORAN: ARRH! You fight like a crazed beast, and I wish to lose no more men. You have whatever it is you have come for – get out! Get out of our forest! If we ever cross paths again, it will be your death!

MALAKAR: No! The wolves have destroyed the caravan, and the elves approach on all sides! Retreat!


-------

For those not familiar with this mission, in its newest form, most of these lines are MadMax's -- I didn't really change much except the introduction of Trevor.

[irrevenant]

I had a bit of a play with that last shot. I tinged the darks of his eyes red and added some light smoke. What do you think?

The farthest eye looks kind of bodge, but it looked bodge in all the source pics too...

[Nova]

Cool! I like it.

[MadMax]

The cutscene is good, as are the images.

@Nova: If you want, you can call yourself a contributor to FtF (in your signature), and I will recognize you as such in the credits.cfg file. You've greatly improved the first levels of my campaign, and I certainly feel that you deserve this.
Please note that this does not imply any commitment, or that you 'work for me' in any way, shape of form.

[Nova]

Thank you, MadMax. I appreciate that, and I'm glad I can be of help.

I've been puzzling over the most compelling possible reason that the Wesnothian army would hound the escaped Drakes so venemously. I haven't come up with anything yet, but I'm still mulling it over. Perhaps they share the same mysterious vendetta against Kogw? Maybe Prax had a secret, or... something? I think I'll sleep on it another night.

In the cutscene after The Manor, my intention was to show Prax casting some unholy spell, then Malakar unceremoniously throws him out the window, ending the danger. About half of the people I talked to didn't get that. If it's possible to add a 'glass breaking' sound effect, that might help, otherwise I'll add a new picture or change one of them or something.

CARAVAN

This is a tough, tough map. My greatest successes on this map have always required the wolves to slow the elves down by just a single turn. I had to play it through ten times before a lone wolf wandered north instead of towards the bird. That time was the only time I actually won, and the caravan was a space away from escaping. If not for the fact that you can physically block its progress, it'd be hopeless.

Anyhoo, I did beat it eventually, and it felt like more of an accomplishment because of how freaking long it took me. Still, you don't want people getting full of themselves. I'd like to see it with the bird repositioned.

Incidentally, I was starting with 100 gold and ended up hiring a lot of cheapo Drake Slaves just to keep my numbers up. The little guys (hatchlings) are actually pretty useful, if you can bring leadership into play, but they tend to die off about a turn quicker than the slaves do.

The last dialogue is broken. Malakar is clearly responding to something that no one actually said.

BLUE RIVER

Like the way it's looking. My strategy on this map has always been to spend about 400 gold and save some for Southern Shore. It's not an easy map, that way. This last time, I decided to spend everything, going wildly into debt, and just starting the next map with the minimum gold.

Long story short, I finished with 12 turns remaining, putting me just over the 100 gold I would have saved. Also, it was a lot more fun. There's some tough maps, and it's good to just steamroll over some archers once in a while. Makes me feel all big.

Next up is the first water map. I'm looking foward to it! So far, things are going much smoother this time around. I still think it'd be worth putting in some labels (even relatively generic ones, like South Road or Elvish Woods), but that's really your call.

[Mist]

It's good you did the port to 1.3.x but at the moment the campaign is rather unplayable under it. Two things noticed:

1. In 'The Mansion' you can recruit all basic drake units, I don't think giving people burners&co in this scenario is intended.

2. In the next scenario wolves have a go at you ten times out of ten which pretty much kills you, and any hope of finishing scenario. By the time you manage to get rid of the pack (usualy by third turn) elves are everywhere and you still have no units or money, cause you where busy getting rid of furballs. Ah, and it's night then, so no chance do anything at all to change it. Shouldn't the pack perhaps have the caravan set as a target?

[Nova]

I couldn't recruit the drake units in The Mansion.

The cfg file seems to indicate that the wolves can attack the caravan. I've never seen it, however.

[Mist]

I'm talking about campaign version for Wesnoth 1.3.x , I know you can't do it in 1.2.3 because I played it there as well. What I'm pointing is the fact that version port doesn't seem too succesful. And I don't contradict the fact that wolves can attack the caravan, I'm indicating the fact that under 1.3 AI and rules each time they attack you on the first turn, and that pretty much kills the scenario. I'm suggesting that they should be focused on the wildlife and the caravan like orcs are on Konrad in the first scenario of HttT on hard difficulty.

[Nova]

To clarify: I'm also talking about 1.3.x, and haven't had this problem with 1.3.1 or 1.2.3. The fact that you have this problem under the same release indicates that something may be wrong at a deeper, weirder level than a simple port oversight.

Yes, the wolves can attack the caravan; and I'm saying I've never once seen it actually happen. Playing with 1.3., the wolves will attack the elves on the second turn about 1 time out of 15 - I've played it maybe 30 times now. When they do not, I'm not sure it's beatable at all. I agree that something should be changed, as 93% loss is, well... discouraging.

[MadMax]

I can't reproduce the recruitment bug either. As for Caravan, try the attachment, which removes the bias toward attacking the player.

[Mist]

Alright, I'll post a savegame and a sreenshot with the recruitment bug as soon as I get my laptop connected to the net again (in about 5 hours, that's around 8:00 GMT). Maybe it's a one of weird twist by a dev version, I'm using recent campaign on official 1.3 server (downloaded 3 days ago) with unmodded 1.3 Wesnoth on WinXP Home.

Edit :
And here they are, as promised

[Nova]

With your approval, I've made some changes to the Blue River script.





Malakar: This must be the Blue River. I know you are all tired. We rest for ten minutes.
(Kogw arrives)
Glider: Malakar, there are humans on the other side of the river. I cannot tell if they’re looking for us or not.
Kogw: Spot of trouble with the army, eh?
Malakar: Who are you? Seize him!
Kogw: All right, all right. I just thought you could use some help escaping from the, uh, humans.
Malakar: What do you mean, stranger?
Kogw: As it happens, I’m leader of a band of… adventurers. We’re good sorts, but these damn elves have been after us for no good reason!
Kogw: You help us throw off the elves, and we’ll join you.
Malakar: Begone from here, softskin. We have no need of you, and no need of your aid.
Elvish Rider: Kogw! By the order of Lord Mandros and the entire Elder Counsel of the Elven Nations, I order you to lay down your weapons and surrender at once!
Kogw: Look, friend, as one captain to another…
Malakar: I am Chief of this tribe!
Kogw: Exactly. If you’ve got trouble with Wesnoth’s army, then no place here is safe. You need to leave these lands, and fast.
Malakar: Ha! Stupid human, what do you think those things on our backs are?
Elvish Rider: Kogw! This is your last warning!
Kogw: The ocean winds blow with great speed. You cannot fly against them. And what will become of your spearmen?
Malakar: How DARE you insult my clashers, sniveling thinskin!
Kogw: I guess you’d just have to leave them behind.
Elvish Rider: Enough! Your time has come!
Kogw: What a loss for the ‘great chief of the drakes.’ I guess I’ll just have to take my ship elsewhere… so long.
Malakar: Wait. You do speak some sense. You have my cooperation, for now, but do not think for a moment that you have my trust.



Mandros: AAAAH!
Kogw: Well, then. That’s that. We will aid you, Chief.
Malakar: And how do I guarantee that you will not kill us? Swear on the fire of Gar-Alagar, king of the gods of Morogor, an oath to me, Malakar of the Drakes!"
Kogw: Upon the very eyes of the pirate gods I swear my loyalty.
Malakar: Do not mention your 'gods' again, infidel. I see I will have to teach you manners.
Malakar: Understand. You swear by Gar-Alagar, king of the gods of Morogor, in the future, or you will be sacrificed to him.

message= _ "You can now recruit Pirate Schooners."



Malakar: You! Why do your men pursue us!
Omandro: It is hardly by my wishes, Drake. Prax II has offered the Queen his fortune in exchange for vengeance against those who murdered his son. The whole army has been pressed into service.
Malakar: Murdered?!?
Omandro: Additionally, he has hired many mercenaries and bounty hunters, promising the title of baron and heir to any who can bring you down.
Malakar: What forces do you have with you?
Omandro: The nearest force advances from the south, but may be as far as a day behind.
Malakar: Very well. You have one minute to go. If I see you again, there will be no mercy. Go!
Omandro: Thank you, Malakar, Chief of the Drakes, but I decline. Our desire for the Old Baron’s blood money sickens me, but I am still sworn to the crown, and have given my oath to the queen. I must fight you.
Malakar: So be it.
(sound effect)
Kogw: Wow. Well, Mal, we’d best be getting…
Malakar: <growls>
Kogw: …along before the winds shift. My ship is ready to go, when you are.
Malakar: First we must bury the body of this one. The others were merely puppets, but he was their leader.
Unit: With all due respect, Malakar, we hardly have the time to…
Malakar: SILENCE! The humans hound us, enslave us, and kill our young. They are our sworn enemies and will be destroyed every time our peoples meet! However, they still have traces of honor.
Malakar: We respect those with honor. In the end, it is what makes us different from them. Bury their leader.