Free Goblins (Dev Stage: Statting, Coding-then Animating)

[mr_svperstar]

Hey guys!

Love the idea!

I do have one problem though... the clothwing/fleetwing unit faces some technical issues.

1) Hang-gliders are actually fairly advanced items, it took modern humans thousands of years to figure them out, so the odds of a goblin instantly inventing them isn't good.

2) It's only a glider, so you can't take off on flat ground. There isn't always a cliff to jump off, or an updraft to use. So in reality he would be less mobile than a goblin on foot, since he would be carrying around a big wing everywhere he went.

With that in mind I've come up with an idea... A balloonist!

A hot air balloon is a much more primative technology and takes advantage of the most basic and well known physical property there is - hot air rises - so it would be easy to explain its conception. Maybe the goblins had a canopy over their campsite and discovered the updraft from the campfire was providing some lift.

So a balloon is nice and simple, plus it can take off from anywhere.

He would be able to drop things on his opponents, so for L1 he could throw spears or rocks, then for L2 he could upgrade his basic attack and add a fire attack as well. The fire attack comes from the fire used to power the balloon.

L1 - Rock (impact), Spear (pierce)
L2 - Rock (impact), Spear (pierce), Burning Spear (fire)

I dunno if this is possible but being in the sky he should be immune to melee attacks. To balance things he should be very voulnerable to ranged attacks - especially pierce which would pop his balloon, and send him falling to his death!

What do ya think?

I've drawn a dodgy picture to go with it... I just implanted the Ponderer, from which he advances, and a little campfire, into a parachute tied to a platform. A full sized balloon is too big for the little squares.

Be kind, I've never drawn on a computer before.

Not too sure about the background colors on this forum (looks black on the preview using IE6), but it's transparent and has a shadow underneath it.

[irrevenant]

That's pretty cool! And the art's a pretty good start - I wouldn't be ashamed of it.

The problem is that the clothwings fill the role of high-speed scout units. It's harder to justify that amount of speed with a balloon (it's already a bit of a stretch with a hang-glider).

P.S. Oops, somewhere along the line I lost the spearflinger (with woomera/atl-atl) out of the unit tree. I'll have to fix that.

[mr_svperstar]

Oh, well I thought it sounded like a good idea.

I know a balloon doesn't have a reputation for speed, but its powered by the wind so it can achieve speeds faster than anything on land. Sure its slow compared to a jet, but it would outrun a horse and so could easily be used as a scout.

The only problem is it can't turn!

Although, any of you know of Dick Smiths' $1,000,000 bet with John Singleton? He flew a balloon from New Zealand to Australia against the prevailing winds, so maneuverability is possible if you know what you are doing.

I mean a bird doesn't know the principles of flght, they just do it because they have done it before and they know it works, so even a Goblin could figure it out with a little practice!

Or it could move slowly but have a long sight range if the game can do that?

Just trying to help, I thought you could slot him into the clothwings spot since you didn't have a picture for him yet, then the tree is almost complete!

[Maeglin Dubh]

Or it could move slowly but have a long sight range if the game can do that?

I -wish-.

[thespaceinvader]

1) Hang-gliders are actually fairly advanced items, it took modern humans thousands of years to figure them out, so the odds of a goblin instantly inventing them isn't good.

2) It's only a glider, so you can't take off on flat ground. There isn't always a cliff to jump off, or an updraft to use. So in reality he would be less mobile than a goblin on foot, since he would be carrying around a big wing everywhere he went.

I might be able to suggest a solution to that issue: Kites. Think of it more as a kite than as a hang glider - kites have, IIRC, been around for thousands of years, along with the idea of strapping guys to them to use for recon purposes, though i think weight issues prevented that actually being done. Goblins are much smaller than people, so weight is less of an issue. And kites can take off from the ground as long as it's reasonably windy.

Feel free to shoot holes in this idea, but i thought i'd put it out there.

[zookeeper]

And don't forget that even ewoks had gliders. If they can manage it, then surely goblins can too.

[Iris]

And don't forget that even ewoks had gliders. If they can manage it, then surely goblins can too.

Ewoks? Think, think... do you mean those cute lil' guys in Star Wars Episode VI, in that moon?

[zookeeper]

And don't forget that even ewoks had gliders. If they can manage it, then surely goblins can too.

Ewoks? Think, think... do you mean those cute lil' guys in Star Wars Episode VI, in that moon?

Yes!



Sort of like furry goblins, yes?

[turin]

And don't forget that even ewoks had gliders. If they can manage it, then surely goblins can too.

YEAH! Because, I mean, the Ewoks were REAL!

[zookeeper]

And don't forget that even ewoks had gliders. If they can manage it, then surely goblins can too.

YEAH! Because, I mean, the Ewoks were REAL!

You mean real just like goblins?

[turin]

You mean real just like goblins?

I mean just because George Lucas is stupid enough to think that a primitive society with hang-gliders is even somewhat plausible doesn't mean we should make the same mistake.

[zookeeper]

You mean real just like goblins?

I mean just because George Lucas is stupid enough to think that a primitive society with hang-gliders is even somewhat plausible doesn't mean we should make the same mistake.

Oh...well...fair enough. Although I've never seen anything in Wesnoth as being even close to even somewhat plausible.

[Temuchin Khan]

You mean real just like goblins? :o

I mean just because George Lucas is stupid enough to think that a primitive society with hang-gliders is even somewhat plausible doesn't mean we should make the same mistake. ;)

Maybe, maybe not. I see your point, but I have also encountered a well-reasoned argument that some pre-Columbian cultures in Peru had hot air balloons. Indeed, that is probably the most reasonable explanation for the Nazca lines that I've ever read.

Of course, goblins could only be expected to make hot air balloons if goblins could be expected to produce quality textiles....

[Weeksy]

The Chinese had War Kites

[holyknight]

If Ewoks could destroy the evil Empire, then the goblins can destroy the evil Orcish ...um... tribe, but only those who are mean to goblins (I guess that's mostly everyone...)

And you don't have to produce goblins. They can just recruit from goblins all throughout the tribes.

And this sounds fun, the best thing you should do is make them cheap but weak. Just like Ewoks!