[UMC] A new way to use experience points

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Spirit_of_Currents
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[UMC] A new way to use experience points

Post by Spirit_of_Currents »

Instead of automatically advancing as soon as the unit has a certain amount of experience, the player can make it more powerful by purchasing it some upgrades using its experience points as currency. I know XP Modification, but it’s way too simple and unbalanced in my opinion. It can’t replace the current advancement system entirely. I’m thinking about LotI-style advancements with XP Mod system.

I have some original ideas too. When a unit has used a certain amount of experience points for upgrades, its level increases but it’s not fully healed. You can however make it fully heal (and get rid of poison and slow) by using an amount of experience points, the exact amount depending on the unit’s level.

Some upgrades would be reversible (such as switching from a spear to a sword) and some irreversible (such as becoming a lich). Those experience points used for fully healing or reversible upgrades don’t lead towards level-up.

I think one of the downsides in unit advancements in LotI is that the amount of experience needed for an AMLA depends on the number of earlier AMLAs. I think there should be small upgrades that require little experience and big upgrades that require much experience. I think one of the upsides in my proposal is that it gives the player more control over his or her units.
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Re: [UMC] A new way to use experience points

Post by Lord-Knightmare »

Spirit_of_Currents wrote: June 25th, 2022, 2:23 pm I think one of the downsides in unit advancements in LotI is that the amount of experience needed for an AMLA depends on the number of earlier AMLAs. I think there should be small upgrades that require little experience and big upgrades that require much experience. I think one of the upsides in my proposal is that it gives the player more control over his or her units.
you should see the AMLA-tree system in the 1.16.x Descent into Darkness and Under the Burnings Suns. The system allows you to build up Malin, his ghost, Kalen and Nym in 2-3 variation of ways so the final end-game tier units differs in role/kit.
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Spirit_of_Currents
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Re: [UMC] A new way to use experience points

Post by Spirit_of_Currents »

I looked at ”amlas.cfg” in DiD. When you get an AMLA, it increases the experience cost of any AMLA.

I think getting an AMLA should only increase the experience cost of AMLAs of the same type. For example, if an AMLA increases melee damage, it makes subsequent melee power AMLAs cost more, but other types of AMLAs (such as ranged power) require as much experience as before. Of course, the mainline system featuring ”max_experience” wouldn’t work anymore.

I’m thinking about an upgrade tree where each upgrade has its own set experience cost, and every upgrade is one-time only unless it’s a reversible upgrade that is reversed back.

Even more significant, I find it sad most units in DiD still just have basic AMLAs.

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shevegen
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Re: [UMC] A new way to use experience points

Post by shevegen »

Personally I like the campaigns the most where one could select different (skill) trees and upgrades
for units and heroes. The one campaign where there are like 200 scenarios or so and you
fight Belzebub was fun. Although a bit over the top. :D

But there are other campaigns with interesting progression systems including units.

In the past wesnoth kind of rejected most specializations with the "keep it simple" design
guideline. So perhaps a compromise may be to see whether one can do smaller upgrades
to units. I don't know LotI-advancement and if I recall default AMLA is +3 hitpoints or
something? So perhaps like at every 5th AMLA upgrade or 3rd, one could pick a +1 on
melee/magic/ranged or something like that, to try to keep it weak (to avoid overpowered
issues). I don't know the Lotl advancement model though.

Edit: Oops, LotI was just the one I mentioned in the same thread. Shows you how quickly
I forget that it was Legend of the Invincibles. My only gripe is that the advancements in
LotI are too overpowered. They are fun, don't get me wrong, but I don't think this is 1:1
useful for mainline wesnoth. So perhaps a milder variant that still is fun to "level up"
could be used. And some limited skill tree.
Morath
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Re: [UMC] A new way to use experience points

Post by Morath »

:) Shards Era provides more flexible unit advancement and there's even a mod that allows you to play things like campaigns, such as Legend of the Invincibles, with the sorts of changes being discussed here.
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