How about a Novice game where the first player gets to choose the pieces but the second player gets the same pieces? That way it is still pure skill but you get some troops that don't make you barf! The other player could always quit if he doesn't like the selection.

yeah maybe an auto with a pre selection? called preautobattle? make it 3k 4k and 5k game

I would love this, Req. I'll give you a cookie if you make this for us!

And before you ask, yes, it really IS horrible to have to use advanced and basic troops.

Yah love this idea!

Last Edited : Wednesday, 29 September 2004 - 17:10

with great fervor I bumpeth this thread.

I suggest that this idea be applied, AND also the very first change made to auto's be re-aplied for each of the 3 maps... just call them "second generation auto's" or... Gen2auto's. because in reality, the auto's where you got 1 of each troop only were the first generation.

maybe you could code it so that you can pick which generation of battle you want AFTER you select the map, so you don't have to keep adding new battle titles? well, I don't care how you do it... if we get second generation auto's back, I'll be happy no matter what the format.

the third generation was the worst, no doubt. with 40 stack armies, you'd be bored long before the game ended.

now we have 4th generation auto's, which aren't much better than third, IMO. they are the same in type of troops, its just that the number of troops you get is cut in... about half. its pretty random. (sometimes with demons you still get a LOT though).
You do not get enough expert and master troops. I don't know how better to say it: I want second generation auto's BACK! this is the only generation of auto's I've liked. it gave (most of the time) about the right preportions of master, expert, advanced, and basic. it still gave more fodder than I'd use in a strategy I picked out usually, but since the other guy had the same exact stuff, it didn't matter. it was FUN.

But, assuming that you, Req, do not want to get all that old code out of the closet (or wherever you stashed it) please, PLEASE make the hybrid battle game suggested in this thread.

Last Edited : Thursday, 16 December 2004 - 23:10

*heartily agrees*

Autos, as they are now, aren't really worth playing, IMO

interesting idea,
what´s your problem with the current autos sage?

(1. Almost all of my auto battles have been extremely similar in the strategy you have to use.

I'm too lazy to type it all out...^ector and I were discussing it the other day and it DEFINITElY is simplistic.

(2. Troops selection sucks. Not just because there's a lot of basic units...I could handle that. What I REALLY have the problem with is that in 1/3 or so of my games, I get a bunch of fodder, a few ranged, and then a knight. Obviously whoever gets first strike on the other guy's knight is going to have a huge advantage, possibly winning it for them just from that. Random troops selections ends up meaning unbalanced troop selections, which makes for unfun games.

(3. Knowing what your opponent has almost entirely destroys the need for reconaisannce (too lazy to look up correct spelling.) You know what your opponent has, so other than establishing their positon, there's no need to scout. Without that uncertainty, thats less that your brain needs to plan for. More factors to consider = better strategy game, IMO.

(4. I have more fun tinkering with troop selections than I do getting random crap troops. Knowing a good balance between macemen and HC is a skill. It's not just something you pick up from experience. Look at ^ector...less than 50 battles under his belt, and he's better at designing troop strats than I am, with almost 200.

I'm pretty sure there's more, but I think I'll stop now.

with the second generation auto's, the troop selection did not suck. You had 2 or three master units if you were demon (a god, a lord, and a shavear was what I got once, one of the best games I've played yet) and a random assortment of lesser demons. the game would still be fun with just two of any of these three troop types, but NOT one. and if its only two, the amount of lesser troops below should be more toward there minimums.

1-4 pretacs, a wyngern or two, 2-4 scorpies , 2-5 Quonos demons, 3-6 baow demons, same for nnargles, 3-8 nheets, 3-7 squinches.

a maximum of 45 troops, a min of 20.
yes, there were a LOT of demons on the field, but the master/fodder ratio was at a fun level.

notice I left out a couple of the low level troops? this is because I believe some troops are pointless to battles, and should be left out. Also, for a random game to feel truely random, there should be a troop type or two that don't show up (of the one's that are useful, but not the master troops.)

the current master/fodder ratio is too easy. if you only have 1 master troop, its imposible for you to devise complex strategies, there is only one keystone troop there.

Two master level troops would be acceptable, and three is where its acctually fun. You will never have to scout in an auto, you ALWAYS know what the other guy has, but with the correct mixture of troops, it can still be fun. and it can still be fun AND random if the correct settings are placed on the randomness.

Last Edited : Saturday, 18 December 2004 - 07:18

in terms of medi, there should be MORE master, since they just aren't as strong, and you have ranged to worry about.

1-2 HC, 1-3 mace, 1-2 knights. with a random factor that deletes ONE of the three every so often. so one time you might get 1 mace and 1 knight, and another time you'd get 2 HC, 3 mace, and 2 knights. one mace and one knight is kinda a sucky combo, especially if there are enough ranged in it, so if you get a low master count, I think it should effect the lesser troops, ESPECIALLY the ranged troops. there are good games WITHOUT range... so that would be a good thing to make random, but if ranged exist, particularly marksmen, Then they should be limited by the number of masters in game. a good ratio needs to be in place. a game with 2 masters total, and 10 marks would not be fun, because the master troops would then be immediatly eliminated from play. they wouldn't have an effect on the gameplay, both sides would get rid of the other's RIGHT away. it would be fun though with maybe 3 or 4 marks, and no other ranged troops.

( I know Mace are not master but they are enough better than falcs that I think they NEED to be considered top pier of units. keystone units.)

well, I could keep going about what makes a good random selection, but its pointless because req already did it right once, with the second generation autos. we just need them back is all.

Last Edited : Saturday, 18 December 2004 - 02:03