Balancing Luck

[johnmcd]

I wonder if it would be possible to come up with a way of balancing the break of luck in combat a little more in the very early game.

In short, I'm fed up with losing initial units to wild animals in the first few turns of the game, no idea how you 'balance' it except to give a free win the first time you defend or something, but boy is it annoying when your initial scout is eaten in turn 20.

[Willem]

Originally posted by johnmcd
... but boy is it annoying when your initial scout is eaten in turn 20.

What pisses me off even more is having my replacement Scout eaten as soon as he leaves my cultural borders.

One thing I've done in my game is give my Scouts the Woodsman 1 promotion at creation. That certainly helps. I figure since the Explorer starts with both Woodsman 1 and what ever the one for Hills is called, that it's not an unreasonable promotion.

[jbp26]

you mean balancing the scout unit, not luck. i assure you the random factor of the game is balanced.

the scout unit is balanced just fine. exploration is supposed to be quite risky, because the rewards can be great.

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by jbp26
you mean balancing the scout unit, not luck. i assure you the random factor of the game is balanced.

the scout unit is balanced just fine. exploration is supposed to be quite risky, because the rewards can be great.

What you mean is the 'random factor of the game is random', I'm saying that's not balanced and it's certainly not fun.

[Garth Vader]

Play with no barbs, and no huts if you want to decrease random factors.

Or if you don't like a result reload. I often do that if I lose my scout real early.

[jbp26]

in my experience its quite balanced. as often as i lose a scout, i'll have another game where i pop several techs or something. also, most of the early animals have a 50% or less chance to beat your scout on open terrain. that sounds pretty balanced to me.

alternatively, shut off barbs, or play your scouts more cautiously; only traverse hills and forests until you have a few promotions and can stand up to the tougher animals. and the obvious answer, of course- build more scouts.

[Lord Avalon]

And the #1 threat: BEARS! [/Stephen Colbert]

I, too, try to end in a forest or on a hill, even if I waste a move, if it's going to take two to get to the next forest/hill. Of course, sometimes there's no cover, and you have to take a chance.

[snoopy369]

At many of the lower levels, you do get a free win against animals (or barbarians, whichever you meet first, I believe)...

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Lord Avalon
And the #1 threat: BEARS! [/Stephen Colbert]

I, too, try to end in a forest or on a hill, even if I waste a move, if it's going to take two to get to the next forest/hill. Of course, sometimes there's no cover, and you have to take a chance.

This. Its like a little puzzle minigame, managing that first scout.

[pedrojedi]

I just let him go. There comes a time when you just *have* to let the kids go on their own.

[LDiCesare]

If you're afraid of bears, you can always move 1 forward, 1 back with your scout if you meet animal, or stop moving. If you're in hills/forests, you're more likely to win so that's less of an issue.
You can also simply mod the bonus you get against animals.

[Willem]

Originally posted by jbp26
most of the early animals have a 50% or less chance to beat your scout on open terrain.

I'm not sure where you're getting this from. Scouts only get a 100% bonus against animals, and since their combat strength is only 1 that doesn't mean very much. A Bear has a strength of 3 so it can easily take out a Scout. They don't get any further bonus from being in open terrain. You're much better off keeping them in the forests, or at least hills.

[Blaupanzer]

Warrior or scout, that first explorer is doomed. I try to open up enough dark terrain to see copper and horses when they pop up. I run him in ever-widening circles around my capitol. Many of my warriors get to woodsman 2 before they die. I try to keep to woods, then hills. But a warrior will have to move into the open every so often to keep busting the black. Here's to all those scouts and explorers we never heard of because they were eaten by bears or barbarians.

[jbp26]

Originally posted by Willem


I'm not sure where you're getting this from. Scouts only get a 100% bonus against animals, and since their combat strength is only 1 that doesn't mean very much. A Bear has a strength of 3 so it can easily take out a Scout. They don't get any further bonus from being in open terrain. You're much better off keeping them in the forests, or at least hills.

wolves/panthers are a little more common than bears. i believe they have str 2. so you are at least matched.

[Krill]

Wolves are S1...