Is this possible? Minefield

[1]

I want a tile that you can create, that would take up all movement points, and have a negative bonus on defense. Like the effects of a minefield would have in real life.

Questions...

1. Is it possible to have a negative defense modifier?
2. Is this only possible as an actual terrain type, or as a terrain improvement... or both?
3. Would the AI take in account the negative defense modifier, and try to avoid them?
4. If it is possible, how easy would it be to create a tile graphic for it?

Thanks.

[Cruddy]

I don't think it's been done as a tile or improvement to a tile - I could well be wrong on this.

But it's certainly been done as a unit. So have naval mines. Low attack (1) high defense (10) and low movement (1) means the AI can build them too.

[Kuciwalker]

Tile improvement - can't be done, unless you count making it a "fortress". Plus, you can't really add tile improvements (will amost CERTAINLY break your game).

Terrain - I believe you can't have negative defense modifiers. You also can't add terrain, so you'd use up something.

[Ozymandias]

The "typical" approach to this has been to make a mine unit, air-droppable, movement zero, set to invisible.

-Oz

[1]

The issues I have with that (air dropped mine units) are... the AI might know innately where they are, and avoid them. Also, they would be one use only. Thanks for the suggestions though. =)

[Tattila the Hun]

I modded an invisible, hidden nationality ground unit once, just for testing, and was quite surprised to see enemy workers trying to enter the same tile my unit was on. They actually seemed like attacking, using the showellin sound as effect, and after some showelling, end up dead.

It was weird...

The point being, the AI didn't know where my unit was....

[1]

Hahahaha! That's awesome. I want to try that now just to see that.

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

I was thinking about the minefield concept today.

It would be great with the discovery of explosives(?) to get two new worker functions: Plant Minefield and Clear Minefield.

When entering a minefield, any military unit would suffer an HP of damage, perhaps more. Furthermore, minefields would make the square they were placed on unworkable! Or perhaps just add a penalty.

I don't think having the minefield hurt workers would be a good idea, but having it so nothing else could be done to that square until the minefield is removed might work.

Anyhow, it should definitely be in the game somehow...

[1]

If it just did HP damage however, it would just be basically... immobile artillery that can't attack. I'd much rather see it as a tile that would decrease defense numbers, and/or stop movement. If this could be done, then you could have massive defense lines on the borders of countries. I believe it would also help the AI, because it would have more time to react to invasions.

[Cruddy]

That's not what real minefields do though; they slow down an advance. They don't stop it. Have you tried modding your game with the units I mentioned? The naval one looks naff, but some of the land ones are quite cool.

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

Originally posted by Cruddy
That's not what real minefields do though; they slow down an advance. They don't stop it.

Yes, that's true. That's why an "artillery" effect would be the most appropriate - though within the square, not from an adjoining one - that's the rub.

[1]

The only thing I don't like about the 'artillery' effect, is that you could just run right through the minefields, with hardly any penalty (except a HP or two). In real life, you can't just run through a minefield, you have to be extra careful and take your time. Maybe a way to impliment both of our ideas? If you try to run right through it, you'd get hurt (like if you ran through a real mine field), but if you waited a turn, you could continue without taking damage (as if you took your time).

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

Well, given the history of minefields in general I'd say that just "getting hurt" is the most appropriate response, but perhaps minefields could give the terrain an additional movement cost penalty as well? Effective turning grasslands into hills, hills into mountains, etc... but what about minefielded mountains?

[Quasar1011]

Originally posted by 1
The only thing I don't like about the 'artillery' effect, is that you could just run right through the minefields, with hardly any penalty (except a HP or two). In real life, you can't just run through a minefield, you have to be extra careful and take your time.

True, but considering the game takes place at the rate of 1 year= 1 turn (in the modern era- unless there is a mod in place to speed the pace), taking a year to "run through" a minefield doesn't seem unreasonable.