Unit Sizes, Supply Ability, Special Powers

[voodooc]

Has anyone figured out a way to:

a) add more than three figures to a unit? I've tried >3, and it has 'interesting effects'. While the figures do show up, the formation placement only has spots for three figures. So putting an UBER size of 10 gives you 10 guys all standing on three spots.

NOT quite the effect I was looking for. Has anyone found anywhere that defines formation size?

b) add the supply ability to anyone besides the supply train. There is a 'resupply' craft, but that craft isn't tagged to the supply train, so I don't think that's it. There didn't seem to be any flags that uniquely identified the supply train unit. Is it just based off the name?

c) Give national special powers to multiple nations. Specifically, give a national power to *all* nations. The specific national power is, the French healing supply wagon.

In fact, I can't find anywhere it defines the nation names, or their properties directly. Only indirectly, by TRIBE_MASKs for other objects.

vc

[Whitra]

In the rules.xml, a few lines under all the "CTW_blahblah", there's a line:

SUPPLY_HEAL_RATE value="0 frames (0 means don't heal at all)">
I'm assuming this enable's supply wagons to heal, since the french have a similar line. I'm toying with it right now.

[voodooc]

yup, i saw that on another forum and tried it, it works.

so, i guess my options are either a) add the supply power to another unit, which I cant figure out how to do, or b) add the general's abilities to the supply wagon. I'm trying to make an HQ unit that fulfills the function of both.

im still having no luck on getting the UBER_SIZE property over what it normally is.

sd

[One_Dead_Villy]

what exactly happens with that setting the number of figures more then 3? u mean u see 10 (or whatever men) standing on the standard 3 spots? then how can u tell there are more then 3? are they all jumbled together?

[voodooc]

just what you said. The formation-target has 3 circles, but there are 10 figures in the unit. When they move, they spread out. When they come to a destination, they all end up standing on top of each other at the three spots. When they're stationary, they look like a unit of three figures.

[Whitra]

When they move around, they "Shimmer."

It's a somewhat nice change, battles last much longer when you've got 9 troops 'stead of 3. I noticed, if you change the number of cavalry from 1 to 2, they are two seperate units, not one.

[voodooc]

I dunno, the biggest problem is that you can't tell the difference between a unit that's full strength and a unit that is reduced to 3 figures (at least when they're standing still).

It misrepresents the size of forces you're facing, doesn't seem like a good idea.

vc

[One_Dead_Villy]

so if u do this on cavalry. u just get two or more normal units?

[Whitra]

Figured it out:

The most men you can have in a unit without the shimmering effect is 3. So, Cavalry, boats, scouts, etc, can all be moved up to three and three seperate men will appear. Barracks units, since they already appear at 3, can't be upped at all.

This isn't just a graphics things, the new men are full strength. Raising the Uber value would definetly wreak havoc on the balance, since all of a sudden you get two (or three) for the price of one.

[voodooc]

With more figures==more strength, you could just adjust accordingly for costs, pop cap, etc.

I'm aiming for a more kohan-style of gameplay, with large regiment-sized units that you just create, instead of groups of individual units.

Do you know if units healing actually replace lost figures, or if they just heal the HP on injured ones? That could throw a wrench in my plans... I should probably test it out.

vc

[voodooc]

Keeping this bumped in the off chance that someone figures out how to add more than three figures to a unit.

My General/Supply combo works, by the way... it has the special abilities of a General, looks like a Supply Wagon, and heals units in its radius like a French/Versailles supply wagon.

[Whitra]

I'm pretty sure the healing just brings the current men up to strength, not replacing lost ones.

That's only an educated guess, though, not a certainty.