Re: Legends : what I want changed

From: pmf@astro.cf.ac.uk (Phillip Fayers)

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 15:07:59 +0000

In article Guv@netcom.com, griffith@netcom.com (Jim Griffith) writes:
>minnotte@stat0.stat.rice.edu (Michael Minnotte) writes:
>
>
>>If I could make one change to Legends, it would be to add a second
>>transfer phase after movement (preferably as the very last section, but
>>any time after movement would be all right).  It wouldn't even need
>>all of the possible orders to be allowed - just the T2 (transfer soldiers),
>>T6 (transfer items), T9 (10?) (transfer population), and T11 (transfer
>>characters) would make a big difference (though I can think of uses for
>>equip character, train soldiers, train tradesmen, build guilds, etc.).
>
>Personally, this strikes me as a *very bad* idea.  Say you have three
>positions working together.  Position 1 can run an army 15 provinces,
>then transfer the soldiers to position 2.  Position 2 can run the same
>soldiers 15 provinces, then transfer the soldiers to position 3.  Position 3
>can run the soldiers 15 provinces, and attack something 45 provinces from
>the starting point, all *on the same day*.  The same kind of thing can be
>done with population, characters, and items.

This one is easy enough to account for.  Allocate an amount of movement then
when the force is moved by player A the amount of movement used is accounted
to everythin in the party/legion leaving them with lower values - these values
are reset on the date of players A's next turn.

>Another case.  Say you have an item which gives you 30 free points towards
>Summon Earthforce.  Character in position 1 equips it, casts the spell a
>bunch of times, then transfers it to a character in position 2, who does
>the same thing, etc.

You stop this by not allowing a second phase equip.  While we are on the subject
of what we'd like:

I'd like:
i)   All charcters/forces to `View Province' `View Force' `View Guild' every
     turn.  Maybe increase the info given by a standard view order and for the
     automatic bit just list force ID's char ID's etc.

ii)  Tone down the Scry Spells (reintroduce a range cost perhaps) and/or improve
     the `Spy' orders so I don't have to do 3 spys to get the same info as 1 scry.
     (eg. Spy character gives no information at all about a
     characters prestige - not even a guess - the only way to get this is a read
     character spell)  Rationalise spells in general, some seem to be generally
     useless - has anybody ever used `Detect Spells?'.

iii) Tell characters in a town what is happening and make the rumour monger able to
     get some info.  I had a character in a town for about 3 turns whilst it was
     being repeatedly attacked - I got no message at all.  A level 43 rumourmonger
     listens for rumours and is told there is `nothing of interest' - he does get
     a list of forces but no more info than that.  I also rumourmongered a town
     with the same guy - the town had had Black Death for 3 months - `nothing of
     interest' is what I get back!

iv)  Maybe give some new tracking ability to Rangers or Spys, it shouldn't be too
     difficult to follow a force which has just left a major location with 10k pop
     2k soldiers and tons of wagons.  Come to think of it trailing pop around should
     probably lower your move even further as well.

v)   Make escape more difiicult and allow for towns and guilds to have strongrooms and
     prisons.  It really shouldn't be easy to walk into a magic guild and run off
     with all their important items.  Hero level thieves can empty a major location
     and it's guilds with practically no danger to themselves.  Even if they do get
     caught its pretty easy to escape and there is no real punishment.

And finally my pet gripe for today - Make the Cure Pox and Cure Black Death spells
100% reliable - I don't want to cast a spell which requires 25 points + magic
resistance and have a 50% chance of success!  (I'm trying to cure a major location
in a game - it has a magic protection of about 20 - I blow 45 points and it don't
work :-( ).

---
Phillip Fayers                           Email    : P.Fayers@astro.cf.ac.uk
SunAdmin/Support/Programming (TM)        Phone    : +44 (0)222 874000 ext 5282
University of Wales, College of Cardiff  Fax      : +44 (0)222 874056
Department of Physics and Astronomy      WWW      : http://www.astro.cf.ac.uk/
P.O. Box 913, Cardiff, CF2 3QD.          I speak for myself, not UWCC.