ERM can do anything. But within a specific map. You want balance to change gradually, can be done, but for that map. In other situations things may be inappropriate in this way. The best proof are those maps like UTB. Add inside any wog script (boost) and the map will lose its difficulty asap. You need to redesign the whole map then.
____________ Era II mods and utilities
Yes but if it's possible to do it, that doesn't change anything in old maps too since it doesn't change the mechanism of the game, just saves playtime. Anyway I'm ok with the game as it is, just wanted to offer a possibility to Warmonger's wish .
Well, as I said in previous post but I will try to be more precise here and not forget any situation .
First check if enemy is led by hero or not. If a hero is involved just check he has no more spell capacity (or familiars alive ).
Then check if enemy remaining troops are disabled and for how long.
Disabled means blind ( I don't count creatures disabling since they last only 3 rounds and I don't count slowed with no morale either because it requires active play from the player). If fight is a siege castle then check :
player is attacking : catapult destroyed, player with ballistic skill, no flyers in AI army or those fliers blinded (check then how many rounds), no AI shooters or check if blinded or run out of shots.
player is defending : no catapult for AI, no shooters, no flyers, don't check for blind here because turrets sometimes target blinded units.
I don't know if a right-click counter is ok or maybe a special button on resurrection screen with a number that can be incremented. As I said, that number will be used to deduct rounds of all spells affecting all creatures. So the player has to choose a good nbr of rounds or he will pay the consequences .
Seems that's all, but maybe too complex for the result desired? It's all from memory so I maybe forget something but I can give a more detailed organigram if needed . But that will be later at home not from work
I am reading your both posts again but have no clue what's about. Are these changes desired for UTB or they are just ideas for different combats? (I am not really awake or I am blind, sorry)
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Hihi, the changes are to improve resurrection in any map . But I'm back from dinner and had a better idea. Why the mapmaker has to do all the work? Let the player decide.
Just give the possibility to resurrect x times to the player and no checks of any kind concerning AI, then the player just defends automatically those turns while the AI does what he wants . Simple no? ____________
http://www.youtube.com/user/alkoriak#g/u
What you mean by player decide? Please give a concrete example (turn x he does this, AI does that)
So far, for saving time and fingers, resurrect could be linked to a quick key (F1 for example). Then select target. It would save 3 clicks.
In ERA there is a plugin for quick keys. There is also a new function (77066) which can hold x actions on the same creature turn. Means we can move creature, attack, re-move, re-attack, cast spell, within same creature's turn. Already implemented in next map.
____________ Era II mods and utilities
Ah, ERA seems a nice tool, I heard a little of it only in some posts.
What I wanted to say is the player decides if he takes the risk of defending next x turns while the program just resurrects selected troop each round.
Example : the player sees all enemy units are blinded for next 4 turns, so he selects 4 resurrections for one unit and the doesn't have to do anything during that time as the program just defends his troops and cast resurrection 4 times on the selected creature. The enemy AI on the other hand does what he want or can.
If the player had selected 5 resurrections instead of 4 he will see the enemy unblinded units attack him . So the player has just to be a little carefull and nothing changes in the mechanism of the fight, so applies to all maps.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/alkoriak#g/u
1) Supposing the player selects in a dialog box he wants to resurrect stack 3.
2) The program has to check every turn where the stack is, how long enemy stacks will be disabled, are they still alive, how much mana is left, what was the initial creatures number in the slot to resurrect and such. It must stop if any enemy creature moves, and must restart if again they are disabled. If one creature which was disabled gets its turn, and it is killed, the program would stop too...or search again.
What could be done: cast resurrect in that turn x times on the same unit, where x is the turns the enemy creature is disabled (ie: blinded for 40 turns, cast 40 times resurrect). But needs a lot of checks still.
And next turn the enemy unit should be enabled automatically (ie 40 turns passed).
I guess this is a challenge for Vogan, I would not risk my health to work on such thing. ____________ Era II mods and utilities
I don't get what is difficult . You speak about my first post on that subject? My new idea is very simple, the program doesn't have to do anything, only play for the player (only much quicker). The player selects the spell "resurrection" , clicks a button with a number that can be incremented or clicks x times on creature or on icon of resurrection spell, whatever is easier to implement. Now he selects the creature to resurrect as usual and his action ends there. Now the program takes the hand resurrect one time the creature, all troops of the player defend so they stay in same place, the AI troops act and play as they want except if they are disabled. An ennemy hero can also play and launch a spell if it's possible and the player took the risk of letting him do .
So the script has nothing more to do than play the sequence, resurrect, defend, defend, defend 7 times, resurrect, defend 7 times, etc for the player only and let the AI play normally.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/alkoriak#g/u
What I mean: it is not difficult to script. It is difficult to prevent cheats or annoying things which will happen. Of course you can script the program to pass all units turns, and cast x times resurrect on the same stack. But at one moment, the enemy will get its move and program has to stop, otherwise you will get crazy seeing the game continue in automatic move. That's the problem, making a script which knows in real time what is happening, when stop and when start again.
I don't get it . It's like an autocombat when you click on the 2 swords. The program doesn't have to check anything just plays x rounds for you and stops only then whatever does the AI on the other hand.
Only problem I can find is if the player is already crazy and selects that option while the AI has many freedom and damage potential and can kill the creature selected and put something on his body . It's the player responsability to select that option while the AI is blinded for ex or behind walls and cannot cross ).
The program only does actions that I will do myself : I select the spell resurrection, select the creature to resurrect, apply the spell, and then like an automat I defend next actions of the turn. Next round, I do the same, and that x times. Well that takes much time, so if the program just plays for me it will be much quicker and there is no cheat allowed here since these are possible actions anyway.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/alkoriak#g/u
It is not so easy. ERM is not a guy to whom you tell "do that until I tell you to stop". In a battle there are endless variables to check, and if anything is changed, the program will just plain crash. Supposing AI is playing while the program casts resurrect on one of your stacks, the program will crash if that unit HP are not the same they were last turn. The program will also crash if the unit is killed, so it can't check the HP.
What could be done: Press a key, select an unit, and the script will cast resurrect on that unit, while all others will pass their turns. Do same next turn if need. But setting up a script which plays for you x battle turns is a bad idea in my opinion, could harm more than help.
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Ok, you know better than me the possibilities of erm that's why I asked if it was possible .
For me it was just a tool for the player that knows what he is doing, so there will be no conflicts, if it crashes it's because the player is dumb or is drunk lol.
What you say about the special key is also interesting and it's more than enough for me anyway. But what happens when you pass the turn of all units if one of them is also dead because the player is ... ?.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/alkoriak#g/u
Yes, there is no way to script "cast resurrect". You can script "apply spells", "damage spells", "curse spells" but resurrect does not work. Thus has to be hand scripted (calculate SP, multiply with base resurrect HP, check last HP points ---so can conflict if a slower or faster unit attacked your stack between turns---, check if alive, check if moved, subtract mana, calculate how many HP still until you add a creature to the stack, check if life adding artefact is present and calculate again, etc).
It would work as the "first tent" script but we already saw that it can be bugged. For one turn, could be ok, for more than one, could really screw.
____________ Era II mods and utilities
Ah ok, that changes everything if resurrect cannot be scripted.
Well I have enough with clone archangels anyway At least in epic maps. 52 archangels resurrect more than a hero with 99 spell power .
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http://www.youtube.com/user/alkoriak#g/u
As I said, I restarted the game with WoG (options display movement and dwellings info only). Captured gold mine day 2 but finally decided to play "normaly" and wait day 10 for the cyclops. Took only troops of speed 7 minimum so I finish the 2nd week with 35 elfs with o movement points at the last dwelling. Week 3 collected 28 more elfs and headed to fight for Forest Keep. I preferred not to flag the dwelling on the way and with 63 elfs and the stronghold troops I attacked the town.
Starting artifact is the spirit of oppression (maybe the best starting artifact ). It helps much in this fight and in many others but of course we cannot either profit from the +3 leadership of El Trueno. It's a choice .
A little video of this first important fight . Well beating 120 battle dwarves with 3 cyclops and 1 thunderbird is also nice fight, specially without ammocart, the cyclops have to finish on hand to hand .
Pink has been defeated on 2-1-5 just like my previous run but with more dwellings and mines flagged . But there was a problem if I wanted to capture the last pink town guarded by a single gnoll marauder the AI will simply hire all creatures in that town if he sees me arrive and threaten to capture the town. I wanted those fortress troops for me later not against me .
So I had to trick the AI that I would not be able to capture his town. After taking the 3rth town (see video) I put all troops on garrison and took only chaos hydras with me. That way El Trueno will run like a ferrari (euh dragonfly, well ok I know it's only a hydra even a chaotic one but the point is...never mind). So I went to capture an enchanter dwelling. Only 1 enchanter to hire since they will die anyway in siege fight. Now the neutral unit pathfinding trick that I recently learned from this post by Ben Bird (a brilliant chinese player):
adventure screen 6 on that page : http://www.celestialheavens.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11267&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=120
Putting the enchanter after the CH makes think the AI that I will not reach his town so he is in no hurry . But next turn I switch positions and suddenly I can reach the town and finish pink player and more important take the troops in the town .
Ok, since the hydra's speed is 7 and enchanter 9 I could have taken a grand elf too and simply dismiss him before moving but this way I don't lose a valuable unit that will serve all through the game and I could'nt show this trick evidently, so two for the price of one .
The video now :
[url=][/url]
another one, the sulfur mine that I passed was guarded by many hydras, possible to beat them with 3 hydras but wasting too much mana and I will certainly lose the ammocart and the first aid tent, so now it's the time with more troops
This thread is pages long: 
posted October 06, 2010 11:32 AM
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). 
. You speak about my first post on that subject? My new idea is very simple, the program doesn't have to do anything, only play for the player (only much quicker). The player selects the spell "resurrection" , clicks a button with a number that can be incremented or clicks x times on creature or on icon of resurrection spell, whatever is easier to implement. Now he selects the creature to resurrect as usual and his action ends there. Now the program takes the hand resurrect one time the creature, all troops of the player defend so they stay in same place, the AI troops act and play as they want except if they are disabled. An ennemy hero can also play and launch a spell if it's possible and the player took the risk of letting him do 
