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| Thread: Racials - classification and suggestions | |
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted August 17, 2014 11:34 AM |
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Racials - classification and suggestions
The unit mixing thread made me think about racials quite a bit and then I thought I just make a thread to share my thoughts and hear what you think.
First, here comes an attempt to classify racials (existing and possible ones):
Racial Classification
Okay, the question for no is: wha kind of racials can there be, what are they advantages and disadvantages in terms of ambience, balance, creativity and versatility. The last point means how many different ways of this racial exist so that you can have more than one racial of this category without them feeeling too close to another.
NOTE: there may be racials belonging to more than one category.
Hate
Well, I decided to make this for the avenger skill as it takes aspect of other groups and puts them together with one single focus: being more effective agaisnt one or more certainenemies. This were specific creatures in the past, but t could definitely be any creature type or a faction or any group of enemies as well.(one could make a mildly intriguing siege-racial based on defense-structure-hate, here).
Ambience: Can definitely be great if it fits the faction setting. Should REALLY fit, though, to explain why this faction gets it and others not (as any faction would hate somebody, probably)
Balance: Hard to say. On H5 I found the avenger skill weak, though I suspect it could be better when targeting groups rather than certain units. One would have to be careful, though, not to overdo it.
Creativity: Good, I think.
Versatility: Not so versatile, though target and exact way of hate are a bit variable. I think more than one faction with such a racial would be quite bad and boring.
Examples: Avenger and I have non else. Though one could imagine some kind of Crusade ability here, declaring a sworn enemy as wwell.
Magic Enhancement
This is a group of bilities that specifically embetter the spellcasting ability of the hero (or potentially his army).
Ambience: Can be really ambient, I think, when used on a magic-based faction. Not at all, of course, on a might faction.
Balance: Can be done, but may be quite hard. The hero can easily become insanely powerful on the other hand non-army-based racials do have significant disadvantages over army-based ones.
Creativity: Well, not bad, but neither good. It is quite nice and not boring, certainly - but it does not throw you off your socks!
Versatility: Not so much, I think. I can only think of few different ways to do it so I daresay a couple of racials doing it is probably the maximum. Especially considering the easiest way is doing it school-focused - and for that there are allready the skills. Of course you can handle it form other angles: Enhancing a certain aspect of spellcasting, for example. But these, as well, can also quite good be handled through skills, so I stay with my opinion: not really versatile, imo.
Examples: Empowered Spells of course. No other existing, I think, but of course one could think of something focus on light/dark magic or some elementalist racial doing this, as well as a Summoner class with embettered summon spells.
Magic Weakening
The opposite of Magic Enhancement, here are all racials weakening enemy magic. I don't want to repeat much on this, I think it's close to its positive opposite, though maybe a bit cooler.
Ambience: can be really fitting, as shown in the anti-magic skills of H5 Barbarian.
Balance: A bit weak, certainly. To balance it against somehting like unit gain, you would have to make it very broad and/or let the spoiling near immunity, I think.
Creativity: Good, as it was not really done as a racial on its own so far. Not supreme, though.
Versatility: Same aspects as for Magic enhancement, but here I daresay, thinking of balance, one racial doing this would need no second one.
Examples: None except the mentioned skills of H5 barbarians.
Unique School
Any racial that gives the hero a unique set of "spells" or spell-like abilites (not necessarily magic based!).
Ambience: can be great, certainly.
Balance: Hard to say, since such a school is quite unique. It would have to be good enough to equal other racials, but not so great that it becomes a really strong advantage, and no spell or ability that is really basic or necessary. So, might be a bit tough, but is definitely possible.
Creativity: has potential for quite creative racials, definitely. For that, a racial mus t be more than "Demonic Magic" though.
Versatility: On first look one might say very high, because it can be done in so many ways, but thinking about I would say there should not be more than a couple of such racials, unless there are more than 10 factions, because after all, they would be recognized as what they are: basically the same.
Examples: Warcries, though not technically a racial on their own, are a supreme example for this. Proposals were many, from "XYZ Magic" overquite some potion- and poison-based ones to Might-based combat ability schools.
Unit Enhancement
This group sums up any racial that, permanently or temporary, increases unit stats or enhances or grants the units' abilities.
Ambience: This differs in this group, I think, but it can be very very fitting-feeling. The advantage in Ambience terms is that it can be used in most any fitting theoretically.
Balance: Quite middle-ground, I think, with permanent boni of course being loads stronger. But the range is far here, so I daresay overall, it's medium.
Creativity: Hmm. In itself, it is quite uncreative imo (especially thinking about simple permanent stat enhancement). But in the exact way it is done, it can be extremely creative on the other hand. So, it probably really depends on the racial.
Versatility: good, imo, as they are many ways to do it. Though it can certainly be overdone I think this category could spawn quite a few racials in one game without making them boring.
Examples: We got quite some in here: Blood Rage, Rune Magic and Artificier are definitely in. One could argue Training ehre, but I think that deserves a different category (see below). There was quite a broad bunch of proposals on the forums which could go in this category, iirc. Right now, I do not remember much specifically, only abilities from the cg coems to my mind. There, we have one "sylvan" racial to enhance units based on the battleground terrain or one Haven racial to grant haven units abilites, for example.
Unit Gain
This group sums up any racial that, permanently or temporary increases the size of your army. This can be very advantageous, especially when the racial gives permanent troops. Downsize (if you want to call it so) is that it has you more focused on the Hero faction, usually.
Ambience: I think most unit gain racials that were in were quite ambiental, fitting to the facton and coming with a certain style.
Balance: Well, sadly I think (especially permanent) unit gain racials are having a HIGH advantage against most other racial categories. Solutions are making the faction weaker overall/ in other aspects, bringing a cost in (necromancy), tweaking the numbe rof units to the minimum and, of course, making the other racials more powerful in terms of effect.
Creativity: Now, as it has been used quite, it's not that creative as a category, imo. It can be implemented in a creative way, though.
Versatility: Medium to good, I'd say, there are quite some ways to do it and I think the racials could still feel individual, but it is certainly not limitless.
Examples: The most classical example is Necromancy, but Gating belongs in this category as well, and also, if you want to call it a racial, that H4 ability of Nature Magic to gain few Tier 1 units on the AM each day (or was it week?). For non-existing racials that were proposed here, typical "Beastmaster" racials summoning beasts into battle belong here as well.
Unit Transformation
This category means any racial that transforms one unit into another unit. Theoretically, this also means turning down enemy units, though we have not seen that yet in a racial. This category is close to Unit enhancement, but its impact wider, so I wanted to have it seperate.
Ambience: VERY ambient, imo. Can be so stylish and so fitting (thinking necro transformation. One has to be careful though, imo, transformation should be somehow logical for this category to score on ambience.
Balance: Hard. I think this can be quite overpowered, one would have to balance it out carefully.
Creativity: Good. It is much more original than simple gain or enhancement of units, imo.
Versatility: Well, not that good, I think. After all, there are not so many different options, mainly only permanent or not and what you turn into what. More than one in one game definitely possible, though!
Examples: The only example existing specifically as a racial that comes to my mind is Training, turning weaker units into stronger ones. A quasi-existing example would be making undead transformation a racial. Possible other racials could be demonic possession, Lycantropy or a racial downgrading enemy upgraded units.
Unit Weakening
Simply the opposite of unit enhancement: permanent or temporary downgrading of enemy units. Not in the game until now, I think.
Ambience: Can be really ambient, depending on how it works of course.
Balance: hard to say, but generally it could be balanced well, I think, by simply tweeking effectivity. I daresay, though, that truly permanent (on AM even) downgrading of enemy units might be to strong to balance it.
Creativity: Better than simple enhancement - but mainly because it has not been used yet.
Versatility: Not as good as unit enhancement, I think. Of course, theoretically you can weaken any aspect you can enhance, but I find it more dificult to think of creative and fitting ways to do so.
Examples: I actually do have none existing or proposed here. But I can think of quite some (Haunting, a negative land-based ability and more.)
work in progress, but for now, that's it ... and I would REALLY like comments on what you think about the categories. Are they logical enough? Do you agree on the (dis)advantages I see on them? Have I missed important ones?
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted August 17, 2014 11:34 AM |
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Reserved for racial suggestions
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fuChris
Promising
Supreme Hero
Master to the Speed of Light
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posted August 18, 2014 10:37 AM |
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You got them domwn alright i think. The only others i can think of would be Logistics/battlefield movement/initiative which is a big NO-NO for the community, and economics based specials uniqe for each faction.
Economic specials were only useful in early-mid game untill now but if they could make ways to spend resources well into endgame where you have already bought all the creatures and you are still left with piles of resources. Things like H5 heaven training, academy artifacts, stronghold/necropolis slave market and such.
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Jiriki9
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Altar Dweller
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posted August 18, 2014 10:42 AM |
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Logistics is better off as a general skill for everyone I think. Though I do agree it would e possible to have AM-movement-based racials.
Battle Movement, I think, is part of Unit Enhancement.
Economics based...that IS interesting, I think I would like it, maybe I'll add such a category. Still there would probably be balancing problems and it would have to be really ambient to make only one faction capable of it.
Thanks for your reply, btw, it's great to get response! 
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