Mod: Conceptual Balance Mod 1.6

[Jarkko]

I think Machaka got the short straw with this version.

With Flaming Arrows being so difficult to cast in CBM the only hope for Machaka has been to burn gems for evocations (or to get Flaming Arrows up), craft items and summon stuff early on in the game, and expand rapidly, because their late game *sucks*. Except now there are too few gems available (this is *good*, it just hurts Machaka mid game a lot, and they already do suck in early game and late game...).

Everybody and their dog can enter the seas now, which is good. Well, except of course Machaka. Their troops are useful only to slow down the opponents before the fire evocations save the day; except of course the fire evocations can't be used under the waves.


Machaka desperately needs some help now.

Maybe a national version of flaming arrows with a lot less demanding requirements would be nice. Don't know if it would be possible have a flaming arrows with limited duration (like say one turn, so that the caster would have to recast it each round) or limited area (like AoE 10 or 20 or something), but it sure would help Machaka a lot.

Or perhaps the Black Sorceror could have Dragon Master as innate ability (to be able to summon fire drakes early on to bolster the lines in the early moments).

[WingedDog]

Originally Posted by quantum_mechani

*Clams, Blood stones and Fever Fetishes Unique items.

If the Blood Stone now is a unique item, then the Earth Boots are the only reasonable earth boster remaining. Maybe just removing gem generating effect from the Blood Stone was enough? Or perhabs creating an alternative booster?

[Sombre]

Can't remove just gem generating.

The topic of an alternative booster has been much discussed. It basically comes down to either pebble skin suit or tome of gaia.

[Burnsaber]

Originally Posted by WingedDog

If the Blood Stone now is a unique item, then the Earth Boots are the only reasonable earth boster remaining. Maybe just removing gem generating effect from the Blood Stone was enough? Or perhabs creating an alternative booster?

You are not the first one to come up with this idea. It's a good idea, but not possible to implement with the current modding tools. We can't change any special properties of magic items (expect for the weapon and armor stats alonside with cost and researchlevel).

The closest "replacing" earth booster would likely be the artifact "Pebble Skin Suit", moved to construction 6 for example, but it has a lot of other effects, like being cursed and giving stoneskin, +2 str and regeneration. It also has a chance to turn the wearer into a troll each month.

The early Days game is currently testing the Pebble Skin Suit as an con6 item with a cost of E4B1. After giving it some tought, I think that it would have been better to make it E5. With a whopping cost of 40 earth gems, you would only use it as a booster when you really need it (seriosuly, how many Treelord staves have you forged?), so there won't be any "troll" spam happening. Also the "Troll" transformation is more useful for human nations than to giants.

[calmon]

Originally Posted by quantum_mechani

*Clams, Blood stones and Fever Fetishes Unique items.

Nice changes!

Please consider to change the global gem generation spells too. They were strong before but now even stronger to cast them early on (usual nobody dispels until lategame).

This would balance the globals somehow because we already have a very strong focus on gem generation globals and only few others like gift of health.

[Kuritza]

Half measures. Just get rid of gems! Well mabye leave these from your capitol, for minor forging, but no magic sites.
Then national troops wont get obsolete till the very late game

[vfb]

Are you talking about Forge of Godhood? I'm finding it very enjoyable!

[hunt11]

And we all know that astral corruption and utterdark are so weak.

[quantum_mechani]

Originally Posted by rtyffg

These lines in LA Pan seem to be a typo as it makes them cost 330g (more then MA version):
-Panii
#selectmonster 706
%gcost 300
#end

Thanks, I missed that typo.

Zeldor and llamabeast: Quite a few things that I wanted to put I didn't make it in this version, but the gem changes are pretty major so I'll let that issue settle before doing more changes I think.

Kuritza: I understand the change to gem gens is probably the most radical single thing CB has attempted. However, the suggestions and feedback I have gotten back on it has been overall very positive. It is of course possible that after some games with it people will come to find it has more drawbacks than anticipated, but I hope you will at least consider trying game or two with it.

As far as LA Ermor and Ryleh are concerned I think it is mostly matter of an already existing problem that gem gens just obscured a bit. It's possible other changes might be undertaken to work on them.

And yes I realize naiad warriors is a fairly token boost in comparison, but I think it goes to show a bit how broken clams were.

On mackaka: They did get something of boost for their hunter spiders in this version. Also, they can get underwater just fine with the new manual of water breathing (1n). And their death, nature and earth magic is actually not band under there.

Boosting their PD is one thing I meant to do and didn't get around to though.

[Sombre]

I would love to one day see spider riders either not yield permanent spider units upon death, or regrow their riders if you don't kill the entire unit (because it feels very silly to buy the riders and get them killed in order to get the spiders, upkeep free). Of course this would require cost balancing as the units would then be very different. I'd just prefer if they mechanically fit in with other mounts like wolves, horses, serpents etc.