Gunpowder will probably come in Empires and Ashes DLC in Q4 this year.
While this is some distance off, It could be a good idea to discuss this topic now, because it will be too late once the details are announced.
Theme of Gunpowder
The first question is what makes gunpowder feel like gunpowder. We know from history that it was very loud and very deadly at short range. The downside is they take a long time to reload and running out of ammo is always on every gunner’s mind.
Implementation
With the theme established, we can see how it can be translated into game mechanics.
- All are equal before the gun: A gunpowder unit should rarely be unable to damage another unit due to high defense. This was more or less correct in AOW3, in that gunpowder attack are single shot with very high base damage, rather than repeating attacks like the bow.
- Hear me roar: Gunpowder attacks should inflict extremely heavy morale damage on top of physical damage. One good hit from a cannon should rout a low morale unit.
- Dodge this: Unlike absolute range of a bow, Gunpowder units should have a low base accuracy at maximum range (perhaps 30% at zero medals). However their accuracy and damage gradually increase for every hex within the maximum range, to a maximum of 100% accuracy and 200% damage at point blank. In addition, unlike conventional ranged attack like blow darts and longbows, Gunpowder units should be able to fire at adjacent enemies, as long as they are reloaded. This provide a counter play because conventional ranged units may be able to win a shootout at maximum range, forcing the gunners to close, which exposes them to cavalry charges. This also create an interesting dynamic that when fighting melee units, guns want to hold for as long as possible without losing men to a charge. Lastly, due to their flat trajectories, Gunpowder units should not be able to fire over obstacles at all. Every obstructing unit along the path of a shot will take some damage.
- Make your shots count: This could be implemented by separate mechanisms on tactical and strategic level. For tactical battles, reload should be a special defensive mode, which applies a loaded buff to the unit, which is removed when it fires. However a unit should not be able to reload when engaged in melee. On a strategic level, I suggest implementing a “supply counter” along with health and movement points for these units. Several supply point is consumed each time the unit enters a battle or reload on the tactical map, if the supply runs out, the unit can’t reload. Supply are restocked slowly when the army is in friendly territory, which depends on a number of factors. (If you have a problem with this specifically, please post an alternative)
- Professionals study logistics: A new strategic resource (niter) should be introduced. It’s used only by gunpowder units, similar for souls for necromancers. On maps without this resource gunpowder units cannot be built and gunpowder related tomes cannot be researched. This allow people who hate guns to play on realms without it. A city need an exploited niter source to draft gunpowder units. Gunpowder units fully restock their supply instantly if they end a turn on a city with exploited niter source. They also restock supply faster in that city’s domain.
Here are my 2 cents on the topic ? Your thoughts ?
While this is some distance off, It could be a good idea to discuss this topic now, because it will be too late once the details are announced.
Theme of Gunpowder
The first question is what makes gunpowder feel like gunpowder. We know from history that it was very loud and very deadly at short range. The downside is they take a long time to reload and running out of ammo is always on every gunner’s mind.
Implementation
With the theme established, we can see how it can be translated into game mechanics.
- All are equal before the gun: A gunpowder unit should rarely be unable to damage another unit due to high defense. This was more or less correct in AOW3, in that gunpowder attack are single shot with very high base damage, rather than repeating attacks like the bow.
- Hear me roar: Gunpowder attacks should inflict extremely heavy morale damage on top of physical damage. One good hit from a cannon should rout a low morale unit.
- Dodge this: Unlike absolute range of a bow, Gunpowder units should have a low base accuracy at maximum range (perhaps 30% at zero medals). However their accuracy and damage gradually increase for every hex within the maximum range, to a maximum of 100% accuracy and 200% damage at point blank. In addition, unlike conventional ranged attack like blow darts and longbows, Gunpowder units should be able to fire at adjacent enemies, as long as they are reloaded. This provide a counter play because conventional ranged units may be able to win a shootout at maximum range, forcing the gunners to close, which exposes them to cavalry charges. This also create an interesting dynamic that when fighting melee units, guns want to hold for as long as possible without losing men to a charge. Lastly, due to their flat trajectories, Gunpowder units should not be able to fire over obstacles at all. Every obstructing unit along the path of a shot will take some damage.
- Make your shots count: This could be implemented by separate mechanisms on tactical and strategic level. For tactical battles, reload should be a special defensive mode, which applies a loaded buff to the unit, which is removed when it fires. However a unit should not be able to reload when engaged in melee. On a strategic level, I suggest implementing a “supply counter” along with health and movement points for these units. Several supply point is consumed each time the unit enters a battle or reload on the tactical map, if the supply runs out, the unit can’t reload. Supply are restocked slowly when the army is in friendly territory, which depends on a number of factors. (If you have a problem with this specifically, please post an alternative)
- Professionals study logistics: A new strategic resource (niter) should be introduced. It’s used only by gunpowder units, similar for souls for necromancers. On maps without this resource gunpowder units cannot be built and gunpowder related tomes cannot be researched. This allow people who hate guns to play on realms without it. A city need an exploited niter source to draft gunpowder units. Gunpowder units fully restock their supply instantly if they end a turn on a city with exploited niter source. They also restock supply faster in that city’s domain.
Here are my 2 cents on the topic ? Your thoughts ?
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