Correcting incorrect or imprecise descriptions of abilities, spells, etc.

[Hiliadan]

From the old post:

Undying: Only works if the player still has a living unit in the combat. If only a teammate has units, the Undying unit doesn´t come back.
But if the battle is won, the unit is alive ofc.

Could someone (@Rodmar18) please rework the description on the Wiki: https://age-of-wonders-3.fandom.com/wiki/Template:Undying
What needs to be done:
- states it works only when at least one unit owned is alive
- rewrite "If the combat is won during this time, it will revive as well." because it's wrong, the unit revives also if it's still on Undying state even after 2 rounds (due to one unit standing on the corpse for instance)
- rewrite "The unit has only 1 revive per battle. If the unit dies a second time, it's gone." because it's not written in an AoW3 style IMO

Warp Domain: It removes the Streets and Bridges in UG cities as well. Dwellings are no valid target.

Don't get why you posted that. The description already clearly shows that. Maybe what you meant is that UG, the climate change does not happen?


EDIT:

Age of Magic: It doesn´t reduce the required Mana for Terraforming and Clear the rapids.

[...]

Blood Altar: Description should state that only living cities get the Population growth penalty.

I'd like to discuss that with the balance community because we could consider changing those behaviours. Haven' changed the description yet.
Same for Dread Omen.

Undead Population amount in Ghoul-cities have the wrong Icon:

The image you posted has expired and I checked in a game and the icon seems correct?

 

[Rodmar18]

From the old post:


Could someone (@Rodmar18) please rework the description on the Wiki: https://age-of-wonders-3.fandom.com/wiki/Template:Undying

Partially done. Is it too long and too convoluted?
About replacing "if combat is won", does "when at least one unit owned is alive" include retreated units, and exclude the case when only ally units survive an allied victory or a draw?

 

[Hiliadan]

It seems OK now but you didn't add the "one unit owned" thing yet, right? Yeah something like "if at least one owned unit is alive".

 

[Rodmar18]

I'm asking if it's really one owned unit (and victory or draw?), or one unit of same side (and victory or draw?). I mean, on the same idea, what happens to Undying units when you attack together with a stack of allies, and your own stack is wiped out while victory is on your side? What happens to a hero with resurgence in this case?
And shall I add Swallow to the list?

 

[Hiliadan]

As gladis wrote: "Only works if the player still has a living unit in the combat. If only a teammate has units, the Undying unit doesn´t come back. "
So it's only for owned units, not for allied units.

Resurgence is unrelated to that. We're talking only about the "reappear after 2 rounds" part of Undying.

@gladis: what about Swallow for the "reappear after 2 rounds"?

 

[Rodmar18]

Is Swallow like destroying corpse, or like changing the unit?

 

[Rodmar18]

In GameConcepts.xml

DESCRIPTION@RACES only lists base game races on first line, and lists them again as links in a bullet list at the bottom of the description.

To do: add Tigrans, Halflings, and Frostlings to both lists, as well as correct link to the relevant pages in ToW about the three factions.

When done, the Shadow Realm expansion should modify its own version of GameConcepts.xml by adding Shadow Elves.

[EDIT]
1) In the first sentence in the description, there's a list of available races, and only base game ones are listed, including in English. Instead of appending those lists with DLC races with English names in all languages, I just added "..." at the end of the list i nall languages. (A full list is still possible, of course)

Before:
Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Draconians and Goblins.
After:
Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Draconians, Goblins...

2) At the end of the description, the links for DLC races are lacking in all languages but English. I corrected in French, and inserted the code below in the other languages.

[bullet][hyperlink,GameConcept-000003180000001C]Halflings[/hyperlink][/bullet][bullet][hyperlink,GameConcept-0000033A00000478]Frostlings[/hyperlink][/bullet][bullet][hyperlink,GameConcept-0000032F000005A1]Tigrans[/hyperlink][/bullet][/bulletList]

File is not uploaded yet but when it is, localizators have to translate the names.

A similar change has been made for the Shadow Realm version of the file, although a proper link to Shadow Elf is missing.
[/EDIT]








DESCRIPTION@RAIDER_SITES only lists base game roamer sites (as well a bullet list of links).

To do; add DLC roamer sites, if any. At least for Shadow Realm expansion, add the new sites (Magic Rift, Larva Pool) and those included in Decodence mod.


DESCRIPTION@DWELLINGS only lists base game dwellings (as well a bullet list of links): Dragons, Giants, Faeries, Revenant Archons.

To do: add DLC dwellings (Nagas, Mermen). Then Shadow Realm expansion could add Living Archons.

 

[Rodmar18]

In Abilities.xml

RESURRECT_DESCRIPTION@DEFENSE_ABILITY
I appended the description of Resurgence to reflect the change we discussed upon for the Resurgence part in the Undying ability. Hope that suits. (not uploaded yet)

Resurgence is prevented by abilities that transform corpses into other units, for instance Raise Corpse, but it is not by abilities that only destroy corpses, for instance Explosive Death.

 

[Hiliadan]

I skipped this from the old post as dealing with ability sourcing is not a priority:

However, we read on a Fire Giant’s info panel:
*Eon/Era Rock: Produced units in this dwelling gain Dragon Killer ability. (Inherent)
*Dragon Killer: … (Eon/Era Rock)

This double entry is against other unit abilities granted by built facilities. For instance:
After you build a FlowRock Citadel:
*Flowrock Machine: … (Inherent)
After you build a Mercenary Camp:
*Mercenary: … (Inherent)

Suggestion: only *Dragon Killer: … (Inherent) should be displayed.

Do we agree that Undeads ignore spirit debuffs, including Slayer's Doubt?

Slayer’s Doubt
No immune categories is listed in the description whereas a Bone Collector is not affected by the spell.

@gladis could you please suggest an update to the "Undead" description to include that?

Frostling Queen Guard’s Oath of Protection
Status’ description currently copies the ability description. As the ability has two effects (+2 DEF, and “Absorb Pain” status), “Oath of Protection” status description could well only inform about the +2 DEF bonus (no need to inform on “Absorb Pain” and the fact that the ability can be used only once per fight: this belongs to the ability’s description). Moreover, you could even change the name into a new status “Protective Stance: this unit has sworn an oath of protection and got +2 DEF (Oath of Protection).” Then, the ability description would inform that the Queen Guard get two status: “Protective Stance” and “Absorb Pain”.

Unclear if the problem is that the +2 def is not mentioned in the unit panel?
For the sourcing/repetition of descriptions issue, again, not a priority.

Same for Rust.

X Killer (e.g. Animal Killer)
This ability is displayed in the small unit info block that pops up when you aim at a target, as being a modifier of the attack/retaliation, even for ranged attacks, whereas I think that they don’t apply to ranged attacks. Likewise, X Killer description is said to grant +3 pĥysical damage -> change to “melee damage”.

As far as I know, X Slayer apply to ranged damage, so @Rodmar18 please do not incorrect stuff (+ please post correct English names of abilities...).

Spiritual Freedom (Peace Keeper)
When you get units as a quest reward from either a dwelling or a city, they don’t benefit from the Spiritual Freedom’s effect, i.e. the Meditation ability. Only units given as a tribute do receive Meditation. However, the spell’s description is clear: any produced or summoned unit in the city’s domain gains Meditation. Either this behavior is intended or it should be corrected, as a unit has always to be produced or summoned before being given to another player. Either only Spiritual Freedom is concerned, or any other city spell modifying new units’ properties. Experienced at Dragon dwelling and Tigran indy/vassal city.

Tributes and Quest rewards are NOT produced or summoned units. So the clarification should rather be that "or given as tribute by affected city or Dwelling" are also affected. Can someone please confirm this is really the case, and confirm it for all 3 alignment city buffs?

Stunning Touch, Freezing Touch: effect’s duration is said to last for 2T, yet the status effect pages says 1T.
Inflict Scorching Heat, Inflict Frosbite: effect’s duration is said to last for 3T, yet the status effect pages say 2T.

What are you refering to as "status effect pages" @Rodmar18 ? You tried to clarify here https://aow.triumph.net/forums/topi...s-of-abilities-spells-etc/page/4/#post-291810 but that's not much clearer. Just provide 2 links, one where it says 3 turns, one where it says 2 turns. I don't want 7 links with stuff totally unrelated (as you did). The hover does not work any more for me so no need to mention it.

I skipped a number of things which are not incorrect or imprecise descriptions but just being maniac about homogeneity of ability description (order of words etc): https://aow.triumph.net/forums/topi...s-of-abilities-spells-etc/page/4/#post-291796


Funny that I wrote that on p.4 of the old thread: "I don’t think we’ll be able to absorb all the content of this thread until at least v1.28 given that p.3 and 4 have much longer posts from both of you." and in the end we had to wait v1.31 to absorb all the content up to that post.

what happens when some effects are cancelled, or what can cancel them.
For instance when a mind-control is broken, I believe the unit has full MP. Conversely, when a Taunt or Panick is cancelled, the unit has no AP at all.

Could someone please list all the cases so that we add the information to the description?


I finally finished the thread on the old forum! v1.32 will start updating descriptions reported here. Given that we have 4 pages of description updates, I expect that it will never be possible to deal with all of them, as at some point, we will stop updating the balance mod. A shame some people () didn't prioritize enough.

 

[Rodmar18]

Wow, you did it, ultimately! You know, work done already is not to be done again. Every single step is a move forward, etc.

Those reports were written when I was myself young and naive, but I will review all of these excerpts to be sure that my perception has not evolved since then.

But could you please precise what you mean by: "The hover does not work any more for me so no need to mention it."? That they don't always correspond to data, but that units' info panel do? And that ToW pages or abilities/skills descriptions are not to be corrected for the sake of them?

Also, even if I was young and naive, a "page" should correspond to a page in the ToW, not to any other UI window or panel. I mean, even if there's the language's filter, I usually don't drink when I play and write stuff. But I'll double check once I get what I exactly wanted to say when I wrote this.

 

[Rodmar18]

In BAL_ABILITIES.xml:

Greater Reanimate Undead
Lesser Reanimate Undead

Suggestion:
Rename both abilities like:
Greater/Lesser Bind Undead or Fortify Undead or Protect Undead or Meandor's Boon, etc.

Reason: they are not reanimated/raised back anymore, they are given the Undying ability in the PBEM mod.
If I'm not wrong (?), no need to change the internal names, only the localization strings.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Pledge of Protection & Absorb Pain

1) First the model: Absorb Pain (Martyr's) in Abilities.xml

Ability:
ABSORB_PAIN_NAME@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"Absorb Pain"
ABSORB_PAIN_DESCRIPTION@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"This unit is linked to a friendly unit. Any damage dealt to the linked unit is reduced by {absorbPainDamageReduction} and dealt to this unit instead. This effect lasts until end of combat."
Tooltip adds the source: (Inherent)

Martyr's status:
ABSORB_PAIN_RECEIVE_NAME@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"Absorbing Pain"
ABSORB_PAIN_RECEIVE_DESCRIPTION@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"This unit is linked to a friendly unit. Any damage dealt to the linked unit is reduced by {absorbPainDamageReduction} and dealt to this unit instead. This effect lasts until end of combat."
Tooltip adds the source: (Absorb Pain)

Recipient's status:
ABSORB_PAIN_TRANS_NAME@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"Transferring Pain"
ABSORB_PAIN_TRANS_DESCRIPTION@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"This unit is linked to a friendly unit. Any damage dealt to this unit is reduced by {absorbPainDamageReduction} and dealt to the linked unit instead. This effect lasts until end of combat."
Tooltip adds the source: (Absorb Pain)


2) Frostling Royal Guard's Pledge of Protection in Abilities_DLC3.xml

Ability:
PLEDGE_OF_PROTECTION_NAME@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"Pledge of Protection"
PLEDGE_OF_PROTECTION_DESCRIPTION@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"This unit gains {pledgeofprotectionBonus} and links itself to target friendly Frostling Hero, Frostling Queen, Frostling Witch or Frostling female unit that is not already linked. Any damage dealt to the linked unit is reduced by {absorbPainDamageReduction} and dealt to this unit instead. This effect lasts until the end of combat."
Tooltip adds the source: (Inherent)

As for statuses, those from Abilities.xml are reused and their names and descriptions fit the pledge, indeed.
Their tooltips use the right source: (Pledge of Protection).

The difference is that the pledgeofprotectionBonus is not presented in the original description for the Martyr's status, of course.
For one, I'd see this as too much derogatory as compared to all the other status descriptions. I recall that only movement-only penalties (Hindered) and moral-only penalties (Despaired) have not been deemed worth of an associated status by the Devs. Here, it's not a def-only bonus, it's a dual effect (bonus + absorb pain).

There's perhaps no need to add a brand new status informing about this defense bonus, however. Having an alternate version of Absorbing Pain would be enough.

And while we are at it, why not adding to the descriptions that the unit ends its turn on guard?


3) Suggestion

ABSORB_PAIN_RECEIVE_DESCRIPTION_GUARD@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"This unit benefits from a +2 [def/] bonus and is linked to a friendly unit. Any damage dealt to the linked unit is reduced by {absorbPainDamageReduction} and dealt to this unit instead. This effect lasts until end of combat."
Tooltip shall add the source: (Pledge of Protection)

PLEDGE_OF_PROTECTION_DESCRIPTION@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"This unit gains {pledgeofprotectionBonus}, ends its round in guard mode, and links itself to target friendly Frostling Hero, Frostling Queen, Frostling Witch or Frostling female unit that is not already linked. Any damage dealt to the linked unit is reduced by {absorbPainDamageReduction} and dealt to this unit instead. This effect lasts until the end of combat."

ABSORB_PAIN_DESCRIPTION@ACTIVE_ABILITY_TOUCH
"This unit links itself to a friendly unit, and ends its round in guard mode. Any damage dealt to the linked unit is reduced by {absorbPainDamageReduction} and dealt to this unit instead. This effect lasts until end of combat."
Tooltip adds the source: (Inherent)

 

[Rodmar18]

Cannot Regenerate

Although correct, the description seems a bit vague, because "natural regeneration" makes think it refers only to natural healing (and Fast Healing?).

This unit does not benefit from natural regeneration of its [hp+/] but can still be healed on the strategic map.​

However, Martyr's regenerate ability doesn't work either on a ghoul version, and it's not evident that it's a "natural" healing, and not a "supernatural" healing. I figure it's the same for RG Draconian Regrowth, isn't it? But I recall that Regrowth acquired in a Shrine of the Guardian Angel works for all Undead...

Perhaps the description of Cannot Regenerate could precise: "This unit does not benefit from any permanent regeneration of its [hp/], whatever the ability, but..."

 

[Rodmar18]

In GameConcepts.xml:

DESCRIPTION@RACES
The last part of the hyperlinks is:

See also: [hyperlink,GameConcept-0000015900000226]Racial abilities[/hyperlink], [hyperlink,Tip-00000159000002A2]Your Leader[/hyperlink], [hyperlink,Tip-00000159000002A1]Units[/hyperlink], [hyperlink,GameConcept-000001590000021B]Passive abilities[/hyperlink], [hyperlink,GameConcept-000001590000025E]Migrate city[/hyperlink], [hyperlink,GameConcept-00000159000001F5]Cavern dirt walls[/hyperlink] [hyperlink,GameConcept-00000345000000B2]Race Happiness[/hyperlink], [hyperlink,GameConcept-00000345000000B1]Race Governance[/hyperlink]

Can someone justify why Cavern dirt walls should be linked there? Because of the lack of a coma and capitals, I'd think about an oversight when adding another link (Race Happiness?).

 

[Rodmar18]

In the ToW, Reef Colony (Merfolk) lacks two units (with links) in its list of produced units.
As seen on the screenshot, Mermaid and Siren are lacking.

 

[Rodmar18]

Tome of Wonders (GameConcepts.xml)
@Hiliadan, @Refineus

NOTE: screenshot taken with PBEM and Shadow Realm mods.

1) Terrain page gets some odd values and items in the table, as shown on the screenshots. By the way, where/how this table is generated?
- I guess that Unpassable stands for Rapids, but do we really need two occurrences of Blocked, let alone one?
- Why this 4 MP for void hexes?
- Either Clime is a typo and stands for Climate, or rather, it's to be replaced by Terrain, as Climate is never told upon in the ToW (besides in racial descriptions), and Terrain can effectively by changed by Raise Ground and Deforestation.

2) Surprisingly, a Climate page is lacking. Should we write one on the model of Terrain page, and based on the Wiki? It would be nice to also have a similar table as for Terrain page.

 

[Refineus]

Void is based on the "Lava Pool". Perhaps it's autogenerated despite that no one can cross it. I will put it on my "to-do list" in the Shadow Realm Mod.

 

[Rodmar18]

You are fast! Now are screenshots from Vanilla, then PBEM (+ Decodence Map Editor Content):

Now, let's recap:

Vanilla:

• "Clime": Climate or Terrain?
• Missing (and lacking) Climate page (+ Terrain-like table).

PBEM:

• One "Blocked" more, one "Blocked" too many.
• Is "Unpassable" fully readable in this context (unpassable water hex, aka rapids).

Shadow Realm:

• Shouldn't "Void" be displayed like another "Blocked" terrain type (with 0 MP)?

 

[Refineus]

Shadow Realm:

• Shouldn't "Void" be displayed like another "Blocked" terrain type (with 0 MP)?

Fixed. Got you covered.

 

[Rodmar18]

About multi-target, "jumping" spells

The following is verified for AD's Hornet Swarm and Sorc's Chain Lightning. Please, eventually consider explaining me what I don't understand in vanilla description, because I'm not a native English speaker. I have still to check other like spells.

Vanilla description:

Deals X damage to target enemy unit. The effect jumps a maximum of Y times to other enemy units Z or less Hexes away (from the previous target).

Suggested description:

Deals X damage to target enemy unit. The effect spreads from one enemy unit to one another up to Z cells of each other for a maximum of Y affected units.

Because if it doesn't jump, only initial targeted unit is affected.
If it jumps once, two units are affected.
If it jumps twice, three units are affected.
If it jumps thrice, four units are affected.
For the two listed spells, only four (4) enemy units can be affected at max. That makes three (3) jumps from the initial target, at max.

Note: there is no need to change internal variables; only the description has to be rewritten as suggested, for example.