Last Updated: 7/15/96
This article is Copyright © 1996 by Tim Firman. All rights reserved.
Preface: This is the second public draft of a FG FAQ. There are likely many errors still. I'd appreciate constructive input, particularly if I've made an error, or in the spots that I mention are still unfinished. I'm hoping this will evolve somewhat from input from the net. Some parts of this, particularly battle trees, are from other people's input.
This is the first public draft of a FG FAQ. There are likely many errors still. I'd appreciate constructive input, particularly if I've made an error, or in the spots that I mention are still unfinished. I'm hoping this will evolve somewhat from input from the net.
It depends on the method of movement (MOD). Also, movement ends when the hex you move into is in enemy zone of control (ZOC-see manual pg. 54)
| Road | Clear | Rough/Woods | Mountain/Volcano | River | Jungle | Swamp/Lava | |
| Ope | 2/3* | 1 | 1 | All | All | 2 | 3 |
| Clo | 2/3* | 1 | 2 | All | All | 3 | All |
| Cav | 2/3* | 1 | 2 | All | 3 | 4 | All |
| Sie | 2/3* | 1 | 2 | All | All | All | All |
| Air | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
* The 2/3 value for roads is only applied if travel is between two road hexes. Clear to road and road to clear movement both cost 1. Non-road to road appears to always cost 1, not 2/3. It doesn't matter if the graphics show the roads on the hexes as connecting or not.
Bridges are odd. My guess is that they cost as a road if you approach on road. It looks like you must move to the road hex adjacent to the bridge before crossing it. I got some weird results though; it's possible the 'find the best path' mechanism is broken, or something is very weird....
How do units with more than one type of attack work?
Combat appears to go through Missile, Skirmish, then Melee phases, stopping when the attacking unit finishes it's primary attack.
So, skirmishers will skip the Melee phase when attacking, Archers will skip Skirmish and Melee.
However, an infantry with a Crossbow will get both attacks in when it attacks (it's expected damage is higher than it would be if it got only a melee strike).
How do ambushes work?
An ambush occurs when a unit attempts to enter a hex occupied by an unspotted enemy unit. The 'defending' unit then ambushes the unit which is moving, getting an attack in without any return fire. This, incidentally, is the only way to get a bombardier to fight another bombardier...
What formulas are used to determine damage?
OK. I've tried to work this out, but it's either non-linear or the damage estimates are somehow fishy.
Damage is based on (attack strength-armor of defending unit). Amount of damage is not the same for attack and defense, nor is it the same across the three types of attack.
In general, defenders do slightly more damage than attackers (try identical grade 1 HI to see this.. the defender does more damage expected)
For total damage, (kills+wounds): (same attack and armor values)
melee > skirmish > missile
However, for just kills: (same attack and armor values)
missile > skirmish > melee
it follows that for just wounds: (same attack and armor values)
melee > skirmish > missile
15 life melee units never expect less than 1 wound or more than 3 deaths and 10 wounds.
An advantage(attack strength vs. armor) of more than 20 is irrelevant. I've seen a +45 advantage give the same expected casualties as +20.
The Official Strategy Guide is wrong. (I've leafed through it at the store; I didn't buy it partly because of this.) If you find the expected damage of a unit per advantage over the enemy it does not come out as linear, unlike the formula they describe. Admittedly, they're somewhat close. The other, perhaps more sinister, possibility is that they're right and expected losses is screwed. Also, I postulate 6 formulae, one for attack/defense for 3 attack types, yet they list just one. Which one is it?
When do archers get defensive fire?
Archers get defensive fire if an adjacent unit is attacked by a NON-MISSILE attack.
(unless they're Broken [ML])
When do units retreat? When will they surrender?
The manual says retreating is based only on 'current life and any losses' I suspect morale is involved. Almost whole units retreat a fair bit. They surrender if there is no hex for them to move to. They can move into the attacking unit's hex if it dies in the attack! (weird retreat, huh?)
What is the sky hunter's escort ability? (pg. 56)
It is essentially an interception of an enemy bombardier. If a bombardier attempts to bomb in a hex adjacent to a sky hunter which has neither defended nor already escorted that turn, the bombardier will fight the sky hunter in melee instead of bombing.
It is also the interception of an adjacent enemy sky hunter attacking an adjacent friendly bombardier.[ML]
What determines the base morale of a unit?
Base Morale = 100 +5/level of unit
What effects morale?
Units get +10 if they are adjacent to or if they are a Hero. Morale is modified by 20 for the Charisma attribute. Combat affects of morale:
-(4-9) per attack or defense[I haven't found a pattern here]
-5 per death the unit suffers
-3 per wound the unit suffers
When you rest, you regain up to base morale, modified by -5/death and -3/wound.
When do units become disordered or broken?
Morale is checked after each attack or defense by a unit. This happens during each type of combat. (pg. 50) A unit can become disordered or broken even if that unit suffers no losses (I guess that's a 'combat result'). Affects of disorder and breaking are described in the manual on page 51.
What determines how much experience a unit gets?
The formula is:
+5 per attack or defense (+3 if a single entity)
+5 additional if there is return fire (for both attacker and defender) (+3 for single entity)
+1 per wound and per death the unit SUFFERS.
Archer defensive fire gets the archer +5 xp(as return fire)
Extra return fire (from archers) does not increase attacker's xp.
Values for single entities aren't exact. They sometimes get less, for no apparent reason. My current theory is that 'deaths' a S. E. suffers become wounds, but don't give xp.
The amount of damage a unit INFLICTS, and how many kills it gets, appears to be irrelevant. This surprised me...
Also, for spells: (magic items give similar experience)
+1 per successfully cast non-damage, non-area effect spell
+3 per successfully cast single unit damage spell
+1 per unit affected by an area effect spell
There are a few exceptions(Berserk? I can't remember...)
How/when do units lose experience? How much do they lose?
This is described in the manual, but some people find it confusing. When a unit suffers deaths in combat, when the unit recruits to replace the dead parts of that unit it will lose experience.* If you don't recruit on the battlefield, you will automatically recruit after the battle. The formula:
(# still alive)*(present XP) + (# to replace)*(starting XP)
all divided by the maximum life of the unit(usually 15, 10 for spellcasters)
Since Marcas' units start with 100 XP, recruiting costs less xp for all his units throughout the game. A good advantage.
* If a volunteer with under 100 xp recruits for Marcus, it gains XP!
What's the limit for a unit's experience?
599. No experience is gained above 599.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the unit types?
I tend to think of them as a sort of default troop.
Strengths: They are the strongest all around units. The most powerful Melee unit. Negate cavalry is a big plus.
Weaknesses: Speed. They're slow. Force March helps, but you can't spellcast and attack....
Opinion: Either H.I. or cavalry is necessary. A No infantry army heavy to cavalry army would work, except for the way the A.I. gets ridiculous recruits if you try it. A good, almost essential, unit.
Keeping a few Samurai around to fill the role of light infantry can work pretty well, as they are an open formation unit. (no negate cavalry bonus though!)
A somewhat faster, weaker version of heavy infantry
Strengths: Well, they do well in rough terrain.
Weaknesses: nothing glaring, either. They're all around mediocre.
Opinion: I don't really care for them. I used them in my first game, with Marcas, and they were pretty blah. You can use them to mop up stragglers, as the manual suggests, but I'd rather use low level troops I'm going to like later on... Without Force March, they are in some ways slower than Heavy Infantry. Skirmishers are pretty much all around better.
Somewhat fast infantry which has a skirmish attack
Strengths: Skirmish attack which disallows return melee attacks. *Half Damage* is dealt to them, when they defend, by troops which move _as fast as_ or slower than they do. (see rulebook errata) They move well in rough terrain. Invisibility is neat, don't forget to cast it for a free xp.
Weaknesses: Cavalry can kill them quickly, as they do full damage (unless the skirmisher has a boots of rapid movement!) They're a little slow in open terrain.
Opinion: I like them a lot. I have a lot of either them or light cav. in every army. They are beefier than L.I. because of half damage rules, as well as skirmishing... A group of skirmishers will easily slaughter a group of Heavy Infantry similar in size and price.
Combined with archers, invis. gives a nice ambush attack- enemy tries to attack the apparently lone archer and moves into the skirmisher, giving an ambush plus defensive fire.[DWP]
Slow infantry which has a missile attack and defensive fire.
Strengths: Missile attack which allows only missile return fire. Defensive fire, which is great on defense
Weaknesses: SLOW. This can be Very Annoying. They're pretty wimpy when attacked directly. They do less total damage, but get a fair amount of kills.
Opinion: Lukewarm. They're not necessary, but they're nifty if you can get them to the frontline. It is unclear to me if upgrading to Royal archers is a good thing. You don't get the 3 missile and armor, but fire archers move as an open formation, which can make the difference in getting into battle. If there were more defensive scenarios(a sore lack IMHO) they'd be better.
Melee unit faster than H.I. but somewhat weaker.
Strengths: Fast. +8 to melee if _attacked hex_ is clear, road, etc. Phoenix Knights Rule.
Weaknesses: not as strong as H.I., particularly early. Somewhat expensive.
Opinion: Thumbs up. Either Cav or H.I. is necessary in force. Their greater mobility slightly more than offsets their relative weakness when comparing to H. I. Raise Dead is the best spell in the game. Phoenix Knights, unless they die all the way, don't lose xp from deaths. Very Nice. And they're a mortal unit!
Very fast skirmishing cavalry, somewhat weak.
Strengths: Very Fast. Skirmishing. Takes half damage from attacking units moving _as fast as_ or slower than they.
Weaknesses: They don't do that much damage. Pretty expensive.
Opinion: I like them; I wouldn't go without either them or skirmishers. Half damage is great, but watch out for Sky Hunters. I almost favor skirmishers, as L.C. are awfully wimpy, but I usually go for a unified mostly Cav or mostly Infantry theme. They don't have to fear (slower) Cav as much as skirmishers do.
Aerial Melee units.
Strengths: Flight, Very fast. Escort ability(see combat above)
Weaknesses: expensive, wimpy in comparison to other melee units.
Opinion: Absolutely Essential. I can do without any unit but Sky hunters. They are critical, and sometimes hard to keep alive. A _minimum_ of 25% of your forces should be S.H. IMO. Phoenix Hawks are a major reason to play Krell; as I said earlier, Raise Dead Rules.
Aerial missile unit.
Strengths: flight, fast. Missile attack.
Weaknesses: expensive, somewhat wimpy.
Opinion: Pretty good. Fast and flexible, useful in starting the attack on tough units as well as harrassing wounded units. Their weaknesses hurt, though, making them nice but non-essential to me.
Ranged attack unit with special siege attack
Strengths: Range of attack, siege attack on castles/towns.
Weaknesses: SLOW. Very wimpy in melee. SLOW. Attack doesn't get good until several upgrades. Oh, yeah, they're slow.
Opinion: Dislike. There are some situations where they're good, but it takes forever to get them forward, and you have to protect them too much.
They do get pretty nasty if you can cluster them near a town, as each one gets support fire for each attack.[ML]
Spellcasting skirmishers.
Strengths: Well, spells. Magical skirmish attack.
Weaknesses: Slow. Spells mostly suck. Wimpy. Only 10 life.
Opinion: Dislike. The earlier spells (healer, banshee) are pretty good but the later ones are poor. The 10 life per unit disadvantage hurts them a lot. As mentioned on the net, they'd be worth it if they kept all spells up to their grade, but as is, thumbs down.
How much cash must I invest to get a certain grade of unit?
Roughly, it costs as much as the unit costs to buy(Not to upgrade) after you get the previous grade. There are discounts for some characters(Marcas for infantry, etc.)
How does non-mortal research effect this?
I think it's just additive. (big disadvantage.) Don't Get Mech Mastery. It's not worth it.
What does X do?
The manual and on-line stuff seems to be pretty good. If you're curious, you can check them out in the arena by clicking on item on the unit screen when you're building your army.
Can you get multiples of the same item?
Yes. No restrictions, as far as I can tell.
What are the battle trees? Where do I find X? How do I get Y?
[KMW],[GD],[PK]
(Please send in your paths through this and other continents. Make sure to use the lettering conventions. This data will help with some of the more complex mapping issues. Try to take different paths than the one(s) listed here.)
1st Continent (Dragga) MAP OF CONTINENT #1 (6/96) NOTE: "X" and "Y" are map decorations (castle Icons) - there are no battles there. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . b c . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . . . . X .. . . . . . . . . . d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a)Scarlet Plain b)Fareach Valley a-->c b-->c c)Hoaroot Forest If you are Calis, Malric can be found here If you are Mordra, Shandel is found here - [PK] c-->d d)Cynehelm Valley If you are Krell, Loric can be found here If you are Marcas, Borric can be found here end of 1st continent
2nd Continent (Aelcar) MAP OF CONTINENT #2 (6/3/96) NOTE: "X" and "Y" are map decorations (Castle Icons), there are no battles at either. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . b . . . . a g . . . . . . . . f . . . . . . . c . . d . . Y . . . . . h . . . . . . . e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . a) The Vale of Sorrow The Priest of Handola can be found here if you reach the Temple of Handola in about 10 turns. If you get there earlier, he'll give you gold or an amulet If you get there later, he'll probably be dead. If you beat this battle in about 13 turns, the Caerovian Peninsula will be open to you. a-->b, c, d (by turn 13) b)Forest of Weeping Wind c)Broken Fang Pass b-->e, f, g c-->e, f, g d)Caerovian Peninsula The MechMaster Ferras can be found here He will provide you with the MechMaster ability, allowing you to recruit mechs d-->b, c e)Rholmere f)Sundered Plain g)Cape Havoc e-->h f-->h,e,g g-->e,f,h If playing Krell then Dreggo found here If playing Marcus, then Dreggo found here. Note: My guess is that if you visit "e", OR "f", OR "g", then the other two and "h" will be offered. AFTER visiting "e", OR "f", OR "g", then the other two will only offer "h". -[GD] h)Drake Forge Valley end of 2nd continentSample route(s) through 2nd continent:
Knight Marshal Calis Route Trough Continent #2 ---------------------------------------------- a) a--> b,c,d b) b--> e,f,g f) f--> e,g,h g) g--> h h) End of Second Continent(Please send in your paths through this and other continents. Make sure to use the lettering conventions. This data will help with some of the more complex mapping issues. Try to take different paths than the one(s) listed here.)
3rd Continent (Ssazikar) MAP OF CONTINENT #3 (7/15/96) NOTE: "X" and "Y" are map decorations (Castle Icons), there are no battles at either. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Y . . . . . . . . j . . . r . . s k f g . . . . q . . . . i d . . e . . . . . . . o h . . c . . . . . . . . . . l . . a . . p . . . . b . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . X . . . . . . n . . m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a)Blackmoon Fens b)Asphead Mountains Valira can be found here b-->c, d b-->c, d c)Shrike River Valley d)Stranglevine Jungle c-->d,e,f If you beat this battle in about 10 turns, the Sunken Coast will be available d-->e, f, g (by turn 10, maybe more) e)Ravenscraw Downs f)Bearded Mts. g)Sunken Coast e-->h,i,j f-->e,g,h Niels the Engineer can be found here. He will allow mech units to be repaired by resting. g-->e, k h)Felbourne Bogs If you beat this battle in about 13 turns, Giant's Throw Island will be available h-->i,j,l,m (by turn 13, maybe more) (KMW only got l,m here and I also got i,j, perhaps because I went through "f"? [GD]) i)Claw River Basin j)Devouring Swamp k)Thunder Plains i-->q, r j-->l,o,r k-->h,i,j (Army max increase by 2 units after completion [GD]) l)Shattered Mts. m)Giant's Throw Island l-->i, n, o m-->i,j,l | Saegar the Ranger can be found here. | Units will receive +1 to search range and | move through woods at 1 mp/hex cost (KMW got "i" here and I got "r", wonder why?-[GD]) n)Shadow Cliff Peninsula o)Venomroot Jungle n-->q, r o-->p, q p)Misty Plain q)Cloven Foot Pass r)Toadskin Fells p-->q q-->s r-->q s)Serpent's Cauldron end of 3rd continent
The Knight Marshal Calis route (7/15/96) through Continent #3
------------------------
a) a-->c,d
c) c-->d,e,f
d) d-->e,f,g
---f) f-->e,g,k
|
| [k) k-->h,i,j] This was a side excursion to check out "k" and
| was not included in actual game path [GD]
-->e) e-->h,i,j
h) h-->i,j,l,m
m) m-->i,j,l
j) j-->l,o,r
l) l-->n,o,r
o) o-->p,q
p) p-->q
q) q-->s
s) End of 3rd Continent
4th Continent (Maloch)
MAP OF CONTINENT #4 (6/3/96)
NOTE: "Y" is a map decoration (the castle Icon)
and there is no battle here.
. . . . . . . . . . .
. Y aa . . . . . . . . M .
. .
. z w u t L k .
. y .
. .
. g .
. x .
. s o j .
. .
. p .
. v .
. i f . .
. . . r e .
. m .
. q .
. d c .
. . . .
. l h . .
. . . b a .
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
a)Ice Fields of Noiraneskap
Sir Kalador can be found here, but if you take too
long, he will be dead when you reach the shrine he is held at
a-->b,c
b)Crystalwood Vale c)Glacier Fall Mts.
b-->d,e c-->d,e
d)Wyrm Gullet Gorge e)Verikan Tundra
d-->h,i,j,k e-->d,f,g
f)Deadwood Marches g)Blue Fang Ice Shelf
f-->??? g-->h,i,j,k
h)Mist Valley i)Shadows Peak j)Grey Hills k)Pharenian Steppes
h-->l,m,o,L i-->h,m,o,L,M j-->o k-->h,i,o,L,M
L) Drakehorn Gap M) Ravenwoods
L-->l,m,p M-->???
(eliminates path to "o")
l)Ice Cauldron Mts.
Xyphon can be found here, but if you take too long,
he'll be dead when you get to where he is being held
l-->m
m)Harbinger Valley
m-->o,p ("o" not available if "L" visited)
o)Shard Plains of Srael p)Burel's Wall
o-->p p-->q,r,s,t
("o" not available if "L" visited)
q)Rimecape Mts. r)Boreal Vale s)Mirrored Plains t)Gravewind Mts.
q-->u,r,s r-->u,v s-->r,u t-->???
u)Wolfshead Valley v)Forest of Silent Winds
u-->w,v v-->x,w
(may have to go (may have to go through
through "s" to get "v") through "s" to get "w")
NOTE: [KMW] doesn't show being able to access v from u and w
from v, but I could. Perhaps this is because I went
through "s" which he didn't try. -[GD]
w)Gaothaire Heights x)Skyreach Mts.
w-->y,z x-->y,z
y)Scar Valley z)Whip River Valley
y-->aa z-->aa
aa)Mandragora Steppes
Krindel can be found here
end of 4th continent
Sample route(s) through 4th continent:(Please send in your paths through this and other continents. Make sure to use the lettering conventions. This data will help with some of the more complex mapping issues. Try to take different paths than the one(s) listed here.)
The Lord Marcas route (6/3/96) through Maloch a) a-->b,c c) c-->d,e e) e-->d,f,g d) d-->h,i,j,k k) k-->h,i,o,L,M i) i-->h,m,o,L,M h) h-->l,m,o,L L) L-->l,m,p l) l-->m m) m-->p p) p-->q,r,s,t s) s-->r,u u) u-->w,v v) v-->x,w x) x-->y,z y) y-->aaSample route(s) through 5th continent:
5th Continent (Shadowlord, 1st time) MAP OF CONTINENT #5 (6/16/96) NOTE: "Y" is a map decoration (the castle Icon) and there is no battle here. . . . Y . . . . . . . . d . . . . l . . . . . h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . f . . . . . . . . . j . . . .. . . . . . . b . . . . . . . . . k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i . . a c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . g . . e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a)Bleeding Mts. a-->b, c b)Labyrinth Valley c)Sundry Shadow Coast b-->d,e c-->d,e d)Sharktooth Island e)Deadlands Island d-->f,g e-->f, g f)Hunters Isle g)Southbender Island f-->h, i g-->h,i h)Marasil Island i)Tindal Cove Island h-->j, k i-->j,k j)Argraksa Island k)Isle of Watchers j-->l k-->l l)Crimson Sands end of 5th continent
(Please send in your paths through this and other continents. Make sure to use the lettering conventions. This data will help with some of the more complex mapping issues. Try to take different paths than the one(s) listed here.)
The Lord Marcas route (6/16/96) The Lord Marcas route through Continent #5 -------------------- a) a--> b,c c) c--> d,e d) d--> f,g g) g--> h,i i) i--> j,k k) k--> l l) end of 5th continent --------------------Sample route(s) through 5th continent:
6th Continent (Shadowlord, 2nd time) MAP OF CONTINENT #6 (7/8/96) NOTE: "X" (Bloodworth Castle) and "Y" (Vale of the Shadowlord) are map decorations (the castle icon) and there are no battles here. .. . . . . . . . . . .Y . . E . . . . . . . . . . . t . . F . . . . . D . . . q s . . . . . f i o . . m Q . . . . c j . . r . . d k n . . . . g . . a . . h p . . e l . . b . . . . X . . . . . . . R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a)Burning Heights b)Glowing Sands a-->c,d,e b-->c, d, e c)Searwood Forest d)Duskill Fells e)Ashfall Forest c-->d, e, f, g, h d-->D,E,f,g,h e-->??? D)Pinion Plains D-->e, f, g, h E)Cracked Spine Mts. f)Valley of Flaming Tongues E-->??? f-->F,j,k,l F) The Scarred Coast F-->i,j,k,l Upon completion, Marcus was awarded Gold and two grade-5 Heavy Infantry-[GD] g)Bloodrock Furnace An interesting place -- if you choose not to fight this battle, it remains selectable until the end of the stage If "f" is chosen, then "g" is no longer available, but "F" becomes available. -[GD] h)Desolation Gorge h-->i,j,k,l i)Stoneflow Valley j)Slag River Valley k)Cinder Flats i-->??? j-->i,k,l,m k-->l, m, n l)Painscape Cauldron m)Accursed Woods n)Pumice Wastes l-->??? m-->o,n,p n-->o,p An interesting place - if you choose not to fight at "n", then it remains available until end of game. (probably path dependent, check Marcus path) -[GD] o)Seething Moors p)Widowsthorn Thicket o-->q, r p-->n,q,r,R q)Fehrdusk Forest r)Stonewrath Flats q-->s r-->n,q,Q R) The Scalding Quagmire R-->??? Q) Roiling Wastes Q-->n,s s)Daemonforge Gap s-->t,n t)Vale of the Shadowlord end of 6th continent
(Please send in your paths through this and other continents. Make sure to use the lettering conventions. This data will help with some of the more complex mapping issues. Try to take different paths than the one(s) listed here.)
The Lord Marcas route (7/9/96) The Lord Marcas route through Continent #6 -------------------- a) a-->c,d,e d) d-->D,E,f,g,h f) f-->F,j,k,l F) F-->i,j,k,l j) j-->i,k,l,m m) m-->o,n,p (Accursed Woods, a tough battle to finish in 18 turns) p) p-->n,q,r,R r) r-->n,Q Q) Q-->n,s s) s-->n,t t) THE LAST BATTLE!!!--------------------
The rulebook is actually quite good, but it is occasionally inaccurate:
Skirmishers/ Light Cavalry in defense: (pg. 55, 56)
They take 1/2 damage to attacking units _as fast as_ or slower. If there's a morale penalty, it's very small. Much less than the morale loss they'd get if they actually took the damage, for example. Also, a clarification: apparently the probability of damage is halved, not the final damage. (This changes the probability distribution considerably; a 15 life unit will sometimes do 8 or 9 points, for example, though the mean can't go above about 6)
Spotting- 'The Spotting Trick' (see pg. 53/54)
If a unit moves into an enemy ZOC but not into an enemy unit, you get a free spot. You lose your ability to abort move but see enemy units within your unit's spotting range.
This has several implications:
You can never be ambushed if you move one hex at a time, cancel move, and then re-move to the next forward hex.
You can always find fleeing units(usually sky hunters for me) by trying a direction and, if you don't move next to the fleeing unit, aborting and trying another direction.
Is this Cheating?
It is my opinion that any game option other than reloading the game is part of the game, so is not cheating, although I'll admit this is getting iffy.
David [DWP] also thinks it's somewhat iffy, but thinks it is closer to cheating than not.
Make up your own mind. You might want to agree on this prior to PBEM games.
Retreating Pg.48
The manual claims retreating is based on "...current life and any losses..." yet I have seen a 15 life unit retreat. Something else is going on.
Unit pictures
Unit pictures examples are, well, way wrong.
Archers' defensive fire (pg. 46, 48, 56)
Archers don't get defensive fire against enemy missile attacks on units adjacent to the archer. This is not clear in the manual, IMHO.
Appendix 1 errors:
Valira has 17 armor, not 170.
Krindel's spell should be P, not PM.
Malkin's spell says VOD. (It's really Whirlwind -[PK])
Does the A. I. cheat?
(By cheat I mean does it do things with units a human cannot)
Yes. The AI will cast a spell(e.g. death wounds) early in the turn, I saw this in an all deaths unit(due to death wounds spell). I repeated to verify the unit always did only deaths. AFTER the unit which had had death wounds cast on it had moved and attacked the Conjurer moved. This is impossible for a player to do.
The Balanced Army check
Allegedly to force the players to have a balanced army, the A. I. goes nuts if you 'over-specialize' your army and research. I've seen 7 4-shield max grade units pop from a town when I had an unbalanced army on hard. I hate this. I don't know what the designers were thinking. If you want to force this, write scenarios needing varied unit types.
There is no good rationale why the Shadowlord should get cosmic recruits if you have a specialized army. This really pissed me off the first(well, as yet, only) time I played on hard. Do useless research and have a few token varied units if you want a specialized army, I guess.
Ideal matchups for attacking
Generally,
skirmish vs. melee
maximizes advantages. Also, Cavalry vs. Skirmishers(the unit type, not L.C.)
is optimum. Most of the time you won't actually do this though.
Like attacking like is usually the _worst_ matchup(!), although frequently
necessary.
When casualties are acceptable
The less xp a unit has, the less it loses when it suffers a death. I'm
less concerned about inexperienced units' casualties for this reason.
Recruit to full strength ASAP, however, else you get effectively diminished
xp for the rest of the combat...
Raise dead units make deaths close to irrelevant, however.
When should I cast force march?
Force March is a spell castable by Heavy Infantry. The simplest way
to use it is to cast it before you move, which gives you two extra
movement points. You may cast it before or after your normal move.
Sometimes it's best to cast it before you move, for example:
You start on a road, and want to move through two more roads, across
two clear hexes, and through two more road hexes.
The cost is: 2/3 * 2 + 3 * (1)(road to clear, clear to clear, clear to road all cost 1) + 2/3 =5
You can move there for five movement points, but if you split the move in
half (one 3 move and one 2 move) you won't make it, as you won't keep the
fraction of a movement point between the two moves.
More often, however, taking two separate moves is to your advantage.
You can cross rivers in a single turn, or move through two squares of
mountains.
Toying with the enemy: maximize your xp
Especially early, don't be in too much of a hurry to finish off your opponent.
You can get lots more xp if you let units retreat and rest.
(this can get very boring, however.)
What should I research?
Everything. Otherwise the computer will screw you over for having
an unbalanced army. (grrrrrr.)
Of course, first get the stuff you use upgraded, but don't let your
useless research lag too far behind.
The spotting trick
See errata. Questionably fair.
Which character is best?
All IMHO:
Early in the campaign: Marcas, Calis, Krell, Mordra
Krell is great late in the campaign because of Phoenix Hawks.
All of the above is arguable. In fact three characters are pretty balanced,
but Mordra is definately worse than the other three.
Recruiting beast units is a Disadvantage in my opinion, as they're not
much better than regular troops, don't upgrade, and cost lots to research.
What do you recommend I do in the campaign with:
How/When should I comment about this FAQ?
Now is the time, and you can do it by leaving your question/addition/revision in the War Room Bulletin Board area.
Who wrote this, anyway? Who helped?
Tim Firman - Primary author
[DP] David Pollock
Tactical Hints (basic)
missile vs. skirmish
melee vs. missile
Late in the campaign: Krell, Marcas, Calis, Mordra
What Now?
[KMW] Kum Ming Woo
[GD] Gary Durfee
[ML] Mike Lay
[PK] Pekka Karjalainen
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