Apolyton Archive  |  Preserved copy of the Apolyton Civilization Site forums as they ran on Ultimate Bulletin Board, 1998–2001. Read-only; nothing here can be posted to or replied to.  |  Forum index |  About this archive |  The 2005 site & forums

  Apolyton Civilization Site Forums
  Civ3-General/Suggestions
  Stacked combat

Post New Topic  Post A ReplyPost A Reply In A New Window

profile | register | preferences | faq | search next newest topic | next oldest topic bottom of page
Author
Topic:   Stacked combat Format for Better Printing
aCa
Settler
Oslo, Norway
Mar 99
posted April 18, 2001 06:28   Click Here to See the Profile for aCaClick Here to Email aCa  send a private message to aCa Visit aCa's Homepage!
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
Haven't had mutch time for message boards lately so you guys have probably talked about this before but ....... have there been any official answers about stacked combat?

If they don't have stacked combat I would say it's a big disapointment... More realistic that you can choose have many units you wan't to attck with at once.

aCa

Zanzin
Chieftain
Sydney, Australia
Mar 2001
posted April 18, 2001 06:48   Click Here to See the Profile for ZanzinClick Here to Email Zanzin  send a private message to Zanzin
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
Hey aCa, Firaxis have talked about "armies" in various interviews. This would indicate stacked combat..but considering their decision to use a "worker" unit instead of a Public Works system - basically, who knows what they're thinking over in that place!!

I would have thought that if stacked combat was for certain, it would have been mentioned in their original site update about combat! guess we'll have to wait and see.

SerapisIV
Warlord
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Feb 2001
posted April 18, 2001 11:50   Click Here to See the Profile for SerapisIV   send a private message to SerapisIV
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
I'm sure that CivIII will have some kind of army/stacked combat, that is probably the most requested feature in the game. However they're doing it though, there should be a large bonus for using combined arms. Say infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Some kind of weighting in favor of such armies should be part of the combat system
Ilkuul
Warlord
of Thame (UK)
Mar 2000
posted April 18, 2001 15:00   Click Here to See the Profile for IlkuulClick Here to Email Ilkuul  send a private message to Ilkuul Visit Ilkuul's Homepage!
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
I'm relying on them having this feature as well! I've never played with stacked units, but I can begin to imagine the advantages. And for me one of the biggest pluses of stacking would simply be ease of gameplay! I absolutely hate having to move dozens of units all to the same destination painfully one at a time in the endgame in Civ2!!
Colonel Rhombus
Settler
happyland
b.02-15-99
posted April 18, 2001 16:41   Click Here to See the Profile for Colonel Rhombus   send a private message to Colonel Rhombus
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
What do people think of a Masters of Magic style tactical combat mode? Like MoM, you can let the computer resolve the battle for you, (which is practically what happens in Civ2) or take control yourself.

Personally, I liked the idea. But any system that benefits a balanced combination of units is good enough. At the very least, not all combat encounters should end with one unit or army being completely destroyed.

------------------
Regards,
Col. Rhombus

SerapisIV
Warlord
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Feb 2001
posted April 18, 2001 17:01   Click Here to See the Profile for SerapisIV   send a private message to SerapisIV
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
There are so many battles that occur in Civ, I'd rather keep the tactics to the computer. Civ is a strategic simulation. By having tactical combat, it just provides another game layer in which AI/balancing flaws can be exploited negating a lot of the strategy of the game because fewer units can now do more. In addition to that, I've played 40+ hour games before, how much extra time would tactics put into the game? As much as I'd like to have tactics, to me its a matter of too much time and micromanagement versus not enough fun in return.
King Richard
Warlord
Oslo, Norway
Apr 2001
posted April 18, 2001 17:11   Click Here to See the Profile for King Richard   send a private message to King Richard
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
Does any of you know if they are gonna change the problem with one unit beeing able to kill 13 units that are placed at the same tile? If they make this work better, so that the one attacking unit has to attack every unit in the tile, making it almost impossible to kill a great number of units. If this is made possible the value of catapults, cannons will be greatly enhanced. In real life, these units are usually placed behind the infantry/cavalry anyway. As it is now, I never even bother to build any artillery because of this. Perhaps if these units could be used like missile-units as in SMAC?
SerapisIV
Warlord
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Feb 2001
posted April 18, 2001 23:45   Click Here to See the Profile for SerapisIV   send a private message to SerapisIV
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
Definitely KingRich the kind of overpowering destruction is way to unrealistic, almost unfun. Sinking a transport is one thing. I could see the destruction limited to two or three units and the others get damaged a bit, but not total slaughter, even if it is away from a fortress. Such attacks should be more balanced then as they exist in SMAC and CivII
[This message has been edited by SerapisIV (edited April 18, 2001).]
Zanzin
Chieftain
Sydney, Australia
Mar 2001
posted April 19, 2001 09:00   Click Here to See the Profile for ZanzinClick Here to Email Zanzin  send a private message to Zanzin
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
If they do stacked combat the way Activision did it, I'll be happy. It was one of the things Activision did do right with the Civ series
samurai
Chieftain
Kristiansand,Vest-Agder,Norway
Sep 2000
posted April 19, 2001 09:28   Click Here to See the Profile for samurai   send a private message to samurai
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
I think they are using the system that is written under combat in the "list V1" site. Stacking units into armies and then the range of the weapon decides how many times a long ranged unit can fire before the short ranged can reach them. And you use a different strength on the unit depending on they are in close combat or fireing long range.

And, the fastest stacked army or unit can withdraw from the battle.

Colonel Rhombus
Settler
happyland
b.02-15-99
posted April 19, 2001 14:30   Click Here to See the Profile for Colonel Rhombus   send a private message to Colonel Rhombus
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
One thing that could diminish playability is gigantic stacks of 20, 30 or more units, forming invincible armies. Two ways of balancing this is to impose a limit (say 8 or 10 units) or punish excessively large armies with a "disorganisation penalty". "Leader" units, if implemented, could lessen this penalty, but there should still be a limit placed on the size of any army.

If tactical command is not implemented, a display that represents all participating units could be used to indicate the progress of the battle so that either participant can retreat or fight till the bitter end.

------------------
Regards,
Col. Rhombus

SerapisIV
Warlord
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Feb 2001
posted April 19, 2001 14:40   Click Here to See the Profile for SerapisIV   send a private message to SerapisIV
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
Nice point Rhombus, there should be a limit on units per stack/army. That could become a balancing problem otherwise.
Ilkuul
Warlord
of Thame (UK)
Mar 2000
posted April 19, 2001 16:48   Click Here to See the Profile for IlkuulClick Here to Email Ilkuul  send a private message to Ilkuul Visit Ilkuul's Homepage!
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
Anyone care to define the difference between a 'stack' and an 'army'??
SerapisIV
Warlord
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Feb 2001
posted April 20, 2001 01:24   Click Here to See the Profile for SerapisIV   send a private message to SerapisIV
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
They are really the same thing, it's just tradition to call them stacked units as Civ would have units "stacked" on the same tile and people always wanted to move them as one. An army is just wha the recent website and preview called them. Though this isn't for sure, no one from Firaxis has defined it exactly, I can't exactly see a difference otherwise.
samurai
Chieftain
Kristiansand,Vest-Agder,Norway
Sep 2000
posted April 20, 2001 02:24   Click Here to See the Profile for samurai   send a private message to samurai
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
There has to be a limit to the number of units in one army, but I would like to see two armies crashing into each other, both with 20+ units. the negative is that one of these armies early in the game could wipe out almost everything.
the positive is that you will be able to create really complex armies that can work together, and you will have to produce many different units in your civ to create the ultimate army.

I think the number of unit in an army should be allowed to increase during the game, since this is what has actually happened through history.

Roman
Prince
Bratislava, Slovakia
Sep 2000
posted April 20, 2001 07:42   Click Here to See the Profile for RomanClick Here to Email Roman  send a private message to RomanSend a Message to UIN: 91325836
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
One word: CUSTOMIZABILITY - make the max. number of units per army editable in a text file.
Colonel Rhombus
Settler
happyland
b.02-15-99
posted April 20, 2001 14:37   Click Here to See the Profile for Colonel Rhombus   send a private message to Colonel Rhombus
Edit/Delete Message    Reply To And Quote This Message
IP: Logged, Admin Access Only
Samurai - To safeguard against the possibility you mentioned, early armies of 10 - 20 wreaking havoc at the beginning of the game, impose very severe penalties against large armies early on.

Realistically, in those days, armies of such sizes would be in total disarray. Not until later was there more focus on organisation and battlefield command. With gains in certain technologies, the disorganisation problem can be lessened. Here's a list of suggestions:

  • Units produced in a city with Barracks coordinate better.
  • Ability to upgrade Barracks to something like War Academy and introduce more levels of experience (e.g., green, veteran, elite, etc.)
  • Advances like radio greatly reduce the disorganisation pentalty.
A possibility is to make the disorganisation penalty so high in the early part of the game, that armies of 20 or 30 actually fight worse than armmies of 5 - 10.

------------------
Regards,
Col. Rhombus

Apolyton Civilization Site Forums
> > > Civ3-General/Suggestions Forum

next newest topic | next oldest topictop of page

All times are EDT

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic | Top
Post New Topic  Post A ReplyPost A Reply In A New Window
Hop to:

Contact Us
Apolyton Civilization Site

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.44a
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

AltaVista Type or paste text or Web address (beginning with http://) here:
Powered
by Systran
Translate from: 

Front Page | Civilization III | Dinosaurs | Civilization II | Call to Power | Call to Power II | Alpha Centauri | Alternative Civs | Misc | Links | About ACS | GameStats
GameLeague | Scenario League | HAC | Civilization Scenario Collection | Spanish CivII Site | Clash of Civs | CtP Maps | Art of War | WesW's Ctp1/2 Site