101 replies to this topic

[Spartan184]

Wow Kwen thats amazing!!!! An idea, how about you make it that he "toggles" to his bow (use mounting code and make him use Faramir's anims with bow and back).

And Adamin: THAT IS THE RING OF BARAHIR!!!! Great job Kwen!

Might conflict since he already has mount and uses Faramir's anims I think or Theodens.

[Kwen]

Who uses Faramir's or Theodens? Aragorn uses Aragorn and Theoden's mounted anims. Adding a third variation might be possible.

[Kwen]

Latest: Sauron has recieved a makeover. New skin. I apologize for the mace still being weird, I didn't change the model so that's just EA being weird. I may remodel him soonerish but the binding is daunting

Anyways, quick little in game screenie.



And heres a render (I lied, I'm going to try to bind it. because I fixed the mace issue...)

Edited by Kwen, 02 October 2010 - 09:30 PM.
Threw in a render...

[Eldarion]

It seems to me that you need some way of limiting Sauron, because he's really overpowered, and Mordor has a bunch of powerful heroes without him.

Here's a thought: could you make it so that Sauron cannot attack outside the Mordor player's base? Like, he can move freely around the map, but only does any damage when inside the boundaries of a base (or close to it, in the case of an Outpost)? In the books, he almost never took to the battlefield himself, preferring to send his minions to fight for him, and every time he did fight, he was defeated.

However, inside a base, he could be really powerful - strong attack, strong leadership, one or two powerful offensive abilities (though something more original than Word of Power would be nice).

[Kwen]

The only problem I have with that, is in a gameplay point of view, how often would he be given the opportunity to fight. Generally is you're playing as Mordor, you're the one going out and fighting, the fight isn't coming to you. So for about 80% or more of the game, Sauron is completely useless. Perhaps I could play with the idea, maybe if he leaves the base he gets progressively weaker... If that is even possible. But that way he could not be away from base for long, but would still be able to actually fight.

[Spartan184]

Great job.

[Eldarion]

The only problem I have with that, is in a gameplay point of view, how often would he be given the opportunity to fight. Generally is you're playing as Mordor, you're the one going out and fighting, the fight isn't coming to you. So for about 80% or more of the game, Sauron is completely useless. Perhaps I could play with the idea, maybe if he leaves the base he gets progressively weaker... If that is even possible. But that way he could not be away from base for long, but would still be able to actually fight.

Try giving the base citadels multiple stacking leadership effects that only affect Sauron, with progressively larger/smaller areas of effect. And you could make it that even outside all those radii, he's as strong as a low-end-to-average hero, but at the center of them, he's incredibly powerful and very difficult to kill.

You could add to that a high-level spellbook power for Mordor that gives Sauron uniform strength across the map (maybe still slightly stronger when quite near a Citadel), so that he can take a really active role in the end-game.

[Lauri]

Hmm, a citadel leadership to Sauron could be rather neat acctually.. The further away he is, the less powerful he is..
That could also give you a reason to build as many outposts and the likes as possible to keep him stronger..

Should only count in attack and defence though.. Health should be set

[Baki]

And what if the citadel gets destroyed?

[Lauri]

That's obvious beyond explaining, but since you doesn't seem to understand that, he would become weaker

So Rangers of Gondor could for example hide in a forest while Sauron takes an army towards Gondor's base from Mordor's outer base. When they're near the base, the Rangers assault the citadel in their outer base (outpost).
Now Sauron is weaker, and suddenly you're using tactics

[Baki]

That's obvious beyond explaining, but since you doesn't seem to understand that, he would become weaker

I know that, but then all you would have to do is simply destroy all Mordor citadels that are around to leave Sauron useless.
You know, as Sauron is pretty slow, you just ignore him and destroy those citadels with fast and hard hitting units (cavalry ie)... and problem solved.

[Kwen]

Yep, then the battle fights on, and if the player rebuilds that citadel quickly enough. Then Sauron becomes super strong again and starts demolishing the base.

Strategy on both ends.

[Lauri]

Egg-sactly



Anyways, that was the point. If you don't defend your citadels don't count on Sauron staying super strong (he should never be Gollum weak at any rate.. even with no citadels on the map he should have some power)

[Spartan184]

Gollum pwns everything what you talking about.

[Kwen]

Sauron would be the strength of say Faramir in terms of melee damage, when on the very edge of his strength (no citadels near).

[{IRS}Athos]

Whereas, in the heart of a Mordor base, he would be all but unassailable?

[_Haldir_]

I like that idea Would it be possible to edit his powers in the same way? For example, his leadership/experience abilities could have smaller radiuses and smaller percentage boosts as he's further away. Or word of power could do less damage as he's further away, eventually not killing units at all, but just knocking them back.

Seeing as Sauron can summon a balrog, perhaps it would be a nice idea to make Sauron a permanent summon as Mordor's final power, rather than another recruitable hero. The mordor hero roster is pretty large as it is, and the ability to summon two balrogs at once/consecutively might be a bit unbalanced. If Sauron is killed, you could then revive him from the mordor base at a very high price (10000 ish).

Coding-wise, you might have to make the final power a passive ability which spawns a free Sauron and then upgrades the citadel commandset Otherwise you might run into trouble having more than 1 sauron, or being able to summon sauron immediately after the first one is killed.

[Spartan184]

Those powers where just place holders, there probably gonna be replaced.

[Kwen]

Well we've got a plan when it comes to the Balrog. As for the spells increasing/decreasing in strength... Well thats starting to ask a lot.