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BattleMaster => Development => Topic started by: pcw27 on October 30, 2012, 06:13:04 PM

Title: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: pcw27 on October 30, 2012, 06:13:04 PM
Those of you who saw the moral penalty thread may have noticed the debate about how easily one realm could claim a capital city by sea.

It was suggested that a very large army could ship straight to the "doughnut region" which surrounds all cities on Dwilight. Land there, and then march on the capital in a single surprise attack.

I see the following barriers in place that should make this extremely difficult.

1. It is hard to coordinate a large force to move in unison. As it stands this is easier by sea since all zones seem to have 16 hour travel times between them. I've heard this will change soon, which is a good thing.

2. There is a penalty for landing in a defended beach. This would need to be high enough that even a townsland would have a good chance of fending off an amphibious assault, or at least inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking force.

3. I'm told there is a feature in mind which will allow a coastal region to see ships in its adjacent sea zone. I think this is a very important feature to finish.

So with all this in mind, is such an assault as easy to pull off as some would claim?
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: vonGenf on October 30, 2012, 06:18:24 PM
2. There is a penalty for landing in a defended beach. This would need to be high enough that even a townsland would have a good chance of fending off an amphibious assault, or at least inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking force.

This is the main point in my opinion. If the townsland is undefended, then an amphibious gives you complete surprise. In most cases, the mobile army will be far and not able to react in time. Landing an army right next to the capital without haviong to go through a main mobile army would be devastating.

However landing half a broken army would not be very devastating at all.

I expect the penalty to be strong enough that in almost all cases the landing army will want to land in an undefended rural. It does change the strategic thinking, but it's not so devastating to the cities.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: fodder on October 30, 2012, 06:31:22 PM
.... 16? off the top of my head, i've seen variations between 8-26 (or more?) so far
it's easier.. insofar as there are relatively fewer zones and you simply have to wait another turn.

has anyone done a landing yet? afaik, it doesn't matter how big your army is...  you are rolling individual units against militia. + walls.

forget donuts. you land in rurals just outside where there are no walls or troops normally. you might lose a turn or 2.. but you keep your army fairly intact... i guess.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Foundation on October 30, 2012, 06:34:20 PM
3. I'm told there is a feature in mind which will allow a coastal region to see ships in its adjacent sea zone. I think this is a very important feature to finish.

Where'd you hear that???
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: pcw27 on October 30, 2012, 06:37:12 PM
Someone said shipyards or navies would give you that opportunity.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: pcw27 on October 30, 2012, 06:42:04 PM
.... 16? off the top of my head, i've seen variations between 8-26 (or more?) so far
it's easier.. insofar as there are relatively fewer zones and you simply have to wait another turn.

has anyone done a landing yet? afaik, it doesn't matter how big your army is...  you are rolling individual units against militia. + walls.

Is that how the system works? Each unit takes on the defending forces alone?

forget donuts. you land in rurals just outside where there are no walls or troops normally. you might lose a turn or 2.. but you keep your army fairly intact... i guess.

That could also be a bit over powered.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Foundation on October 30, 2012, 06:42:17 PM
Unless that someone is Tom, there are no plans for any sort of scouting whatsoever from or to sea zones.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Anaris on October 30, 2012, 06:43:04 PM
Unless that someone is Tom, there are no plans for any sort of scouting whatsoever from or to sea zones.

It was. He's been talking about it since sea zones were still in the planning stages, and he's recently confirmed that it's still TODO.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Foundation on October 30, 2012, 06:45:05 PM
It was. He's been talking about it since sea zones were still in the planning stages, and he's recently confirmed that it's still TODO.

Hmm, strange.  All the threads starting from the planning stages I read suggested there were no plans, and that all scouts will be drowned.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Anaris on October 30, 2012, 06:46:44 PM
Hmm, strange.  All the threads starting from the planning stages I read suggested there were no plans, and that all scouts will be drowned.

*facepalm*

Not scouts. Not the regular ones. A way to scout coastal sea zones.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Foundation on October 30, 2012, 06:48:51 PM
*facepalm*

Not scouts. Not the regular ones. A way to scout coastal sea zones.

I must've missed it then.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Indirik on October 30, 2012, 07:13:29 PM
That's what that second building is supposed to be. A harbor to have cheaper embark, and a shipyard that is to have some undefined monitoring of the local sea zone.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: pcw27 on October 30, 2012, 07:26:12 PM
You know what might do the trick is making it similar to the adventurer's scouting ability. It can simply tell you how many ships are in the adjacent sea zone and what realm's flag they are flying, but not what soldiers are in said ships.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: fodder on October 30, 2012, 07:26:43 PM
Is that how the system works? Each unit takes on the defending forces alone?

hmm... i think i might be wrong... must have misremembered something..

http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Sea_Travel

"However, the more attacking troops land in the same turn, the fewer casualties each will suffer, as you can more easily suppress harrassment and ranged fire."

i was thinking.. a roll where if you fail, you get chucked back into the sea.. guess not quite.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Lefanis on October 30, 2012, 07:28:31 PM
That's what that second building is supposed to be. A harbor to have cheaper embark, and a shipyard that is to have some undefined monitoring of the local sea zone.

Coast Guard  :o
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: pcw27 on October 30, 2012, 10:44:04 PM
Essentially yes.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Stabbity on October 30, 2012, 10:56:13 PM
Coast Guard  :o

Noooooooooo! Next you're going to tell me we'll incorporate a marine corp too. What happened to BM being about the only branch that matters, the army! :p
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: mikm on October 31, 2012, 06:00:39 PM
Actually sea travel could be very useful for ally realms. You could easily receive reinforcements from your distant allies without them having to march through enemy lands to reach you.
Also you would have to hire a lot of militia in every region coastal region you have. If the enemy lands anywhere you're in trouble.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: pcw27 on October 31, 2012, 11:44:30 PM
Which is why landing has to be challenging enough that even a force of 2k cs could hold a coast during an assault.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Ketchum on November 01, 2012, 01:09:22 AM
*facepalm*

Not scouts. Not the regular ones. A way to scout coastal sea zones.
Is it some sort of a lighthouse if it is a building that can be build on coastal region?

If it is a lighthouse, should we not be expanding more building slots that can be build?

This sea feature seems so exciting, I am looking forward to it 8)
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Indirik on November 01, 2012, 01:20:00 AM
Medium to large cities already have lots of building slots. Smaller ciities, townslands, and others may start running short. Which, really, is the point of having limited slots. If every region had enough slots to build everything, then what would be the point of having slots?
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: DamnTaffer on November 01, 2012, 03:26:34 AM
Medium to large cities already have lots of building slots. Smaller ciities, townslands, and others may start running short. Which, really, is the point of having limited slots. If every region had enough slots to build everything, then what would be the point of having slots?

Having a building that by not having your basically writing "For sale" on the side of your city reduces the number of slots, by one in all cities, in the entire game, for the rest of time.

I really can't see any way to justify not having a lighthouse at every region that can make one.

This sea feature seems so exciting, I am looking forward to it 8)

I just realised whom would have made awesome use of this feature. Damned Aurvandil burning them to the ground...
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: Indirik on November 01, 2012, 03:34:02 AM
If you want one, then build one. But then maybe you can't have 4 RCs, 5 warehouses, a tournament grounds, two banners, 2 workshops, a healers, 2 academies, and a smithy. So sell a workshop and a warehouse, and build harbor and shipyard. Really, does that sound so restrictive? And that's a city with only 31K pop. Not all regions need that much. Rurals only need maybe 2 rcs and one granary, can't have healers, workshops, smithies, academy, tournaments, etc.

I don't see any reason to worry about slots until someone comes in with some *real* examples of running out of space in real regions.
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: DamnTaffer on November 01, 2012, 03:37:10 AM
If you want one, then build one. But then maybe you can't have 4 RCs, 5 warehouses, a tournament grounds, two banners, 2 workshops, a healers, 2 academies, and a smithy. So sell a workshop and a warehouse, and build harbor and shipyard. Really, does that sound so restrictive? And that's a city with only 31K pop. Not all regions need that much. Rurals only need maybe 2 rcs and one granary, can't have healers, workshops, smithies, academy, tournaments, etc.

I don't see any reason to worry about slots until someone comes in with some *real* examples of running out of space in real regions.

I agree, however, thought should still be put into implimenting buildings which basically have to be built in a slot system...
Title: Re: How easy would amphibious assaults be?
Post by: fodder on November 01, 2012, 03:26:46 PM
If you want one, then build one. But then maybe you can't have 4 RCs, 5 warehouses, a tournament grounds, two banners, 2 workshops, a healers, 2 academies, and a smithy. So sell a workshop and a warehouse, and build harbor and shipyard. Really, does that sound so restrictive? And that's a city with only 31K pop. Not all regions need that much. Rurals only need maybe 2 rcs and one granary, can't have healers, workshops, smithies, academy, tournaments, etc.

I don't see any reason to worry about slots until someone comes in with some *real* examples of running out of space in real regions.
RC don't count towards the building limit. avengmil currently has 11/12 buildings... but then again.. it has 2 granary/warehouse and 1 of everything else that's possible, no navy/harbour, 3 banners

---
ps... you are not scouting into the sea.. you are sending ships out to patrol, i assume automatically like if banners are produced on a particular day... so if you have enough navy, they might pop out on a particular day and see if anything is there.