Arendian Faction
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Basically, they look like subpar edits of the loyalist units... if you don't have an idea behind the faction, there's no reason to make new units - just use the Loyalist ones. What is it that makes the culture these units come from special? What is different about the weapons, armor, etc, they use from those of the loyalists, or lavinians, or kedari, or aiyira, or marauders?Basically, if you would do just as well 'borrowing' a faction from the Imperial Era, some other era, or just using the Loyalists, do so. If there's no reason to create a new faction, don't - it removes a LOT of work.
I guess my point is that, although your units are not identical to those of the Loyalists, they are not fundamentally distinct from the Loyalists, either. Either they should be, or you shouldn't make a new faction (and I strongly suggest the latter).
PS: It's Lavinians, not Lavians. And we do have 3 or 4 new factions planned. But, you're welcome to make a new faction, and if it makes sense we'll put it in the imperial era...
For I am Turin Turambar - Master of Doom, by doom mastered. On permanent Wesbreak. Will not respond to private messages. Sorry!
And I hate stupid people.
The World of Orbivm
And I hate stupid people.
The World of Orbivm
There is a point to this faction, to promote the use of different tactics from the Other factions.
The Bowrider line are units used for hit and run tactics, almost an alternative from gryphons, but with the movement limitations of a mounted unit, and a ranged attack instead, weaker but more useful against units which don't have a ranged attack themselves, the only similar unit is the elvish scout, which is seriously weak, and has low HP so it finds this difficult, and it has the advantage of being fast in woodland, with these you'll have to think more about not getting trapped.
the swordsman is a unit which can be very diverse, it has the ability to change when it advances depending on who you are fighting, the spearman can only become a bladed unit of a pierce unit, but a swordsman can become an impact unit or a unit with bladed and pierce (although major emphasis on bladed) or a unit that does the previous, a bit worse, but with leadership.
also the faction as a whole emphasis a shift from having a hugely powerful magical unit which can kill anything out there, instead the only magical unit has a weak fire damage spell, healingand only one branch, (in the end I decided to give the third level only 9-4 compared to the arch images 12-4 or the elvish slyphs 10-5, and there is no level four unit, who are in the other factions even more powerful, and it is a neatural unit so it gets no bonus at day or night.)
And yes I do realise that the Knaland alliance and the northerners don't get images at all, but they concentrate on melee which my faction doesn't, if anything it is leaning towards ranged (but not as much as the elves.)
the archer is also more diverse than most others because its advancements are different, one is the half melee and half ranged balance, and the other is the usual powerful archer. and one of them gets a fire attack so that they aren't compleatly vulnerable to ghosts (semi making up for the loss of extreamly powerful images, except it doesn't hit 70% of the time).
the only very similar unit which has no special purpose is the horseman line, but there needed to be a mounted fighter unit, as otherwise the bowriders would be slaughtered by other mounted units.
also
Also the swordsman looks similar to the spearman,but this is mainly because he has armour and brown clothes, it has to have armour, but the brown clothes will be replaced by team colours if it does become part of a multiplayer faction, same with the bowmaster, because that blue is sickening.
BTW, I have 'finished' versions of all of the units for criticism, feel free to give me tips to make them better.
The Bowrider line are units used for hit and run tactics, almost an alternative from gryphons, but with the movement limitations of a mounted unit, and a ranged attack instead, weaker but more useful against units which don't have a ranged attack themselves, the only similar unit is the elvish scout, which is seriously weak, and has low HP so it finds this difficult, and it has the advantage of being fast in woodland, with these you'll have to think more about not getting trapped.
the swordsman is a unit which can be very diverse, it has the ability to change when it advances depending on who you are fighting, the spearman can only become a bladed unit of a pierce unit, but a swordsman can become an impact unit or a unit with bladed and pierce (although major emphasis on bladed) or a unit that does the previous, a bit worse, but with leadership.
also the faction as a whole emphasis a shift from having a hugely powerful magical unit which can kill anything out there, instead the only magical unit has a weak fire damage spell, healingand only one branch, (in the end I decided to give the third level only 9-4 compared to the arch images 12-4 or the elvish slyphs 10-5, and there is no level four unit, who are in the other factions even more powerful, and it is a neatural unit so it gets no bonus at day or night.)
And yes I do realise that the Knaland alliance and the northerners don't get images at all, but they concentrate on melee which my faction doesn't, if anything it is leaning towards ranged (but not as much as the elves.)
the archer is also more diverse than most others because its advancements are different, one is the half melee and half ranged balance, and the other is the usual powerful archer. and one of them gets a fire attack so that they aren't compleatly vulnerable to ghosts (semi making up for the loss of extreamly powerful images, except it doesn't hit 70% of the time).
the only very similar unit which has no special purpose is the horseman line, but there needed to be a mounted fighter unit, as otherwise the bowriders would be slaughtered by other mounted units.
also
You yourself admitted that you aren't the best artist out there, I have spent ages making these, and it is actually surprisingly difficult to make a human sized and shaped faction not look similar to other units of the same size and shape without making them look stupid. the only one where it does look similar really obviously is the feather bow and arrow wind line, and that is because I simply ran out of inspiration, If and when I come up with a unit that looks different and serves the same purpose I will repace it.Basically, they look like subpar edits of the loyalist units
Also the swordsman looks similar to the spearman,but this is mainly because he has armour and brown clothes, it has to have armour, but the brown clothes will be replaced by team colours if it does become part of a multiplayer faction, same with the bowmaster, because that blue is sickening.
BTW, I have 'finished' versions of all of the units for criticism, feel free to give me tips to make them better.
Last edited by Ranger M on January 3rd, 2006, 11:59 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Oh and they only have four armoured lines, the rest promote a shift from units with armour which I think I emphisized in the stats by giving them less HP when I went over them again yesterday, but I am not quite sure.
With their culture it is different because they belive that not using armour and emphasising skill instead is better, hence the 'hero' line having low HP (lack of armour) and high hits (skill). Also they come from a land that is largely plains, so they have highly skilled horse archers, the only reason that they don't have many types of mounted unit is that they are usually fighting the orcs or undead in the north of their country, where there are mountins, hills and forest. Horses would be crap in that landscape, and so they have more unmounted units.
And with different weaponry they are the only faction with double bladed swords (again skill is needed), and they don't have spears because they need impact weapons in melee against the undead, and swords for the orcs, both of these don't majorly feature mounted units, one doesn't even have any, so they don't generally use spears.
This doesn't mean that they don't fight others, their culture has just been moulded in a harsh landsacape with little reasources constantly under attack from the orcs and undead.
With their culture it is different because they belive that not using armour and emphasising skill instead is better, hence the 'hero' line having low HP (lack of armour) and high hits (skill). Also they come from a land that is largely plains, so they have highly skilled horse archers, the only reason that they don't have many types of mounted unit is that they are usually fighting the orcs or undead in the north of their country, where there are mountins, hills and forest. Horses would be crap in that landscape, and so they have more unmounted units.
And with different weaponry they are the only faction with double bladed swords (again skill is needed), and they don't have spears because they need impact weapons in melee against the undead, and swords for the orcs, both of these don't majorly feature mounted units, one doesn't even have any, so they don't generally use spears.
This doesn't mean that they don't fight others, their culture has just been moulded in a harsh landsacape with little reasources constantly under attack from the orcs and undead.
The distinction from other factions must be based on the idea behind the culture, not the idea behind the balancing. So, your second post was MUCH more important than your first.
My point about them being subpar edits of Loyalist units was NOT that the images were bad. It was that the units are not distinct from those of the loyalists. Looking at these units, I would not immediately think "Arendian". I would think "Loyalist", for most of them, and "Aragwaithi" or "Outlaw" for the others.
Anyway, here are my suggestions... If they come from lands that are mostly plains, it would make sense to first of all, have them be nomads (most horse people were), and possible base them / combine them with some of Temuchin's ideas for horse peoples... I don't think your rationale for why they don't use as many horses makes sense - yes, they fight mostly in other countries, but your army's priority must be defending your homeland. Even the Roman army, which conquered the forests of Germania, did not adapt its army to fight in the forest better (at least not too substantially).
On the idea of integrating it with the Imperial Era, the place they would make the most sense is north of the Lavinian Empire, to the west of the Marauder's forests. However, I have HUGE conceptual problems with a civilization of undead, unless you plan for them to be like the Wesfolk (have their leaders turn into undead, but the civilization is human.) So, I don't think having them constantly fight undead is a good idea.
My point about them being subpar edits of Loyalist units was NOT that the images were bad. It was that the units are not distinct from those of the loyalists. Looking at these units, I would not immediately think "Arendian". I would think "Loyalist", for most of them, and "Aragwaithi" or "Outlaw" for the others.
Anyway, here are my suggestions... If they come from lands that are mostly plains, it would make sense to first of all, have them be nomads (most horse people were), and possible base them / combine them with some of Temuchin's ideas for horse peoples... I don't think your rationale for why they don't use as many horses makes sense - yes, they fight mostly in other countries, but your army's priority must be defending your homeland. Even the Roman army, which conquered the forests of Germania, did not adapt its army to fight in the forest better (at least not too substantially).
On the idea of integrating it with the Imperial Era, the place they would make the most sense is north of the Lavinian Empire, to the west of the Marauder's forests. However, I have HUGE conceptual problems with a civilization of undead, unless you plan for them to be like the Wesfolk (have their leaders turn into undead, but the civilization is human.) So, I don't think having them constantly fight undead is a good idea.
For I am Turin Turambar - Master of Doom, by doom mastered. On permanent Wesbreak. Will not respond to private messages. Sorry!
And I hate stupid people.
The World of Orbivm
And I hate stupid people.
The World of Orbivm
The undead can happen much later in the times after konrad, basing the idea of the campaign as being the last surviving country, although it has declined majorly, that they know of in the great continent that isn't orcish, so they are their major advicaries along with the undead.
I could make the maces be because of a lack of metal in their country, and so they don't forge swords, they just make mace heads for the main army.
The nomadic idea would fit in with there being chiefs and warlords, and I was baseing them on a clan idea, possibly the inhabitants of arendia move around in 'clans' as nomadic peoples, but are loyal to the royal family who live in one of the few perminant settlements that they have for tradeing purposes.
To make them more distinct from others I would probably make them have more horse units, which would also fit in with the home defence thing which you suggested. Possibly put the chief line and druid line on horseback (I haven't seen any other factions with leaders or mages on horses), but still keep the archer and swordsman line, as swordsmen could be guards of the perminant settlements (and anyway I have a good backstory for the wanderer, so I would really want to keep this line, but there needs to be another branch otherwise the wanderers don't make sense. It would be hard to put the archer line on horseback as there isn't much difference between one archer on horseback, and the next.
BTW could you send me a map of the area, as having what you define as the definate geography for my campaign would be useful.
I could make the maces be because of a lack of metal in their country, and so they don't forge swords, they just make mace heads for the main army.
The nomadic idea would fit in with there being chiefs and warlords, and I was baseing them on a clan idea, possibly the inhabitants of arendia move around in 'clans' as nomadic peoples, but are loyal to the royal family who live in one of the few perminant settlements that they have for tradeing purposes.
To make them more distinct from others I would probably make them have more horse units, which would also fit in with the home defence thing which you suggested. Possibly put the chief line and druid line on horseback (I haven't seen any other factions with leaders or mages on horses), but still keep the archer and swordsman line, as swordsmen could be guards of the perminant settlements (and anyway I have a good backstory for the wanderer, so I would really want to keep this line, but there needs to be another branch otherwise the wanderers don't make sense. It would be hard to put the archer line on horseback as there isn't much difference between one archer on horseback, and the next.
BTW could you send me a map of the area, as having what you define as the definate geography for my campaign would be useful.
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wayfarer
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Yes it is getting near but please some colors should no one carry for example pink if you don't use it for the team colors leave it away it is just unnatural.Ranger M wrote:Something like this?
(no I didn't copy yours)
BTW this is also the images for the horseman line.
This girl, this boy, They were part of the land. What happens to the places we used to tend?
She's a hard one to trust, And he's a roving ghost. Will you come back, will you come back, Or leave me alone?
-Ghost Fields
She's a hard one to trust, And he's a roving ghost. Will you come back, will you come back, Or leave me alone?
-Ghost Fields
It was meant to be purple, but I suppose that I didn't really make it dark enough (in the same way that a few of the other arendian level three units use purple, the basis of this being in the back story of my campaign (red being considered regal because their first 'king' killed a dragon to 'win' the title, nobody else really wears it cos it's considered royal, so they go for something else, (dark) purple, cos it's close to red.)
Ok, some ideas for more advancements for the horse rideing lines,
mounted marksmen.
some bowknights focus on skill and accuricy instead of fireing as many times as possible.
weapon special, marksman, less attacks and damage than bowmasters.
a crossbow branch of the bowrider
more damage, less hits, and more damageing melee attacks.
a branch of the horseman with charge, two possibilities (haven't decided yet).
either
some horsemen have seen the effectivness of the maurauder mounted axeman and decided to mimic them (less likely)
or
they have adopted spears instead of their usual swords, knowing that they are less versitile, but also knowing how damaging and terrifieing they can be if used on the offensive.
mounted marksmen.
some bowknights focus on skill and accuricy instead of fireing as many times as possible.
weapon special, marksman, less attacks and damage than bowmasters.
a crossbow branch of the bowrider
more damage, less hits, and more damageing melee attacks.
a branch of the horseman with charge, two possibilities (haven't decided yet).
either
some horsemen have seen the effectivness of the maurauder mounted axeman and decided to mimic them (less likely)
or
they have adopted spears instead of their usual swords, knowing that they are less versitile, but also knowing how damaging and terrifieing they can be if used on the offensive.
I have no idea.
EDIT: Man Turin was right, I have no idea how bad I was getting, and i have no idea why, he sent me a pm, and I thought "wth", but then as I was sifting through the forums, I found a million of these stupid posts, I think I
'll go make an apology thread XP
EDIT: Man Turin was right, I have no idea how bad I was getting, and i have no idea why, he sent me a pm, and I thought "wth", but then as I was sifting through the forums, I found a million of these stupid posts, I think I
'll go make an apology thread XP
Last edited by romnajin on January 7th, 2006, 6:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sorry for the meaningless post