Link/Capture Change Suggestion

[SGriffin]

As much as this pains me, I'd like to make a suggestion that could result in the game being harder.

Background: There are times where I find linking to creatures over and over an effective way to deal with situations. Such as removing faeries from the field with no intention of keeping more than one. I've done it with other creatures as well where the capture conditions are easier to achieve than the risk associated with their continued existence. I feel that I am somewhat exploiting mechanics given I have no intention to keep the creature AND I do it to clear 3+ of the same creature from the field.

Suggestion: I think the most effective way to deal with this would be that when I succeed in capturing a creature, all other creatures of the same type within line of sight should instantly distrust. I think would be appropriate both to avoid the possible exploiting tactic and somewhat understandable from the creature's point of view.

--SGriffin / Grimgul

[Ferret]

Hmm.. it feels a little weird to "punish" a successful capture on the one hand, but on the other hand, you shouldn't need more than one of a demon you've successfully captured anyway unless you're trying to do what you describe, which I agree isn't a desirable behavior.

There's a couple other ideas I have for dealing with it in addition to your Distrust idea:

1) Wait for the currency system to be added, and add a charge associated with attempting a link. You'd still be able to do this, but presumably it'd be an expensive way of dealing with the problem.

2) Discarded monsters spawn back in the world as a hostile if discarded in LoS of enemies they used to be in a group with. (UI would warn you if you are about to do this.)

Granted, both of my ideas require systems that aren't in yet. (Currency and upgraded group AI) If I do the Distrust one in the meantime, I'll need to make sure it counts modified versions as 'different', I wouldn't want someone to recruit a Faerie and then lose out on a Blessed Faerie they were planning to recruit next.

[Galthaar]

Very nice game Ferret, congratulations!

I agree that removing opponents from combat by capturing (specially through negotiations) should be a little more difficult. A simple solution would be making negotiations possible only if the demon is alone.

Also, I suggest making the command button redirect your creatures to a spot even if there is no enemy there, this way you can organize your army and attract demons to chokepoints whitout having to unsummon/summon again all your demons.

[Ferret]

Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I've still got a long way to go though.

Now that you mention it, negotiation being a little easy might be part of the problem here. It's one of those systems that is currently only a skeleton of its eventual target goals. But, blocking negotiation attempts if other demons are present might be a good gap closer until I can get around to another pass on negotiation mechanics.

Expanded direct movement control for demons is definitely something I need to get around to. The amount of good, actionable feedback I've gotten on UI/control issues in general has pretty much convinced me I should probably dedicate a build cycle to them after I get relics working.

[SGriffin]

I do like the idea of negotiations requiring the creature to be alone. The other time I feel I'm abusing capture is for creatures like Halitek (sp?) which only require me to kill something else. I can soften up some front line enemies then just link to the halitek's one by one as I finish off each front line enemy.

--SGriffin / Grimgul

[Xavier]

Personally, I like the option of tactically removing a demon through linking or a link attempt; a lot of games force you to brute force everything or avoid them completely, so anything that gives you another option is a plus in my book. I agree that chain-linking haietliks and zombies and faeries and other easy links is probably exploitative though, so I think any solution should prevent that without making it impossible to chase off a scary ukobach or thin a lethal mob of akatekos. It might be as simple as removing the option to dismiss a demon except when you finish recruiting one while your party is full (as well as the option to dismiss the demon you just recruited): you can't attempt a link if you have the same demon in your party, so you won't be able to repeatedly purge easily-linked threats.