I think it will be good, if users wanting to discuss their gaming in VCMI should have topic for their reviews.
So I’ll start with my review.
VCMI/RMG battle testing by Macron1
Yesterday I started a random generated XL map in VCMI 0.97b. It was my own made template “Total Assault” ([forum.vcmi.eu/t/macron1-topic-for-different-stuff/726/15)) to turn off standard towns and dwellings. Today I finished map, so want to point current pluses and minuses of process, and what should be corrected.
Positives:
- AI played good. It spawned many heroes. Some of them bought armies and attacked objects on map. When my heroes captured their towns, AI attacked them and captured them back. Even my heroes got attacked from time to time (in 0.95/0.96 AI avoided to attack my heroes, even if they were junk). AI used Subterra gates. I can’t say about Portals, because there were only 2 pairs on them and they were guarded by some big swarms. RMG doesn’t use sea, so I cannot say how AI works on sea maps altrough. AI tried to buld buildings in towns and armies (if had resources).
Negatives:
- I think there too strong guards placed on Portals/Subterra Gates guarding. AI cannot attack them, because they usially are 5-7 level creatures. Even on start my subterra gate was guarded by 30-40 7th level creautures. I think it’s too much.
- When I entered the Fort On the Hill, it crashed. There were no other crashing objects on map I encoutered.
- Still RMG places too several dwellings on map. I saw only few 5-7 level dwellings, and saw no 1-4 level dwellings at all. Hope this will get corrected. Or it must be written in template some how?
- I used my own modded towns map objects, that use mask like “mask”:”VVBVV”,”VBBBV”,”VVAVV”]. When my hero wanted to move near town, path builder (that green thing drawing path) builded path through town entering. When hero passed town gate, it entered town automatically instead of walking, and then there was crash some seconds later. This is my guilt of making such towns map objects (normal mask has “VBBABB” like line), but I hope in future path finding will build path not including accessible “A” town gates.
- There were many places, where there was guarding monster, than rock or mushroom (blocking object), and then artifacts/building in closed places. So even with Fly some of these places were not accessible.
- Fly movement/Fly is still disabled (not working), so it lowers fun gaming RMG maps. I had several heroes with flying movement on map, so AI may worked out better if some of it’s heroes were able to fly as planned. In 0.95 Fly worked, I hope, it will be returned in next version.
- AI still not recaptures mines taken from it by my heroes. AI players with armies should not bother taking mines, but I think junk AI heroes without armies must have their priorities to gather resources/take mines rather than discovering map.
- I’ve added new types of subterra gate object (with different subids taken automatically). Still RMG places only standard subterra gate (default type). I hope this will get randomized.
So war raged on, and I liked the opposition AI made to me. Happily my two main heroes had Diplomacy expert, so I had no need in buying armies in towns. I think if my heroes had no diplomacy, maybe I cannot win in half year of gaming time at all. Because AI heroes attacked from all directions.