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Fallen Enchantress–Legendary Heroes screenshots

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Fallen Enchantress–Legendary Heroes screenshots

from JoeUser Forums

Here are some screenshots we’ve taken for Legendary Heroes that I wanted to share with you guys:

Main_Map_LH-2

In this one, we’re showing off the complex shadows. It’s really surprising how much easier it makes playing the game when you can see your units pop better.  This is still early but this is the direction we’re going.

It also shows the updated mini-map. We’re still thinking about what color the base map should be (it’s tan in this screenshot). We decided to stop showing terrain (forests/mountains) since what users mainly want to see is the relative position of units, towns and territories.

 

Trait_Tree

This is a fairly big game play change.  In FE, what traits you get to choose from are somewhat luck based.  Here, the player is presented with a tree that they can then choose to upgrade via different paths.

2013-02 SelectChampion2

When a player’s faction gains enough fame, two champions will come forward and demand that you choose between them. The eventual goal here is to make sure every champion is very different from one another so that which ones you pick will significantly affect your overall strategy.

LH-main map-5

This is a screenshot that shows off the new lighting and shadow changes.  We’ve very much gone over to the point of view that we should focus on making the game elements obvious even if it’s at the cost of “art”. 

For example, we got rid of ground cover since it served no game play purpose.  The final game should look substantially better even still.

 

TacticalBattle-LH-1

There are going to be riots about tactical battles. My answer is: Tough. Derek and I are doing them the way we want and not how we imagine other people want them.   They are vastly funner (IMO).  So why do I think some people will hate these? Because the tactical battles get going immediately. 

On most maps, there is melee contact in the first turn. the units aren’t spending 2+ turns trying to run to each other. If you don’t want your archers massacred, you better have melee protectors for them. They’re not going to get 4+ turns of free shots at them. Without melee guards, they’ll be getting hits within a turn or two.

Now, I think most players are going to very much like the changes to tactical battles. First, there’s a lot more strategic variety on each map.  More special abilities come into play and more of the skill will come from how you handle your units rather than feeling like you have to game the “first hit”. Initiative matters vastly more now too.

The tactical battle improvements are my personal favorite change over FE.  FE tactical battles are a form of torture now.

2013-02 LevelUp

This screenshot is more polish than new.  It’s going to get more polish before release but the idea was to try to begin making each of the path choices more meaningful and fit a more distinct path than before.  To do that, we felt we needed to make sure players had a better understanding of the importance of that choice so that we could justify having these choices have more dramatic strengths (and weaknesses).

80,010 views 34 replies
Reply #26 from Elemental Forums Top

If not complete unit arrangements before combat, you could just have 3 rows of troops for arrangements. You would just assign each unit to a row.  Units wielding ranged weapons would default to row 3, but you could change it if you wanted.  It wouldn't matter much to me how rows 1 and 2 were arranged by default as long as I could change it manually.  

It's certainly not a deal-breaker for me.  I'd have preordered the expansion already if I could.  It's just an option I'd like to have.

Reply #27 from Elemental Forums Top

Just had an idea that could be added in, that would be nice (though maybe a bit of work)

 

WHy not have goodie huts or quests that spawn minor bonuses/ open up unique items you can make?  Not full-fledged techs, but maybe things that unlock a bonus weapon, or improve one of your existing weapons?

 

Example:

 

A master fletcher's quests- you get bodkin arrows.  All bow units gain a skill to ignore 25% of the opponent's armor on an attack if they have those arrows.

 

A master blacksmith's instructions in a lair- you gain the ability to produce guiding spears instead of regular spears, or sharp axes instead of regular axes.

 

I think this could add some immersion/neato stuff, and would make games seem a bit more different, but wouldn't be too much of a slot machine if you keep the bonuses reasonable.

 

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #28 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 19
It'll help against archers.

It might, but thats IF they have both archers and other units in a mixed army - the AI was never smart enough to field the correct mix let alone use it. It would seem that a lot of units that used to be fast and able to keep away out of fights when not needed (wolves and such) will now get attacked and killed?

 

I havent played the game with the new combat system obviously but it would seem to me that without seriously reworking the movement points for all units this is a pretty bad formula - I can see it working better in combat if the basic movement for a unit is 1 instead of the usual 2

Reply #29 from Elemental Forums Top

Why not make the initial distance between your units and the enemy's units different in every battle? Like some of the time they would start right next to each other like in the screenshot, other times they'd be on completely opposite sides of the map. I think it would make tactical battles slightly less repetitive and therefore more fun.

Reply #30 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Hawntah, reply 30
Why not make the initial distance between your units and the enemy's units different in every battle? Like some of the time they would start right next to each other like in the screenshot, other times they'd be on completely opposite sides of the map. I think it would make tactical battles slightly less repetitive and therefore more fun.

 

Not random ! 

 

"allow players to pick a range preference  (start combat at long range or short range) before each engagement ?  The actual range the combat starts should be a factor of map, skills (tarth master scouts; or having a scout unit with the army for this bonus) , army size (smaller armies should get a bonus vs big armies) , total army experience levels , spell effects (stealth//camouflage) and of course army initiative ...  With the right combination of factors ambushes should be possible but not the norm (as would appear from reading your post (player army ambushed by AI army in every combat)) ...

And of course some ability so pick the formation the units are positioned at the battle start .. Probably a template that can be set out of combat ...

Having some skill based ability to tactically reshuffle the army based on the terrain battleground (map) would be icing on top ..

 

"

Reply #31 from Elemental Forums Top

Would prefer to have ground cover, to be honest. At least have a toggle for it as other people have mentioned.

The new tactical battles sound good.

Reply #32 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting sweatyboatman, reply 24

Pop-up your beautiful notification, even pop it up in a screen-covering dialog, but let me click "Not right now" and then put a message in the notification bar and a shiny  icon in the Details window.  Then I can, at my leisure, click on the notification, see the details page, and click on the level up icon and make my choice.

I would very much appreciate that too!

Being able to first look around and do some calculations and thinking before finally making decisions like that would really be helpful.

Reply #33 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 18


Quoting ntino, reply 18So you have just gone and thrown out unit movement speed out of the equation(dont see the point in a unit with 4 speed anymore as far as tactical battles go)
 
Am I missing anything?

It'll help against archers.

I guess that it will not help against archers, because if a unit with a movement of 3 can reach the archers in one turn a movement of 4 does not help the unit to reach the archers faster.

I think that the tactical combat changes are a great idea, but the initiative of ranged weapons should be increased to compensate the loss of the free attacks before the target is in melee range.

Reply #34 from Elemental Forums Top

+1 for at least a choice about ground cover enabled/disabled!

 

I like the ground cover, looks so dead without... ;)