PBEM and Single Player Balance Mod v1.24 released: bug fixes and more useful Dwelling units (Community)
Ranked #2 in the poll of the best AoW3 mods at the end of 2017, the balance mod keeps fixing small and big bugs of the game and improving balance! The main branch of the mod is updated with v1.24 three months after the release of the previous update. v1.24 completes the work on making rarely produced units more useful, fixes 5 bugs (and corrects 1 description) of the official version and introduce a few small balance tweaks (including 2 for Necromancers).
An Article by Hiliadan
The balance mod has been developed for over two years now, with a huge work by Zaskow to implement the ideas in the mod tools, and contributions from more than 30 players to design and choose the best proposals for balance. It is really nice to see that this work has been appreciated by the AoW3 community and that in a poll with over 80 voters, the balance mod ended up #2. Thanks to all the players who contributed to this, and in particular the members of the core group discussing balance, who spent many hours to provide excellent and diverse feedback: Blackwill357, Gladis, Jean de Metz, Hellbrick, Marcuspers, Skuns453Lirik902!
The main axes of this update are:
- As announced in the article announcing the release of v1.23, v1.24 completes the work on the 2nd priority expressed by the community in a poll about the directions the balance mod should take, i.e. making currently rarely produced units more useful. v1.23 had opened that work by making Succubus cheaper to build, v1.24 reforms Dwellings, cutting the costs of T1 buildings, re-organising the building chains (see the chains for the official version), but makes sure reaching T4 buildings remains as costly as before. A few underwhelming buildings, like the Chamber of Rite of the Undead Archons, are also boosted. It should now be more interesting to invest in Dwellings to build low tier units.
Priorities for balance expressed by the community in March 2017, the first two have been dealt with by the balance mod
- Fix bugs from the official version. Triumph will update the game from time to time to fix major (and easy to fix) issues but the balance mod now plays an important role to fix issues Triumph hasn't the time to deal with. v1.24 fixes 5 bugs, from visual glitches (heroes on Ponies instead of Raptors, Horses or Boars) to serious issues with Hard Quest rewards for the Draconians.
- Fixing recently discovered issues and bringing adjustments: the balance of the Necromancer class continues: the cost of Animate Ruins is bumped as it was extremely cheap and easy to rebuild a razed city (Metropolis for 60 CP anyone?), and a way to try repeatedly to mind-control enemy units is removed by adding Mind-Control Immunity to units who resisted Necromantic Aura (the Necromancer could previously try multiple times until he got the desired unit). A weak defender set is removed from the Forbidden Sanctum as this is one of the most impactful site (which gives potentially game-changing secret spells).
Full changelog of v1.24 (also available on the official changelog of the balance mod )
Bug corrections
Bugs of the official game corrected:
- Halfling Musketeers defense is increased to 11 (was 10) as it should be
- Chamber of the Rite`s description is clarified: the battlefield enchantment is Crypt of Unlife so if affects all living units not just racial units
- The following heroes’ pony mount is replaced by their normal racial mount: Malzua (Draconian Sorcerer), Jurwarc (Orc Warlord), Bolmor (Dwarf Arch Druid)
Example of one of the bug fixed by the balance mod: 3 heroes were ridiculous, riding ponies too small for them. After a call from the NGO "Athlan Friends of the Animals"
, we fixed the issue and gave appropriate mounts to these powerful & proud heroes! - Blight Command (from the Necromancer’s Robe item) now works on Necromancer Leader and heroes and gives them `Like Blighted´ (had no effect on Necromancer)
- Dispel Magic and Steal Enchantment can no longer be used on Sprint
- Draconian Hard Quests can no longer give ridiculously low rewards
Issues/bugs of the balance mod corrected:
- Some mind-control abilities did not correctly give `Mind-controlled´ (+25% upkeep) to the units successfully controlled, this is corrected
- The upkeep of evolved summons (Serpents and Spiders) is 9/12/28/36 (was 7/7/9/9) for T1/T2/T3/T4.
General
- Forbidden Sanctum no longer has a defender set containing Nymphs and Shamans
- Domains of XXX spells can be researched by Necromancer (were not displayed in the research book of Necromancer) and their non-morale bonus apply to Undead, Elementals and units of Magical Origin (these three types of units still do not start to `Like´ the climate due to the spell) (was Undead, Elementals and units of Magical Origin do not benefit from the stat boost)
Dreadnought
- The Dreadnought ability Fireproofing gives +60% Fire Protection and Lava Walking. It requires Forge Aprons. (was called `Lava Walking´, was giving +100 % Fire Protection and did not require Forge Aprons)
Necromancer
- Undeads that attack a unit with Necromantic Aura get `Mind Control Immunity´ if the Aura fails its 7 spirit attack check on them (units with `Mind Control Immunity´ cannot be affected by Necromantic Aura).
- Animate Ruins costs 110 CP (was 60)
Sorcerer
- Summon Fantastic Creature can be used on Water hex (was only on land)
Orc
- Orc Impalers get `Impaling´ (Impalers have a 8 physical strength chance with each attack to immobilize the attacked unit for 2 rounds) and cost 55 gold (was 50 gold)
Archon (Undead)
- Undead Archon Dwelling`s buildings:
Graveyard (Infantry) costs 50 gold (was 100)
Charnel House (Archer) costs 50 gold (was 100)
Sigil of Awakening costs 50 gold and 25 mana (was 50 gold and 50 mana)
Obelisk of Undeath (gives Cursed to enemy units in domain) costs 75 gold and 25 mana (was 75 gold and 50 mana)
Barrow (Caster) costs 90 gold and 50 mana (was 100 gold and 50 mana)
Haunted Vault (Wraith) is unlocked by Sigil of Awakening and Obelisk of Undead (was unlocked by Barrow, itself needing these 2 buildings) and cost 135 gold and 40 mana (was 160 gold and 40 mana)
Mausoleum (Titan) costs 250 gold and 110 mana (was 250 gold and 75 mana)
The Wraith can now be unlocked with a simplified building chain (it needs only the Sigil and the Obelisk) and, as for other T1 or T2 units, the costs to unlock it are lowered. The interest of having an Obelisk or a Chamber of Rite are also increased as they provide additional abilities to units in domain
- Chamber of Rite gives Heal Undead to all Supports in the domain
- Obelisk of Undeath gives all Undead in the domain Undeath Aura, which heal them 10% HP / strategic turn. Obelisk of Undeath requires Sigil of Awakening (was could be built directly) and contributes to unlocking Chamber of the Rite (which also requires the Barrow)
Fey
- Fey Dwelling`s buildings:
Buttercup Meadow (T1 building): 100 gold (was 150 gold)
Nightshade Hollow (T3 building): 250 gold (was 200 gold)
Unicorn Glade (unlocks Unicorn) costs 100 gold and is unlocked by Buttercup Meadow (was cost 150 gold and directly buildable)
Nymph Pond (unlocks Nymph) costs 100 gold and is unlocked by Buttercup Meadow (was cost 150 gold and is unlocked by Fairy Charm)
Aphrodisiac Flowers (2nd defensive building) is unlocked by Fairy Charm (was unlocked by Nymph Pond)
Merfolk
- The Mermaid`s Cove can be built without pre-requisite (was: needs Deep Sea Trench). The Abyssal Ridge requires the Siren`s Rock and the Deep Sea Trench (was: needs Siren`s Rock, which needs Whispering Rocks and Mermaid`s Cove, which needs Deep Sea Trench)
Naga
- Serpent Hall and Viper Fortress cost 65 gold and 50 mana each (was 75 gold and 50 mana) and Altar of the Great Mother costs 170 gold and 75 mana (was 150 gold and 75 mana)
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Created on: 03.06.2018 at 22:01:08