Warrior Kings

Warrior Kings
by Dragoon

Well, when I was thinking about working an Altered melee map, I came up with the idea 'Less is More' instead of adding lots of new features and stuff, I decide to lower them. After brainstorming, I came up with the following:

• One main building, that you start with, trains all the units and get all the upgrades.
• Three support buildings that can be build by workers
• Two basic units. A worker and another unit.
• Four advanced units. Each advanced unit has an upgrade that has to be researched before it can be build.

No heroes, no complicated techtree, no creeps. Even tough all the factions have the same set-up, I want them to play very different and have to focus on different tactics. As main buildings can't be build, the goal of a match is to destroy the enemies main building. The only upgrades are those you need to research to be able to build advanced units.

As an secondary idea, I wanted to raise the strategic influence. Adding bonuses to stay on certain locations. (I.E. raising ranged attack while standing on hills. Lowering speed when you travel trough water.) as well adding random weather events that give buffs or debuffs.

At third, I added a morale system. All attacks deal morale damage in addition to their normal damage. This differes depending on the attack used. When units die, they damage the morale of units around them. When your unit's morale reaches 0, their attack and defense lowers, but their speed increases.

Factions:

• The Organization are many trade companies united under one banner, to gain much more profit than they could ever get alone. Most of their units fight only for gold, resulting in low morale. Because they can build marketplaces to get gold, they're one of the most expensive factions in the game.
• The Freeman gain great profits from the wars. Stealing resources from their enemies, as well the ability to sell their own units when they don't need them anymore makes them one of the most resource efficient factions. Having good hit-and-run troops, they should avoid direct confrontations.
• The Empire is here to conquer. Having the most inspired units in the game, their morale is very high, if they're not immume to morale damage at all. Good defensive units and structures, as well spawning millitia from destroyed buildings allows them to keep their bases well defended, till they lay the deciding blow.

Process: See Sig

Here's a more detailed breakdown of each faction's design.

The Organization
Main Building:
Guildhouse

Buildable structures:
Farm - Provides food.
Marketplace - Serves as a drop-off point for gathered gold, as well allows to trade gold for lumber.
Cannon Tower - Defensive structure with a short range.

Basic units:
Laborer - basic worker unit, can go overtime, increasing their gather rate, but damaging over time.
Sell-sword - a melee warrior, has low defense. Can throw firebomb at enemy buildings.

Advanced units:
Ranger - a ranged unit, has a chance to dodge attacks.
Assassin - melee unit, attacks with poison, dealing damage over time.
Minotaur Crusher - powerful melee unit, who inspires nearby allied units, increasing their morale regeneration.
Battlewagon - siege vehicle unit, can harvest lumber as well placing oil casks on the battlefield, that explode when attacked.

The Freemen
Main Building:
Settlement

Buildable structures:
Slave Market - Allows you to sell units for half their cost here.
Tent - Provides food, Thralls can enter the building to throw spears at their enemies.
Watchtower - Building with very great vision. Thralls can enter the building to throw spears at their enemies.

Basic units:
Thrall - basic worker unit, can enter tents or Watchtowers to defend the camp.
Thug - melee unit, can taunt nearby enemies.

Advanced units:
Brigand - ranged unit, can esnare enemy units.
Centaur Raider - fast ranged unit, will flee and gain a speed bonus when attacked.
Attack Troll - slow siege melee unit, heals very fast.
Wolf Raider - fast melee unit, deals additional damage to buildings. Will gain bloodlust when it kills an unit.

The Empire
Main Building:
Fortress

Buildable structures:
Outpost - Defensive structure, also trains men-at-arms.
Forge - Provides food, also gives peasants their weapons
Mine Field - Defensive mines. Will explode when enemies come near.

Basic units:
Peasant - Basic worker unit, can be armed to become men-at-arms
Man-at-arms - ranged unit, low morale, but restores to full morale with each kill.

Advanced units:
Rifleman - Ranged unit, has a chance to throw a grenade at the attacking unit, dealing damage in a small area.
Footman - Melee unit, heavy armor and can restore morale on self.
Knight - Fast melee unit, can trample smaller units, dealing damage to them just by being near. Is immume to morale damage.
Battle Priest - melee support unit, can heal allied units, as well restoring morale to them.

like the idea of the slave-marked; would be nice if you can "enslave" enemy units...

I've always liked the idea of very simple altered melee maps. Glad to see someone else has the same opinion.