Military unit rework

Oy rulers,

In our latest update, we've implemented a significant overhaul of military units. Our primary goal was to provide clearer and more tactical roles for each unit. It was driven by your feedback, and we really appreciate the comments you shared with us.

Military unit rework

One of the biggest changes is the revision of the "good against" logic for military units. Units
armor is now a much more important part of their unit type, as it is compared to weapons they are attacked with. Before, units wielded weapons that dealt extra damage against specific unit types. Now, units also have armor types (Light, Medium, and Heavy) and some attacks are more efficient against specific armor types. For example, Crossbows deal increased damage against Light and Medium Infantry, and Light and Medium Cavalry. For example, Light Infantry has light armor and Heavy Cavalry has heavy armor. This change adds depth to unit interactions and encourages you to consider your army compositions carefully.

Additionally, we've introduced short descriptions accompanied by lore snippets for military units and extra information for unit icons to provide a quick overview of each unit's type. These tooltips provide insight into a unit's capabilities and backstory.

More specificities and rules

In addition to the categorization and weapon adjustments, we've implemented several tactical improvements. Ranged attacks now have varying ranges, which makes positioning and unit composition more impactful. For example, the Calderian Fire used by Ignis Iaculatores has a range of 2, while catapults boast an unlimited range.

We've also introduced special rules for certain units to increase their survivability or effectiveness in combat. Healing units, like the Ordo Vita unit, can tend wounds to keep your army alive. Ordo Fortis, on the other hand, can bolster the morale of your units with their activated ability Rally Troops. Shields now reduce incoming ranged damage for units like Swordsmen, Armigeri, and Ordo Fortis, while Pikemen benefit from the Long Reach special, increasing their defense in melee combat.

Armor has been reworked to provide more survivability, particularly against ranged attacks. This change ensures that armored units remain viable and impactful on the battlefield.

"Bonus against" examples

Indicators for the arrow up and arrow down indicate if a unit has a special rule against another. This still does not mean they are ultimately good or bad in their matchup. For example: Poleaxer (Tier I) has attack 2.0 / defense 1.5. City Guard (Tier II) has attack 2.0 / defense 3.0 with their medium armor.

Poleaxe special ability allows 50% bonus attack against medium and heavy armor, effectively giving the Poleaxer unit attack 3.0 against City Guard. Sounds dangerous for the City Guard, but they still beat the defense value of Poleaxers and have higher morale and health values. City Guard will win the one-on-one match but will suffer about 50% of their health damage in the process.

Unit roles and economy balancing

With these changes, the tempo of military conflicts has shifted as some units have gained increased resilience. We'd love to know your opinion on how these changes have affected the flow of military combat. Deploying the correct units in the right place to capitalize on their strengths effectively is key to prevailing on the battlefield.

We've also introduced units with bonus damage against specific armor types, representing their weapons' capability to minimize the effectiveness of opposing armor. For example, Ignis Iaculatores' Calderian Fire deals bonus damage against medium and heavy armor, making it particularly effective against heavily armored foes.

Furthermore, we've adjusted unit tiers and their unlock conditions to provide a more balanced progression system. All unit stats and economic aspects are subject to further rebalancing as we gather feedback and conduct additional testing internally.

Some unit role examples

Ignis Iaculatores is our glass cannon anti-armour unit, but its short range and lack of armouring make it vulnerable to opposing long-range fire.
Knights are armed with lances and are especially good against heavy infantry and heavy cavalry. Again, they hurt everyone else too, but they are well-equipped against other heavily armoured combatants.
Pikemen excel at holding ground in melee, especially against cavalry, but are prone to crossbow fire. Their medium armor allows them to still ignore extra damage from normal bows.

Economy balancing

Rough guidelines for resource values as gold equivalent. These values will likely evolve as we keep balancing the game.

Some notes about resource uses:

• Cavalry needs Horses
• Better armour needs Steel
• High-end units may require other resources

These changes aim to provide a more nuanced and strategic combat experience with your feedback. Feel free to share your feedback on the Steam forums, we're eager to keep improving the game mechanics with you!

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -