Ideas for Combat AI and mechanics

Take up the role of a great wizard, wield powerful spells, command fantasy races and challenge your rivals in this remake of a cult turn-based strategy classic. Do you have what it takes to become Master of Magic?
Post Reply
MerlinTheWise
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2022 2:02 pm

Ideas for Combat AI and mechanics

Post by MerlinTheWise »

I wrote up two files, one for the combat AI and another for the overall combat mechanics. I know it's quite a lot, and perhaps too much to ask for, but perhaps the devs looked into them and considered them for a future DLC or update. The files cover:

  • Existing AI weakness (original game)
  • Evaluation of armies' strengths, strategic decision-making
  • Effects of battlefield features, like Fog of War and Line of sight on the units' attributes and abs
  • AI Tactical solutions, unit maneuvering, melee combat
  • Splitting multifigure units into smaller ones
  • Unit formations, melee combat
The first file covers only AI considerations, the second one combat mechanics that concerns both the AI and the player
Master_Of_Magic_F.zip
(276.87 KiB) Downloaded 22 times
TalonThorn
Private First Class - Wehrmacht Inf
Private First Class - Wehrmacht Inf
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun May 23, 2021 9:12 am

Re: Ideas for Combat AI and mechanics

Post by TalonThorn »

The one thing I'd like different from MoM on the world map (strategic combat, not tactical battle combat) is to have a zone of control on units. The one problem with army movements on the world map is that enemy AI will go right past my units, attacking the city instead.

Thus, if I have two cities I'm trying to defend, the AI will approach one, and if I rush over to defend it, they attack the other. I can't perform any blocking maneuver to slow them down or other strategic actions which come from having a zone of control.

Zone of control is basically having each square adjacent to the army be a potential combat location. Thus, any enemy unit (AI or self) which moves into an army's ZOC has to stop movement there or move on the enemy position to attack. If the enemy army wants to move past the other army, they have to make a wide berth around them or move one position at a time through enemy ZOC (or just move into the enemy location and attack). This allows a few armies to make a wall of defense at a front line, slowing down the enemy or just keeping them from going around larger armies using fast movement.

In addition to this, the ZOC can apply only to "like" movement units. Thus, a flyer/floater can pass through or even over enemy armies without attacking them nor being stopped -- unless the enemy has a ranged attack. Similarly, cavalry (mounted units) can move through enemy ZOC without stopping (more maneuverable and thus can avoid engaging the enemy), but they could not move through an army like flyers can.

Granted, this may be too complicated or "wargamer" like details, but MoM is a very complicated game, so I think it would fit right in. It would need to be added as an optional rule, since the game didn't have this feature in the original--and us fans do want to stick to the original recipe.
Post Reply

Return to “Master of Magic”