We played a bunch of MWC "practice" games on Saturday night, mostly with my order mates but three people from outside our order also played. All night I was noticing "mysterious unit behavior" - things I don't remember happening in 1.4.x or 1.3 - especially on Desert Stampede.
After the game I mentioned it in chat and several people commented on the same thing, including those from outside our order. I'm definitely not trying to stir things up here, but I can't help thinking this isn't my imagination and I wanted to get some feedback from everyone - thus this post.
It reminds me of driving your car and you know that "something" is wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on it. So imagine I'm talking to you, the repair person... or maybe you, the guy standing near me that thinks he's experiencing the same problem but hasn't been able to pinpoint it either... Comments are welcome from both.
Two specific things I experienced:
(1) Ghols seem to be able to move through any melee unit defense, unless they are really tightly formed. If the melee is ordered to attack the Ghol, they tend to be "too late" and end up chasing it. It's like a Greased Ghol plugin.
(2) A single Ghol was leading a whole group of Warriors and Ghols around "Trow Dance"-style. This I definitely don't remember happening in the past. I recall the melee in the back would "move to intercept" and not follow them around like idiots. :;): (Personally I hate the Trow Dance and to see it in non-Trow units really made me cringe)
It feels to me like the "move to intercept" aspect of units is missing or greatly diminished. Am I imagining this?
I haven't had a chance to look at the films from these games yet (it's been and is looking to be a helluva busy week for me), but when I do I will post them somewhere and point out the time(s) when I saw this behavior.
Something the other players mentioned that I can't quite recall exactly (should have written it down) was something along the lines of: "attacking a group of enemies sometimes you attack guys in the back at random". I know this sounds kinda random itself, but that's what I recall. I include it here only because they agreed that the above mentioned behavior was odd and added this additional comment.
Lastly, it seems like sometimes when I order a Dorf to throw a bottle, or a Lock or a Fetch to attack the ground he just stands there. I haven't figured out if this is due to terrain issues or what, but there are times when I want a Dorf to toss a bottle even with friendly units near (but many more enemy units near) and he seems to refuse. I don't care if he kills himself or some comrades - I want him to throw that bottle dammit! I don't have a film with this as I didn't write it down when it happened (but will next time for sure).
To me overall it seems like in 1.5 my units' behavior is much more unpredictable than in 1.4.x. And at times it feels really different.
I haven't nailed down the specifics of what I'm experiencing that feels "off", but some things are definitely not playing the way I expect. It's frustrating because I can't convey what it is exactly, but the "move to intercept" is one thing that seems different.
Thus, I open this thread for comments - constructive comments only please! Thanks.
The Ghol thing has always happened and will hopefully always happen. The other issues, I agree are worth looking into.
“LORD, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off!”
Sarah Noelle Pratt Ferguson
The move to intercept thing was brought up at length back when 1.5 fc1 was around. We did a lot of testing with 1.3 to compare, and some reg myth 2 players also fired up 1.3 as well ... we found the exact same behaviour. Sometimes the chasing unit behaves intelligently but other times it seems to get very lost, going off in completely the wrong direction.
The other things you mention ... hmm. Imagine me as the mechanic who tells you he can't hear that slight but annoying tingle coming from the gearbox, despite it driving you crazy night & day. I'm not sure what you mean by the "attack guys in the back" thing. And I will need a film or two to understand your refusing to shoot problems, as on the rare occasions I've been able to play I haven't noticed it - my duffs are only too happy to blow my warriors up
I'm not saying that there aren't flaws in the gameplay (much as I'd like to), but that to (a) establish whether there is a flaw and (b) work out what to fix we do need info at a more detailed level.
The Ghol thing has always happened and will hopefully always happen.
Ok good - it sure seemed different, but I'm willing to go with it if everyone else is.
The move to intercept thing was brought up at length back when 1.5 fc1 was around. We did a lot of testing with 1.3 to compare, and some reg myth 2 players also fired up 1.3 as well ... we found the exact same behaviour. Sometimes the chasing unit behaves intelligently but other times it seems to get very lost, going off in completely the wrong direction.
I thought this had gone through some lengthy testing - I just missed out as I was on the road for some eight weeks around that time. Again, as long as the behavior is the same and you guys did comparisons with 1.3 then I'm willing to go with it.
My concern was that it was a very large group of melee chasing this one Ghol in circles. That I just don't recall ever seeing before.
I'll keep an eye out for the Hesitating Duff behavior and trap it in a film if I can. Same for the "attack guys in the back" thing (that one I will leave up to the other players I mentioned to single out as I didn't really catch it).
I don't have a film with this as I didn't write it down when it happened (but will next time for sure).
