Enchantment Management
There is currently -no- interface for targeting unit enchantments. As far as I can tell, casting a buff on a stack simply applies the buff to a random target in the stack. So to apply an enchantment to a specific unit, this is the required process:
1) Select enchantment target
2) Unstack unit and move one space away
3) Select main stack
4) Select enchant caster
5) Select spell
6) Select enchantment target
7) Select enchantment target again
8) Move enchantment target back to main stack
Eight clicks is unacceptable for such a simple task in a modern interface, and it also wastes two completely unnecessary movement points. Instead, we should be able to choose a specific target inside a stack without the complicated stacking/restacking.
This is highly reminiscent of the aggravating buy/equip/trade interface. I've played text adventure and roleplaying games that require fewer key presses to interact with equipment and are more intuitive. There's no reason these screens should be separated. A single unified trade/equip/buy screen would be much better.
EDIT
Almost forgot to add this...
Similarly, managing the enchantments is a process of complete guesswork. The "Enchants" tab on a hero lists what they have going, but not where the enchantment is. A hypothetical example: my sovereign applies 5 stoneskins, three to heros, one to a troop of hard hitting units that travels with him, and one from a long time ago to some now obsolete troops that have been delegated to gaurding wilderness improvements. I'm at my max number of enchants and I need to dispel one to apply stoneskin to my new son! But in the enchant tab, there's no way to tell which enchantment slot is affecting which unit, so I end up having to cancel one randomly and -hope- that it is the one affecting the right unit. If I choose wrong, I lose 10 turns of mana regen to recast stone skin.
This is not intuitive.
Double edit:
We should not have to leave a city for enchantments to be cast--this is another tedious and unnecessary procedure.
Triple edit:
This causes bugs with certain enchantments being completely untargetable. Arcane Armor and Arcane Weapons both must be cast on the same square as the caster and are thus only applicable to random targets.
Is there something I don't know here, and this isn't an issue for everyone?
Nope. It's annoying.
Agreed, it's very cumbersome trying to figure out what you're enchanting and where your enchants are currently being applied.
A single unified trade/equip/buy screen
+1, also it's annoying you can't cast anything when in a city, not even city enchant
Forgot about that one too! I'll add it to the OP.
Heh - I thought that if you cast an enchant on a stack it affected the stack - never considered it was just one random shmoe. Lame.
The managing also covers the upkeep of enchantments and that's just as messy.
Well, MoM had you paying global "upkeep" for all running enchantments but with the current mana regen system that's a no go because mana is not a "product".
I would still prefer having enchantments somehow stuck with the units, though. Always managing the link of which hero is tied to which unit's enchantment is... uurgh.
When a hero dies, which units and cities exactly have now lost a number of enchantments...?Running another champion criss-cross around my empire, repairing that damage, is just no fun. That's assuming I had kept a list of who did what enchantments to which units and cities...
With the enchantments tagged to the casting champion, it's going to be messy no matter which way you cut it.
I do understand that the devs did not want paid upkeep (like x mana / turn) to keep things going because it would make the game to spreadsheety.That's why unit's don't cost x gold / turn. Oh wait, they do...
With a global (?) mana pool, like Brad was hinting at, a superior organisation of buffs / enchantments would actually be possible, as well as a more varied magic system.Buffs like Haste, for instance, could be cast strategically, costing x % of their casting cost in upkeep every turn.That would reduce the micromanagement of your tactical battles because you wouldn't have to cast the same spells on the same units every damn time. This would allow your channelers to play a more active role in tactical battles - which is more fun than merely being the buff bitch.
You still wouldn't keep it on too many units at once because it would lower your overall mana income...
Arcane armor and arcane weaponry state that they affect the caster's stat. They're not intended to buff other units.
Ahhh, my mistake then. I've always considered them joke spells anyway because they don't scale and they require unlocking the super secret mega spellbooks. +2 attack and +2 defense are mediocre even on turn 1.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
Sign in or Create Account