Fight or Flight? So far, Fight is the only option (Hard difficulty)

The difficulty Scaling so far, I find too calculated and obvious. Assuming the difficulty/monster strenght is calculated from town Wealth.
I experience this system as “put every 2. or 3. villager you get as a fighter, and you’ll sail through the game with no difficulty”.
Though making building anything a slower process, less villagers for building(though allowing you to enjoy the game longer, THE JOURNEY BRO).

When the patterns of the difficulty are Linear, won’t that be an easy mode?

Hard Difficulty

Getting attacked by 2 different groups of monsters at the same time, consisting of trolls and bowmen, playtime: Day 2 ingame.

Great way to end your game?
Or, is the timing perfect? to pit them against each other
You know you wont win with 7 or 8 fighters with wooden swords against 2 groups of fully equipped TROLLS.

This is where the flight mechanics come in.
goal: broaden combat complexity, which suits Stonehearth’s pause ability

When you first start a new town, how would any enemy know you’re starting to build a city?
A relationship type of system could work here.

For example
If you fight a group from an enemy faction and right before you win the encounter, one of the Enemies might try to escape back home to call for help.
If the enemy escapes, it will inform it’s empire of your location.
The enemy faction will be aware of your presence and your relations are set.

As result, the enemy will start to send groups to attack you (Already implemented).

Before the enemy faction is aware of your presence, they only send out scouting parties to your selected map.
Their strenght will vary much.
From weak to monsterous.

As stated above:
“Getting attacked by 2 different groups of monsters at the same time”
While these 2 factions have only sent out scouting parties_(early game, presence still hidden)_. They will most likely fight each other and leave the map. Unless they find you… :wink:

having several ways to fool the enemy, can make for very interesting, difficult and tactical gameplay.

As of V. a24 It is quite easy to abuse the enemy pathfinding system to “win”
The genious Save Build Template System, means rebuilding/editing after a monster destroys it, shouldn’t be too time consuming for the villagers to fix. But, without Guards, no repairs will be made(Carpenter&Mason?)

1. The Decoy Footman Tactic: Include enemy vision to the game. Let a quick Footman lead the enemies in the wrong direction. If the Footman manages to run around corners, or run far enough ahead of the enemies. The enemy will move towards the last location they spotted you, and keep looking for you in the same direction, resulting in them leaving the map.

2. Goblin supply wagon: As long as the wagon remain in the Goblin Camp, many thrash/weak goblins can be created,slowly but continuous, dangerous in numbers, dangerous if ignored.

Note: This wont work if the enemy faction already has a set relationship with you (knows your town location from first encounter).

Tools: Smoke Bomb, Itch Powder, Flash Grenade(Archers, eat this!)
Floor Trap, Slow Movement/Immobilized.

     Any cheap tricks, that would suit an early game.

Always having to figure out if an enemy group is worth fighting… OR if you need to hold them back 10 or 15 gamedays, until you’ve made the preperations you need to defeat them.

In real life, a siege could take years. Would love to experience a LONG battle in stonehearth, where you have no chance of estimating the enemy’s strength.

BBL, taking a break from writing. Resume later =)

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