Thinking about supply - some proposals

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by LintMan:
My thought: reduce the cost to 10 gems, and make them const-6 (if it isn't there now).

I'm pretty sure that they are supposed to be less effective, since they are construction 2, while wineskins are construction 6.

4) Preferably to (just) fixing the magic supply methods, I'd like to see a non-magic-item solution that echoes how real armies would deal with supply:

In this particular time period, most of that involved living off the supplies you could find directly around you.

- No nature gems required
- No nature mages required to forge large quantities of endless wine bags.

This is one of the major advantages of nature magic, so you'd be seriously weakening it by providing other avenues for supply generation.

[Chris Byler]

At least one faction *does* have a supply unit: the Fay Boar. Nature mages provide supply, as do some Gods (the Great White Bull and Lord of Fertility are the only ones I can think of).

And you already know some of the nature items - the Enormous Cauldron of Broth (Cons 2, 20 Nature, 50 supply) and Endless Bag of Wine (Cons 4, 5 Nature, 25 supply). There's also the Summer Sword (Cons 4, 10 Nature 5 Earth, 50 supply). But that one's a little harder to forge - the other two can be forged by a Druid (possibly with a Thistle Mace, but he can forge that himself and you only need one). The same commander (or scout) can carry one of each for 125 supply - not counting any nature mages or fertility gods you may have with you.

Supply caravans are already represented by fortresses providing supply to distant provinces. IIRC this is based on the fort's admin values, so a Fortified City will indeed give you fewer supply headaches - until the front moves and you have to build another one. Then the tremendous gold cost of the FC will keep you from buying too many troops.

I don't think the game needs any more ways to supply armies. It's already hard to starve out forts because the defenders usually have nature mages or supply items, and even large armies can be fed by items and/or nature mages. Bags of wine are one of the most gem efficient ways - there's no reason they couldn't be carried by your army commanders instead of scouts, unless you routinely fill every item slot on run-of-the-mill commanders.

[Gateway103]

Originally posted by Wauthan:
...Diseased units can Last for quite some time and are usually competent enough to fight even after a full year (4 turns) of starvation...

Just a clarification, In Dom2 a full year is 12 turns, unlike the way it was in Dom1. Minor difference most of time though.

-Gateway103

[HotNifeThruButr]

Dice, in this time period and scenario, most of the food your armies come by are usually what they take/buy from the local infidel/friendly farmers. A cheer for commandeer!

"We'll be taking this wheat, that cow, and your blood virgin daughter... oh, and we also have to salt your farm now"

I like your supplier idea, this way, nature magic isn't essential because no magic should be absolutely vital, in my opinion, at least.

What if the enemies steal your suppliers instead? I mean, don't let it just go to waste!

[ April 16, 2004, 05:26: Message edited by: HotNifeThruButr ]

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by HotNifeThruButr:
Dice, in this time period and scenario, most of the food your armies come by are usually what they take/buy from the local infidel/friendly farmers. A cheer for commandeer!

That's what I said.

[HotNifeThruButr]

My bad, I thought you meant foraging and hunting.

[Tuna-Fish]

Remember, pillaging gives supplies!

Not much good vs dead ermor though...