combat

[Archonsod]

alexti said:
What I would like to see in combat system is ability to have different scripts for different situation.

How about a less restrictive script system?

Rather than dictating a set script (hold, cast x, attack) you have a more flexible system. For example, keep the orders, but have 3 settings : Always, Sometimes and Never. You get the same orders, but rather than stating exactly what you want the unit to do, you tell it how often you want it to do something.
If you set a unit to Always attack cavalry, then if there are cavalry present they will attempt to attack them. If you set them to sometimes attack rearmost enemies and sometimes attack archers, then the unit has a 50% chance of attacking either unit if they are present (if the enemy had no archers, then this would revert to 100% chance of attacking rearmost). If you tell a unit to Never attack cavalry then they will never attempt to engage cavalry.
A similar system could be applied to spells. Rank spells from 0 to 10. A spell at rank 0 will never be cast by the mage under any circumstances. Rank 1 has a 10% chance of being cast if possible. A Rank 10 spell will always be cast if possible.
It would allow for more flexible strategies to be employed, without affecting the PBEM side of things. You could even tailor it to achieve the same as the current system if you wished to.