[FE] Faction Traits and Playstyle

from Elemental Forums

Lately a big topic has been faction differentiation. So I thought I would gather up some my ideas from other posts and update them. I think that instead of tons of little custom things like items which are really only visual in nature the actual play style of factions could be made more unique more efficiently by giving factions better and more powerful traits that allow them to implement unique strategies. The existing traits either unlock a single starting tech, which only effects the very beginning of the game, or are small multipliers.  The key to unique factions is allowing them different play styles and options not giving them slightly different items or miniscule multipliers. Not only should each faction play differently but they should also each be different when you interact with them in game.

 

Altar: Is the champion faction so they need traits that encourage heavy use of champions.

-Fellowship: Reduces the experience penalty for multiple champions in an army.

-Celebrity: Champions above lv5 grant +0.5 faction prestige.

 

Capitar: Is the trading team so they should have traits that allow them to play a trade and gold based strategy.

-Finance: Gives interest on total gold.

-Factoring: Grants a Factor House improvement that creates a trade route to the main city. Or could boost gold from Economic treaties.

 

Gilden: They are the mining and production team. All about building up industry and developing the land.

-Industry: All Mines and Foundries also boost growth of the nearest city by +0.2.

-Craftsmen: Cost of upgrading units and purchasing equipment halved.

 

Pariden: The arrogant research team. They are also good at expanding because they believe the world should belong to them. 

-Manifest Destiny: Other factions can't settle within 5 tiles of your territory. 

-Decal: Grants Lorehold, a cheap improvement that gives +3 research, one per city.

 

Tarth: They are isolationists who use the land to their advantage.

-Reclusive: Other factions can't see or use roads in your territory. Or maybe they don't get roads, but get a movement bonus in their territory and ignore terrain penalties instead .

-Hunters: Food bonus from woods when placing cities. Or unlocks a improvement that boosts food but can only be built on forest.

 

Kraxis:The defensive/creeping team. They slowly expand their territory by placing outposts.

-Defensive: City levels grant bonuses to defenders as before. Forts and Castles boost food.

-Territorial: Provides a militia unit to all armies in friendly territory, and outposts territory radius expanded by 1.

 

Magnar: The Raiding and slaver team. Not built for expanding but still aggressive.

-Slavelords: Same, already the most unique faction trait. Grants population in capital from razing cities, and reduces food costs. You could maybe also add pop bonuses from destroying improvements, conquering cities, and winning battles.

-Raiders: Gain their territory bonus when in other players' territory.

 

Roseln: The magic and religious team. A tall civilization. Not aggressive but still a late game threat.

-Death Magic: Same, grants several death spells.

-Theocracy: The level of a city reduces its unrest.

 

Umber: The beast and horde team. The most populace fallen race so they are good at city spam.

- Serpents Pact: Same allows you to recruit lizard monsters.

-Migration: +0.3 growth in all cities.

 

Yithril: The powerful warrior faction. All about building up an elite army of unstoppable giants.

-Powerful: Same, grants Strength.

- Pillage: Grants resources and research for defeating other players and taking cities.

 

These are my ideas for some interesting and unique faction traits that would make each faction play differently. Feel free to brainstorm and post your ideas as well. Not only traits but what you believe the strategy or characteristics of each faction should be.

12,005 views 11 replies
Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top


Altar, as the hero faction, should have a building ala the HOMM3 tavern... or perhaps an option at city level up would be a hero instead of one building choice.  So you get 4 buildings and a single hero to choose from.

ALL basic techs for all factions should be available at the start of the game and the tech tree should reflect increases in quality and ease of production of basic items. 

Basic weapons, mounts, shields, padded armor etc should be available.  After you research cavalry or horse archers you can create units with unique traits that can be added at unit design.  i.e. charge for cavalry and skirmish (kiting) for horse archers.

Once that is done, give each faction a few unique techs that only they can use:

Umber gets skath mounts with a venomous bite attack.  Wyvern scouts can reveal much of the map once the Rookery is built in a city.

Tarth gets invisible armies in forested terrain and snipers in forest tiles in tactical maps. Can only outfit heroes with metal armor, as they detest being underground. (or metal armor for troop designs is triple the normal cost if you like)

Tarthan Druids can summon creatures of the forest to aid a stack in battle and high level heroes can call upon the trees themselves.

Kraxis outposts also spawn militia and have a catapult on the tactical map if attacked.

Capitar gets a black market building that gives limited access to other factions unique hero items and will rarely present you with a new free tech or magic spell.  Occ. you might lose a tech to another faction. (no honor among thieves)

Resolyn's priests can raise enemy dead to augment their armies, with enough mana and necromantic research, undead drakes, ogres and hoarder spiders can be created. 

Yithril gets a knockback troop trait to reflect their fearsome physical abilities.  But are -3 to dodge from ranged attacks w/o researching better armor types.

Sure is fun painting the fence... anyone else wanna try?

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

I have been playing Capitar for awhile and I really think their faction should look like this:

 

  • +50% to training times.
  • -75% Rush Buy costs.
  • Roads offer an extra move.
  • +50% gold from Trade Treaty.
  • +10% more gold from Caravans.
  • Counting House: +50% Gold in this city, unlocks new merchant traits for Path of the Governor.
  • Calder Trading Company: +2 Diplomatic Relations with all factions, +50% Gold from Trade Treaty and Caravans, Treaties with Capitar are 100% more valuable, unlocks unique items in this city's shop.
Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Capitar should also be approached frequently by mercs seeking employment... being all wealthy and soft :hrmph:

Another faction could have the ability to bribe such units away... I don't know the backstory well enough to know which... what do you guys think?

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

I think that while differentiation is great, races should not be differentiated to the degree that only one play style will work with any given race.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting seanw3, reply 3


+50% to training times.

-75% Rush Buy costs.
End of seanw3's quote

I like this idea, those numbers may be a little high though. I especially like the negative trait. Capitar could then have special mercenary units with the experienced trait. This would allow them to keep the amount of units they have to a minimum to maximize gold, but then if they go to war they could suddenly buy large amounts of troops.

Quoting Andrew, reply 5
I think that while differentiation is great, races should not be differentiated to the degree that only one play style will work with any given race.
End of Andrew's quote

The key here is balance. It is important that races do play different from each other but they don't always play the same.

  

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting NaytchSG, reply 4

Another faction could have the ability to bribe such units away... I don't know the backstory well enough to know which... what do you guys think?
End of NaytchSG's quote

 

Kraxis!!! :)

They are the deadly spiders of diplomacy. They will learn the customs of other lands so as to appease those peoples, all the while setting up a network of spies and assassins, so that if someone crosses them the trap can be sprung.

Equally, they will have bribed for priority with mercenaries (through the mercenaries guild, and local captains), so they have the option of paying off enemy mercenaries (even mid battle!).

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Good ideas.  And I agree with Tasnuke, Kraxis makes sense as the nation to have a network of spies.  

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

the actual play style of factions could be made more unique more efficiently by giving factions better and more powerful traits that allow them to implement unique strategies.
End of quote

This. The current differences in factions really do seem like nice background bonuses and not something that affects actual strategy or playstyle.

Some good ideas in OP

One aspect of factions that could use a little spicing up is the sats and special abilities of units/champions. For example being Urxen or Trogg should mean more than it currently does, everyone knows that Troggs are strong and Wraith are smart but stats like Dexterity and Intelligence arn't the only things that can define a race. Urxen as the poison team could be naturally resistant while the wraith, due to their death magic origin could be slow healers, Tarth could move through forests without penalty.

The makes you choose champions from all affiliated races, those races sould be expanded.

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

I would like to see each race have access to unique spells. Sovereigns of other races could access these race specific spells only through research.

Example 01. "Umber - The Beast and Horde Team"

Umbar has access to summoning spells that allow them to summon wolves and dire wolves.

  • Level 1 - Summon Wolf - single wolf
  • Level 2 - Summon Wolf Pack - Group of wolves
  • Level 3 - Summon Dire Wolf - single dire wolf
  • Level 4 - Summon Diree Wolf Pack - Group of dire wolves
  • Level 5 - Summon Wolf Horde - summons 10 packs of wolves and 1 pack of dire wolves

Other Sovereigns could access these spells by researching Summoning Magic

Example 02. "Tarthans - They are isolationists who use the land to their advantage"

  • Level 1 - Tree shield (All friendly units adjacent to a forest tile receive +20 dodge bonus vs missle attacks)
  • Level 2 - Trip Vines (each turn all enemy Units lose 1 movement unless they resist, except in desert terrain)
  • Level 4 - Mass Invisibility (All friendly units are invisible until they attack - 150 mana)

Other sovereigns could access these spells by researching Nature Magic.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

I would rather there were more unique monster recruiting traits then more summoning spells. Mages and summoners would have to much of an advantage. Some examples of some monster faction traits could be:

Silk Road: Allows you to build on lairs and recruit Black Widows, Rock, Corpse, and Gatherer Spiders.

Twisted  Legacy: Allows you to build on lairs and recruit magical creations including Shrills and Umberdoths.

Words of Making: Allows you to build Golems.