A question to ask

[Apomonomenos]

I was wondering are the buildings going to change as they get damaged like in AoM and AoEIII? And will the units do the same (such as scratches etc.)

[Justinian]

I would be very surprised if the building damage isn't implemented, though I personally have only seen one instance of somewhere that employs infantry damage and that was M2TW.

[TheCobra1]

I'm not sure I grasp your meaning of "damage," Alex. The types of damage between buildings from AoM and AoEIII are much different, i.e. in AoM, to my knowledge, buildings just go up in flame and crumble; in AoEIII, buildings actually fall apart as damage is inflicted upon them.

Of the two, I think the latter would be a bit far-fetched, seeing how that just takes a ton of work to develop. I think it'd be better for morale if you expected the former, and if WFG announces that their buildings have the same effect--like in AoEIII--you can get really excited and morale doesn't suffer.

[Justinian]

I think he means Degradation (word) as a building goes down healthwise.

For those who don't understand what I meant:

I think that Alex meant as a building or unit takes damage will it be visible.

Also will it be Dynamic (from what I saw of AoE 3), depending on where it gets hit is where the damage shows up, Or will it be Static (AoE 1-2) where the damage is constant and only happens in a set order at set damage triggers.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Here's how it will most likely pan out:

We will probably go the AOM route where the building as a whole starts to look damaged (fire, charred, soot, cracks, busted doorways maybe), but we won't go the way of AOEIII where bits and pieces fall off due to physics. I know the game engine will be extremely modular and who knows what kind of features skillful modders and modding teams will be able to add in this area.

[plumo]

I have a question concerning buildings.

I read that you can place f.e. archers on the hoardings of a castle. When the castle is assaulted, they fire at the enemy I guess, but do they remain there (/ or fire )until the building's Hit points are zero ?

[Mythos_Ruler]

When a building is attacked, the units garrisoning the building will be damaged first. At least, that is how the game is designed. I think this issue was thought of years ago, even before I joined the team.

Edited April 15, 2008 by Mythos_Ruler

[Justinian]

So the archers on the walls get damaged.

@ Mythos: the way you put it I almost thought that the catapualts besieging the fort would take the hit.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Edited for confusion.

[Kimball]

One thing we might want to think about is that since the building textures are universal within a faction, we could have civilization-themed 'scraps' that fly off of a structure when hit by a longer-ranged siege weapon, such as a catapult. Rams shouldn't have that effect because that would look cheesy.

[plumo]

nah.

Let's destroy it the old way.

I have a question, concerning buildings.

I read the features list, and you plan on implenting some innovative features, not?

The building part looks quite classic, not ?

and the gathering of resources?

[Apomonomenos]

I like Purple People Eater's idea, but scraps could fall off for rams, but only on the bottom.

I think u got the idea from AoE III, didn't you?

[MrBlack103]

I saw in the FAQ that the game won't include ladders, siege towers etc.

WHY THE HELL NOT???

You might as well not include walkable walls, 'cos takin' 'em down with ladders is half the fun!

[feneur]

Some hot feelings here? Perhaps you should cool down a bit, it's just a game after all

There are two big reasons for whether or not a feature will be a part of the game:

1. Does it add to the gameplay/realism?
   
2. Do we have the possibility to develop it?
   

And while some of the things you talk about could add to the gameplay/realism, we simply don't have the manpower required to develop everything.

Concerning that earlier question about why we don't do all things different from other games: Sometimes there's a reason a lot of games do things in a similar way. While innovation can be fun, and if it's good make a game more fun to play, it can also be quite pointless if what's already been done is good. Not only will a different way of doing things add to the learning curve (and while some people enjoy reading lengthy manuals before jumping into a game I'm sure most don't), there's also a risk that the innovative way of doing something might be worse than the old.

[Apomonomenos]

Yea, i never liked siege. They screwed Siege 2 Units on AoM big time and in AoK the siege always killed my archers.

But will there be siege towers like Catapaults and Balista Towers (That could be destroyed by being set on fire with archers)