Visualization of enemy and neutral move & attack range Today I've finally found a viable solution for this long-requested feature. It pretty much works as you would expect, also for player units that have finished their movement already. Will be part of patch 1.9.3 (patch 1.9.2 has been queued up for Apple review 2 days ago).
Looks great! I had secret hopes that the update I had pending on Android would already have this, but sadly it doesn't Cheers!
This feature required a surprising amount of little changes. For example the 'Next Ally' button or tapping on an Ally outpost didn't remove the range tiles in the first draft. So it needs a little bit more tweaking and testing during the next days. A good opportunity to further improve upon some of the mid-game and end-game scenarios as well.
Thanks for the response and insight from Apple. I'm still receiving the same erro message. I'm on version 1.8.5 on iOS 8.02 iPad mini retina. I didn't receive a promo code so that can't be it. It definitely sucks if I'm not alone, I'd hate to see one of the better SRPG's on the App Store miss out on the front page feature.
This is a brilliant game, and probably my favourite SRPG on iOS. I just finished today, after spending around 30 hours in total There is one problem with it though, and I think a simple tweak to the combat system would really improve the game. At the moment, the way that enemies regenerate after you kill them makes capturing enemy camps a bit of a tedious grindfest. The general pattern is that there is an enemy unit standing on the camp, you kill him during your turn, and then another pops out during the enemy's turn and also stands on the camp, so you can't capture it. In order to actually capture the camp you basically need to surround it with 3-4 units, kill the enemy guy using all but one of them, and then move the final unit over the camp (al on the same turn, so it can't respond). As well as being tedious, this really limits the tactical flexability of the game because you can't really send a single unit to capture outlying camps, because a single unit can never capture the camp for the above reason (i.e. as soon as it kills the enemy unit, another one respawns before it can take the camp). So you need to send 2-3 units at minimum, which you can't typically afford to do. This means that most battles end up turning into bloodbaths in the centre of the map where you just randomly kill enemy units until you get 30-50% causalities, and then move around the map taking the camps one-by-one now that they can't spawn enough units to defend them (I don't think I lost a single battle after the first few scenarios using this method, playing on the default difficulty setting). The way to fix this would be really simple - at the moment, units are allowed to move, and then they can attack. After the attack, their turn is over. If this was changed so that you they could attack first and move afterwards, then the problem would be solved - single units could now capture camps because they could kill the enemy unit standing on it, and then move on top of it, all within the same turn. I think there are other several other tactical benefits to allowing units to move and attack in whichever order the player wants (rather than it always being move->attack->end turn) that would make the game even better, but this is the main one.
Also as another small point I think the number of available items is slightly excessive, and makes arming units a bit tedious. Does the game really need "Boots of +2 POW", "Boots of +3 POW", "Boots of +4 POW", "Boots of +5 POW", and so on? (ditto with "Sword of +10 ATK", "Sword of +12 ATK", Sword of "+14 ATK", etc) It would probably be better if the stat bonuses were a bit more spread out, so that was more of a distinction between items. So maybe only include "Boots of +4 POW", "Boots of +8 POW", "Boots of +12 POW", and so in instead (with weapons boosts maybe increasing in units of +5 or so, as well). That way when you find a better pair of boots/sword/etc than one you have, there is a noticeable difference in how much of an improvement it is, rather than just getting an unnoticeable extra 1-2 points added to your ATK value. The current system means that most items you find are just tiny improvements over what you already have, which makes finding items a bit unexciting, and also means that you spend too much time upgrading all your "Swords of +10 ATK" to "Swords of +12 ATK", unless you use the auto-optimise feature, which isn't much fun. In most RPG/SRPG games there is a sense of excitement when you find a new item because its likely to be a lot better than the ones you already have, but that is missing here, to some degree. Anyway I just mean this as constructve criticism- it doesn't take away from the fact that the game is amazing and one of the best iOS games released this year! The only other thing its missing is a Donate button or (non-game affecting) cosmetic IAP, because I feel a bit guilty about paying only $5 for a game I've played for over 25 hours...
Hi Eriatarka, Thanks for the feedback on the thread. It's definitely good that there's such passion for the game out there that people come here and share their thoughts and ideas I echo some of the sentiment on the sometimes frustrating effort to take over enemy camps. I do, however, feel that some of the suggestions you have might have other unintended consequences. Switching the model to "Attack and then move" would be tricky because, for one, every time you'd want to plan out an attack, you'd never move within reach for the next attack, since you'd put yourself at the mercy of the enemy without a chance of hurting him (and potentially killing him) first. Also, strategically, if you move but can't attack, nothing prevents the CPU from moving away from you, so that when you start your turn you can't attack any more. Same for your defensive strategy - anytime the CPU would get close to you, you'd just move away, and it would start over I do think that there could be some merit to changing the game so that an attack would not necessarily end your unit's turn - meaning, each unit's turn would have both a move and an attack, regardless of the order. I do suppose that, from an AI, balance and mechanics standpoint, that would be a completely different game, though. Niebau might comment on that much better than I can. Perhaps one could have a cooldown of respawn if you kill an enemy who's standing on top of a camp. Say, if someone was hoarding the camp, but gets killed defending it while on it, you could have a 1 turn cooldown whereby no enemy could respawn on that camp (i.e. a corpse would be blocking the door or something). It would mean that the AI would then have to try to move an existing player to the camp instead of just respawning. It would be a different game, perhaps slightly different balance, but potentially something that'd be easy to try out, even if as a game option, if Niebau thinks it's reasonable. What I usually try to do is to reduce most CPU units' HP to low values, while keeping all of his units on the battlefield, so that when I'm ready to take it on, I'll kill the enemy in one attack, and then have a support unit take over the camp. It's not the answer you were looking for - since you're really asking why it's not possible to attempt one such thing via a single unit. Maybe there are units with a special ability that allows them to attack and move? I'm not that far in the game. I do imagine, though, that if you'd have a significantly overpowered unit, if you could just stomp over the CPU camp with a single unit, it'd be a cakewalk of sorts. But I do not have enough playtime yet to make that call. About the items, it's definitely valid constructive criticism. I can understand both angles, and do not have a strong opinion on either. I think that for items that you can buy in the armory, those should perhaps stay the same, so that if you have some expendable money you can still afford a slight upgrade, even if not that noticeable. For the items you find on the battlefield either in chests or by defeating other units, they could definitely be on the "rare" side, in several occasions surpassing the ones available in the armory at that level. Cheers! (Just a fellow TouchArcader, I am not in any way affiliated with Niebau, but thought your post was very good and wanted to answer with my views )
That's a good point. I can imagine that many players share this point of view, so I would love to a hear a few more opinions on this topic. For what it's worth, here's the reasoning behind the current design: If only Pow+4 and Pow+8 boots were offered, buying the Pow+8 item became a no-brainer as soon as it is available, imho. Provided you can afford it, of course, which is quite likely if you didn't spend money on items for (roughly) 3-4 unit levels. If a Pow+6 item is offered in addition, buying items suddenly becomes a strategic decision as well. For example, enemies start wearing Pow+6 items now, so should I: - Save money and wait until items are available which are substantially better, while risking to lack behind the enemy equipment for the time being - Spend the money to catch up with the enemy, risking to run low on funds which might be needed elsewhere soon It's a little bit like in real life: There are many offers, but you can't afford to take them all, so you have to set priorities. That being said, I don't insist on the current item design, and there might be plenty of other good reasons why TM would be better off with less items. Let me know what you think. The beauty of Tactics Maiden is that it allows for many different play styles. 'Brawling down' the enemy to 30%-50% injuries is a valid strategy, and there are days where I love doing just that myself. There are plenty of other options, though, and if you find yourself (unwillingly) locked in a brawl with the enemy, this is the typical reason, imho: Don't put too much effort into conquering outposts early on. Focus on conquering pillars first, which is much easier and will be more beneficial in the long run. Sorry for the silly analogy, but if you have ever played card games like Might and Magic Duel of Champions or Hearthstone: Focus on board control first (pillars), then go for the enemy player (outposts). (Hint: Wolf Riders have the skill ''Withdraw' for a good reason ). You don't need more than 1 unit to conquer an outpost, if you: - Lure away enemies from an outpost you want to conquer (you have to do so before you come too close to the outpost, otherwise it will be guarded) - Are faster than the enemy, e.g.: a) Let a well positioned mage use a fully maxed 'Place Swap' on a Wolf Rider b) Use commoners with maxed Mov and 'Replace' to move out slow units faster from outposts. If you have problems with enemies spawning from a particular outpost, use 'Bewitch' on an enemy standing on the same outpost to seal it. There are so many options...
This game along with battle heart legacy and might and magic clash of heroes is one of the best games I've ever played on iOS and I'll be buying every game from mangobile in the future (I've never played Kingturn maybe I should start!) Some tips I guess since I wasn't able to find any guides. First just google tactics maiden faq and consult the mangobile faq for definitions of item abilities! I beat the game on rook using no duplicate units (finished with about 23 unique units I believe) As stated above taking over enemy bases is the most annoying thing about the game. I think the best strategies are 1. Use a heavy nuked to one shot a defender then move in after with a mobile unit 2. Just steal the base with a very mobile runner 3. Weaken the defender, surround the base, and try to immobilize the defender Also make sure you use the attack type they are weakest to. So with that said here is a list of the best units with no spoilers. The units are generally well balanced meaning none of them really suck. catelyn- became the best unit by far. Flurry buffed takes out most defenders which means she just needs one buddy to help her Bandit archer and bandit- mug and the shot that steal silver are huge. Prepare is amazing for the archer Irving and wizards- triple magic missile is the best defender nuke early Knight and spearman- buff their move and their self buff they will hold the fort Commoner- buff move and use replace+2 it is insanely good for bringing in your slow firepower Wolf rider- probably the best unit overall. Always wanted multiples Ranger and Druid- buff their summons since their nukes are weak
@Snapcall: Excellent summary. +1 for ranking Irvine and Bandit (Archers) so high. Their usefulness can be easily overlooked. Speaking of Bandit Archers... One of the next patches (1.9.3) covers the following feature: ‘Head Shot': The chance for a critical hit will be displayed now at the cursor. I've realized that it is a little bit cumbersome to always calculate the critical hit chance manually, especially if the class ability 'Wounded Pride' is triggered.
I just finished on Queen. Great game as usual! To win against the AI's superior numbers, you need to make sure to keep friendly neutrals around as long as possible. Hostile neutrals, if they're not attacking enemy units, are a priority to wipe out, since they won't be replaced. Same with starred enemies: they will be replaced by significantly weaker units, so take them out and the overall enemy will be weaker. I'm a tremendous fan of the stealth skill. You can just load those units with attack and pierce and not worry about their hit points. It works great for setting up area control, and the units that can attack while stealthed (rangers, assassins, Catelyn) are just devastating with the piercing weapons you will eventually find. Using them to surround an outpost or a pillar is also great. If they fail their hide check, you can use the noble lord skill to send them home, or Shelter them. Summoners are key if you start suffering reverses. The merc cap means that you might run out of units available in HQ, so bringing in some extra bodies is important. Boars seem pretty poor -- just warm bodies really -- but spiders have a bunch of useful skills. Web pulling enemies off of pillars can be amazing. Wolf riders are key to provide threat, especially in the opening phases. Sometimes a maxed wolf rider with speed boots (move 8) can occupy an outpost or pillar from turn one, but any wolf rider can almost always move into a position where on turn 2 it could move into 2 or even 3 key spots. The AI will either attempt to kill the wolf rider pronto (it usually can't on the first round) or it will garrison each of those spots, which puts its units out of position -- and you can withdraw the wolf rider next round. I hadn't even considered using swap position to take distant outposts. It seems like a bit of an exploit -- I'm pretty sure the AI doesn't "realize" that you can threaten an outpost or a pillar with swap position and may leave it undefended. Leaves your wizard pretty exposed, of course -- best keep some Shelter around. Bewitch on an outpost -> Shelter is an unbreakable lock for at least two rounds, and it's got long range; if you can get this combo on the last outpost remaining to the enemy you can whittle the other units down at your leisure. For choosing skills, Heal and Hide are the only incredibly useful ones that need to be 3s. POW for the mages. HP for the tanks, ATK for the damage dealers. I upped everyone's move at level 16, although the tanks and the wolf riders I already had fast at that point. I didn't bother with any of the defensive skills or retaliate, though in hindsight retaliate on my tanks might've been strong. Crit% is weaker than ATK in terms of potential damage, unless you've got massive criticals, but even then it's adding variance which is probably not what you want. With only 18 mercs I didn't need money, so all of the money-gaining skills seemed weak. I also am unsure about the slowing and debuffing -- bewitch stops your foe cold, which is a lot better than a -1 move. I suppose if you're going up against a bigbad you can rejigger your team on the fly to soften him up, but I'm underwhelmed. I also didn't get much out of the AoE defense boosts, but maybe I didn't give that a fair try. Maxed-out Bulwark was a mainstay though.
@creedofhubris: Great write up, and congrats for finishing the game on 'Queen' difficulty. That's quite an accomplishment. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on scenario balancing as well, e.g. if you remember a particular scenario you've found too easy or exaggeratedly difficult. One remark concerning the 18-units limit on 'Queen' difficulty: Based on several player requests, I have decided to increase the unit level to 24 for the next patch. Not so much because it wouldn't be possible to beat the game with 18 units only (you have proven once more that it can be done ), but to allow for more flexibility in terms of unit choice. There are quite a few story-related key units you cannot get rid of, and I want to give players enough freedom to choose units that support their play style best.
I took several defeats in the scenario where you have to keep Goldyn alive. That was the most annoying. I didn't think to use swap position, and the map is so wide open that I couldn't reliably keep enemies away from her. The level with Catelyn and Duncan sneaking in to the manor with two outposts was a challenge. It took several tries to successfully occupy both outposts on the same turn, which is what I decided was my only shot. Sometimes they'd just fail their hide check, even with L3 hide, and that was that. Some of the undead levels had vampires, gorgons, and healers. That was a tough combination. You have to focus on the vampires or else they get out of hand, the healers also have to be dealt with quickly, and then the gorgons are around to snipe and debuff etc. Gorgons seem to have really high defense -- are their stats glitched? There were a couple large underground maps with outposts like this: -----x-----------x------- x---------x-------------x where I had so many units get KOd that I couldn't get enough units on the board; this was before I started spamming summoning. Not so much of a problem with more than 18 units I think. I found some of the final Mt Helamor levels quite easy. Underground city was hard, but trolls + vampires was trivial (maybe move those orbs?), and the last level also seemed fairly easy.
Thanks a lot for your detailed summary, creedofhubris. I'll have a closer look at these scenarios and consider a few possible changes for the next patch(es).
New class 'Undead Rider' Soon Pikemen will get the opportunity to use their skill 'Unhorse' more frequently: The new class 'Undead Rider' will be introduced with patch 1.9.3, and it's pretty much the undead version of the human 'Wolf Rider'. Still waiting for the release of patch 1.9.2, though, which is once more (over)due after 10 days waiting for review. Edit: Patch 1.9.2 is online now. Here's a preview of patch 1.9.3.
Question regarding the new merc spider and extra ranger. How will existing games be affected if they are past this point in the game? I'm currently on scene 26 story.
They won't, I'm afraid. With the current game mechanics, mercenaries are unlocked only while beating a particular scenario. So if you're past that point, it won't work. There's another ranger available in scene 117 'The Island', though.
Really liking the ui improvements and the extra legendary items are welcomed. What's next in terms of updates, I'm thinking of restarting in order to take advantage of everything but wanna be sure it's at the right time. Btw completed every mission on rook difficulty, aside from one.
By the end of October almost all scenarios will have undergone a change since the initial release, so patch 1.9.4 might be the perfect time for a replay. Here's the current roadmap: Patch 1.9.3 (edit: released): New class 'Undead Rider' that makes many scenarios more interesting. Plenty of other changes as well (see patch notes) Patch 1.9.4 (still in October): Fine tuning / overhaul of the remaining 15 scenarios. While there's always room for improvement, I think the whole campaign should be quite good by then. Some scenarios just need(ed) a few minor tweaks to make them really interesting, other ones I have completely overhauled. In addition I will have a look at ALL scenario rewards (more diversity). Patch 2.0 (November): Additional post-campaign content: 'The depths of Mt. Helamor'. Basically endless game play without unit level restriction.
