Planewalker

Beautiful work, Asophix! I'll have to experiment with how big the castles can feasibly get before they introduce vulnerabilities like gaps in the defenses due to other buildings or terrain features. Have you experimented with large AI castles?

@ Asophix How has the castle building gone so far? Have you had the chance to do skirmish experiments? The main lesson I learned is that fire drakes on the outside walls are a great way to get the AI to burn down their own economy. Oops!

Hey everyone - Lord Tanthos here - an old-time Legends fanatic! Having recently explored the differences between granary food, I decided to examine royal food next. Background. The castle kitchen stores royal food: eels, pigs, wine, and vegetables. Each month, your lord may feast upon the following in exchange for honor: Half Feast: 1/month = 5 honor Normal Feast: 2/month = 8 honor Extra Feast: 4/month = 12 honor Double Feast: 8/month = 20 honor +1 honor per month for each extra food type eaten Note that vegetables are only available to Arthurian lords. I built a castle kitchen and placed two of each: pond, garden, vineyard, and pig farm adjacent to it. First, I noted delivery sizes: Eel Farmer: 4 eels Gardener: 5 vegetables Grape Farmer: 6 wine Pig Farmer: 2 pigs After 10 minutes, I had the following: 80 eels, 52 pigs, 36 wine, 50 vegetables There is a major output difference between these farms. A single eel farmer can nearly match the production of two other farmer types. I expected more from the grape farmers, given their large delivery size of 6. However, wine production is slow - the farmer takes a long time gardening, gathering, and pressing all the grapes grown on their farm. I repeated the same test (2 of each farm for 10 minutes), but placed the farms approximately 15 tiles further away from the kitchen. After 10 minutes, I had the following: 48 eels, 28 pigs, 24 wine, 30 vegetables Distance affected each of these substantially, but not equally. Eels and vegetables dropped by 40%, but pigs dropped by almost half, whereas wine only dropped by 33%. This is because pig farmers have the smallest delivery size and grape farmers have the largest, thus being most and least affected by walking time, respectively. Therefore, place pig farms closest to the kitchen and place vineyards further away. Now, most importantly, how many farmers does it take to maintain levels of feasting with good variety? First off, a single eel farmer adjacent to the kitchen is alone sufficient to maintain Normal feast consumption, providing 8 honor per month for a single peasant and a small amount of wood. One of each farm is sufficient to provide Extra feast consumption, but you'll occasionally run out of wine due to its slow production time (even more so if you're Ice or Evil, and thus have no vegetables to make up the difference). In most circumstances, it's best to always place at least two vineyards. If you want to have constant Double feast, place 1 pond, 2 gardens, 2 pig farms, and 3 vineyards. As it turns out, it doesn't take too much to get 20+ honor per month.

I also tried a mixed configuration with the two farms where one farm is adjacent and one is distant. Result was: 168 Meat, 147 Apples, and 90 Cheese. It's certainly clear that chicken coops are superior from output, when adjacent. Dairy farms are simply comparable once distance and cost are accounted for. Cheese is only better if you run out of room. As for seal holes, you are right that it's essential to have those face the right way... otherwise they perform even worse. The more seal holes you have, the harder it is to keep the path to the granary ideal. Chicken coops with their walkable fences do not have that problem.

Hey everyone - Lord Tanthos here - an old-time Legends fanatic! Being curious about the differences, I decided to examine the output of SHL farms (for granary food). I set up a an empty granary and placed 2 apple, dairy, and chicken farms adjacent to it. I then set rations to None and waited 10 minutes. (2 years, 6 months in game time) I noted the following. First, delivery sizes: Chicken Farmer: 6 meat Apple Farmer: 7 apples Dairy Farmer: 6 cheese After 10 minutes, I checked the granary contents: 198 Meat, 168 Apples, 102 Cheese This helped to give a sense of how efficient each type of farm is. The apple farmers occasionally wandered to the other farm's trees and back, reducing their efficiency. The dairy farmers also spent a long time waiting for cows to return to the barn after returning to their farm. Chicken farms are direct from granary to coop. A note about seal farmers: seal farmers perform similarly to chicken farmers (including a 6 meat drop-off). However, their meat processing animations are slower. In testing, they deliver about 10% less meat. Together with the lack of bread, this means the Ice faction has the worst food production options. Next I wanted to know how the farms fare when placed at a distance. I repeated the same test (2 of each farm for 10 minutes), but placed the farms approximately 15 tiles further away from the granary. After 10 minutes, I checked the granary contents: 84 Meat, 84 Apples, 90 Cheese The extra distance had a substantial impact on the efficiency of meat and apples due to all the extra walking time. However, dairy farmers were almost unaffected by extra distance. I discovered the cause after carefully examining the dairy production process. First, unlike in SH1/SHC, a SHL dairy farm's calf is born and grows into a cow without the farmer being present at the workplace - this means the dairy farm gets ready for production after placement regardless of where the worker is. Second, and most importantly, each cow appears to have an internal timer on being ready for milking. When that timer is up, it slowly returns to the barn. When a dairy farm is close to the granary, the farmer spends a lot of time standing around waiting for the cow to be ready for milking, and then spends more time waiting for it to walk back to the barn. When a dairy farmer is far from the granary, the cow returns to the barn while he is on the way back to the farm, so when he arrives, he may immediately resume cheese production. TL;DR - place cheap dairy farms away from your granary to maximize cheese production while leaving room for other buildings I'll examine royal food production next. Let me know if you have more economic questions about SH:L that might be interesting to examine.

This research is very interesting. I had been independently working on some similar attempts. How did you discover the zlib compression method and what did you use to decompress it?

This is exactly what's needed for an underrated game without much AI scaling.

Ah, marvelous! Thank you. Obligatory link post:?https://forums.stronghold-nation.com/topic/998-planewalkers-complete-guide-to-shl-invasion-settings/

Sounds good, Matthew! I have posted it in the Stronghold Legends forum. Can't link to it yet, unfortunately, but it's out there. :)

Hey there, guys. Planewalker here, formerly known as Lord Tanthos. I have years of detailed user map experience in Stronghold Legends, and I'm here to give you a rundown on every component of a SHL invasion. Basics The basics of an invasion are quite straightforward. You pick what troops, how many, and what color. Below that you can choose which map marker the army will appear from. If you do have any questions about this section, I will answer those in the comments. Let's get into the meat of the settings by going into the Advanced menu. I'll explain these features from top to bottom. Repeat Time A simple setting to create repeating invasions. The first invasion will occur on the date set for this trigger. Every repeating invasion will occur at the interval of months you put here. You can choose how often you want it to repeat as well, to a maximum of either 10 or infinite repeats. This is useful for lengthy scenarios with a objective that is not related to the invasions. AI Deployment Determines where the invasion moves upon entering the map. A normal invasion will seek to immediately perform its Orders (next setting), choosing its own deployment site as it sees fit. A siege point invasion will ignore all AI helpers (and its own plans) and move its units to the indicated map marker, immediately placing its siege camp there. A target point invasion will simply move the entire army to the indicated map marker before it does anything else. Depending on its Orders, it may move very far away from the target point. AI Orders Determines what the invasion does once it has finished deploying. A free AI will do whatever it thinks it must do to execute its Plan (explained later) and chooses targets based on its own calculation. Attack Player will cause the invasion to focus its attack on the listed player color, emphasizing the main castle if one exists. Reinforce Player, by contrast, will bring in troops who change to the chosen player's color after deployment and are then placed under their control. Note that reinforcement troops are under the chosen player's control before they arrive at their deployment site, if the player is human. Include Lord Does what it says. Includes the correct Lord for that color's player and faction, or does not. Note that lords spawned this way do not seem to count toward the All Enemy Lords Dead script condition. Warnings Indicates what messages the player will receive about the coming invasion. Early Warnings are the classic "A large force of the enemy's men are marching towards us" messages. These will alert the player 3 months (1 minute at game speed 40) in advance of an incoming invasion. Normal Warnings occur when the invasion enters the map, with the "We are under attack!" or "An ally has sent us some reinforcements." messages. The Full Warnings setting (preferred for normal circumstances) will use both types. No Warnings will, of course, include none. Some notes about this. First, regardless of the settings, a minimap marker will always flash when an army enters the map -- red for enemy armies and green for ally or reinforcement armies. Second, reinforcements do not have Early Warnings, only a message on entering the map (Normal Warning). Lastly, allied troops generate no messages whatsoever, regardless of settings. Leave Map If an invasion's Plan (explained next) is Movement, has a set map marker as a target point, and the invasion is set to Leave Map, the units in the army will disappear from the map when they stop moving upon reaching the specified location. This has no effect on other kinds of invasions. AI Plan Determines the main purpose of this invasion once it has deployed and how it will decide to carry out its Orders. Also affects how siege equipment appears and behaves. Siege: This classic invasion enters the map with its troops and places a siege camp on the map after all troops have arrived at the deployment site. The siege equipment chosen for this invasion will then be built from the siege camp. Attacking Army: These troops spawn into the map and attack from the deployment site. They will target troops and estates. They will attack the main castle if there is a path to the lord or if there are exposed buildings and troops. Missile units tend to be aggressive about this. This invasion cannot have siege equipment. Defensive Army: These troops move to the deployment site and stay there. They will attack anyone who comes close. This invasion cannot have siege equipment. Vandalize: These troops move to the deployment site and then attack exposed buildings and estates in raids. This invasion can only bring limited types of siege equipment with it. Movement: These troops will appear, with all their siege equipment, and do absolutely nothing. However, if you set them to a Target Point, they will move to it and then sit there. As mentioned earlier, this pairs well with the Leave map setting. AI Helpers These are the little flags that can be accessed and placed by clicking on an estate's keep in the map editor. The AI will do what it needs to do without any of these. They're just here to let you shape how the AI performs. It is particularly useful if you have some unusual map design or terrain, or if you have the AI attack a prebuilt castle where you can guarantee the layout. (Tent) Siege camp position: These indicators recommend where the AI should place siege camps during deployment. The AI will generally choose this over its own recommendation. If multiple siege camp helpers are placed they will choose one based on how they want to attack and where they are attacking from. (Arrow) Missile unit attack position: These flags help the AI choose where to send archers and crossbowmen. The AI doesn't always take these recommendations, but they do influence their decision-making process. (Broken wall) Siege camp position: This indicator is misnamed. It should be called "Siege attack position". The AI will take this as a recommendation of where to send its mobile ranged siege equipment (catapults, ballistae, stake hurlers, etc.). Note that this flag is for where the units will move, not where they will attack. Placing one of these next to the player's wall will influence the AI to move catapults right up to the walls instead of firing at a distance. Trebuchets will tend to ignore this and fire from the siege camp or the first available location in range. Likewise, rams and siege towers will ignore this and move into position.

Of course, EaglePrince. Glad to do it. The possibilities in the editor need to be more known. This game should have a thriving user map experience. Stronghold Legends really does have a remarkable amount of polish. The design details and the available options really enhance the gameplay. It is easily the second or third best Stronghold if I were to rank each entry in the series by their merit, and is likely my favorite if ranking by mere preference.

Hey there, Ascertes. Planewalker here.?:) Let me give you a rundown of how every component of the SHL invasion works. It's entirely possible that you may never see this, considering that it is now seven months after your original post, but hopefully it will. It might help someone else out too. The basics of an invasion are quite straightforward. You pick what troops, how many, and what color. Below that you can choose which map marker the army will appear from. Let's get into the meat of it by going into the Advanced menu below that. I'll explain these features from top to bottom. Repeat time:?A simple setting to create repeating invasions. The first invasion will occur on the date set for this trigger. Every repeating invasion will occur at the interval of months you put here. You can choose how often you want it to repeat as well, to a maximum of either 10 or infinite repeats. This is useful for lengthy scenarios with a objective that is not related to the invasions. (AI Deployment) Normal Invasion / Siege Point / Target Point: Determines where the invasion moves upon entering the map. A normal invasion will seek to immediately perform its Orders (next setting), choosing its own deployment site as it sees fit. A siege point invasion will ignore all AI helpers (and its own plans) and move its units to the indicated map marker, immediately placing its siege camp there. A target point?invasion will simply move the entire army to the indicated map marker before it does anything else. Depending on its Orders, it may move very far away from the target point. (AI Orders) Free AI / Attack Player / Reinforce Player:?Determines what the invasion does once it has finished deploying. A free AI?will do whatever it thinks it must do to execute its Plan (explained later) and chooses targets based on its own calculation. Attack Player?will cause the invasion to focus its attack on the listed player color, emphasizing the main castle if one exists. Reinforce Player, by contrast, will bring in troops who change to the chosen player's color after deployment and are then placed under their control. Note that reinforcement troops are under the chosen player's control before they arrive at their deployment site, if the player is human. No Lord / Include Lord: Does what it says. Includes the correct Lord for that color's player and faction, or does not. Note that lords spawned this way do not seem to count toward the "All Enemy Lords Dead" script condition. Full Warnings / Normal Warnings / Early Warnings / No Warnings: Indicates what messages the player will receive about the coming invasion. Early Warnings are the classic "A large force of the enemy's men are marching towards us" messages. These will alert the player 3 months (1 minute at game speed 40) in advance of an incoming invasion. Normal Warnings occur when the invasion enters the map, with the "We are under attack!" or "An ally has sent us some reinforcements." messages. The Full Warnings setting (preferred for normal circumstances) will use both types. No Warnings will, of course, include none. Some notes about this. First, regardless of the settings, a minimap marker will always flash when an army enters the map -- red for enemy armies and green for ally or reinforcement armies. Second, reinforcements do not have Early Warnings, only a message on entering the map (Normal Warning). Lastly, allied troops generate no messages whatsoever, regardless of settings. Don't leave map / Leave map: If an invasion's Plan (explained next) is Movement, has a set map marker as a target point,?and the invasion is set to Leave Map, the units in the army will disappear from the map when they stop moving upon reaching the specified location. This has no effect on other kinds of invasions. (AI Plan): Determines the main purpose of this invasion once it has deployed and how it will decide to carry out its Orders. Also affects how siege equipment appears and behaves. Siege: This classic invasion enters the map with its troops and places a siege camp on the map after all troops have arrived at the deployment site. The siege equipment chosen for this invasion will then be built from the siege camp. Attacking Army: These troops spawn into the map and attack from the deployment site. They will target troops and estates. They will attack the main castle if there is a path to the lord or if there are exposed buildings and troops. Missile units tend to be aggressive about this. This invasion cannot have siege equipment. Defensive Army: These troops move to the deployment site and stay there. They will attack anyone who comes close. This invasion cannot have siege equipment. Vandalize: These troops move to the deployment site and then attack exposed buildings and estates in raids. This invasion can only bring limited types of siege equipment with it. Movement: These troops will appear, with all their siege equipment, and do absolutely nothing. However, if you set them to a Target Point, they will move to it and then sit there. As mentioned earlier, this pairs well with the Leave map?setting. AI HelpersThese are the little flags that can be accessed and placed by clicking on an estate's keep in the map editor. The AI will do what it needs to do without any of these. They're just here to let you shape how the AI performs. It is particularly useful if you have some unusual map design or terrain, or if you have the AI attack a prebuilt castle where you can guarantee the layout. (Tent) Siege camp position: These indicators recommend where the AI should place siege camps during deployment. The AI will generally choose this over its own recommendation. If multiple siege camp helpers are placed they will choose one based on how they want to attack and where they are attacking from. (Arrow) Missile unit attack position: These flags help the AI choose where to send archers and crossbowmen. The AI doesn't always take these recommendations, but they do influence their decision-making process. (Broken wall) Siege camp position: This indicator is misnamed. It should be called "Siege attack position". The AI will take this as a recommendation of where to send its mobile ranged siege equipment (catapults, ballistae, stake hurlers, etc.). Note that this flag is for where the units will move, not where they will attack. Placing one of these next to the player's wall will influence the AI to move catapults right up to the walls instead of firing at a distance. Trebuchets will tend to ignore this and fire from the siege camp or the first available location in range. Likewise, rams and siege towers will ignore this and move into position. Hope that helps!?:D