H4 ships

[RobB]

Is there any way of guessing where a shipyard will place ships?

I've just spent a couple of hours on a new map testing each and every shipyard, moving objects and widening rivers so that ships produced will be accessible. Free standing shipyards aren't too bad, but those in towns are ridiculous, frequently placing ships in really weird positions.

[ByteBandit]

I'm glad, RobB, that I'm not the only one who thinks Town production of Ships is always in the wrong spot. It's always been a thorn between my toes getting it just right.

[RobB]

Sometimes, I have been reduced to creating islands connected by a bridge, just so a hero can access a ship that would otherwise be produced at the far side of a river.

[ByteBandit]

That's what I had to do with the Haven town in Arctic Empires. It's really nerve racking when you have the town just where you want it and the boats pop up where their not supposed to.

[Ed Robinson]

I have just played through two of the Bandit's maps, the Aectic and the Spanish Armada maps (loved them both) and I sympathize with the issue. I found myself building a ship and not being able to get to it.

Fortunately my Haven troops had summon ship, and could call it over. The ship placement wasn't even consistant in relation to the town so almost always wnded up in the bushes.

Build a good map and let the players figure out how to work around it, that's what the game is all about.

[ByteBandit]

Glad you enjoyed the maps. The other 2 A Empires maps are even better.

But I agree with you here. Let the player use his/her brain to figure out how to get the boats. If they want the boats bad enough, the will get them one way or another. Also, I put a lot of Boat Docks scattered around, so that getting a boat is not impossible.

[Milla aka. the Slayer]

If I'm rich in gold and wood I just keep buying 'till one align along an accessable piece of shore
If not rich in gold and wood, I just don't sail...

[ByteBandit]

Pretty much says it all.
Another way to get a Boat quickly is if you are, say, a Necromancer and don't have Life Magic, and you are near a Haven town that offers Summon Boat, you can hire a Life Magic Hero to summon the boat for you. If you feel you really need to get out on the water.

[RobB]

Nevertheless, all this is begging the question. What I would like to know (and we do have a number of real experts who hang about this forum) is exactly how the shipyard decides where it can place ships, ie although there must be a random element, I assume there is a grid pattern within which it may place them.

BTW, while testing yesterday, I received a message I'd never seen before - can't remember the exact words, but something like "there is no available place for a ship". This was very odd: I did have a ship parked in an obvious place, but on a previous test with no other ship present, the town had produced a ship in a completely different place. Weird!

[ByteBandit]

Well, I don't know the answer to that one. Maybe someone else? RoBb, you have probably played H4 more than I have. I have spent more time making H4 maps than I have actually played the game itself. I rely on people testing the maps I make to tell me "what's up with the Boats?"

[Akul]

I'm glad, RobB, that I'm not the only one who thinks Town production of Ships is always in the wrong spot. It's always been a thorn between my toes getting it just right.

I think a possible solution might be to put water stones on places you don't want ships to appear (never tested it tough).

[Milla aka. the Slayer]

When I make maps, that's what I do. It seems to work. At least it helps a bit so I won't have to buy that many ships to get one I can actually access

[RobB]

What are "water stones"? I do use water lilies or rocks sometimes to block spaces, but my main problem is ships appearing in places which a hero cannot possibly reach.

[Yurian Stonebow]

I think they are referring the term "reef".





Yurian

[Akul]

What are "water stones"? I do use water lilies or rocks sometimes to block spaces, but my main problem is ships appearing in places which a hero cannot possibly reach.

Normal stones that are put on water (you can put normal stones on teh water, but that doesn't look very good...).

But lets return to the point. A boat can't appear on the places where the stones are put. In other wrods, put the stones there where you don't want ships to appear and you should have no problems.

[Milla aka. the Slayer]

I'm currently making a map so I'm glad someone brought this up or I might not have continuesly thought about it throughout my mapmaking