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[gameplay] make fireships ignore anything but ships
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Authored by Nescio on Jun 7 2020, 10:30 PM.

Details

Summary

In reality, fireships are floating bonfires, used to severely damage enemy fleets. In 0 A.D., they controllable warships with a rapid (0.1 s reload time) short-range attack. Because it's a ship with a melee attack means it can effectively only hit targets in or on the water, therefore it should not attempt to attack targets it can see on land. This patch therefore introduces a restricted class, to ensure fireships will only attack ships.
It does not change the fireship's death damage, which still damages everything within range.

Test Plan

Agree this is an improvement.

Diff Detail

Repository
rP 0 A.D. Public Repository
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Event Timeline

Nescio created this revision.Jun 7 2020, 10:30 PM
Owners added a subscriber: Restricted Owners Package.Jun 7 2020, 10:30 PM

Build failure - The Moirai have given mortals hearts that can endure.

Link to build: https://jenkins.wildfiregames.com/job/docker-differential/2369/display/redirect

elexis added a subscriber: elexis.Jun 7 2020, 11:34 PM

From a gameplay pov, perhaps not a bad idea to remove the attack againts docks (because playing a naval map against Iberians can mean they will spam fireships to destroy all attempted docks, establish safe economy while keeping an attack vector to the enemy, which can be sufficient to snowball the game, depending on enemy-dock distance and wood distribution).

Actually with this sentence, it's not clear that it was intentional to remove the attack against docks:

Because it's a ship with a melee attack means it can effectively only hit targets in or on the water, therefore it should not attempt to attack targets it can see on land

(On the other hand it could be argued that severity is just the property of fireships and that they will wipeout any attempts to ships if they don't already wipe out all docks and that nerfing them this way isn't necessary.
Since it really depends on riversize and amount of wood, I guess it's probably arguable that it's warranted to remove this fireship-vs-dock mechanism to make this denial of docks impossible on all mapsizes / riversizes alike and only restrict the use of fireships to deny ships in an area around the held shoreline.)

(I didn't read about the historic use)

Nescio updated this revision to Diff 12217.Jun 8 2020, 10:38 AM
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Yes, I know, this patch also prevents fireships to attack docks etc. I think that's fine, since they are supposed to be anti-ship weapons. However, if people think they should be able to attack naval structures, that could easily be achieved by changing the line to:
<RestrictedClasses datatype="tokens">Unit+!Ship Structure+!Naval </RestrictedClasses>

(I didn't read about the historic use)

Actually I don't quite understand why they're specifically Iberian in 0 A.D.

Successful build - Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent.

Link to build: https://jenkins.wildfiregames.com/job/docker-differential/2373/display/redirect

borg- added a subscriber: borg-.Jun 12 2020, 1:19 PM

It looks good for gameplay. And seems to make more sense.

As far as I know about them, they were Greek and not Iberian ships, but I must be mistaken. It would be interesting to have a historical expert here.

Nescio removed a reviewer: Restricted Owners Package.Aug 15 2020, 9:09 PM
In D2802#119810, @borg- wrote:

As far as I know about them, they were Greek and not Iberian ships, but I must be mistaken. It would be interesting to have a historical expert here.

@genava55

A fireship is “a ship loaded with burning material and explosives and set adrift to ignite and blow up an enemy's ships”. It should not be confused with a warship armed with flamethrowers and Greek fire, as used by the Byzantines in the 7th C AD. Age of Empires II erroneously calls the latter a “Fire Ship”, while their “Demolition Ship” actually resembles a real fireship.

wraitii accepted this revision.Jan 11 2021, 12:18 PM
wraitii added a subscriber: wraitii.

I think this makes sense since it's a Iber-specific unit.

This revision is now accepted and ready to land.Jan 11 2021, 12:18 PM

Seems a nice candidate for D1838 ^^