Limiting creature types via SCRIPT for each player for more fair game

[trollworkout]

Create a fair and balanced game map by limiting player creatures of each type.

For each creature type and for each player you need to kill the lowest level one if they go over the number you wish to have.


For example each player can only have 4 Warlocks in the script below. The pool can contain 60 Warlocks but only 4 per player will be allowed.

IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR > 4)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   KILL_CREATURE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,LEAST_EXPERIENCED,1)
ENDIF

IF(PLAYER1,SORCEROR > 4)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   KILL_CREATURE(PLAYER1,SORCEROR,LEAST_EXPERIENCED,1)
ENDIF

Why do this?

Because you don't want 20 Flies or 10 Beetles and the other player getting all the Dragons and Mistresses. By limiting creature types per player you can set a quota of specific creatures making sure everyone gets similar creatures just perhaps not in the same order. The creature pool size no longer maters and players can no longer throw away their crappy creatures to get better ones.


This can also fix the infinite Vampire, Ghost and Skeleton issue in multiplayer maps. With this script any Vampires created OVER a certain amount are automatically killed.


I propose adding a new script command that does this without killing them simply removing that unit from being added into the game for that specific player. Will no longer waste precious portal time.

MAX_CREATURE_TYPE(Player0, Warlock, 4)


What do you think?

[trollworkout]

This incidentally also limits Graveyard/Jail/Torture/Scavanger rooms from disrupting the game.

Any creature you get over the allotted limit kills the lowest level of that same type .

This is more desirable for multiplayer games .

[Woudo]

IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR >= 4)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   CREATURE_AVAILABLE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,0,0)
ENDIF

[YourMaster]

IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR >= 4)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   CREATURE_AVAILABLE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,0,0)
ENDIF

You should also turn it back on again:

IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR >= 4)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   CREATURE_AVAILABLE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,0,0)
ENDIF
IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR <= 3)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   CREATURE_AVAILABLE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,1,0)
ENDIF

This is much better then killing a creature, which is silly. Now you just won't get any more.

Jail/torture room can be much better accomplished by disabling imprisonment, see this map for the script.

[trollworkout]

Thanks guys that makes a lot of sense. Perfect. Then you can turn it on again.

there is no ELSE type function in DK scripting right?

[trollworkout]

NVM Not perfect

This system does not account for creatures that you get via Torture, Prison, Temple sacrifice, and Make Hero.



Here is a hybrid system that does both and does not wastes portal time and enforces the killing of any unit that you acquire over a set limit.


This is an improved version that almost acts as a MIN - MAX type system. You get a MIN 4 and a MAX of 8. Making second nested if > 4 makes MIN 4 - MAX 4

This can replace the available creatures section in a map's script

IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR < 4)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   CREATURE_AVAILABLE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,1,0)
ENDIF
IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR >= 4)
   NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
   CREATURE_AVAILABLE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,0,0)
   IF(PLAYER0,SORCEROR > 8)
      NEXT_COMMAND_REUSABLE
      KILL_CREATURE(PLAYER0,SORCEROR,LEAST_EXPERIENCED,1)
   ENDIF
ENDIF

[YourMaster]

That's right, the script provided only accounts for creatures coming from the portal. I think most people wouldn't like to play maps where creatures suddenly die for no reason, but your script would work.
However, if you want to do this for every creature you will run into problems with the game limitations, you can only have 48 if-statements per map, if you use 3 per unit-type and want an actual playable level on top of that you will go over this number.

[trollworkout]

Yeah I was just about to say

Only 48 IF statements are allowed and there are 30 creatures in the game. Yeah. Not even 256 IF can cover it.


OK that's cool!

A new approach is needed.

Going back to my original method


ALL MAPS

Limit kill Vampire, Ghost or Skeletons via my first method for each playable keeper 12 IF


MULTIPLAYER MAPS

Limit kill only Dragon, Knight, Mistress, Samurai, Bile Demon, Giant for multiplayer for each playable keepers. 12 IF

EDIT: Reason this is 12 is because you only account for the faction they are in
Player0 = Good then only limits Samurai, Giant and Knight that is 3

Hybrid method would require 3 times that 36 IF meaning it would cover all 48 IF leaving none for other script functions but would make it so regular creatures don't die out randomly.



This leaves 24 IF statements for other commands

[YourMaster]

But to answer your original question,.... I think new script commands are always nice and I would find this one useful. Personally I would rather have it only work on the portal though, and have other methods of reducing torture/prison/graveyard effectiveness. I already made some suggestions for those I won't repeat them here.

As a player, when I capture a unit when I've unknowingly already reached the limit for that type, I would find it very strange if I could not convert it.

I think the best approach now for multiplayer maps would be to set a very slow portal time and a high creature limit and a big pool, with possibly a few starting creatures. When the game is over before you've reached your portal limit you would not have benefited from throwing away weaker creatures because they have not been replaced yet by any other creatures and you would simply have a numerical disadvantage.