11-03-2009, 05:21 PM
The way I envision it (particularly when combined with the other thread about Deaths) is that while you are getting better at fighting Goblins, Goblins are also getting better at fighting you.
So in a protracted human vs goblin war, a parity is maintained. You start off being bad at fighting each other but after a while the goblins have gotten good at fighting humans just as you've gotten good at fighting them. In essence, you've been training each other to fight each other. (There will still be "newbie goblins" just as there will be "newbie humans" but each side will have its experienced troops after a while, too.)
The intrusion of an outside faction can create a big stir, though, because it could represent an upset in more ways than simply numbers of entities.
I think this could also do some interesting things in the diplomacy of the broader war.
Say, for example, that goblins have been "winning". They're the most populated faction and they control most of the world. You've been pushing back against them and gaining ground and in doing so, you come across a faction of minotaurs. You *could* fight the Minotaurs, who aren't very numerous, but you're not good at fighting Minotaurs. You're good at fighting goblins because goblins are everywhere. So you and the Minotaurs strike up a peace agreement and keep fighting the things you're good at killing: goblins.
(In fact, you might decide to do a quick "switch off". The minotaurs go protect your villages while you build up in the minotaur area for an attack into new goblin territory. THESE goblins have been fighting minotaurs, not humans, so you quickly push into their area. Meanwhile, the goblin counterattack against your villages gets crushed by the minotaurs, because the goblins down there didn't have any minotaur experience.)
Whereas under a generic system you might simply wipe out the minotaurs and take over their area because it's all generic and minotaurs are no different than goblins in any meaningful sense anyway.
So in a protracted human vs goblin war, a parity is maintained. You start off being bad at fighting each other but after a while the goblins have gotten good at fighting humans just as you've gotten good at fighting them. In essence, you've been training each other to fight each other. (There will still be "newbie goblins" just as there will be "newbie humans" but each side will have its experienced troops after a while, too.)
The intrusion of an outside faction can create a big stir, though, because it could represent an upset in more ways than simply numbers of entities.
I think this could also do some interesting things in the diplomacy of the broader war.
Say, for example, that goblins have been "winning". They're the most populated faction and they control most of the world. You've been pushing back against them and gaining ground and in doing so, you come across a faction of minotaurs. You *could* fight the Minotaurs, who aren't very numerous, but you're not good at fighting Minotaurs. You're good at fighting goblins because goblins are everywhere. So you and the Minotaurs strike up a peace agreement and keep fighting the things you're good at killing: goblins.
(In fact, you might decide to do a quick "switch off". The minotaurs go protect your villages while you build up in the minotaur area for an attack into new goblin territory. THESE goblins have been fighting minotaurs, not humans, so you quickly push into their area. Meanwhile, the goblin counterattack against your villages gets crushed by the minotaurs, because the goblins down there didn't have any minotaur experience.)
Whereas under a generic system you might simply wipe out the minotaurs and take over their area because it's all generic and minotaurs are no different than goblins in any meaningful sense anyway.