cRPG

cRPG => Suggestions Corner => Game Balance Discussion => Topic started by: Palurgee on August 18, 2013, 12:06:57 am

Title: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Palurgee on August 18, 2013, 12:06:57 am
I'm positive that this has been brought up before but I'm going to bring it up again anyway.

As a dedicated horseman, there is no reason -- besides upkeep -- to not wear heavy armor.

An infantryman loses speed when he wears heavy armor. What does a horseman lose? Surely a slight amount attack speed, but any skilled horseman knows not put himself in a situation where attack speed is a factor in his survival.

Say two players mount two coursers. The first player is in full plate, the second player is naked. They race a short distance. Who should win? Did someone say the naked guy? Wrong, they tie. A few seconds later, two crossbowmen fire their crossbows into the players mounted on the coursers. The naked guy dies and the armored guy lives with two thirds of his HP to spare. So why should I be light cavalry?

Well, if your horse dies, you're slightly faster. But I'm a dedicated horseman, I don't give a damn about how quick I am on foot!
You don't have to pay as much for upkeep. But I made the conscience choice to be light cavalry, not because I'm poor!

In history, what did light cavalry do? Yes, a large amount of their appeal was in communications and reconnaissance, but they had a number of battlefield advantages over heavy cavalry. The obvious is enhanced mobility. During the Scottish Wars of Independence, light cavalry were the deciding factor in many battles. Take the Battle of Bannockburn where five-hundred light cavalry effectively caused the whole of the English army to retreat by dispersing the English longbowmen. This leads to my suggestion: the weight of your gear should effect the mobility and acceleration of your horse. Notice I said "acceleration" instead of "speed." Heavy cavalry typically didn't weave through the battlefield as we see in cRPG. They are meant to be as shock-and-awe chargers, and unfortunately that is not represented in this mod.

I think we can all gain from the implementation of this suggestion. No longer would plated chargers with Milanese knights on their backs do 180o turns in two seconds, and no longer would every horseman that isn't a horse archer feel the need to wear full plate.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Ronin on August 18, 2013, 12:30:48 pm
I was not going to approve of this idea, but after reading all of the description; I saw that it makes sense.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Jarold on August 18, 2013, 01:06:42 pm
Well your idea of heavy cavalry in cRPG is a little strange. If heavy cavalry couldn't maneuever and weave through the enemy then they would just get dehorsed in a mtter of seconds. Unless of course you want them to actually be shock and awe troops, trampling enemies and killing them, spears not rearing them and breaking unless they are braced pikes. Running head on is the worst thing a horseman can do in this mod, so all cavalry is effectively light cavalry.

Light cavalry in this mod is a guy on a Courser with any kind of lance or weapon. It doesn't matter what armor value he has. Heavy cavalry is a guy on a war horse and up. Armor doesn't determine whether they're light or heavy its the horse.

But I thought about the armor weight thing and most of these war horses are trained to carry a heavy knight and so it doesn't make much of a difference with armor on or off. Saddle horses and ones like it will probably suffer so penalties.

So I really don't think armor or weapons determines if a player is light or heavy cavalry, it's the horse. Meaning only weight penalties should apply to light horses.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Palurgee on August 18, 2013, 04:51:08 pm
Well your idea of heavy cavalry in cRPG is a little strange. If heavy cavalry couldn't maneuever and weave through the enemy then they would just get dehorsed in a mtter of seconds. Unless of course you want them to actually be shock and awe troops, trampling enemies and killing them, spears not rearing them and breaking unless they are braced pikes. Running head on is the worst thing a horseman can do in this mod, so all cavalry is effectively light cavalry.

Light cavalry in this mod is a guy on a Courser with any kind of lance or weapon. It doesn't matter what armor value he has. Heavy cavalry is a guy on a war horse and up. Armor doesn't determine whether they're light or heavy its the horse.

But I thought about the armor weight thing and most of these war horses are trained to carry a heavy knight and so it doesn't make much of a difference with armor on or off. Saddle horses and ones like it will probably suffer so penalties.

So I really don't think armor or weapons determines if a player is light or heavy cavalry, it's the horse. Meaning only weight penalties should apply to light horses.

I can't tell you how many times I've been occupied in melee when suddenly a heavy cavalry charges me. Sometimes I react in time and am able to dodge the cavalry, sometimes I'm not. But those times that I do dodge the fully-armored knight on his plated warhorse, nothing pisses me off more than him turning around as soon as he misses me and taking a few more swings. These are massive, 2000+lbs. horses with 300+ pounds of man and armor on top of them. At full gallop they shouldn't be capable of a 90 degree turn at all, let alone within a few seconds as it is in cRPG. You said that "all cavalry is effectively light cavalry" which proves exactly my point -- there is no reason to not wear heavy armor while on horseback. Let them charge into the fray and risk being dehorsed, they chose to be heavy cavalry.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Kafein on August 18, 2013, 05:58:24 pm
I can't tell you how many times I've been occupied in melee when suddenly a heavy cavalry charges me. Sometimes I react in time and am able to dodge the cavalry, sometimes I'm not. But those times that I do dodge the fully-armored knight on his plated warhorse, nothing pisses me off more than him turning around as soon as he misses me and taking a few more swings. These are massive, 2000+lbs. horses with 300+ pounds of man and armor on top of them. At full gallop they shouldn't be capable of a 90 degree turn at all, let alone within a few seconds as it is in cRPG. You said that "all cavalry is effectively light cavalry" which proves exactly my point -- there is no reason to not wear heavy armor while on horseback. Let them charge into the fray and risk being dehorsed, they chose to be heavy cavalry.

You don't seem to have any idea how dangerous it is for a cav player to slow down, turn around and go back towards a given target. That's plenty enough time to be shot to pieces or reared and killed if there are any polearm players anywhere near you.

There will never be heavy cavalry in cRPG unless suddenly we have 500 players on a single server making tight formations and fighting on a perfectly flat field with absolutely no rock, wall, tree or building. In other words, never. The most important horse stat is maneuver because if you don't have that, you can't avoid things that will hit you or your horse. Playing cav is a lot like playing melee with a weapon that can't block. The only reliable way of avoiding damage is to stay out of reach, and that's the first reason maneuver is king. The second reason is that if you want to stay alive you need to move the fastest as possible. That means people will not spot you early enough to attack you and that means you are a more difficult target to hit from range, which you have no means of effectively defending your horse against. All horses turn relatively fast when going slowly, but at high speed maneuver is extremely important. Your targets are much, much more agile than you. In warband a human is an inertialess creature that can very well sprint in one direction then in less than a tenth of a second, sprint in the opposite direction, plus it can gain a massive ponctual speed boost by jumping. To hit such a thing requires extremely sharp last instant reactions that any horse in the mod is simply unable to pull off. As cav all your actions are telegraphed one second in advance, from the instant you release your attack to the instant you hope it will hit, and from the moment you start turning away to the moment you actually reach the direction you want.

The continuous maneuver nerfs on top of the cav weapon nerfs are also the reason the few cav players you will see concentrate on ninjaing people no matter their horse. If anything a lighter horse is better suited for one to one combat, and a heavier one for backstabbing.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: //saxon on August 18, 2013, 06:01:58 pm
Say two players mount two coursers. The first player is in full plate, the second player is naked. They race a short distance. Who should win?

who ever has more riding skill i suppose.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: CrazyCracka420 on August 19, 2013, 08:17:36 pm
Just wanted to say what Jarold and Kafein said.  Light cavalry versus heavy cavalry refers to the horse and the horses' armor (barding) not the rider's armor level.

And that all horses are essentially light horses in this mod, at least the way that they are used. 

Also I'm level 34, gen 13 (should be gen 16 but retired at 32 and then again at 33).  I've always struggled with money as a cavalry player.  The most I've ever had (after selling looms) was 150k.  That lasted me about 3 months of playing about 6 or 7 nights every 14 days, using high end medium armor.

Yes having heavy armor is the most forgiving on horse back (yes it drops your effective WPF, but it's not that noticeable on horseback since you already suffer the mounted malus modifier [say that 10 times fast]), you suffer no speed penalty.   But it's expensive and I can't keep up with the costs.  Sure I could give up a loom point and be good to wear heavy armor from horseback for a year, but I'd rather have the loom. 

Maneuverability is the king of horse stats.  And I've always felt the Arabian horse was the best horse because of this reasoning.  When the plated charger guy in heavy plate armor is constantly turning around after making a pass at you, he's vulnerable to other cavalry and to ranged classes.  You're either fighting wrong (too far away from teammates who can support you), or you're the last one alive (and should be dying sooner in the round)  :P
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Bulzur on August 19, 2013, 08:28:19 pm
Say two players mount two coursers. The first player is in full plate, the second player is naked. They race a short distance. Who should win?

The naked guy irl, none in cRPG. What did i win ?
Indeed, that's troublesome.

But :

Say two players mount two armored horses. The first player is in full plate, the second player is naked. They race a short distance. Who should win?
None in cRPG, and none irl. An armored horse doesn't care if his rider weights 30 more kilos. What's more, if the rider is too "light", the horse might forget there's someone on him, and do dangerous maneuvers.

So now, what wonderfull piece of code do you propose, and how do you classify horses, so that :
- "light" horses suffer *slight* penalties from a heavy rider
- "heavy" horses don't.

Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: KaMiKaZe_JoE on August 20, 2013, 05:24:43 am
The key stat is speed imo.

It depends how you use your horse, but I think speed is superior to maneuverability. Usually, the shit that I use maneuverability for is decided before I charge into the shit.

I top the scoreboards by setting myself up away from the infantry gaggles. I pick a victim, who is usually distracted, and charge straight at him, careful to steer clear of interference. Speed gets me to the target, then out of harms way. Speed, plus a long lance, lets me hit said target before he or she can react. Literally, before they can react.

And, for OP: I agree. Light armor is useless except for wpf, which doesn't matter because if you're good cav YOU control the circumstances of your engagement--when the strike lands, when you reach the distracted peasant victim.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 20, 2013, 06:47:43 am
The naked guy irl, none in cRPG. What did i win ?
Indeed, that's troublesome.

But :

Say two players mount two armored horses. The first player is in full plate, the second player is naked. They race a short distance. Who should win?
None in cRPG, and none irl. An armored horse doesn't care if his rider weights 30 more kilos. What's more, if the rider is too "light", the horse might forget there's someone on him, and do dangerous maneuvers.

So now, what wonderfull piece of code do you propose, and how do you classify horses, so that :
- "light" horses suffer *slight* penalties from a heavy rider
- "heavy" horses don't.

You're a fucking idiot......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jockey
Physical characteristics
Inside the weighing-in room at Eagle Farm racecourse, Brisbane, Australia, May 1941

Jockeys must be light to ride at the weights which are assigned to their mounts. There are horse carrying weight limits, that are set by racing authorities. The Kentucky Derby, for example, has a weight limit of 126 lb (57 kg) including the jockey's equipment. The weight of a jockey usually ranges from 108 to 118 lb (49 to 54 kg).[3] Despite their light weight, they must be able to control a horse that is moving at 40 mph (64 km/h) and weighs 1,200 lb (540 kg).[citation needed] Though there is no height limit for jockeys, they are usually fairly short due to the weight limits. Jockeys typically stand around 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) to 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m).[3]

Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: San on August 20, 2013, 08:04:13 am
I may just be severely sleep deprived, but the horses in that jockey link don't look armored to me.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 20, 2013, 03:52:48 pm
yes however every pound of weight counts when making a horse run faster, thats why a jockey who weighs 100lbs is better then one that weighs 150.  The horse works less as he has less weight to move with, it only makes sense really.  If the horse didnt care as he posted about the weight of the rider then we wouldnt have jockeys. 
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: CrazyCracka420 on August 20, 2013, 04:32:32 pm
Joe I do think that it's awesome being the fastest horse on the battlefield, but I still think maneuverability is better.  If it didn't take 21 agility I'd ride an Arabian.  Speed is nice because I can't even count how many times I'm racing at someone full speed and they don't have time to react before I thrust at them.   But maneuverability is nice because you can actually fight targets who have spotted you.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Wolfsblood on August 20, 2013, 05:33:12 pm
yes however every pound of weight counts when making a horse run faster, thats why a jockey who weighs 100lbs is better then one that weighs 150.  The horse works less as he has less weight to move with, it only makes sense really.  If the horse didnt care as he posted about the weight of the rider then we wouldnt have jockeys.

I Believe what san was trying to say was that there is a difference between the racing horses of today and the warhorses back then. you are correct that weight matters for any horse but for a horse that is bred for carrying a ton of weight over high speed/maneuverability will suffer less when if comes to their natural maneuverability than a race horse that is bred for speed.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Phew on August 20, 2013, 07:13:59 pm
My idea; add a horse weight stat, and give every player the same base body weight (180 lbs or whatever), then scale horse speed and maneuverability according to the rider's total weight as a percentage of the horse's weight. This way heavy armor wouldn't affect heavy horses much, but say an Arabian would struggle with a plated knight.

Also, how about they make it take longer for a de-horsed rider to get up depending on their armor weight? This could work for knockdown also, although the new roll mechanic (which I keep forgetting to use) apparently takes armor weight into account already.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: CrazyCracka420 on August 20, 2013, 07:15:43 pm
I honestly like both suggestions phew.  I think it's realistic and would add some more cavalry balance to the game. 

Would be nice if they also made it so you can dismount a horse without having to rear the horse (or come to a complete stop), but I doubt that will ever happen (I know I created at least one thread and suggested it)
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Phew on August 20, 2013, 07:22:21 pm
Would be nice if they also made it so you can dismount a horse without having to rear the horse (or come to a complete stop), but I doubt that will ever happen (I know I created at least one thread and suggested it)

Weapons like the Bill Hook were used specifically for de-horsing riders. It would be very cool if this class of weapons were added (poor damage/speed, but has a chance to de-horse).
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 21, 2013, 02:09:15 am
http://forum.meleegaming.com/suggestions-corner/riding-speed-modified-by-gear-weight/

saw this while scanning through the suggestions, your not the only person who has thought about a weight based system of some sort.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Legs on August 21, 2013, 03:31:23 am
BUFF HEAVY LANCE

(click to show/hide)

P.S. http://forum.meleegaming.com/realism-discussion/horse-performance-based-on-weight/msg740899/#msg740899
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Tydeus on August 21, 2013, 05:02:07 am
There's actually a decent amount of data on this subject if you care to do the research, what antiblitz quoted shows nothing other than an arbitrary weight limit. Just about every horse (Particularly ones that were used in war during the medieval ages), would be almost completely unaffected by the additional weight we're talking about here. I say almost, because it would have an affect over a long distance run, but nothing for like what we see in cRPG. The Item Balance team discussed this about a year ago, it's unrealistic and not a very good means to an end. The problem is Warband and how it ties too many features to the horse maneuver stat.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 21, 2013, 06:19:20 am
There's actually a decent amount of data on this subject if you care to do the research, what antiblitz quoted shows nothing other than an arbitrary weight limit. Just about every horse (Particularly ones that were used in war during the medieval ages), would be almost completely unaffected by the additional weight we're talking about here. I say almost, because it would have an affect over a long distance run, but nothing for like what we see in cRPG. The Item Balance team discussed this about a year ago, it's unrealistic and not a very good means to an end. The problem is Warband and how it ties too many features to the horse maneuver stat.

I just figured at this point that every bit of weight counts, even though these are not medieval race horses, even an extra bit of weight added to anything will make it slower in a head to head race if the two horses were exactly the same.  Its the reason people strip out things like carpets, passenger seats, spare tires, headliner, all the plastic dash trim, etc in a car to go that much quicker in a race.  the fact that you shed even 50lbs will help you go faster.  This would correlate to a horse as well, or even yourself if you decided to run with a 10lb rock strapped to your back vs not.  I cant see these horses being able to accelerate to a top speed and maintain that while under excessive load(250lbs rider) vs not(150lbs rider) and somehow be quicker, or just as fast.  This is why i linked something like Jockey horse racing, in that every pound counts, just like i would assume it would in auto racing, human racing, and every other race of a critter.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 21, 2013, 06:38:28 am
so after doing some research i have found that a horse can carry approximately 29% of its body weight, so suggesting a destrier weighed around 1,000lbs(just to make it easier or my math skills), that would suggest a weight of about 290lbs or so, give or take the horses weight.  Draught horses werent used for war, so we cant really say much about a 1.5 ton horse.  And according to what i saw when i googled barding on horses, it weighs about say 70lbs on the heavy side.  So saying our rider is 150lbs(with 70lbs of armor on) id say these horses were pretty much maxed out or near close to it.  I still do believe though, that every bit of weight would count on helping these horses move quicker, seeing as they were near maxed out on their weight limits as is.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Tydeus on August 21, 2013, 07:40:00 am
Realistically, what you'd be looking at is a difference of ~20 lbs (at max, and I can't help from feeling that this is rather generous) from the heavier to the more common loadouts for riders. For a 1300 lb destrier, thats not even 2% of its body weight. As I said before, you'll see an impact in endurance, not its max speed or acceleration. The only reason we can even have this conversation, is because armor weight in cRPG is unrealistic. So I'm not sure if that's where you're getting 70 lbs in armor, but that's nearly double what it would actually weigh.

Edit: As Jarold stated on the first page, the only horses that would be penalized by this, would be ones where it doesn't make sense to be using full plate armor to begin with.

Need a moderator to move this thread to the realism discussion section.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 21, 2013, 07:44:57 am
Realistically, what you'd be looking at is a difference of ~20 lbs (at max, and I can't help from feeling that this is rather generous) from the heavier to the more common loadouts for riders. For a 1300 lb destrier, thats not even 2% of its body weight. As I said before, you'll see an impact in endurance, not its max speed or acceleration. The only reason we can even have this conversation, is because armor weight in cRPG is unrealistic. So I'm not sure if that's where you're getting 70 lbs in armor, but that's nearly double what it would actually weigh.

Edit: As Jarold stated on the first page, the only horses that would be penalized by this, would be ones where it doesn't make sense to be using full plate armor to begin with.

Need a moderator to move this thread to the realism discussion section.

i had to guess on what plate armor weighed as well as the gear included, and estimated 70lbs, im sure i was off, however i couldnt find anything on the weight of plate, as alot of what i saw referred to stuff you saw in the later ages, which would have made armor lighter and thinner, though just as strong.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Paul on August 21, 2013, 08:26:40 am
Armor didn't get thinner. It got thicker to be able to defeat firearms (at least at long distance).

There won't be a cav slowdown for heavy armor in cRPG. If we could influence leaning distance on horseback I'd give an advantage to light cav here.  But we can't. If we had a dynamic mount/dismount system I'd give something to less armored people too. But we don't have that. WSE stuff, i.e. will never happen.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Kafein on August 21, 2013, 11:48:14 am
Being 2% lighter isn't going to make a huge difference for a race car outside of braking either.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 21, 2013, 04:29:57 pm
Being 2% lighter isn't going to make a huge difference for a race car outside of braking either.

Races cars, yes it does. 

Drag racing every millisecond counts, and weight reduction is everything.

unsprung weight = 100LBS = 0.1 in the 1/4 = ~ 10hp.


THE MOAR YOU KNOW!!!!!!
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: CrazyCracka420 on August 21, 2013, 04:51:49 pm
That's a vehicle, not a horse.  Just sayin :P
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Bulzur on August 21, 2013, 10:09:50 pm
i had to guess on what plate armor weighed as well as the gear included, and estimated 70lbs, im sure i was off, however i couldnt find anything on the weight of plate, as alot of what i saw referred to stuff you saw in the later ages, which would have made armor lighter and thinner, though just as strong.


Antiblitz : Calling people stupid after just one post, then admitting that he's been guessing things all along.
Still in denial after facing hard true facts.
And now, after going from horses to cars in this "realism" thread, prepare for the "tank" version.
What a true internet person.^^



To Phew : i like the idea of an horse weight stat (including armor).
Anyway, as Paul said, WSE stuff, it won't ever happen. Too bad. Better lock the subject. :(
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Kafein on August 21, 2013, 10:41:49 pm
Races cars, yes it does. 

Drag racing every millisecond counts, and weight reduction is everything.

unsprung weight = 100LBS = 0.1 in the 1/4 = ~ 10hp.


THE MOAR YOU KNOW!!!!!!

What about actual racing ?

With a track and stuff
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Nightmare798 on August 21, 2013, 10:58:12 pm
I'm positive that this has been brought up before but I'm going to bring it up again anyway.

As a dedicated horseman, there is no reason -- besides upkeep -- to not wear heavy armor.

An infantryman loses speed when he wears heavy armor. What does a horseman lose? Surely a slight amount attack speed, but any skilled horseman knows not put himself in a situation where attack speed is a factor in his survival.

Say two players mount two coursers. The first player is in full plate, the second player is naked. They race a short distance. Who should win? Did someone say the naked guy? Wrong, they tie. A few seconds later, two crossbowmen fire their crossbows into the players mounted on the coursers. The naked guy dies and the armored guy lives with two thirds of his HP to spare. So why should I be light cavalry?

Well, if your horse dies, you're slightly faster. But I'm a dedicated horseman, I don't give a damn about how quick I am on foot!
You don't have to pay as much for upkeep. But I made the conscience choice to be light cavalry, not because I'm poor!

In history, what did light cavalry do? Yes, a large amount of their appeal was in communications and reconnaissance, but they had a number of battlefield advantages over heavy cavalry. The obvious is enhanced mobility. During the Scottish Wars of Independence, light cavalry were the deciding factor in many battles. Take the Battle of Bannockburn where five-hundred light cavalry effectively caused the whole of the English army to retreat by dispersing the English longbowmen. This leads to my suggestion: the weight of your gear should effect the mobility and acceleration of your horse. Notice I said "acceleration" instead of "speed." Heavy cavalry typically didn't weave through the battlefield as we see in cRPG. They are meant to be as shock-and-awe chargers, and unfortunately that is not represented in this mod.

I think we can all gain from the implementation of this suggestion. No longer would plated chargers with Milanese knights on their backs do 180o turns in two seconds, and no longer would every horseman that isn't a horse archer feel the need to wear full plate.

one word: upkeep...

edit: yea go ahead - me for stating a fact that being a light cav is much cheaper than being heavy cav...

do it...DO IT A DARE YA!!!
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: AntiBlitz on August 21, 2013, 11:25:27 pm
What about actual racing ?

With a track and stuff

wasn't aware drag racing wasn't a form of racing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_racing
http://www.cecilcountydragway.com/   <----where i race

No tracks there, nope, we like to race in the dirt.....
visitors can't see pics , please register or login


I apologize Bulzur, was a little heated when i posted that, and was looking for blood.  Still not in denial however, it just makes sense, adding weight to something increases the physical exertion required to move such weight, and when it comes to cars, or horses its the same thing, they will go slower when under load.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Ellie on August 24, 2013, 06:13:29 am
I like the idea of decreasing heavy horse mobility, to an extent.

But I feel like it should never be implemented. There are already enough heavy cav who bump their team constantly. Lowering their maneuverability would make things worse.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: MURDERTRON on August 24, 2013, 04:13:16 pm
Nerf cats.  Buff dogs.

It would be nice to see light cavalry become a viable class again, but after the double nerf (heavy lance and charge) it's hard to justify the skill points and upkeep costs.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Kafein on August 24, 2013, 07:09:04 pm
I just see a straight line of asphalt. I very well know what drag racing is, I just think it's boring. There's very little going on outside of preparing the vehicules and while I applaud the technical effort it takes, that isn't enough to support a show in my opinion. In other racing disciplines, a small difference in weight will be less critical than correctly setting up of the suspensions, aerodynamics, braking balance, anti-traction-loss differential...

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Tomas on August 25, 2013, 01:49:15 pm
Realistically, what you'd be looking at is a difference of ~20 lbs (at max, and I can't help from feeling that this is rather generous) from the heavier to the more common loadouts for riders. For a 1300 lb destrier, thats not even 2% of its body weight. As I said before, you'll see an impact in endurance, not its max speed or acceleration. The only reason we can even have this conversation, is because armor weight in cRPG is unrealistic. So I'm not sure if that's where you're getting 70 lbs in armor, but that's nearly double what it would actually weigh.

Edit: As Jarold stated on the first page, the only horses that would be penalized by this, would be ones where it doesn't make sense to be using full plate armor to begin with.

Need a moderator to move this thread to the realism discussion section.

2 things here

1) Don't forget that it is not just the weight of the rider but the weight of the rider in relation to their position on the horse.  To understand what I mean about it not just being as simple as taking the extra mass as a percentage, look at Chain Mail and Plate Armour.  Both weigh about the same but Plate is easier to wear because the weight is spread out more around your body. 

I don't know how much difference this will make but most of the research seems to ignore it as well.  At a guess it wouldn't do too much to a horses straight line acceleration but when turning at speed there could be a significant effect as the riders weight shifts to the horses flank and the horse reacts.

2) Don't forget the rider is not passive in this.  20lb might be insignificant to the horse but it is not to the rider who must compensate for the additional mass whenever the horse accelerates or turns.  For this the rider may choose not to turn so fast or accelerate so quickly.  How much so I have no idea.

However since I have no idea about either point's significance and I'm not cav - I don't care.  I'm just arguing because I'm bored :D


Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: CrazyCracka420 on August 26, 2013, 03:59:55 pm
I just see a straight line of asphalt. I very well know what drag racing is, I just think it's boring. There's very little going on outside of preparing the vehicules and while I applaud the technical effort it takes, that isn't enough to support a show in my opinion. In other racing disciplines, a small difference in weight will be less critical than correctly setting up of the suspensions, aerodynamics, braking balance, anti-traction-loss differential...

(click to show/hide)

Auto racing in North America is a joke.  The popular form is oval tracks and drunk rednecks go there hoping to see someone crash.  I never understood the appeal to this type of racing. 
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Kafein on August 26, 2013, 09:31:08 pm
Auto racing in North America is a joke.  The popular form is oval tracks and drunk rednecks go there hoping to see someone crash.  I never understood the appeal to this type of racing.

At least in NASCAR drafting has a huge influence.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: CrazyCracka420 on August 26, 2013, 09:35:56 pm
yes, much more about strategy and numbers than raw talent/skill (at least that's my take on it)
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Palurgee on August 26, 2013, 11:14:41 pm
one word: upkeep...

edit: yea go ahead - me for stating a fact that being a light cav is much cheaper than being heavy cav...

do it...DO IT A DARE YA!!!

I -'d you because you clearly didn't read the post, I addressed "upkeep" as an invalid reasoning twice
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Nightmare798 on August 26, 2013, 11:25:51 pm
I -'d you because you clearly didn't read the post, I addressed "upkeep" as an invalid reasoning twice

then there is nothing we can do about it. just imagine those uncatchable horse archers with no armor and sidearm, with only bow and 2 stacks of arrows.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Palurgee on August 26, 2013, 11:46:36 pm
then there is nothing we can do about it. just imagine those uncatchable horse archers with no armor and sidearm, with only bow and 2 stacks of arrows.

Unsure of how this is relevant. I'm not really interested in arguing this further because it was already said that this idea will not be implemented, but I'll say this: a point I tried to get across is that while upkeep should be a factor in what class you choose to play, it shouldn't trump your desires for gameplay.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Nightmare798 on August 26, 2013, 11:49:06 pm
Unsure of how this is relevant. I'm not really interested in arguing this further because it was already said that this idea will not be implemented, but I'll say this: a point I tried to get across is that while upkeep should be a factor in what class you choose to play, it shouldn't trump your desires for gameplay.

but that is exactly how it is. i would love to play shielder with hunting crossbow as sidearm and good armor, but..you get the idea...
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Palurgee on August 26, 2013, 11:58:51 pm
but that is exactly how it is. i would love to play shielder with hunting crossbow as sidearm and good armor, but..you get the idea...

I don't think you quite understand what I'm trying to say.

Light footman = fast, low upkeep
Heavy footman = slow, high upkeep
Light horseman = fast, low upkeep
Heavy horseman = fast, high upkeep

There is our inconsistency and so the light horseman is at a disadvantage. I could be the richest player in cRPG, but if myself (as a light horseman) fought another player of equal skill (as a heavy horseman), I would always lose.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Nightmare798 on August 27, 2013, 12:23:40 am
I don't think you quite understand what I'm trying to say.

Light footman = fast, low upkeep
Heavy footman = slow, high upkeep
Light horseman = fast, low upkeep
Heavy horseman = fast, high upkeep

There is our inconsistency and so the light horseman is at a disadvantage. I could be the richest player in cRPG, but if myself (as a light horseman) fought another player of equal skill (as a heavy horseman), I would always lose.

even if you run around naked with 8 athletics you will never catch anyone riding on horse [donkey is exception, and not really a horse]. lemme fix this.

light infantry: decent speed, low upkeep
heavy infantry: slow, high upkeep
light horseman: extremely fast, low to medium upkeep
heavy horseman: good speed, high upkeep

note: by heavy horseman i mean a guy who has armored horse, not just a guy who rides a horse in heavy armor.

you gotta understand that unarmored horse trades off armor and hitpoints for speed,upkeep and, in some cases, maneuverablility.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: Palurgee on August 27, 2013, 12:31:58 am
even if you run around naked with 8 athletics you will never catch anyone riding on horse [donkey is exception, and not really a horse]. lemme fix this.

light infantry: decent speed, low upkeep
heavy infantry: slow, high upkeep
light horseman: extremely fast, low to medium upkeep
heavy horseman: good speed, high upkeep

note: by heavy horseman i mean a guy who has armored horse, not just a guy who rides a horse in heavy armor.

you gotta understand that unarmored horse trades off armor and hitpoints for speed,upkeep and, in some cases, maneuverablility.

i really don't give enough of a damn to restate my point in more denotative wording for you.
Title: Re: Give light cavalry a purpose on the battlefield!
Post by: MURDERTRON on August 27, 2013, 04:05:18 pm
I don't think you quite understand what I'm trying to say.

Light footman = fast, low upkeep
Heavy footman = slow, high upkeep
Light horseman = fast, low upkeep
Heavy horseman = fast, high upkeep

There is our inconsistency and so the light horseman is at a disadvantage. I could be the richest player in cRPG, but if myself (as a light horseman) fought another player of equal skill (as a heavy horseman), I would always lose.

You're a bit off on your pseudo numbers.

Light infantry:  20~25k.
Heavy infantry: 30~40k.
Light cavalry: 35~50k.  You have to remember that a heavy lance is 10k and a courser, Arabian or destrier are 20k+
Heavy cavalry: 60~75k or more.

The thing is, most players will do better as heavy infantry because they can wear 20k more armor and sink 5-7 more points into if, wm or ps.

The heavy lance costs too much for its utility now.  Its worthless on foot and the regular lance is just about as good in 90% of the situations.  Its actual utility was nerfed by half, but the price wasnt lowered.  Plus all of the light horses usually get one shot, and the rider killed while falling.