Board Thread:Development/@comment-26393217-20171129193744

Hello,

What are your thoughts about some visual effect when an unit dies? You may comment on each point thereafter, or on another topic/unit.

I recall that bones can be used by Necromancers and the like to raise permanent skeletons for free, and that furthermore,the Undead faction can upgrade any of their skeletons. So it's not only for the eye.

Bones
Let's list some underlying rules and then expand them:

Rule #1: Only vertebrate creatures leave bones.


 * Gazer doesn't leave bones anymore.
 * Animal critters should leave bones (see rule #2, below).
 * All hydras should leave bones (see rule #2, below).

Rule #2: Only humanoids, whatever the size, leave bones useable by necromancers. Note by the way that the game doesn't make any difference between unuseable and useable bones. Rule #2 supersedes rule #1 above.


 * None of the dinosaurs leaves bones (and Hydras keep not leaving bones).
 * Nightmare doesn't leave bones anymore. The only cavalry leaving bones are those mounted by humanoids (e.g. Elepĥant)
 * Ant, Scorpion, and Scarab don't leave bones anymore.
 * Turtle and Seal don't leave bones anymore.
 * War Dog doesn't leave bones anymore.

Rule #3: Unit which are ethereal or which disappear/are banished on death don't leave bones. This explains while in vanilla game, most of the Fey units (except Leprechaun, Spriggan, and Hero), most Daemon units (well, except Salamander, Nightmare, Summoner, and Hero), both Wraith and Shadow, and Dryad don't leave bones. However, some units that seem to be stripped from their flesh (as per their death animation), do still leave bones: Black Guard, Vampire, Leprechaun.


 * What do you think about all Fey units as a whole: Should Leprechaun still leave bones? Shouldn't the Pixie (the Spriggan's female counterpart?) leave bones? Note that the only "solid" cadavers are those of Spriggan and Hero.

Rule #4: Any corporeal Undead leaves bones, save for the basic Skeleton. This rule ensures that a resource-less Undead side (with liches or a high-level hero) can at least raise its warriors back to skeleton state for free... for a last and ultimate stand. Now, aren't the bones of those advanced Undead infantry just as broken as skeletons' bones when they are destructed? Or do we say that they bear enough necromantic magic to allow for a new animation? This residual magic put asides, aren't Wight and Liche just like skeletons in armor or attire? Likely, are the Undead Knights mere skeletons or rather, some more intelligent über-zombies, with rotten flesh and bowels? Overall, do the Undead need the leaving (either fallen enemies or slaughtered prisoners/slaves) to raise back piles of bones for free? or
 * Status Quo
 * Wight and Liche don't leave bones anymore.

Rule #5: Neither Titans nor Siege weapons leave bones even if they are composed of humanoids. Titans explode on death and we may consider that any remains are wasted in the process. All Siege Weapons should be manned by a crew, and only Gob'shooter display some. Back to Walords IV, any siege weapon would be manned by servants (Human, Elven, Dwarven, Goblin, Daemonic, Skeleton). Although WBC3 re-use some sprites, they erased the siege servants, and none of the machines now leave any bones.
 * As this mod reduces somewhat the bone availability, do we add all of the Siege weapons but Bone Catapult (because a Skeleton is not reusable)?

The Daemon case:
 * Should any unit that leave bones and a cadaver be made/left invulnerable to Banishment because of that proof of a special link to the material world, or do we remove their bones AND cadaver whenever they are made vulnerable to Banishment?
 * What is the Summoner? A Dark Elf, or a daemonized humanoid, as he leaves bones AND a cadaver, and can't be banished... or is he a special kind of a Daemon, just like the Hero is?

Border-case humanoids: Husk doesn't leave bones, much like its cousin, the Skeleton. Plus, it's made of various bones and chitin pieces, so it's only logical that you can't raise back a humanoid skeleton from a destroyed Husk. Salamanders leave bones while Nagas don't. Neither of them are strict humanoids (no legs), and Naga are said to be spiritual guardians. Nonetheless, Naga leave a cadaver AND enough hide to make boots with. The Harpy, a humanoid flier, could leave bones as well. No flier leaves a cadaver nor bones, they explode but we figure that it's only a handy way to not handle a complex death animation (falling on the ground, etc.) Both Scorpion-men leave bones in Vanilla game (as well as red blood stains). I propose to apply rule #1, even if they happen to not be vertebrate, and then rule #2, because they are semi-humanoids. Like with the other semi-humanoids, we'll find a solution for their leg bones (or we close our eyes for an instant)...


 * Salamander still leaves bones.
 * Naga now leaves bones.
 * Harpy now leaves bones.
 * Scorpion-man and Scorpion Priest still leave bones.

The Bronze Golem case: In Vanilla game, Bronze Golem does leave bones. The other golems don't. Some generals don't (Banshee, Dryad, Naga). I'd really like to have some developer's input on what could else be interpreted as a clear overlook. However, as I already wrote on some comments on this wiki, I'd rather have the Bronze Golem fit some well known Dwarven golem's paradigm (which departs from the Jewish golem's folklore), and consider him like no less than an armored Dark Dwarf warrior (the fact that this armor is or is not removable... is not the point here). So I won't remove the bones. Consider this like my fancy (I'm looking for changing the voice files, btw). Of course, you could oppose: "That's well and fine, but what ensures you that the bones are not wasted when the pinky armor crumbles on the ground?..."


 * Bronze Golem still leaves bones.

Blood
There are some clear inconsistencies or overlooks in vanilla game.

Rule #1: goblinoids all bleed green.

Rule #2: non-humanoid insectoids bleed green (ichor).

Rule #3: all mechanical units don't bleed.

Rule #4: "hot" daemons bleed red, while "cold" daemons bleed green.

Rule #5: most undead units don't bleed (they have no blood anymore).

Daemons:

Red blood: Imp, Nightmare, salamander, Daemon, Summoner.

Green blood: Quasit, Succubus, Balora, Hero.

No blood: Reaper (like an Undead).


 * Imp now bleeds green (from red), like Succubus and Quasit.
 * Daemon, Nightmare, and Salamander keep bleeding red for various reasons (bloody contraption, or fiery metabolism).
 * Summoner keeps bleeding red in case he's some form of a changed Dark Elf or Human sorcerer.

Orcs:

Red blood: Thrall, Goblin Shaman.

Green blood: all the others.


 * Goblin Shaman now bleeds green like other goblinoids.
 * The question arises for the Wolf Rider, whether the rider or the mount bleeds when hit and slain?

Dark Dwarves:

Red blood: Engineer, Hero.

No blood: all golems and mechanical units.

Dark Elves:

Red Blood: all the others.

Green blood: both spiders, Kargoth.

Note that being both a "cold" Daemon, and an arachnoid, Kargoth gets two reasons for bleeding green.

Feys:

Red blood: all the others.

No blood: Oakman, Banshee.

Fliers:

Red blood: all of them.

Note that we could question the Wyvern's case, but all the greater dragons bleed red.


 * Wyvern keeps bleeding red.

High Elves:

Red blood: all of the others.

No blood: both Wisps.

Knights:

Red blood: all of the others.

No blood: Sword.

Empire:

Red Blood: all of them.

Dwarves:

Red Blood: all of them.

Minotaures:

Red blood: all the others, including Gnoll and Sartek's Skull.

Green blood: Basilisk.

Critters:

Red blood: all the others, including Eye of Oros.

No blood: Soul


 * Should Eye of Oros bleed "white" (i.e. no blood) like a real eye?

Plaguelords:

Red blood: Hydra, Pyrohydra, Ghoul.

Green blood: the 3 Eyes, Slime, Cryohydra, Antharg, Plague Priest.


 * Why Ghoul's blood is different from Plague Priest's?

Ssrathis:

Red blood: all the others.

Green blood: Naga.


 * Shouldn't Naga bleed red (reptiles bleed red), or is she a daemon?

The Swarm:

Red blood: all the others.

No blood: Husk


 * Ant, Scarab, and Scorpion now bleed green (like spiders).
 * Melchor now bleeds green (being both a "cold" daemon and an insectoid).
 * Both scorpion-men, and Hero left bleeding red.

Undead:

Red blood: Zombie, Vampire.

No blood: all the others, including the Hero.

Etherian lore may be quite different from other games' settings.


 * What are Zombies? If their blood rots, shouldn't it change into some vile green ichor? (And what about Ghouls, btw.)
 * What are Undead knights (again)? Are they rather über-zombies or rather über-skeletons? I mean, does Clegane bleed ;) ?
 * What is (one of) the Undead Hero? Vampire-lire, Liche-like, Zombie-like?

 