S2R+ | Gameplay Hints

Introduced with version 2.9 as txt info content of the S2R+ folder, displayed as well here, while the content of this thread will be updated frequently.

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S2R+ Gameplay Hints
=====================

Since public S2R+ v2.9, there are quite some changes for unit ownerships, unit names and the recruitment.
No. 1-3 is about that, the campaign mode.

No. 4 is a hint, or recommendation, for the battle mode.



1. Unit Ownership
---------------------

Former text (a list) has been removed, as that theme got multiple alterations. Also as for
the multiple unit types, it is too much to make here a complete detail list per faction. It
shall be mentioned though, that Oda, Tokugawa, Mori and Shimazu poccess the most
wide-spread unit ownership, followed by factions like Takeda, Uesugi, Hojo and Date
besides Chosokabe and Hattori. Ikko Ikki as rebel faction have here the hardest stand.


2. Unit Recruitment
---------------------

As following important hints about the recruitment.

2.1 Region-dependence:

There is ie. the Ashigaru Naginata in multiple variants available (as one example only).
One variant is tagged with 'Inaka', means everywhere recruitable, all other variants ie.
tagged with 'Han' are limited to certain regions.

According to the ownership, they will be shown in the unit recruitment slot of a castle,
when ie. the researchment for an Ashigaru Naginata is finished - dependent on the unit
ownership, this can be also more Ashi Naginata types, those have different name tags then.

However, the TWS2 game offers a 2nd recruitment dependence, a basic building and/or resource,
so certain units have, besides the normal recruitment building, another building requirement
and/or resource (known ie. from cavalry or monks in vanilla), as a base requirement.

2.2 Region-specialty:

In the case of such a 2nd building requirement, vanilla reads this as constructable 'dojo'.
In S2R+, there is not a secondary 'dojo' as requirement, but very often a region-specialty
building as base requirement, so not every unit is recruitable in every region.

This is done to bind certain units to certain regions, just because these region-specialty
buildings are firm placed in certain regions, and this way serve perfectly for a local
recruitment.

Back to the Ashi Naginata example, they are mainly to recruit via roads, 2nd tier - that's
their normal recruitment building in S2R+ since v2.9. Formerly one must research them though
via Bushido art. Few factions (ie. Mori) has a local Nagi Ashi slightly quicker available.

Once the unit is researched and the 2nd tier road is constructed, the unit is generally recruitable,
but only when the castle-region (the recruitment-location) owns also the 2nd (base) building
requirement. In example this can be the blacksmith region-specialty building (or its upgrades,
the upgrades work in the same way).

Attention: The game-engine is created in a way, that the Ashi Naginata is also listed in a
castle-recruitment slot of a castle-region, although ie. the region-specialty building blacksmith
is n o t there, not existent in the region ... . The reason for this appearence is that the
game reads this region-specialty as 'dojo' which are usually (in vanilla) constructable in every
region, so given the 2nd dojo is once built, the unit becomes recruitable (that's in vanilla).

That means for S2R+, the concerning Ashi Naginata (if ie. blacksmith-type) can be recruited only
in a region, where the region-specialty blacksmith is in fact existent (that's in S2R+).

Indicated is this 2nd building-requirement as small icon on the unit icon within the recruitment
slot (same thing as with vanilla, known from cavalry units and monk units).

2.3 Recruitment-gameplay:

In the first campaign phase, there will be merely Samurai wars, skirmishes with quite small armies.
From the 1550's years onwards, factions have the chance to start a kind of consolidation.
In this second phase, Ashigaru support becomes available step by step.
A third phase leads at the end to full recruitment capacities (the capacities are different per faction
though, certain majors participate at most).

2.4 Recruitment-buildings:

Dojos (and other high tier buildings) are unique per faction. Therefore, one should think in priorities.
When you build up your empire, the building-choice should be a strategic decision. Factions will construct
primarily the Yari Drill at first (but often also the Market). While the dojos are unique per faction,
every faction can though use the dojos of a conquered region, thus means, there will be enough same
dojos on the map. An exception is the Stables string, which has been bounded to the horse-region-specialty,
but can be built as well, if a faction gets horses via trade. Else, the regions which offer an extended
recruitment are with the following base region-specialties: Blacksmith, breeders, artisans, wood-mill,
merchant-colony, hiding-places, holy-places - while these specialties offer recruitment partly only
in faction-dependence, less give a recruitment to all factions. Further on, some units need the second
building, which is not a region-specialty, this can be a specific structure like a certain farm tier.

Note, that unlike to vanilla, the Encampment string buildings have a very important role in S2R+, look at
the Bushido art tree to get an overview, what must be researched for which building of this branch. The
Encampment string offers especially the mass-recruitment of Yari Ashigaru.
Important to know is, that every single one of the Encampment string buildings offers a recruitment, also
the Hunting Lodge, Proving Ground and Jijutsu, these latter ones offer Samurai recruitment besides the
usual dojos.

As well as the Encampment string buildings, the last tier dojos 'Legendary' are of importance, ie. for
certain units, the recruitment-flow is interrupted partly with the 'Master' tier, which is done to reflect
a kind of population/generation background for certain Samurai types, which are just not always infinite.
However, latest when all Encampment and all highest tier dojos are constructed, the mass-deployment wars
can begin, means lots of Samurai and Ashigaru can be fielded, while this is different per faction, the
historically most prominent factions have a relevant advantage in this regard, especially for the Ashigaru
support.

In general, note that you really must watch the entire art tree to find according requirements for certain
buildings, and thus its recruitment, while the recruitment is viewable first when the building appears in
the slot.

2.5 Recruitment-limitation:

All units in this mod are capped, means when a certain number is reached, the recruitment pool is empty,
until the same kind of unit got according losses or units are disbanded. Bonus units (rewards) expand this
limitation though. Most Samurai/Monk class units are even capped with one unit. One must have in mind,
that we depict a period of roughly 55 years (1545 - 1600) in this mod, thus there can't be infinite Samurai
or Monk recruitments available, when one likes to reflect realism. However, the mod adds a lot Samurai and
Monk class units compared to vanilla, despite factions like Ikko Ikki (a rebel faction), there should be enough
units of the ruling class to provide proper army consistences.


3. Short Summery
---------------------

Campaign mode:

The ownership and the recruitment design, the whole system is developed during countless playtesting
and balancing hours. Nothing is chosen in an arbitrary way, it's actually designed in a conceptual way,
even if it seems not obvious or confusing, that's due to the complexity, which might getting clearer,
when the player has some deeper campaign experience, at best played through a whole campaign, has provided
the whole art tree and has constructed every single building. The more campaign experience, the better
the understanding about the conceptual backgrounds and its gameplay.

Besides a lot gameplay conception, underlayed is parallel a historical-realism conception. Without the goal
to make a historical simulation, but in fact, a kind of a historical faction-roleplay is possible (with
the one or other faction), so a bit historical background knowledge helps - anyways, something is done for
a better immersion into the Sengoku period.

At last hints for the ones who indeed plan to play really historically: Naturally only possible with Oda
or Tokugawa - you take over their historical role once you conquered either Oda's or Tokugawa's realm(s).
Then just following its real historical paths, you'll get all the unit support (ie. Hattori unit recruitment)
that is needed to expand an empire which spread nearly all over Japan, also Tokugawa's home region is centrally
imported for the recruitment. An Oda or Tokugawa AI has of course problems due to looking at the most next
(potencial) enemy and/or goal at their direct borders.
When you choose Chosokabe, a lot balancing is done that at least until circa 1555, you can watch a quite
historical campaign outcome, when you don't interact on the other isles, and you are focusing on expanding
on "your isle". Else, if chosen any other faction, it is a "what-if" gameplay also in this mod, while ie.
Shimazu AI should be successful nonetheless on Kyushu, if you don't intervene aggressively on that isle.


4. Battle Mode
---------------------

4.1 Special Unit Features:

CA always creates special features for certain units. Usually those features are accessable via buttons in-battle
per unit. Comicably, CA makes those features player-only, means, the AI is incapable to use them, or if the AI
can apply it, it is used ineffectively or not at all. If the player actually wants "a fair" battle experience vs. the AI,
he should n o t use these special features, ie. in campaign battles (just if it is not only a fun custom battle).
Unfortunately the recent TW engine does not allow anymore to simply remove such features via modding, otherwise
this mod would not contain them.

4.2 Autoresolved Results:

It is recommended to play every battle instead of going with autoresolved results, this especially for landbattles in
the field and sieges, because the autoresolve-calculation is somehow "bugged" and therefore very tricky to modify.
We speak here about autoresolved battles AI vs. the human player. AI vs. AI is another thing.

In the battle mode the player will experience usually more losses. This is a common rule for S2R+, playing the battles
is more fair, but in fact it is dependent on the army consistence and also the whole situation, if the autoresolve-outcome
is "proper" or not, ie. it can happen that the result is unrealistic in favour of the AI, but also sometimes vice versa is
unrealistic in "favour" for the player ... as said depends on cicumstances.

To avoid an exploitation of autoresolved battles by the player (as it was in my experience possible in vanilla), something
is done to increase AI chances by default. However outcome is dependent on diverse parameters, a concrete or 100 %
controlled and fair modification for the autocalulation is not possible.
So in some cases the player can just provide better battle-outcomes for his army within the battle mode compared to
the autocalculation, equal what the indicator says, or vice versa, in my experience it is different.

Facit:
If you have enough time, play the battles to expect "real" outcomes, do not use autocalculation.
And if you have not enough time, autoresolve, but live with the odds of the outcome.

Also important is here the battle difficulty setting, which you can change in preferences.txt, ie. mine is set on N
(or normal/medium), but the campaign difficulty is always set on H (or hard). However, the battle difficulty is very
relevant for autoresolved outcomes.





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DaVinci