Part 5: Tutorial - units
New Units - The Light
After each mission I'll post more details about the new unit types (if any) introduced. The unit description is straight from the game manual; the "flavor texts" are the snippets shown in the info bar at the top of the screen when a unit is selected. (All of these texts are transcribed courtesy of myth.bungie.org.)
The unit image is taken from the game data. The unit images in their original form have some garish colors (as seen on the Archer sprite in the Tutorial video) so that different parts of the texture can easily have different colors substituted in. I couldn't figure out with a reasonable amount of fiddling how to get these images to look exactly like the units in the singleplayer game, so for the most part I've settled for mimicking how they could look in multiplayer, where they take on colors selected by the player. The Light units will have a red/yellow color scheme and the Dark units will be green/blue.
Finally, a word about unit stats. For stats that can easily be expressed in a single number, I've added the number in parentheses in case you want to compare units. Otherwise I handwave a qualitative ranking. 99% of Myth players could not tell you what the numbers are behind the rules of Myth -- they aren't in the manual -- you just get a feel for things and work from that.
Warriors
- durability: medium (5), chance to take no attack damage
- melee offense: medium
- ranged offense: none
- speed: medium (15), medium mobility (shallow/medium water, gentle slopes)
The few survivors of the human armies which have not yet fallen to Balor's forces of the undead. These men have survived previous encounters with the Fallen Lords, and might be able to do it again.
Warriors are equipped with swords, and shields that can block attacks.
Flavor texts:
After the armies of The Province were finally broken at Covenant, the survivors scattered among the free cities of the North, taking their arms with them.
"Maeldun's only words on returning exhausted to Tyr from a long campaign in the East to find half the city burning after a raid by pirates from Leix were 'Show me the way to Leix.'"
Archers
- durability: weak (2), extended paralysis effect
- melee offense: very low (double-click to use)
- ranged offense: range=long+, damage=light, rate=medium
- speed: slow (12), low mobility (shallow water, gentle slopes) Description:
- durability: weak (2), extended paralysis effect
- melee offense: none
- ranged offense: range=short, damage=heavy/area, rate=slow
- special: place satchel charge
- speed: slow (12), low mobility (shallow water, gentle slopes)
- durability: medium (6), chance to take no attack damage, half damage from explosions, immune to paralyze/petrify
- melee offense: low
- ranged offense: none
- special: heal living units, disintegrate undead units
- speed: slow (13), medium mobility (shallow/medium water, gentle slopes)
Formerly enemies of humans and their nations, the fir'Bolg changed their minds when they realized they didn't stand a chance against the Fallen Lords by themselves. They fare poorly in hand-to-hand combat, but their archers' skill is so well-developed that most foes don't get that close.
The fir'Bolg archers are renowed for their dead aim and steady hands. A group of them can do substantial damage to enemy forces while they're still too far off to fight back. If cornered, fir'Bolg can punch their attackers; double-click an enemy to punch it.
Flavor texts:
Long enemies of the civilized nations, the truce which brought the fir'Bolg and their famed bowmen into the Light was forged by ou'Kahn the Great King and Caliban during the Sword Age.
" ... though the Ghôls were afraid to kill him after his capture at Myrgard they dislocated his arms at the shoulder with a chisel to prevent him from ever drawing a bow again."
Dwarves
Dwarves are short, stocky creatures with a love of explosives and a passionate hatred of Ghôls.
Dwarves throw small bottles filled with an unstable concoction which explodes powerfully upon impact. Most of the time, anyway.
Dwarves can also place satchel charges (T) - essentially unlit grenades which detonate if hit by another explosive. The strategic possibilities of littering the ground with high explosives should be readily apparent. Dwarves start with a certain number of satchel charges and can pick up more from the bodies of fallen Dwarves.
Flavor texts:
"The early Dwarven eddas always speak of heroes 'having gone north into the mountains to slay Ghôls', but most repeated is the tale of Dvalin son of Alfrigg, third ephor of Stoneheim ..."
"Hours after the fall of Myrgard, the dwarves defending Stoneheim collapsed the barbican, entombing ten thousand of their number behind as many tons of shattered rock."
Journeymen
These men are all that remains of the Empire of the Cath Bruig. Formerly the guards of the Emperor, they disbanded and wandered the earth after the Fallen Lords destroyed Muirthemne and everyone in it. Journeymen, when pressed into battle, swing the shovel of a common laborer.
Journeymen can heal friendly units using mandrake roots (T). Select the Jouneyman, hit your Special Ability key and then click on the unit you wish to heal. Journeymen start with a certain number of roots, and can pick up more from the bodies of fallen Journeymen. A mandrake root disappeares each time the Journeyman heals someone, and when they are all gone the Journeyman can no longer heal. Journeymen can also wither undead enemy units - the Wight and Thrall, for example - using this technique. Note that Wight remains are still explosive.
Flavor texts:
"Not a palm's breadth free of wounds on his body, Five Motion Bloody Jaguar knelt to kiss the earth and drawing strength from her rose to charge the thickest gathering of the enemy."
"Returning to the ruin Muirthemne had become in their absence, the deathless Heron Guards each tore nine gold tiles from the palace wall, every one the weight of a grown man ... "