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Closed | Archived Province difficulty changed after scouting

Deleted User - 4366037

Guest
I would like to get an official response on here if I may:

Game version: v1.99.2-(ffeb04e) (2020-03-05 11:54)
Game world: Arendyll
Browser: Chrome
Operating System: Windows
Account name: Some.one
Humans or Elves: Elves

Reproducibility: Have not attempted

I scouted a Medium-difficulty province that changed to Very Hard difficulty after it was scouted. I do not know whether the change occurred during the active scouting or after it was completed (it scouted overnight). Please confirm whether it is a bug or a normal feature for a province to change its difficulty during or after it has been scouted. The province at issue is the steel province shown in the attached picture.

Thanks!
Capture 2 (3).jpg
 

Ashrem

Oh Wise One
The only thing that ever counts as an official response in the bug forums is if they are able to confirm it isn't working as intended or when they tell us to file an in-game bug report. The latter might be the way to go with this, as it is not something others can easily test, as they don't know what techs you completed while the scout was running. The game-mods can look at the logs and see if you completed a tech which changed the value of the province before the scout completed. Make sure you tell them about when you started the scout, so they know when to look.
 

Deleted User - 4366037

Guest
@Ashrem, I filed a ticket in-game, and the response was that it was normal for provinces to change difficulty after scouting. I presently do not believe this is correct, and I do not believe completing any tech would make a province more difficult after scouting, mostly because competing techs can only make scouting easier, so I am hoping for a second opinion here, or at least an explanation of how a province can become more difficult after scouting.
 

Pheryll

Set Designer
I scouted a Medium-difficulty province that changed to Very Hard difficulty after it was scouted. I do not know whether the change occurred during the active scouting or after it was completed (it scouted overnight). Please confirm whether it is a bug or a normal feature for a province to change its difficulty during or after it has been scouted. The province at issue is the steel province shown in the attached picture.

By observation, the province in question appears to be part of a ring in which all provinces are currently labeled very hard. Did that entire ring go from medium to very hard based on your scouting? Second where did you see the province as being labeled medium- the world map or the new scouting menu or both?

When you scout the price paid and the number of advanced scout technologies determine the enemies' strength. This determination is made at the time the scouting completes, so if you research advanced scouts while the scouting is going on it will impact the current scout's determination of enemy strength. The only other factor that contributes to difficulty is your squad size, which never decreases. Thus a change from medium to very hard should not be occurring.
 

Fayeanne

Well-Known Member
...it was normal for provinces to change difficulty after scouting.

Just for clarification, as far as I can tell from personal experience, this is correct. Completing a scout on a province causes the difficulty to increase for unscouted provinces. (This happens when the scout completes, not starts.) My understanding is the point of this is that the game gets progressively more difficult as you advance, because your city is also advancing.

The more I think on this, the more I wonder if the game simply recalculates the difficulties of the rings before marking the present province as "scouted", which would mean the newly-scouted province would get included in that recalculation. This could be "working as intended" though I do think it's disconcerting to have the scout tell you one evaluation when you start scouting, then to have the evaluation change after the scouting finishes.
 

Pheryll

Set Designer
The more I think on this, the more I wonder if the game simply recalculates the difficulties of the rings before marking the present province as "scouted", which would mean the newly-scouted province would get included in that recalculation. This could be "working as intended" though I do think it's disconcerting to have the scout tell you one evaluation when you start scouting, then to have the evaluation change after the scouting finishes.

To my knowledge this is not the case. The province you are scouting does not increase in difficulty by the action of scouting it. The remaining unscouted provinces will increase in difficulty by scouting so that the next one can display a higher difficulty then the one you just finished scouting.
 

Yogi Dave

Well-Known Member
I have heard of this happening shortly after they added the difficulty feature. The person had a couple of already scouted provinces increase in difficulty.

My understanding is when you begin a scout, the negotiation amounts and their troop squad size is fixed based solely on cost of scouting. Techs that improve your ability to fight, such as a squad size increase, would make the battle easier and I've seen some I've scouted go from yellow to blue. Perhaps gaining a tech could trigger the enemy being able to bring a higher star troop to the battle which you can't. The speculation at the time, that something like an armory or barracks tech might trigger that. If it is taken into consideration when computing the difficulty, that could make it change to harder.
 

Pheryll

Set Designer
I have heard of this happening shortly after they added the difficulty feature. The person had a couple of already scouted provinces increase in difficulty.

My understanding is when you begin a scout, the negotiation amounts and their troop squad size is fixed based solely on cost of scouting. Techs that improve your ability to fight, such as a squad size increase, would make the battle easier and I've seen some I've scouted go from yellow to blue. Perhaps gaining a tech could trigger the enemy being able to bring a higher star troop to the battle which you can't. The speculation at the time, that something like an armory or barracks tech might trigger that. If it is taken into consideration when computing the difficulty, that could make it change to harder.

As far as I know the number of provinces scouted, the ring of the province being scouted, the number of advanced scout technologies and your squad size are the only variables in play. Already scouted provinces should not be increasing in difficulty.
 

Deleted User - 4366037

Guest
By observation, the province in question appears to be part of a ring in which all provinces are currently labeled very hard. Did that entire ring go from medium to very hard based on your scouting? Second where did you see the province as being labeled medium- the world map or the new scouting menu or both?
The World Map. That entire ring was originally labeled Medium when I scouted the Steel province (in the pictured region - some of the ones on the other side were Hard), with the outer ring level shown in that area being Hard. I had just finished scouting the elixir province above it which was also medium. Once I logged back in after the steel province had finished scouting, that is when those all showed as Very Hard.
 

Deleted User - 4366037

Guest
I have heard of this happening shortly after they added the difficulty feature. The person had a couple of already scouted provinces increase in difficulty.

My understanding is when you begin a scout, the negotiation amounts and their troop squad size is fixed based solely on cost of scouting. Techs that improve your ability to fight, such as a squad size increase, would make the battle easier and I've seen some I've scouted go from yellow to blue. Perhaps gaining a tech could trigger the enemy being able to bring a higher star troop to the battle which you can't. The speculation at the time, that something like an armory or barracks tech might trigger that. If it is taken into consideration when computing the difficulty, that could make it change to harder.
That would not have been the case in this instance, though. I started the scout before signing off for the night, and the results I described were there when I first logged back in, so the only factor in play for my city was the completion of that scout.
 

Yogi Dave

Well-Known Member
As far as I know the number of provinces scouted, the ring of the province being scouted, the number of advanced scout technologies and your squad size are the only variables in play.
All three of these change the cost of scouting. Each province scouted makes the next one more expensive. Moving into a new ring adds more a larger amount. Adv scout tech, lowers cost. Hence it's cost that fixes the enemies squad size. I don't know if it fixes the specific troops they will bring, except that each province has it's own set of troops allowed. It seems like it would since you could always look at the encounter and see what they are bringing then leave it for weeks before fighting it and it should not change. So, this last statement contradicts my and other's speculation and brings us back to the mystery of the increasing difficulty of a province.
The World Map. That entire ring was originally labeled Medium when I scouted the Steel province (in the pictured region - some of the ones on the other side were Hard), with the outer ring level shown in that area being Hard. I had just finished scouting the elixir province above it which was also medium. Once I logged back in after the steel province had finished scouting, that is when those all showed as Very Hard.
This seems to support @Fayeanne 's speculation. If not for your comments, I'd have agreed with @Pheryll. Now, I'm just back to mystified as to how it gets harder, especially with @Some.one replying once again while I was typing this. ;)
 

Deleted User - 4366037

Guest
Bumping this in the hope I will receive a response from Inno. They must be able to confirm whether or not a province difficulty is supposed to be able to increase in difficulty after scouting it..
 

LisaMV

Well-Known Member
Perhaps you could open a ticket on this, and then let us know what they tell you? We are all a bit muddled on this issue as well...
 

Deleted User - 4366037

Guest
Perhaps you could open a ticket on this, and then let us know what they tell you? We are all a bit muddled on this issue as well...
I cannot discuss the ticket on here per forum rules, but I will say I submitted a ticket before I came here looking for an answer.
 
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