Greetings fellow Mount & Blade enthusiasts!
This will be a rather long text of ideas and thoughts for a sequel to Mount & Blade wilt multiplayer campaign, hoping that peaople interested will add there thoughts and ideas and that the makers of Mount & Blade will take this topic in consideration.
First of: Since I'd like this game to be set in the 1700-1800, the ideas I write of is for a game in this era, though most of it, if not all will work in any era, just change the equipment and ranks.
Issues I see with multiplayer campaign:
1. Time difference between battle and campaign. Allthough I have no proper solution, my ideas for minimize disturbance are: Making the map big, so that taking yourself from one point to another will not go to quickly. Make battles in woods invisible intill close enough, so that it will be harder to find a ambushed ally. Set a timer from when you enter a ongoing battle, intill when your troops can enter the field. This timer could be shortend by a skill, thous making some players better at reinforcing.
2. What to do when a player go offline? When a player go offline, the character and it's army should become a npc, directly heading for the nearest town that belongs to him. If he do not have any city of his own, he will head to the nearest allied city. If he do not have a ally, he will head to the nearest non hostile city. If the idiot is waring with the entire world, he will simply set up camp.
3.Giving orders to the players on the field. On this I don't quite know. Should the order just apear, should flashing on areas be possible? Should all be able to give commands or just the leader? Perhaps higher ranks can give commands to lower ranks? (ranks beeing explained later) Please write your opinion.
Ideas and thoughts.
For me, the most importent change for a multiplayer campaign would be the difficulty of raising an army. This to lesser the risk of having everyone running around with a army of there own. To do this, simply raise the cost and upkeep of troops. For it to be possible to keep and army, you'll need a city or several villages wich will have a increased income. Also raiding caravans will be more profitable since all of the equipment of one dying or beeing captured in battle will belong to the highest in command and after that others in the army in a rewardsystem that will be explained later. A leader belonging to a nation can not take the clothes and armour from another player if he cannot offer some clothing in return. Though he will be able to change the noblest of clothing, for a peasent shirt. Just not leave a player naked. A players clothing will most likely not be attractive to another player, since troops in an army will have clothes with the nations colors. More of this will be explained later. A bandit leader on the other hand, will be able to strip you naked. (exept for underwear)
Ofcourse the players that doesn't afford a army or wich to try the dangerous life of an outlaw, will be able to be recruited into an army. The player simply aprouch a npc army or another player for conversation. A player can choose not to be intrested in a conversation in wich the aprouching player will simply have to find a nother army. When a conversation has been opened, a title of recruitment will be available. When clicked, both sides will get a negotiations screen. Here the players get options of pay, equipment to be recived iwilst being in the other players care, share of loot and position in the force. When both sides have agreed the first player will be emerged in the other players army and will move as it. If trying to be recruited by a npc, the lord will have a set sum of payment and equipment that you simply agre to or not.
When in the army you get the pay in advance for one day. If you leave the army before the the day is over or without the leaders permission, you will be a deserter and the player and his nation will become hostile towards you. A leader can give permission to leave the army, by simply going in to party screen and selecting a player for conversation and then give the permission. There he will also be able to give missions as for example scouting or spying. When the day is over a screen will apear asking you if you wish to continue with the current agreement. You will then be able to select continue, ask for new agreement or leave the army. If you choose to ask for new agreement, the leader will be able to choose if he wish to enter a negotiation screen or neglect the request. If the request is neglected, the player will get a new screen only asking "continue with current agreement" or "leave army". By asking for new agreement you are able to raise in rank if the leader se fit. If the leader is an npc, his decision will come from how long you have been in the army and perhaps how many you have killed. (a player can never be killed, only injured and captured if the battle is lost)
Share in loot will be a fitting choice of payment for a bandit leader, but should also be attractive for players of high rank. When selecting share of loot in recruitment screen, you will a able to negotiate of how many items the player will be able to take. When it's time to share the loot, the leader always picks first and how much he wishes. After that the highest ranked player will get to pick the amount of items that has been agred on. (if there are several players of same rank, the players of same rank will be able to choose in random order) After that the man or men of second highest rank will get to pick. If there is nothing left, they get none. If there are still items left when all players have got there share, the leader will get to choose if he wants also the remaining loot or leave it.
A leader should not take all for him self end neglect the others since mutiny will be available. If a leader is unable to pay for next days salary, the player will get a screen of options. "Continue without pay" (will follow the army for one more day without pay, the same screen of options will apear the next day) "make yourself available for mutiny" (same as continue without pay, only if someone tries a mutiny, he will be able to select you into his side) or simply "leave army".
As for mutiny, troops of lowest rank will not be able to start a mutiny, but as earlier mentioned, will be able to make himself available for one. A man of higher rank can at any time start a mutiny. At that point any one who has selected "make yourself available for mutiny" will join his side. The leader of the mutiny and the leader of the army will then enter a negotiation screen. Were the mutineer will be able to make demands or simply for the other leader to surrender his leadership.
If the leader of the army accepts the demands, everything will continue as before, accept ocfourse the new demands will bring new agreements. If the leader surrenders his leadership, he will leave the army and loose all troops to the mutineer, though all belongings such as equipment, villages and citys will remain in the former leaders possession. If the leader of the arme choose to battle the mutineer, they will meet on the field in a battle between all that have made themselfs available to mutiny and those who have not.
The winning side will get the other sides equipment and capture the injured, though as in any battle, the winning leader should be able to offer the captured a place in his army. If the mutineers wins the battle, the army will be outlawed by it's former nation and considered desserters. The troops will still have there equipment given by there former leader and therefor look like the same army in battle. Ofcourse new equipment can be requested the next day, since the payments and negotiaions of the army will resume.
As mentioned before, the leader of a army will be able to offer equipment. This is in form of clothing and weapons that will be given to the player and remain in his possesion intill he leaves the army. (as ealrier mentioned he will keep the equipment if there is a mutiny, though perhaps the mutiny side of the army will have something to differ them from the loyal troops in a mutiny battle, such as a black ribbon over his clothing) The equipment that the leader offer must ofcourse exist for it to be given.
The leader recives this clothing from citys. In every city there will be buildings that make clothes, weapons and breed horses. These buildings will have special equipment to offer players belonging to the same nation as the citys owner. The citys owner himself will get a huge discount on this products. This is also something that will make it more difficult to raise an army, you'll need money to pay for and high skilllevel in inventory management to store the equipment. If you do not offer equipment when recruiting, npc soldiers (from villages and towns) will not join. You can still have a army consisting of players, but they will look more like a pack of rabble then a unified army.
The special equipment in the building for cloths will have uniforms in your nations colors. If a npc is king, the uniforms will remain the same, though if a player is king he can choose to change the colors in kings options. This will only differ the new uniforms, thus making army uniforms obsolete. In other words players of the same rank and same army can look different and if the difference is to confusing, the leader should consider buying new uniforms for his army. An owner of a city can also choose to change the colors of the uniforms made in his town, though this must be accepted by the king. This is to give the armies a personal touch, put the king should be weary not to accept uniforms that might bring confusion to the field. When the owner of a town sends his request of his own colors, the king can also choice to neglect the request wich will result in a no.
The buildings can be uppgraded to offer more and better weapons, clothes and horses. As the first level of weapon and clothing buldings might only offer a simple muskets and unglamorous infanteryuniforms. When uppgraded they can offer swords, pistols, better muskets with bayonets and rifles for light infantery, grenadier uniforms, cavalry uniforms in the end with breastplates, uniforms for light troops and uniforms for officers. All uniforms beeing able to personify by the king or the town owner.
A npc leader will always have equipment to offer, and will offer them depended on rank. When you first join an npc army, you will be given the rank of basic infantery. You will be offered low payment, simple infantery uniforms, musket with bayonets and amunition. This is the equipment you will use in battle under his command. You will not be able to use equipment of your own. When time has passed and the npc leader agres to raise you in rank, you will be able to choose from light troop (wich will give you a rifle with better accuracy then the musket, but without the bayonet. This to make the light troop supreme in range but inferior in close combat and very weak against cavalry. They will also recieve a light troop uniform), grenadier (nicer uniform better musket) and lancier. (horse different uniform and a lance). When a player is leader, he must have the uniforms and if needed horse, to offer you these ranks. (if the player asking for promotion has a horse of his own, he can use that and a horse from the leader will not be necessary) In all of theese rank, you will not be able use any equipment of your own, unless it's a player leader and he hasn't given you any weapon or in the previos mentioning of the horse.
Next promotion, you will be able to uppgrade to light troop officer(armed with sword and pistol, having a more glamorous uniform but still fitting to the light troop), infantery officer (with sword and pistol and a glamorous uniform) and thre different horse ranks. You will not be able to go from for example light troop to infantery officer, you can on the other hand request to change from light troop to grenadier and on the next opportunity be promoted to infantery officer.
The thre different horse ranks will be droagoon (armed with sword smaller musket, but not small enough to be fired from horseback), carbine riders (armed with sword, carbine that can be fired from horseback, though the gun beeing far inferior to all other guns in accuracy and damage, and a fast horse) and currasiers (with good swords, breastplates and a heavy horse). Perhaps the dragoon rank should also be available from the rank grenadier as from the rank lancier. The fourth rank will only be available in cavalry and will be cavalry officer (armed with sword, pistol, a glamorous uniform and a superior horse)
All officers will be able to use equipmet of there own. Thous bringing flashy swords and handcrafted pistols. Though the weapons should be locked to this. I wouldn't like to see officers running around with two handed axes and rifles.
If under a npc leader, the payment will ofcourse be raise as you climb in ranks and when becomming a office a share of loot will be offered.
A rank will stay as long as you do not leave the nation. If you leave the army from wich you recive your rank, you will loose the equipment given by your leader and you will not continue getting payment and share of loot, but you will keep your rank. Only way to go down in rank is if you join a player leader and agre to a lower rank. Perhaps the leader has to many officers and rather want a regular soldier. Or as previously mention, you loose your rank when you leave your nation.
For bandit leaders who doesn't belong to any nation non of these rules aply. You arm yourself with whatever the **** you want. After all, bandits are supose to look like rabble, nation armys aren't
Since leaders without citys or villages would have to raid nonstop to be able to pay his troops it will be hard to join a nation with a ready army. Therefore I figured officers who leave their army but not their nation can go to the king, asking to be a nobleman and therby reciving an estate.
Because of this, the when a leader of an army takes a city the results will be as in Mount & Blade single player. I other words, the leader will have to send a request to the king. The king can the choose if he wishes to give you the city, perhaps only a village, a finacial compensation, or nothing at all.
Ofcourse not giving a succeseful general anything at all, mig make him change his allegiance. A leader may leave a nation. He will then loose all his citys or/and villages to the king, but keep his army, thus beeing able to take back his former estates. A leader without a king, but with an estate becomes his own king, and will be able to choose uniform colors and recruit soldiers to his nation. A king can also subcome to another king thus becoming a regular leader but keeping the estates he owns. If he had leaders under him before subcoming to the other king, those leaders will be vassals under the new king.
I think this is the simples way to subcome a kingdom. Sure, one could make it possible to become a vassal king, thus beeing able to choose freely his own colors and to take new citys, but that wouldn't really make him anything else then a ally, since I haven't thought of any taxsystem from leaders to kings.
I think that's it for now.
As I said before, please post your ideas and if I like em, I will add them to this text and let's pray to the gods the makers of Mount & Blade will se this and make my dream a reality!
Now my fingers are tired and I'm hugry. God bye!
