I'm extremely wary of making suggestions here, as it seems that the OP has made an enormous, convoluted first entry which may ward folks from seriously considering the suggestions. Nonetheless, I am going to assume that posting here is preferable to creating a new thread, because at the least, the title of this thread is something I intended to post within if not create a new thread as is.
These are my suggestions
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Mass: What exactly constitutes a charge? Do soldiers saunter up to each other than strike with their weapons when they're in range? Do some sprint up to the enemy and meet them heavily on their shields, hoping to knock them down with the momentum from the sprint? Either way, I do think units should have mass. I believe they should have give, and should be able to
push, so to speak. It need not be incredibly complex. Say every soldier has a single unit of pushing potential, stack up a few allies behind them and then the forward momentum will amplify. This need only have the affect of pushing the enemy back. (we're considering they're holding shields up to demonstrate) In a one on one encounter, this affect is non-existent. But with the clumping that occurs so frequently in multiplayer and with AI combat, I do think the side with more soldiers should have authority over moving their enemy about on the ground. Say you want to defend a gateway, but some pesky pole-arm wielding troops have inched their way into the entrance and are taking ground against your men. What's to stop your numerically superior force from gathering with their shields, meeting with the enemy in a unified manner, and shoving them right back out of the gateway? A few pole-arms would greatly discourage your men from approaching as the system stands now. But in reality, if you knew your shields could protect you from an initial attack, it would be possible granted the proper discipline for your troops to move forward, bind the enemies' weapon and push them back from sheer force of numbers alone.
Ex: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQCFXouj-Z0 - bearing in mind this is glorified stick-fighting in armor, I think the point stands nontheless. As it is now a single man can bear the weight and force of fifty running/pushing against him. In reality one man would be trampled immediately)
Formation-specific fighting: I guess it does remain to be seen whether or not formation combat would be worked on or improved much in our lovely sequel, Bannerlord. I'm sure many players and fans are dying to see more rigid/drilled/consistent formations implemented in the vanilla form of the next game. It could be as simple as having a unit of bodyguards form an open square around you without giving ground and moving about as much as they do now. It could be more complex, like some kind of fulcum or pseudo-testudo formation one could use when entering a siege. However, what I'm speaking about specifically is for there to be an implementation of combat animations for all weapons that are
safe to use in a formation where close-combat or tighter spacing is a prerequisite. For anyone who has played multiplayer with friendly fire on, they can attest to the instances of how the horizontal and even some upward vertical attacks with certain weapons are certain to endanger allies posted close around you, particularly with pole-arms. There are ways to attack with every melee weapon in the game, that are less severe, exposing, and dangerous to those around you. While in single combat with good spacing, the extra arc might have greater potential to catch your enemy who might be moving around, when close to your allies you could opt for a formation-friendly stance, where-in your attacks are not so largely-arced, they're tighter, more efficient and much more safe. It would also be nice to attack from behind friendly units with certain weapons, like polearms wielded in two hands in the high grip. I very nearly manage this as is with a pike, and I've gotten used to timing it such that if an ally gets in my way I'll throw the thrust upward, missing them. But a dedicated attack-from-formation stance would be amazing. AI could opt for it automatically if there's a density of allies near them.
New spear thrust: This has been suggested many times, in short, I would like to see an over-arm spear thrust attack added into the existing attacks. Though one can't say exactly how Bannerlord will play, the existing combat system would gain greatly from a secondary attack that the user could take advantage of intuitively, one that won't be consistently blocked again and again (in multiplayer). It'd add some diversity for the lovers of spear and shield out there, and if formation-friendly animations are added in, this could be used to great effect to support the first rank of fighters in a formation. I'll also add that, if Bannerlord does in fact take place in an era prior to couched lances, this kind of overhead thrust from horseback will be all that much more historically relevant.
In action- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3GtNoxAdM&list=UU0dfe-rmo7t1ITd94f0eSjw
Let's diversify our one-handed spears, yeah?
Center-gripped shields: I think it'd be nice to see the addition of center-gripped shields into the game once and for all. Double-strapped shields could still have their spot, but this new style of grip would not only now be more historically relevant, they would give users a greater range of options, as single-gripped shields have their own unique style of use and range of motion that is unavailable to double-strapped and vice versa. I would rather double-strapped shields aren't
removed per se, but having both in-game would be a great boon. The utility of proper bucklers are enormous, as well. Also, a note to the developers, if Bannerlord is to be mod-friendly, our amazing modders would absolutely love you for it for the purpose of historically-pronounced mods of yester-year, to have these different styles of attack and especially the center-gripped shields. It'd be a boon for viking enthusiasts as well.
Horse movement: This one I can surmise rather quickly. Strafing. Though on a large field of combat you might see more running to and fro from the horses, given enough spacing a trained horse can strafe as the user directs while engaging in combat.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq--HTYuKkc&list=UU0dfe-rmo7t1ITd94f0eSjw
Lastly,
Combat readiness evident: I considered having troops enter a more prepared stance when the enemy is within a certain distance and within say, a seventy-degree cone of vision from them. It need not necessarily affect their speed of attack/defense or anything, but it would contribute to a separation between soldiers' marching animations with weapons ready but not exactly prepared for contact, to soldiers seeing the enemy and prepared to throw an attack or defend within the next few moments.
Note: would really like to make this a new thread.
