SP - General [Suggestion] Add an option to encamp with numerous functions

[Larsus]

Also posted here.

I have not played Warband, but I did read somewhere that encamping was a feature in that game that is apparently absent in Bannerlord. I believe this has also been asked or suggested in the past, but I would like to go a bit more in-depth here and elaborate more on the idea.

I think it is safe to asume that most of us here have played at least one Total War title. As you all may know, in those games there are "stances" we can adopt that provide various advantages and modifiers. One of them is the "encamp" stance, which I think Bannerlord could greatly benefit from, specifically from the "encamp" stance used in Total War: Rome II.

One key difference between the Total War games and Mount & Blade is that the former are turned-based (outside battles) while the latter works in real time with pauses. This means stances aren't really designed for a game like Mount & Blade. However, I do believe an "encamp" stance could work really well in Bannerlord. Here's my idea (remember, i have not played Warband. I am unaware if any of this was already possible in that game or in any of the previous ones):

• Encamp would make our party stationary, unable to move, while boosting wounded troop recovery and character healing rates, just like when we wait inside a settlement.
• This is the best feature for me: while encamped, we would get an option to explore the camp. Just like the one we get when interacting with a village or town. This would allow us to take a walk around a camp that would be set up in the equivalent battle map of the area we are in currently. In here, we would find stuff like tents, crates with stuff we are carrying, horses, food, etc. In here, we could:
  • See our soldiers doing just about anything you would expect from them in a military encampment: eating, sleeping, patrolling, chatting, training, etc. I think it is really satisfying to be able to walk around inspecting our soldiers after putting in the effort of building up a robust party with high-tiered troops.
    • Our companions could also be found working in their respective roles. The surgeon companion could be found tending the wounded, the engineer inspecting some blueprints for siege engines, the quartermaster would be inspecting supplies, etc.
  • We would be able to talk to them for some flavour conversations, just like we can talk with guards in towns.
  • Talk to our companions and give them orders, promote them, etc.
  • Any other function that could be implemented and done from the camp that we can also do in the overland map (e.g. engage in diplomacy, leave a kingdom, manage garrisons...).
  • Encamping with an army should also be taken into consideration. Aside from spawning an even larger camp, maybe it could be divided into regions for each party inside the army, where we could manually talk to each party leader and interact with them.
  • What we see in camp would dynamically reflect the current status of our party. Examples:
    • All wounded soldiers and companions in our party at the time we decided to take a walk around would appear in stretchers, recovering from their wounds.
    • The amount of stuff appearing in the camps (tents, barrels, crates...) would reflect the amount of stuff we are carrying dynamically. So if we are carrying a lot of fish barrels, for instance, more barrels would appear piled up around the camp.
    • If we have a lot of horses (maybe not all of them), they should appear in some improvised stables. Or maybe just the mounts belonging to the player, the companions and cavalry units.
• This is the idea I borrow from Total War: Rome II: if attacked while encamped, our troops will receive a moral boost in the ensuing battle, and the battle itself would take place in the very same map we would see if we chose to explore our camp, with all the tents and stuff being present and acting as obstacles / cover. Kind of like when a caravan is attacked and all the pack mules and crates spawn with the caravan party.
  • Also (maybe this is a bit of a stretch), a small "fort" could spawn, just like in Rome II when attacking an encamped army, with weak palisade walls and maybe some stakes to defend ourselves from cavalry charges, kind of like the cover that appears in sieges outside the walls. Maybe this could only happen when we're in an army.
  • Just like when we get attacked normally, we should also have an option to leave the camp hastily without being able to take everything with us. This would mean losing some goods and soldiers who would stay behind to hold the enemy while we get away (alongside the negative consequences it would entail).
• To balance the previous point, encamping and dismantling the camp would take a few hours of remaining stationary, kind of like when a siege camp is being built. This would prevent the player from setting up a camp instantly right before being caught to gain an advantage against enemy parties / armies. This adds a bit more strategy to the whole encamping mechanic.

So this is the idea I had for an "encamp" feature. I believe it could work really well in Bannerlord, despite the game not having been designed from the ground up with stances in mind.

What do you think? Leave some suggestions I might be missing from previous Mount & Blade titles that could also see a return with this new feature.

 

[RJ_Sera]

Agree totally your idea, in Medieval time, army setting temporary wooden camp with walls. Just like the siege, the siege prolong for weeks even months, so armies encamp just outside of the city to surround it.
But sadly, these immersive ideas are hard to come true with TW capability, TW added many good feature but also things that nobody ask for. If they add something good then they'll f*ck up another part in the whole system
This game can be more immersive if we have mines where we order our troops to work in order to get materials for money and maybe crafting
Even more, if we buy too many things in market let's say 300kg of grain, we have to ask our troops to come in and carry it to the gate (this idea can be bad direction) but adding immersive simulation is always good in the game like this