Mount&Blade > Sword of Damocles

Consolidated Brainstorm list for Future SoD Versions

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Cyclohexane:
TAXES / ECONOMY

Parliament:

1.   Kingdom income will compose of:

* Taxes from villages
* Taxes from towns
* Tax from Nobles (lords - lord's hold fiefs and pay % [base 30%])
* Tax from temple's lands (monasteries and temples, shrines and chapels don't count)
2.   Tax efficiency decrease with domain size

3.   Base tax value will be 10% (100% tax income).  0% taxes (voluntary) will give in fact -80% income (base taxes X (prosperity + taxes) so with 100 prosperity there will be 20% still paying for common cause).  Separate taxes will be set for villages and towns.

4.   Player will get events asking to lower taxes (by 1% if they are equal or below tithe they can ask for lowering even further if taxes are high).  If he won't agree he will face negative consequences (popularity drop) or will have to pay.

5.   I'm not sure if there should be a maximum for taxes.  Though they were rarely higher than 10% in history

6.   Player can lower taxes any time depending on Persuasion (ability to sell his deed to the people) he will get benefits from such action, immediate increase of popularity, honor?, population? (immigration to the kingdom) and will get an "Argument" in the Parliament.

7.   In order to raise taxes player calls Parliament.  Game menu will show introduction, short explanation of parliament function.  Then can ask Parliament to raise taxes for peasants or townspeople.  Parliaments response will depend on global prosperity (sum of all prosperities divided by number of fiefs villages or towns for peasants or townspeople) and global popularity (same) and other Arguments. 

8.   i.e. global prosperity equals 30, it's 20 below average so that could give -2 arguments, global popularity can be 20 giving 2 arguments, that's 0 arguments, minus the base unattractiveness of the proposition i.e. -5 arguments for 1% plus Persuasion (we have 3 in this example good use for this skill finally) and let's say we lowered taxes some time ago and we had one argument saved and finally modifier from current taxes +/- 1 argument for each % below/above 10%, in the example it's 10% already). That gives us -2 arguments.

9.   We must prepare a list of demands/privileges, i.e. townspeople can demand lower draft (cap for recruiting? cap for town garrisons?), right to a trial by peers (lowers reputation during time), freedom of religion (lowers local/global faith over time) etc. (thus base popularity/prosperity hit from high taxes should be slightly lowered for game play reasons as a player already "paid" for rising taxes)

10.   From this list Parliament will randomly chose demands to counter the Arguments (i.e. -2 arguments will result in 2 demands or one demand worth 2 arguments).

11.   If arguments are in favor to a king no demands will be presented and taxes will be raised.

12.   Use French model of 3 circles of power.  The first was for the church clergy and other religious authorities, 2nd was reserved for nobles and rich people, and the 3rd was for everyone else (this included doctors, lawyers, peasants, everything). 

The idea here is that you can tax one group more than the other.  Obviously if you tax your people more than your nobles you'll be hurting only them and thus population happiness would decrease.  If you tax your nobles more than the peasants than you might receive more income, but you could have more chance that they don't obey you and receive negative relations with the lords (which has other outcomes as well).  If you tax your religious group higher than the other 2 then you will decrease the amount of faith troops you get, while once again increasing your coffers.

Taxation for Nobles:  Vassals pay Liege, the more they pay the less army they can field and become unhappy.  Together with the Kingdom Management skill, this could provide a good Liege/Vassal relation system.

Clergy pay taxes from temples and monasteries (shrines and chapels have no effect).  The more taxes they pay, the less effective they influence faith and popularity.  Possibly provide the ability to assign fiefs to the Faith to new NPCs-Priests (different names for different faiths).  Gaining faith troops could no longer be based on global faith but from fiefs owned by Clergy.

13.   To make voting taxes useful, limit the effect of low taxes.  They are used to affect population growth, health, and prosperity.  The good effects of lowest taxes are so good that you just have to limit your expenses for a while, then money is never a problem even if you keep tax under average level (especially when you end with high leadership/engineering reducing your wages and building costs to about nothing). 

So I think low taxes should not have a lot of effects out of making population happier (but making population happy can become more important, if you need the support of a parliament to vote things, and if events like villagers revolting can occur), and long term evolution be more based on buildings, availability of goods or things like that (i.e.: a system where centers need trade goods produced by other centers to increase their population/health/prosperity ; most of the exchanges would be automatic, and wouldn't need a lot of new code as making centers get close center trade goods is already in native code,

The player would have to bring the missing goods in a region, either by giving them himself, a programmable caravan system, or by giving an order to his merchants guilds (here need to code something like "search the best price for a trade good in player realm", then make player automatically pay it to its centers if the consign to supply villages/towns has been given to his merchant guild and one of his center need it.  The order would include the maximum value the player is ok to spend for developing economy each week and may also have more conditions like only supply towns, or only supply centers under x prosperity).

14.   Add stone, wood, and iron to the game.  You can buy these resources from villages (not in the buy menu, but instead you can ask them, and they may have 2 tones of wood for example.  Caravans could also carry the wood, stone, and iron.  You can talk to the merchant guild and tell him what resources you need and how much he should spend for them.  You could then talk to the merchant guild to find out how many resources you have. 

Towns could have requirements to use 1 ton of wood each week.  You would use the resources for building buildings or using buildings.  If you were in need of resources fast you could always go to villages (Vaegir villages for iron for example)

15.   Add salt mines back into the game.  Allow slaves to be sold and of course trade salt.  These can be strategically controlled resources. 

16.   Instead of manipulating goods (already have food & moral), create a new value called 'resource point' linked to prosperity/health/place location.  It can be earned as the tax on a regular basis (weekly?).  The buildings need resource points to be built and maintained, so not only denars is key, resource points would also has some saying, otherwise, building cannot be built, building less performance (less recruits, cannot upgrade, etc.), destroyed, etc..

17.   Trade and / or administration skill (or an average of the two) should affect the revenues from caravans (leeway between characters dominant in INT or CHA).

18.   Add trade caravan routes the player can set

 
UNITS
1.   Improve and modify the Manhunter troop tree.  First of all, they need helmets.  The recruits can stay the same, but once upgraded, give them a helmet and some better armor with a shield (tier 3-4 should have mail armor).  As they progress, give them a blunt lance, a one handed crushing damage weapon with (easily breakable) shield, and a two handed crushing weapon. 

If blunt arrows are implemented (see the ITEMS section for details) have a few of them randomly spawn with blunt arrows and bows.  Perhaps even make a new line of possible units to choose from after the first upgrade (melee versus ranged choice) starting with an archer than can be upgraded to a horse archer.  Slave chiefs take forever to train and should ride a charger with nice armor (and a cool helm). 

They need to be beefed up but not so powerful they become the best choice.  This would open up so many new character builds and repeatability focusing on an army that captures soldiers.  Combine with sacrifice as a Void worshipper (or slavery as a Zerrikanian) and we have an Aztec hybrid civilization here and tons of re-playability. 
Add most of the open source items to create more variety in armor.

2.   Have all 5 new civilizations unique troops hirable in taverns as mercenaries.  The price would be higher than if you actually played that civilization but this would allow more variety on the battle field.  It is logical that the surviving faction’s soldiers that were recently overpowered are now mad and jobless. This will increase the variety of troops on the battlefield and add a little to the story line.  Even faith troops could be recruited (requires a persuasion skill roll to convert and a ton of money). 

3.   New Mercenaries:

Royal Guard: heavily armored close-combat troops.  Less armored than most faith troops and less offensive but faster and just as healthy; they deploy massive shields for protection and wield swords and maces for melee purposes; their favored mounts are Hunter variants.

Inventor (aka. Engineer): moderately armored dangerous ranged attacker; Inventors are much weaker in close combat compared to other Faith Troops, but they excel at ranged warfare; they deploy muskets and heavy/siege crossbows, and wield axes, maces and sabers for close combat; sometimes they get access to shields too, mostly round shields, but board shields are also accessible.

4.   Remake Zerrikanian troop tree:
Done!

5.   Introduce a more elaborate troop tree for bandits (multiple type of units).  Fighting 50+ looters, sea raiders, steppe bandits, etc. becomes repetitive

6.   Increase bandit numbers.  For level 1, around 20 to 30.  By level 30, around 60 to 80.  If troop tree is modified, increase chances of spawning high level bandits as your level increases. 

7.   Give Villianian archers another quiver of arrows (even if that means moving away from sword and shield).  Need to be able to have troops that will be firing through the whole battle.  Could possibly make another arrow (looking exactly the same as the other but named “Villianian Arrows”) with another 20 arrows per quiver.  Possibly increase their power draw skill. 

8.   Native troop tweak with standardized equipment per faction (only Nords and Rhodoks had overlap with armors). Also, remove shields from Archers since the ranged units seem to outperform most top tier infantry.  However, crossbowmen (especially Rhodoks) wear Pavise/Board Shield on backs.

(click to show/hide)Vaegir had the best overall army, and archers only second to the Villianians


Swadia had the most heavily armored units.


Rhodok had best trained crossbowmen and Sergeant was dedicated to 2 handed pole arms.




Nord units were the best infantry.


9.   Give native factions (Swadia, Vaegir, Nord, Rhodok, Khergit) Noble units.  It's unfair that natives have no access to Nobility and Faith Troops.

Kingdom of Swadia:  Gentry -> Royal Squire -> Royal Knight

Kingdom of Vaegir:  Nobleman -> Boyar

Kingdom of Nords:  Brave -> Champion -> Warlord

Kingdom of Rhodok:  Alderman -> Councilor at Arms or Council Patron

Khergit Khanate:  Khan's Guard -> Khan -> Tarkhan
(click to show/hide)Gentry/Royal Squire/Royal Knight: the typical heavily armored soldiers; they prefer one-handed swords and sometimes lances for melee combat and have access to War Horse and Charger mounts - it should be noted that Gentry and Royal Squire spawn sometimes as foot soldiers, but Royal Knight is always mounted; Gentry and Royal Squire has chance for crossbows, Royal Knight is purely melee.

Brave/Champion/Warlord: moderately armored infantry (Warlord is heavy infantry) with mostly two-handed axes and swords, fast running speed and brutal melee damage; sometimes they make use of one-handed weapons, in this case they also receive big round shields; Brave has chance for throwing weapons, either javelins or throwing axes, Champion and Warlord have chance for Saddle Horse and Hunter mounts.

Khan's Guard/Khan/Tarkhan: some of the best medium cavalry; they use lamellar armor, big round shields, lances, sabers - all of top quality (Masterwork or Lordly); all of them have a chance for bow, and they ride Heavy Hunters and Coursers.

Nobleman/Boyar: offensive but still well-armored fighters; Nobleman is either on foot or is mounted, Boyar is always mounted; their mounts are either Chargers or Coursers; their favored weapons are two-handed maces and axes.

Alderman: moderately armored unit that spawns either with or without Saddle Horses. They make use of one-handed swords and heather shields for close combat.

Council Patron: slow but extremely armored foot soldier clad in plate armor and massive Board Shield; their favored weapons are long one-handed spears and halberdiers.

Councilor at Arms: moderately armored fighter with reinforced kite/heather shields and Hunter/Steppe Horse mounts; they deploy spears and one-handed swords at melee.

10.   Add more graphical enhancements to unique units (especially faith troops).  Some examples are located here and here with the mod Rise of Khergits (best models I have seen yet).

11.   Create army specific lords (enemies and allies).  It would be interesting to have an all of one unit army of cavalry, crossbows, or infantry (kind of like deserters but more powerful in larger numbers).  Alternately, make something like this on motherland continent. As empires were broken, lords have retreated and standard armies have scattered into single regiments. I imagine parties like "Sixth infantry division of Antares" or "Marksmen squad Foxtrot" and so on.

12.   Give the Imperial Legion some crossbowmen or their elite a proficiency in thrown objects in the 200 - 300 range with a high power throw skill.  Perhaps even increase their shield skill to increase their coverage. 

39.   Increase the allowed troop varieties in armies (16 slots is not enough).  Although it presents interesting troop management questions and forces expansion or regiment use, it is more of a headache than anything.
This is hard coded and cannot be changed.

Cyclohexane:
RESERVED

Sibilance:
Hot tamale, Cyclo! You are a feedback machine, man! :o

I think you just made M&B modding a little bit more awesome by compiling and taking stewardship over that big honkin' list. Truly a noble endeavor; the developers should pause and take heed, and the playerbase should make lots of suggestions in the Brainstorming thread to keep you busy.

Shjn:
Excellent initiative and noble gesture as Sibilance stated
Bravo, and please do carry on

vonmistont:
It would be great to consolidate whole thread. 37 pages is hard to read ;)

Thanks!

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