Some basic questions to the story (quest) line

Well, quite new to VC, as old Warband player, i just came back to the game and forums, and to play finally VC (which lingered in my Steam library for a time).

Pre-notes, before i put out my points (i call it "basic questions"):
a. I did already quite some story starts, but stopped to play along it, and went on my own free paths. Which relates to the basic questions about the story line.
b. I personally start usually as Saxon (so a christian), a poor noble and farm work experience.
c. My aim in the VC game overall would be just to side Wessex and helping it along history to claim England, ie. Alfred the Great. I may have a wrong approach to the story line then?

Here the basic questions:

1) Is it possible overall or let's say better, senseful, to start out as described above, and with the approach of for example c. ?

2) Does it make sense, for a protagonist as above, to make good relations with Wessex rulers (and Mierce, East-Engle), if i fe. don't immediately go to Denmark after the ship-reward from Tonkrith and her daughter Brunhild events (just as i did in my recent and current game: After that, going to England, establishing relations via tasks, sampling all companions available in meadhalls, and also founding enterprises there due to making money from bandit charges etc., incl. that i built already a refuge between Cantwaraburh and Winceaster at the coast across London, mouth of the Themse) - and all this in combination with re-opting into the story line quests aka as next going to Ribe?

3) Or along what i know in the meantime about the quests of the story line (due to reading here in the forums, not too much, but at least then one sides with Northumbria, quasi enemy to Wessex etc.), should i start as pagan (Dane, whatsoever) and being mere a raider character, and going mere strict along the story line quests, just for the sake of playing the story line "properly"?

Finally, as summary the question, should i start anew, and playing better along no. 3 for the story line play?

And implicated, playing along my pre-notes, would be better a case for a sandbox match?

your idea of a campaign would be best played as a pure sandbox (you could even start as a noble in Wessex or the king yourself, using a appropriate name). The game has elements to that, like a quest (not related to storyline) to become the Brytenwalda (note it also has other quests like that for Scandinavia, Ireland, Britons). But the game doesn't try to simulate 100 years of story, it starts in 867AD and the rest is up to you.

if you want to play the storyline

That was helpful info, thanks a lot, kalarhan.

Really good to know, that the story line offers allignment with Wessex. In consequence, i'll try both alternative play-styles, after another.

My already bit forwarded story line start is put on halt for now.
Currently have started the according sandbox play, and enjoy it enough - after all, it has some advantages, ie. the 100 % free choice what to do. And i seem to experience the meeting of different companions (meadhalls) ... or that is random? Question implicated, has sandbox and story line different or the same companions in-game?

However, and certainly, if i ever have then still the time and fun with VC, i'll also play some day a pagan raider ... but i guess, then Bannerlord will be out already.
Maybe, we will see a VC II on Bannerlord?

DaVincix said:

has sandbox and story line different or the same companions in-game?

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you have a UI that shows the companions portraits/list in-game, explore the screens as VC has many unique ones.

Thanks.


Btw.

(you could even start as a noble in Wessex or the king yourself, using a appropriate name). The game has elements to that, like a quest (not related to storyline) to become the Brytenwalda (note it also has other quests like that for Scandinavia, Ireland, Britons).

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Yes, i know this start-option from Warband vanilla and from the VC UI, of course. I prefer to start as poor rookie and building up everything from scratch. I think that offers the most possible play-experience with Warband and here VC.
I personally would understand a gamestart as fief-holding noble and/or even as king, if a player has played through everything else x-times, and is bored from this, finally wants to skip all this building-up for a mere ease/relaxed game-experience.

Just one relevant question came to my mind in regard of what you strived above with

But the game doesn't try to simulate 100 years of story, it starts in 867AD and the rest is up to you.

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and the spoiler below that, as you mention in the sense of "about the year 868 AD".

So is there an end-date day or month/years counter working in-game or is it open end play?
( Storyline and Sandbox, different or same code in this regard ? )

P.S. I can't remember how that was within Warband vanilla, anyway, VC is the question now.


Btw., i would love a VC mod, which tries to simulate the historical events 868 AD to lets say, Alfred the Great. And then until his death, which defined the Danelag. A mod which could even be called "Alfred the Great".
Another mod could take that end up, called ie. "The Danelag" and goes about his son Edward and his advancements, which defined something like "England". Just as the "environment-modding" of VC prepares something like that, so to speak, contrary to vanilla, which is just about quasi fantasy realms.

Just dreaming. Although, i guess at least, such modding would'nt be too hard to realise, if the game allows according scripting impacts. And no, i won't mod VC for something like that. My days of intensive modding are gone (i did such hardcore modding for nearly ten years). I'm always glad todays, if i can play a game which does not need modding or there are fitting mods which can be used by me.

DaVincix said:

So is there an end-date

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nope

DaVincix said:

Btw., i would love a VC mod, which tries to simulate the historical events 868 AD to lets say, Alfred the Great...

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not aware of a public mod for that. I wrote a personal mod that covers that and some more https://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,360245.0.html, so yeap, possible it is, but unlikely after 3+ years of release. Maybe with Bannerlord.

Your personal mod sounds pretty! It covers a huge timeperiod, a big challenge for a mod, mere the modder/creator.

Because it happens that i can't reply there (no Reply button when using your link), i make a related notice here.

As you are doubtless deep into the code, and if you have ever ( rather soon, before Bannerlord is out ) some spare time, perhaps you might create a little startsituation-modding for VC sandbox?

My idea is just as mentioned above to support a little historical outcome:

Realm stances and conditions (incl. some very few scripted events) at the start

1) All pagan/heathen realms would be somehow friendly, quasi allied, aka do not attack each other too early on ie. until year 871 AD or so, but maybe the game-mechanics will force that anyway. They would also have quite some startmoney due to yearslong raiding and better/bigger armies and especially more capable ships at the start.

1a) Danish/Norse raiders, small raids with capable units, they are okay already in vanilla imo., no change.

2) Irish realms are very poor and rather fight each other and get attacked by Norwegian Viking realms. While their warriors (medium to higher tier units) are pretty capable and very high morale, but also more expensive in comparison (here could be the only necessary unit modding impact, as i guess the other faction units are quite okay balancing-wise as is).

3) Same as 2) for the Pictish/Scotish realms.

4) Welsh/Cornish the same as 2) + 3). While at least for the Welsh and Pictish, one should avoid distinction, so ie. their maincenters should be very strong. The british factions ideally would fight for existence, just do not expand, but also do not disappear from the game (as in VC vanilla observable by me for the Welsh factions, annoying imo.)

4a) And the Irish perhaps likely ally some day to hunt the Norse invaders from the isle, some of the latter which press then as well into Mercia and Northumbria (incl. conflict Danish and Norse Vikings).

5) East-Engla, they should start out very very poor (money) and less armies etc., and likely fall to the Danish realm (as in history, the Angle king Eadmund died as hero around 869 AD, iirc.).

6) Mercien, constantly under pressing attack from heathen Northumbria and other pagan realms, falls into pieces. The Mercien king exiled to the Frankish and a puppet king is installed around 870 AD. Not sure, if possible under VC scripting. But start situation should be similar to East-Engla (they will make it longer anyway, as for the many many centers in-game).

7) Wessex, the Last Kingdom. In history they already long had Domnonia/Cornwall under control at 868 AD (iirc. from what i have read, there was only a wild area still under control by Cornish clan leaders in the south of Cornwall). However, for VC the both factions might start at war with each other to keep them busy. Just latest at 870/871 AD (for the game that should be latest 869, perhaps it is possible to script a forced truce until that year ? ... heathen realms attack Wessex with strong and big armies. You know, the "Great Heathen Army" and the still bigger "Summer Army" as reinforcements from the continent fall also into Wessex. Rest Cornwall leaders would ideally ally with the Vikings. While ideally rest Welsh leaders would ally with Wessex, at least the Hywel guy.

Summary:

It would be something like a Wessex history player mod.
One could start as usually, ie. as free-lancing adventurer (building-up enterprises etc.). Perhaps trying to help Mercien, if possible, but mainly friendly/supportive with Wessex*, becoming someday a Vassal called by Aethelred (as happened in my current Sandbox play within 868 AD). If possible, scripting Aethelred's death at 871 AD, and Alfred takes over, who restructures and fights back (just under the players help, who might be already very powerful at that date, ie. one could try to become the Marshall). If the scripting impacts as described are too timeconsuming to do (if overall possible), then just tweaked startconditions could also help for the idea direction, while of course only such script impacts would enable a quasi historical play.

* of course, other player decisions/directions would be possible anyway (fe. support the pagan realms as pagan player)


Just an idea-description.
I did similar historical balance modding of exactly the period for other games (earlier Total War, there many many other periods, recently modded CK2 again for the Viking Age start the 'Big Heathen Army' etc. related codes which is quite easy to do). But as said in the other threads, my hardcore modding days are over, so maybe you would have fun to make a quick and dirty tweak-impact mod like that? Guessing at least, it wouldn't take huge time for you? If not, i might put my hands on it though, although i wanted to avoid such undertakings with VC, just planned ease gaming

DaVincix said:

so maybe you would have fun to make a quick and dirty tweak-impact mod like that?

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I rarely release public mods, and for VC it is complicated case  . Tweaks Tool was a special case/exception.

You should move your post to here https://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,347873.0.html.

Have fun modding if you ever decide to dive in.

Thanks. Have moved my according post content to the linked page.