regarding slowdown in battle:
there is AI code for sprinting and extra damage when AI troops are sprinting but so far only heroes attempt to sprint.
there is a step where all heroes are checked for their gear again (but not ordinary troops), that happens between the game realizing you are going to be risking a fight and you actually making your first move.
If I remember it, I'll look into combat with and without the heroes at a later time.
for "quick_battle_troops_end" I can move the quest NPCs beyond kingdom ladies so you don't see them.
essentially I moved them to make sure they were processed as heroes during battles, as they were just standing around with their thumbs in their pockets, skipped by the AI as being neither troops nor heroes. This would apply to Kunipa, High Priestess of the dragon Amara, local reich lords, and several others as well. By the way fixing this will break save games, but can be done fairly quickly.
Oh, didn't know that they where shadows of quest NPC's. I would prefer them to be invisible.
Aethling Culgrah probably lost skill points in strength from aging and couldn't get his armor on.
I'd prefer to change the armor now that encumbrance is working (it's "mostly" working anyway) to let any idiot TRY to wear it (solves the naked lords issue) while assigning some penalties for dodge if they are greatly overburdened relative their current strength. This allows for some sort of short term debuff or buff, perhaps from items carried (I'd like an enchantment that removes 3 or 5 {pounds/kilos/whatever the weight unit is} from total weight carried - or for a person suffering the flu/plague/etc to be weak for the next battle...
Is he also a quest NPC?
He must be, since he shares the same behavior as the other I didn't know existed. Which is also likely to be why he dosen't have gear on him? High Priestess of the Dragon Amara didn't wear gear when standing at the court.
Sneaking inside I haven't looked into it much. It's nice to list it but it's not something I've investigated yet.
It's not only the towns. Castles and villages as well. If I have run around on the map for some time, I believe until an in game refresh, like for the hourly updates that happen irregularly, I have to enter 2 times to actually get inside. 1st try sends me back to the map and centers on me, then I can enter a 2nd time to get inside.
Collecting taxes I see a place where tax collection is reset on entering town, but elsewhere you are kicked out of town to assist with stuck in town, so I think that got resolved for v20r4. Do you still see it?
Started 2 new games and continued on the current game as well. In all instances where I able to get a quest to tax a town and in none of them where I able to carry out the quest (Reichberg, Murdenholl). I can collect taxes from villages.
I am still able to get stuck in town. I went to Reichberg, trained novice lumberjack, visited the tavern and got stuck. Save and load. Seems to happen every time I visit something instead of leaving the town.
It's not like I venture anywhere in my games. Just running around collecting men and companions to eventually be able to besiege a town. So go ahead and release it if you have the time to make it available. Maybe also some notes about what you would like to have looked at, makes it easier for me to prod around instead of headless running around.
I like OP archers, but then.. I've been trying to collect an army of Ankars and Ukundus for the last few games. That is not easy in the early game.