{1.5.1 beta, 1.5.2 beta} Caravan Ambush quest sends only recruit allies? Other minor (Bushwhackers)concerns!

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

I don't know if this is a bug, a design change, or just my own misunderstanding but after doing many caravan ambush quests in boht 1.5.1 beta and now 1.5.2 beta I see only recruits sent with the caravan master. In the older versions I remember it being more developed troops and that fits with the dialogue of the quest, that you're tricking the bandits with armed soldiers. I don't really mind but it is a bit silly when recruits are in fact much weaker then a normal caravan squad would be.

Another minor concern I have is that the quest always deploys a batch of bandits of the lowest tier of that regions bandits. The amount seems to scale but it's always the lowest tier (hillmen, steppe bandit ect...), this is okay but the bushwhacker (t2 forest bandit) is actually much much harder then any of the other bandits that show up. It's okay I suppose, but a player can reasonably solo 30+ of any other basic bandit type or with a low level party easily. But 30 or more bushwhackers will shred you even with heavy armor! It's not impossible but it's very challenging compared to the other spawns.

 

[scarface52]

In the older versions I remember it being more developed troops

I don't remember seeing better troops, strange.

fits with the dialogue of the quest, that you're tricking the bandits with armed soldiers

This is the dialogue you are referring to I believe:

I already have a plan underway as a solution. A bait if you will. I paid several people to spread rumors about a particularly fat caravan, which is supposed to be laden with silverware. And travelling from here towards {TARGET_SETTLEMENT}. It is a trap of course. A big surprise is waiting for them. Armed men are hiding and posing as caravaneers. I want to make sure that we deal with them properly.

According to the code it gives caravan the basic troops of the quest givers faction which is always tier 1 troops. And it gives bandits the basic troops of the closest hideout's culture. Which is always tier 2 bandits since looters can't own hideouts.

What I found to be more weird is quest giver's description of the bandits:

Maybe you can help me yes. You see, usually caravans are too fast to catch by large bands of bandits and too heavily guarded for small but fast moving bandits so most of the time they are safe, but then there is these bandits with fast mounts who have been organized around a smart leader who knows a thing or two about proper cavalry tactics. And they have successfully robbed several caravans already.

Only basic bandits with mounts are the steppe ones and this description doesn't make much sense with other bandit types. But at least game gives bandits their one fourth of the party size as sumpter horses.

 

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

I don't remember seeing better troops, strange.

This is the dialogue you are referring to I believe:

According to the code it gives caravan the basic troops of the quest givers faction which is always tier 1 troops. And it gives bandits the basic troops of the closest hideout's culture. Which is always tier 2 bandits since looters can't own hideouts.

What I found to be more weird is quest giver's description of the bandits:

Only basic bandits with mounts are the steppe ones and this description doesn't make much sense with other bandit types. But at least game gives bandits their one fourth of the party size as sumpter horses.

Yeah I'm thinking the dialogue was for an old version of the quest, the one showed in gamesscon footage 2018 I think. I could have sworn the first time I did it (on 1.5 beta I think) they had more mid tier troops, but I might have been mistaken.