Are You Satisfied With The Current Morale System? If Not What Are Your Suggestions?

[Seafoodking]

@Callum

Around the world and throughout the history of mankind, morale is the crucial factor of a military campaign. There are countless incidents where a much larger army collapse from shattered morale. As the current state of BL, the morale system is simple and lack of effectiveness. Please share your suggestions to improve the morale system of this game, and hopefully Callum will convey our ideas.

Thanks!

 

[kweassa]

There are even more instances where no amount of morale trumps the material reality. Superior morale won't save you from 10 spearheads aimed you at the same time.

That being said, benchmarking the Total War franchise and their take and how the morale works dynamically, would probably be the safest and most effective way to depict morale in battle.

 

[vonbalt]

Morale seems to work great for smaller parties, once armies are envolved i often see them fighting to the last man with maybe 3 or 4 smart guys who tried to run away but it definitely should be more once a formation starts to colapse (even more if it's being attacked on the flanks and rear by cavalry)

Retreating troops should also have a chance to rally maybe if a reinforcement wave arrives then it would improve their morwle so they would give another chance to turn the fight or things like that.

 

[shikaka]

That being said, benchmarking the Total War franchise and their take and how the morale works dynamically, would probably be the safest and most effective way to depict morale in battle.

You mean Bannerlord battles should be 30 seconds instead of three minutes?

Ok, jokes aside, why Total War style morale would not work:
- the Total War AI is not the best, but tactically it is still miles ahead of Bannerlord. I mean it can at least approach you in a straight line, send horse archers to the side, try to retreat the skirmishers through the infantry lines in time. (not that it suceeds, but it tries).
- since the Bannerlord tactical AI is incapable of advancing in a straight line, or generally keep some cohesion, all formation based morale effects ("concerned by enemy at flanks" "unit surrounded") would be an easy win for the player. Even without much tactical thinking, the player could spit his troops in two, to always have the morale advantage. The easiest would be to advance with the enemy, and go around the battle with cavalry following you.


There are some effects which are in total war, and could be used in Bannerlord though:
- moral attribute should be maximized per unit type, should not be a general value valid for the whole company
- it should be measureable. Eg. peasants should have 40%, knights should get 80%, berserker types 100%. (or on D&D scale, 6 or 7, 10 and 12)
- food, wins should give a bonus on top. Eg. in a successful, and well fed army, the peasant could have +10, or +20% morale, and could have 50/48 respectively. But should still be worse then a knight without bonuses (80) or even than a knight with a penalty (~70).
- morale check should happen: first death (maybe 20% losses), 50% losses
- extra morale checks: against inspire fear units (berserker types, maybe heavy cavalry too, ogres/nazgúl and the likes in fantasy mods)
- morale bonus: banners, or in certain cultures, champion units should give a bonus
- there should be a check for fearless units (berserker types, honor guard, skeletons, etc.)

+1: chasing enemy routers is the most boring part of the battles. I think there should be an option for surrender, and put down weapons.

 

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

Annoying buzz is amazing I wish I could be the captain!
For battle I think it's good, I don't know about the other games people talk about though. I love to break the garrison by sniping them all to death and then cut them off and get refills in the safe space where they run away to despawn
For campaign I think the leadership bonus to moral is a bit too much. It basically makes it near impossible to make you troops desert from low moral, believe me I've abused them a lot Got raise medicine one way or another, why not treat the effects of habitual starvation?
The only time I've suffered from moral is in a new game when I either just forget I never bought food or when I'm raising medicine with recruits and they go down to savagely and rout. It basically never comes up again after a few hours of the game.

 

[TheSlowKnightofNi]

I do feel it is currently hampering Sieges. The full time should run because a counter attack can happen at any time. The stars ruin this and cut the game short. Attackers would generally get more determined and start strategizing if they aren't getting anywhere. But this is halted.

Nothing worse and more boring than the attackers not capping any flags and the game ending. This is true if you are def or attacking.

 

[JurgenJuggernaut]

Battles: would be nice if, killing "officer's", lords and generals would droop the morale of their soldiers.

Ex. Party world map is 50, inside battle each division has 50 which drops by 10 per Officer, 2-3 per veterans killed. 20 Army General all battalions, thus as General or officer staying alive is a must, killing others is heavy blow.

Having points to capture, like capturing enemy camp. That way is not an all out blood bath.

Note: Not related but, would be nice if we could, decide in-battle if we want to "finish" a down lord/important npc instead of %.

Sieges: for sieges could work something like this plus capturing important points, gates, towers, keep, etc.

 

[Shun]

Battles: would be nice if, killing "officer's", lords and generals would droop the morale of their soldiers.

Ex. Party world map is 50, inside battle each division has 50 which drops by 10 per Officer, 2-3 per veterans killed. 20 Army General all battalions, thus as General or officer staying alive is a must, killing others is heavy blow.

Having points to capture, like capturing enemy camp. That way is not an all out blood bath.

Note: Not related but, would be nice if we could, decide in-battle if we want to "finish" a down lord/important npc instead of %.

Sieges: for sieges could work something like this plus capturing important points, gates, towers, keep, etc.

I like the idea of coupling morale in part to specific units and events. Banners could finally make their entrance here, giving morale to troops as well as being prime targets giving a significant morale loss if captured by the enemy.

In sieges I would like to see something similar - I had imageined sieges being more like the MP sieges - but looking at the state of sieges and siege AI now, I think that train is long gone.

 

[AndrewArt]

Morale seems to work great for smaller parties, once armies are envolved i often see them fighting to the last man with maybe 3 or 4 smart guys who tried to run away but it definitely should be more once a formation starts to colapse (even more if it's being attacked on the flanks and rear by cavalry)

Retreating troops should also have a chance to rally maybe if a reinforcement wave arrives then it would improve their morwle so they would give another chance to turn the fight or things like that.

I actually don't like the way it works for smaller parties. I tried rolling with a band of 9 other troops including heroes, and I fought small looter parties. Since the heroes were low hp, they got hit down by a couple of rocks and then once 1 fell everyone else just ran away. Pretty funny to see, but I wouldn't call that something that works great...