Arena Fights

[JethroKirby]

Hi everyone. I'm a long time lurker, first time poster on these forums and I want to begin by saying this is an awesome mod. It seems every part of the game has been enhanced in some way, making for an awesome experience (i love the kingdom management options). My only gripe is that the arena system has been untouched - save for the bet amounts. Is there any way I can remove the random ranged weapons that you can get hosed with and instead turn the arenas into a 100% melee brawl? I've tried the Magelord's tweaks to change equipment to the letter and can't get it to work, even when starting a new game. It seems I can get every other text tweak I've tried to work save for that one.

Oh and a quick suggestion that you might look into. Maybe allowing fighters to use their own equipment in the tourneys similar to 1257, but change the fighting styles of the warriors who join depending on the town you are in. For example, in Tulga, the fights would be full of Khergit style mounted archers with a few warriors from other lands thrown in.

If anyone could help I would much appreciate it. Thanks guys 

 

[Argos]

Ehh, have you tried tournaments all over the map? They differ quite a lot in style, horsearchery in Khergit territory, mounted lances and mixed in Swadian territory, and melee brawls in Nord towns. I think it's fine as is.

And using your own gear is kind of against the point of the tournaments, it's supposed to be based on skill alone. You can talk to an arena master to practice with your units, using your own gear, but that won't give you any reward.

 

[Kaibur]

More realistic, more rewarding, and more fun; I think the arena fights should stay as they are. They're meant to be skill based, and true skill is the ability to use all weapons incredibly well. So no matter what weapon you get given, you can still kick everybody else's butt out of the arena. Once you reach that stage, you know you've earnt it.

 

[daumor]

My main gripe is when I get the only weapon I am **** at (bow in this case) 4 rounds in a row. I won every fight except for the last only because Dranton and I squared off in the finales and he got a shield and sword whilst I was left in the cold with a bow. If It had be throwing, crossbows... hell a quaterstaff he wouldve ate the dirt but I was shafted (poor pun intended) and lost the tourney. The lower tiers are fine the way they are because you can compensate for odd match ups with scavenging or teammates, but the last two or three tiers an effort should be made not to give either opponent such a glaring disadvantage, because it ruins the point if either the npc or myself waltzes in and get s a lucky draw...

I've always thought that the training eq was a fantastic idea, but the total lack of control is horrendous. An option would be great... or atleast a preference that weights the chances of your weapon draw based on the towns culture and your pref.

 

[Mythos]

More realistic, more rewarding, and more fun; I think the arena fights should stay as they are. They're meant to be skill based, and true skill is the ability to use all weapons incredibly well. So no matter what weapon you get given, you can still kick everybody else's butt out of the arena. Once you reach that stage, you know you've earnt it.

He's still got a point with that last post of his, though. How is it a contest of skill when you give one guy a sword and large piece of wood designed to block arrows, and the other guy a bow? 9/10 times the guy with the sword could completely suck and still win.

 

[Kaibur]

Then it's even more rewarding if you beat him.
I tend to keep my bow strung until he charges, then shoot him straight in the face when he lowers his shield. Easy win

 

[MrFloppy]

Would be better if you were able to carry your mount and weapons like in 1257 AD. The armor is the same but it's more fun ... imo.

 

[Charlie Brooker]

I love facing down 6 mounted lancers with a bow. :3

 

[daumor]

Yea its actually easier with the other dude on a horse. Its not so bad when its like a mercenary but dranton or kradus are too hard with such a disadvantage.

 

[DamienZharkoff]

More realistic, more rewarding, and more fun; I think the arena fights should stay as they are. They're meant to be skill based, and true skill is the ability to use all weapons incredibly well. So no matter what weapon you get given, you can still kick everybody else's butt out of the arena. Once you reach that stage, you know you've earnt it.

You don't know medieval tournaments then. They usually seperated weapons into catergories (Jousting, archery, melee, etc) or stuck to 1 or 2 traditional weapons (As they mostly do now)

 

[JethroKirby]

You don't know medieval tournaments then. They usually seperated weapons into catergories (Jousting, archery, melee, etc) or stuck to 1 or 2 traditional weapons (As they mostly do now)

I agree with this. I don't necessarily want to bring my own equipment, just want to be on an even playing field. If most fighters at a particular tourney have melee weapons, then they should all get them. I'm fine with some being mounted and some not. Besides, I don't think its a test of skill when one guy is given a sword and shield and another a bow and arrows.

But nonetheless, does anyone know how to go about changing this? Or what I'm doing wrong in the tweak? My goal is to grant staffs instead of bows, shields instead of crossbows (for some reason, crossbow wielders get a backup sword ), and swords in place of javelins. 

If no one has any idea what can be done, can someone tell me where to go for melee only fights? I thought Swadian and Nordic lands were melee weapons exclusively, but I lost a match in both Dhirim and Tihr due to being given a bow vs. sword and shield. Both times it was Dranton too .

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[Grognard]

I have to agree that the tournaments are rather lame now. Bowmen mixed in with melee fighters makes no sense in medieval terms. I'd love to see tournaments reworked so that melees are all about hand-to-hand combat, with a separate archery tournament, as well as a separate jousting tournament. Allow the player to choose which parts of the tourney to participate in; thus, if you don't like archery, you don't join the lists, or if you don't like jousting, you don't join, etc.

And I think tourneys should be hard coded so that damage is 100% (i.e. full damage) to the player, regardless of the setting made in options. 

It would be neat if you could take faction hits or gain faction with lords if you fight and beat them in tournaments/jousts (like what happens when lords challenge you to duels). An option to enter a joust as a black knight to avoid faction hits would be neat too, although you should lose the renown value in this case. Winning a tourney might not give a good faction hit with the city where the tourney is held if you belong to an enemy faction, or defeat the lord of that city.

It'd be great to see some special quests come out of the tournaments as well. Perhaps a lord that you defeated in battle decides you're tough enough to complete a hard task, or one of the many ladies that you find in the various castle scenes decides that because you have done well in tournaments, she wants you to champion her against a particular lord, and if you defeat him in a tourney, she gives you a series of special quests. An offer to become a vassal might be extended for winning a tourney in a faction's capital city. There could be a quest to discover the identity of a black knight that entered the lists in a tourney, and unmasking that black knight could provide great reward, or maybe great embarrassment if you uncover the identity of the black knight only to find out its a lord on your own faction or even your own king!

Also, defeating a lord in a joust should grant you the ability to take a piece of his equipment (a weapon, a piece of armor, etc.), but if you lose he can take a piece of yours. Perhaps the lord offers cash to keep his piece of gear (with a hit to faction and honor if you refuse to let him buy the piece back), or the player can offer cash to keep his piece if he lost.

I'm sure there are lots of other ideas floating around out there better than these too...