Awkward Companions

[Vilynis]

So, I have been getting rather frustrated with the random companion generation in my last few restarts. Sometimes I don't even get a companion of my main's culture to spawn, but that seems to be more rare than not. My biggest issue/gripe is that the companion skills are an absolute mess. For example, recruited one (I believe it had the 'wanderer tag') with 135 riding skill and 0 archery. No problem, she also had 120ish polearm skill, except all the polearm skills were tailored to foot solider with an athletics of 0 and all the horse skill were tailored to horse archery with a bow skill of 0. On top of all that she had an endurance of 7 and control of 1 and was level 17 already so I am more likely to complete the conquering of the universe before she ever levels again. This happens 99% of the damn time I recruit any companions.

The problem I have is, I sort of like the random companion generation to a certain point, but there needs to be some stricter sort of rules the rng follows. (High riding+high polearm+no athletics =/= foot soldier perks.) My suggestion is, can you have the spawn randomly still, but leave their perks unassigned until we buy them? Like if we have auto allocate turned off, then we can chose useful ones ourselves, or as it is now if its turned on? Just a small QOL request that wont trigger my ocd every damn time I open the character screen is all I am asking.

 

[stevehoos]

The companions should come with base level skills so you can mold them into the type of help you want. I have reset my game so many times hoping for a Vlandian scouting companion I lost count.

 

[MightyMidgit]

The companions should come with base level skills so you can mold them into the type of help you want. I have reset my game so many times hoping for a Vlandian scouting companion I lost count.

I think there should be more companions that you can shape as you want, but at the same time, many players use leveled companions to give them a quick boost early game. With death enabled, players might not want to have to re-level companions that have died as well.

I agree with the OP that there should be more intelligence with companion randomization, that way there are leveled companions that make sense with their skills for those who want them.

I also think that companions should level at a much faster rate than your character. I got to level 35 in my most recent game, and one companion that I have had from the beginning that started at level 9 is only level 14, and that is with me TRYING to level him (he originally started as a bodyguard/scout for me, but now I just use him for his scouting level because he is more useless than my own troops for anything else...).

 

[Reiksmarshal]

I agree my main gripe is sometimes I only get 1 companion for the culture of my character which is an auto restart. I had this happen 3 times in a row and it is super frustrating when I spend time on your characters looks and have to restart! There needs to be a minimum of 5 for each culture or just add a bonus for the culture the player selects, so if you pick Vlandia as your culture you get like +3 companions added to that culture to pick from.

 

[black_bulldog]

Just leave the perks free and let us decide how to spend them, then at least we have something we can work with. I think my biggest gripe is that I can almost never find anyone with a trading background so I have to take someone and leveling them up so they can do it. I know a lot of people really like the random companions but I think there are too many downsides to them and not enough upside.

 

[a_ver_est]

The problem I have is, I sort of like the random companion generation to a certain point, but there needs to be some stricter sort of rules the rng follows. (High riding+high polearm+no athletics =/= foot soldier perks.) My suggestion is, can you have the spawn randomly still, but leave their perks unassigned until we buy them? Like if we have auto allocate turned off, then we can chose useful ones ourselves, or as it is now if its turned on? Just a small QOL request that wont trigger my ocd every damn time I open the character screen is all I am asking.

For me the main problem is hiring for example a doctor with 80 skill points and then discover that he has only 2 points of inteligency so he can't grow his main skill. It happen me many times but, honestly with the last patch I have been more lucky... not sure if it was just good luck or they have improved the algorith due I have started just 2 games.

 

[redmark]

For me the main problem is hiring for example a doctor with 80 skill points and then discover that he has only 2 points of inteligency so he can't grow his main skill. It happen me many times but, honestly with the last patch I have been more lucky... not sure if it was just good luck or they have improved the algorith due I have started just 2 games.

It does seem to have improved from 1.4.x to 1.5.x, I've had better balanced companions in the last couple of games.

 

[Smoke5tack]

I agree they need more companion customization. As far as the skills they are all mucked up to begin with most of the time. There is nothing more frustrating than when i get a comp and they have red mount skill, red bow skill, and/or their main skill(which for me is usually medicine) is also red and untrainable. They gain lvls like old people walk and always miss with melee weapons. So you can't really do much to train them. Add to that they are insanely overpriced for the early game given that they do next to nothing other than serve as a distraction to allow you to do all the killing.