Wanderers are interesting NPCs that could change the game a lot. So far they are like a frustrating version of companions from the previous titles with unreasonably generated attributes and focus points.
They can do more than that and turn the game into a next level.
1. Real Sergent
The game provides a F6 function to leave one or seveal groups of soldiers to the AI in the battlefield. What if you can only do it when a wanderer companion was assigned to that group? And only a wanderer with high Tactic skill could issue better the AI commands? It sounds more logical to me. Maybe an extra button on party management screen for the companions to assign someone to be a group's sergent and even allow player to choose an AI behavior setting for this sergent to execute in the battle. Or maybe just simply let the game to check either a group has a companion or not, and if it does have, then allow player to leave this group into AI's hand, otherwise shows a message saying no sergent in xx group.
2. Driller in Garrison
Ever feel disappointed when you have to lead an army of fresh recuit and train them all over again once your main army got destroyed? What if you can leave a wanderer companion to your settlement and assign this character to be the driller to train the rookies you left to the local garrison? Let's say, if the driller has a combat skill higher than 120, then he/she could tran you some up-to tier4 units, higher than 90 then up-to tier 3, higher than 60 then up-to tier 2. And the higher the total combat skill points he/she has, the more efficient the rookies got level up.
3. Logical Attributes and Focus
Getting a lot of companions with red digits in certain skill? Having someone with 120pts of 1h but no focus for it at all? Maybe it's time to get rid off the vanilla pre-made skill value sets and create a more dynamic mechanic like the player character's generation. Since the player character's generation is something already exist in the game, it would cause less hassel to acomplish such goal by just copying some code from the existed script for the new wanderer's generation system. The .xml file style is handy for some fixed NPCs, but since supposedly in the furture the game will actually introduce the Hero Death feature for the game, it would be better to allow those spentable wanderer companions to become more dynamic and immersive upon their spawn.
4. Lord's Retainer
Lords and mercenary captains roaming in the map all by themselves, alone, with no one to talk to, unless the player shows up warming their heart a little bit by saying "You fought well, and you are free to go". What if the Lords and Captains could enlist a wanderer NPC from the bar or prison into their own party? Maybe just let them be a regular combatant in the battle like the lords and the captains, but this will already makes a NPC's army more lively anyway.
5. Be Their Own Master
A wanderer being stay in bars from town to town for too long? Why not start their own little party to roam the land of Carladia? To be a city's gang leader, to be a bandit boss, to start a caravan, to lead a mercenary band? Maybe they will get themselve killed during the process, but this way the game could generate more new wanderers for the game. Also, it will force the player to act sooner if they want to hire certain NPC. I would love to hire a existed gang leader or a mercenary captain, for they all have a name and sometimes look great.
What do you think about wanderers in current version of the game? In which way do you think could make them more engaging?
They can do more than that and turn the game into a next level.
1. Real Sergent
The game provides a F6 function to leave one or seveal groups of soldiers to the AI in the battlefield. What if you can only do it when a wanderer companion was assigned to that group? And only a wanderer with high Tactic skill could issue better the AI commands? It sounds more logical to me. Maybe an extra button on party management screen for the companions to assign someone to be a group's sergent and even allow player to choose an AI behavior setting for this sergent to execute in the battle. Or maybe just simply let the game to check either a group has a companion or not, and if it does have, then allow player to leave this group into AI's hand, otherwise shows a message saying no sergent in xx group.
2. Driller in Garrison
Ever feel disappointed when you have to lead an army of fresh recuit and train them all over again once your main army got destroyed? What if you can leave a wanderer companion to your settlement and assign this character to be the driller to train the rookies you left to the local garrison? Let's say, if the driller has a combat skill higher than 120, then he/she could tran you some up-to tier4 units, higher than 90 then up-to tier 3, higher than 60 then up-to tier 2. And the higher the total combat skill points he/she has, the more efficient the rookies got level up.
3. Logical Attributes and Focus
Getting a lot of companions with red digits in certain skill? Having someone with 120pts of 1h but no focus for it at all? Maybe it's time to get rid off the vanilla pre-made skill value sets and create a more dynamic mechanic like the player character's generation. Since the player character's generation is something already exist in the game, it would cause less hassel to acomplish such goal by just copying some code from the existed script for the new wanderer's generation system. The .xml file style is handy for some fixed NPCs, but since supposedly in the furture the game will actually introduce the Hero Death feature for the game, it would be better to allow those spentable wanderer companions to become more dynamic and immersive upon their spawn.
4. Lord's Retainer
Lords and mercenary captains roaming in the map all by themselves, alone, with no one to talk to, unless the player shows up warming their heart a little bit by saying "You fought well, and you are free to go". What if the Lords and Captains could enlist a wanderer NPC from the bar or prison into their own party? Maybe just let them be a regular combatant in the battle like the lords and the captains, but this will already makes a NPC's army more lively anyway.
5. Be Their Own Master
A wanderer being stay in bars from town to town for too long? Why not start their own little party to roam the land of Carladia? To be a city's gang leader, to be a bandit boss, to start a caravan, to lead a mercenary band? Maybe they will get themselve killed during the process, but this way the game could generate more new wanderers for the game. Also, it will force the player to act sooner if they want to hire certain NPC. I would love to hire a existed gang leader or a mercenary captain, for they all have a name and sometimes look great.
What do you think about wanderers in current version of the game? In which way do you think could make them more engaging?