Since the first moment I heard about Captain Mode, I conceived it in my head as a clash of armies of bots controlled by a determined number of players in a massive multiplayer scenario. These players, maneuvering the whole team through concerted moves to achieve a tactical victory over their opponent. I certainly imagined something much more focused on what was and still is the Commander Mode of Napoleonic Wars:
Nowadays the Captain mode is more towards a much smaller, mousetrapped gameplay; small maps, use of common elements and/or dynamics such as control flags or skirmish mode morale, etc...Honestly, I think that the link between SP and MP mode would come from a massive mode, both in bots, in scene size and in a tactical fight without quarter to the last man standing.
I'm not going to invent the wheel, but rather to unite possibilities:
Imagine for a moment an idyllic scenario where the AI would work properly, the optimization would support twice as many agents (at least) as the current Captain mode offers and already in a "fantastic" way, an advanced tactical system like the one I told you about a few days ago (Sprinkling the strategy: Advanced tactics with radial menu).
With that scenario in mind, I'd like to tell you how I imagine Commander Battle 2.0 in Bannerlord, which draws from two sources, the Sergeant mode (now known as Order of Battle) in which there is a hierarchy established by the party general, and the vast scenario offered by the Napoleonic Wars Commander Battle mode.
Let's get down to business:
" The size of scenes is generally around 4 km square, which is much larger than in Warband, and scene creation is much faster. We developed lots of new editing tools for objects, terrain and flora for the scene designers to use. We have an advanced terrain system which can support up to 16 layers per scene, with no restriction on layers used per node. Also, the designers now have access to a scene upgrade level system, (a scene masking system which is used in siege scenes to allow level 1-3 castles to be placed in one scene,) and a new weather system, (which is used for creating different weather versions of the scene.) With all of the CPU and hard drive optimisations we try to achieve <1 second loading times on these bigger scenes."
A 4km square map would offer players a maneuverability that today's Captain mode maps do not offer. Vast maps with no props, set in natural areas like those belonging to the custom battle; only orography and flora. To achieve the effect that each game will be different on the same map, the spawning should be moved from the current static to a random octagonal spawning. Therefore the teams would randomly mirror-spawn each game in one of the 8 positions.
With this, what we are favoring is tactical improvisation in this mode as opposed to monotonous map deployments in the Captain mode; sow to the same target, always the same strategic point. Currently in NW Commander Battle we have the possibility to spawn with a higher number of agents than the Bannerlord's Captain mode offers. I am confident that the new engine is powerful enough to increase the number of agents on screen at least twice as much in a stable way.
Rarely, in Captain mode, the planets are aligned and the players work as a team, carrying out flanking tactics, coverages, etc. However, in most games, as it is a pre-designed fast-paced mode where the first thing is to rush the flags to make the morale of the opponent collapse, pure team play is diluted.
In this Commander Battle 2.0 mode there are no flag or morale dynamics; this is a last man standing battle mode with a commander for each side. Since the spawning takes place randomly, the commander proclamation would be carried out in the same way. The game would automatically draw for the role of commander at the start of each game. Some people may wonder, shouldn't the player of each side with the highest level be assigned the role of commander? Yes, but I certainly think that giving the possibility of commanding any rank makes this a much more exciting experience. (*Optional - open for discussion) The commander of the winning side could win a + bonus of XP for getting that role and winning the game at the same time.
So, how does the commander command? If in my previous feedback I mentioned "radial menu" and this one worked through the mouse central button, the orders in this mode would be carried out through another radial menu (Q key).
We can see that in the upper part of the menu the players' avatars are displayed as in the Captain mode, but they have been assigned a battalion number (the commanding player could have a distinctive symbol; maybe a star).
Both the commander and the other players operate their main unit with the side order panel (F1/F5). In an idyllic scenario we have said that we would also have the possibility to carry out the "advanced tactics" like the ones mentioned in Sprinkling the strategy: Advanced tactics with radial menu. However the commander, using the Q radial menu could give "basic" orders to each of the divisions (teammates 1-6 key). What the user would see on the screen if the commander ordered something, would be basically a notification board like the one for the battle order function.
Would it be allowed for an assigned commander not to use the Q menu? Yes, of course she/he could; just as the user in a subordinate role has the right to follow his commander's orders or not.
So, what does this mode provide? It brings fun through orchestrated teamwork in a large-scale strategy scenario in massive M&B-style battles, where the important thing is discipline towards the commander as well as the commander towards his subordinates in a total annihilation mode.
What do you think? Is there room for a mode like this in Bannerlord?
I drop a poll to see the general interest.
Nowadays the Captain mode is more towards a much smaller, mousetrapped gameplay; small maps, use of common elements and/or dynamics such as control flags or skirmish mode morale, etc...Honestly, I think that the link between SP and MP mode would come from a massive mode, both in bots, in scene size and in a tactical fight without quarter to the last man standing.
I'm not going to invent the wheel, but rather to unite possibilities:
Imagine for a moment an idyllic scenario where the AI would work properly, the optimization would support twice as many agents (at least) as the current Captain mode offers and already in a "fantastic" way, an advanced tactical system like the one I told you about a few days ago (Sprinkling the strategy: Advanced tactics with radial menu).
With that scenario in mind, I'd like to tell you how I imagine Commander Battle 2.0 in Bannerlord, which draws from two sources, the Sergeant mode (now known as Order of Battle) in which there is a hierarchy established by the party general, and the vast scenario offered by the Napoleonic Wars Commander Battle mode.
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Let's get down to business:
Battlefield
If we look back at the Dev Blog 14/09/17 we can read in it the following paragraph:
" The size of scenes is generally around 4 km square, which is much larger than in Warband, and scene creation is much faster. We developed lots of new editing tools for objects, terrain and flora for the scene designers to use. We have an advanced terrain system which can support up to 16 layers per scene, with no restriction on layers used per node. Also, the designers now have access to a scene upgrade level system, (a scene masking system which is used in siege scenes to allow level 1-3 castles to be placed in one scene,) and a new weather system, (which is used for creating different weather versions of the scene.) With all of the CPU and hard drive optimisations we try to achieve <1 second loading times on these bigger scenes."
A 4km square map would offer players a maneuverability that today's Captain mode maps do not offer. Vast maps with no props, set in natural areas like those belonging to the custom battle; only orography and flora. To achieve the effect that each game will be different on the same map, the spawning should be moved from the current static to a random octagonal spawning. Therefore the teams would randomly mirror-spawn each game in one of the 8 positions.
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With this, what we are favoring is tactical improvisation in this mode as opposed to monotonous map deployments in the Captain mode; sow to the same target, always the same strategic point. Currently in NW Commander Battle we have the possibility to spawn with a higher number of agents than the Bannerlord's Captain mode offers. I am confident that the new engine is powerful enough to increase the number of agents on screen at least twice as much in a stable way.
Commander
Rarely, in Captain mode, the planets are aligned and the players work as a team, carrying out flanking tactics, coverages, etc. However, in most games, as it is a pre-designed fast-paced mode where the first thing is to rush the flags to make the morale of the opponent collapse, pure team play is diluted.
In this Commander Battle 2.0 mode there are no flag or morale dynamics; this is a last man standing battle mode with a commander for each side. Since the spawning takes place randomly, the commander proclamation would be carried out in the same way. The game would automatically draw for the role of commander at the start of each game. Some people may wonder, shouldn't the player of each side with the highest level be assigned the role of commander? Yes, but I certainly think that giving the possibility of commanding any rank makes this a much more exciting experience. (*Optional - open for discussion) The commander of the winning side could win a + bonus of XP for getting that role and winning the game at the same time.
So, how does the commander command? If in my previous feedback I mentioned "radial menu" and this one worked through the mouse central button, the orders in this mode would be carried out through another radial menu (Q key).
| 
|
We can see that in the upper part of the menu the players' avatars are displayed as in the Captain mode, but they have been assigned a battalion number (the commanding player could have a distinctive symbol; maybe a star).
Both the commander and the other players operate their main unit with the side order panel (F1/F5). In an idyllic scenario we have said that we would also have the possibility to carry out the "advanced tactics" like the ones mentioned in Sprinkling the strategy: Advanced tactics with radial menu. However the commander, using the Q radial menu could give "basic" orders to each of the divisions (teammates 1-6 key). What the user would see on the screen if the commander ordered something, would be basically a notification board like the one for the battle order function.
Would it be allowed for an assigned commander not to use the Q menu? Yes, of course she/he could; just as the user in a subordinate role has the right to follow his commander's orders or not.
So, what does this mode provide? It brings fun through orchestrated teamwork in a large-scale strategy scenario in massive M&B-style battles, where the important thing is discipline towards the commander as well as the commander towards his subordinates in a total annihilation mode.
What do you think? Is there room for a mode like this in Bannerlord?
I drop a poll to see the general interest.
