Liquidninja
Knight
I've recently had problems with Mount and Blade, so I've had to uninstall the whole thing. Naturally, I got around to re-installing the game again, as well as this fantastic mod 
I also started a new game in Native (in its purest form, without even graphical modifications!). Anyway, as I played - despite some of the flaws in Native - I was once again captivated, awash in many thoughts both old and new; there are many good things in Native M&B that might prove beneficial to Custom Settlements if it can be worked in somehow, and of course, certain things that should be avoided (or improved upon!). I believe that Custom Settlements, despite its radical departure in some ways from the fixtures of Native's gameplay, it actually stays true to the spirit of Native much more than many of the other mods available.
So, I'm going to share a few of my experiences, and I'd like it if you shared your own thoughts on the matter. You can of course share other people's thoughts on the matter, but I'd imagine that would be a little more challenging to do!
That first 100 Renown:
Do you remember that? The first 100 renown you had to earn before any one would even let you work for their conquests! I like this initial phase; it's humbling, and it suggested that despite being the player (and the hero), you had to prove your worth first. Sadly however, Native never really capitalized on this - and in time the 100 renown would simply serve more as a "You must be this tall to ride the roller coaster!" rather than a doorway that led to bigger and better things. Despite being sandbox in nature, I think this concept of renown can also be applied to Custom Settlements! How? (With later patches,) why not have it factor into recruitment? Unlocking certain options, upgrades, etc? I think even within the existing confines of the code, without stretching too much of a limb, we can find find creative applications for this concept of renown as a "key".
Your first fief...
...always turned out to be the one on the outskirts of the kingdom, the poorest one that had just been burnt to the ground, with the most destitute populace, and its cattle slaughtered by an angry army. Nevertheless, the people there love their lord (+5 to relation, yay!) though the Lord who previously owned it is mad at you - even though it was the King's decision! Now you have to answer countless summons and run quests in order to get on the better side of the ruling Noblemen. I think that Custom Settlements really capitalizes on the endearing feeling that you get from seeing your town grow (physically)! This of course, is absent in Native. What is there in Native however - which I think works, but has seen little use outside of it, is the concept of consequences.
Much of Native is about making choices, except those choices always carry with them both positives and negatives; win a Lady's favour, but risk the wrath of the Lord you challenge. Even the seemingly innocuous act of receiving a fief for your oath of allegiance will piss off someone. One of the most prominent examples of choice and consequence in Native is the companion system. Though executed in a way that seems utterly random and irritating, it does show that you can't have your cake and eat it too. In fact, if you want your cake, your drink will probably rebel and run away from you, with all the equipment and training you've given it, only to show up weeks later begging.
The fact is, Custom Settlements is still a sandbox mod. As such, there are many choices to be made. Do I upgrade my military capacity first? Or my economic capacity? Ultimately, the dream is to have my settlement grow to a fine Castle Town, but the end result need not be identical: though the choices made in reaching to e2m2 can have immediate consequences, they need not have them: future unlocks (town upgrades that are "indoors"), as well as other modifiers can be affected by, or even be dependent upon the path of the upgrades. This way, our settlements can be distinguished, not only by their appearances, but by their histories. In summing up this point on choice and consequence, I'll point out a specific quest in Native: It's one where you're asked to sacrifice one of your top soldiers in order to deliver a fake note to an enemy lord inside a city, with the knowledge that the success of your mission will depend on your soldier will be tortured to death and revealing false information. It's the subtlety of choices like these that hint at a more dynamic and living world; thus, I believe that such choices DO belong in Custom Settlements - and perhaps they can even be taken a step further.
That's all for now, and it's your turn to share!
I also started a new game in Native (in its purest form, without even graphical modifications!). Anyway, as I played - despite some of the flaws in Native - I was once again captivated, awash in many thoughts both old and new; there are many good things in Native M&B that might prove beneficial to Custom Settlements if it can be worked in somehow, and of course, certain things that should be avoided (or improved upon!). I believe that Custom Settlements, despite its radical departure in some ways from the fixtures of Native's gameplay, it actually stays true to the spirit of Native much more than many of the other mods available.
So, I'm going to share a few of my experiences, and I'd like it if you shared your own thoughts on the matter. You can of course share other people's thoughts on the matter, but I'd imagine that would be a little more challenging to do!
That first 100 Renown:
Do you remember that? The first 100 renown you had to earn before any one would even let you work for their conquests! I like this initial phase; it's humbling, and it suggested that despite being the player (and the hero), you had to prove your worth first. Sadly however, Native never really capitalized on this - and in time the 100 renown would simply serve more as a "You must be this tall to ride the roller coaster!" rather than a doorway that led to bigger and better things. Despite being sandbox in nature, I think this concept of renown can also be applied to Custom Settlements! How? (With later patches,) why not have it factor into recruitment? Unlocking certain options, upgrades, etc? I think even within the existing confines of the code, without stretching too much of a limb, we can find find creative applications for this concept of renown as a "key".
Your first fief...
...always turned out to be the one on the outskirts of the kingdom, the poorest one that had just been burnt to the ground, with the most destitute populace, and its cattle slaughtered by an angry army. Nevertheless, the people there love their lord (+5 to relation, yay!) though the Lord who previously owned it is mad at you - even though it was the King's decision! Now you have to answer countless summons and run quests in order to get on the better side of the ruling Noblemen. I think that Custom Settlements really capitalizes on the endearing feeling that you get from seeing your town grow (physically)! This of course, is absent in Native. What is there in Native however - which I think works, but has seen little use outside of it, is the concept of consequences.
Much of Native is about making choices, except those choices always carry with them both positives and negatives; win a Lady's favour, but risk the wrath of the Lord you challenge. Even the seemingly innocuous act of receiving a fief for your oath of allegiance will piss off someone. One of the most prominent examples of choice and consequence in Native is the companion system. Though executed in a way that seems utterly random and irritating, it does show that you can't have your cake and eat it too. In fact, if you want your cake, your drink will probably rebel and run away from you, with all the equipment and training you've given it, only to show up weeks later begging.
The fact is, Custom Settlements is still a sandbox mod. As such, there are many choices to be made. Do I upgrade my military capacity first? Or my economic capacity? Ultimately, the dream is to have my settlement grow to a fine Castle Town, but the end result need not be identical: though the choices made in reaching to e2m2 can have immediate consequences, they need not have them: future unlocks (town upgrades that are "indoors"), as well as other modifiers can be affected by, or even be dependent upon the path of the upgrades. This way, our settlements can be distinguished, not only by their appearances, but by their histories. In summing up this point on choice and consequence, I'll point out a specific quest in Native: It's one where you're asked to sacrifice one of your top soldiers in order to deliver a fake note to an enemy lord inside a city, with the knowledge that the success of your mission will depend on your soldier will be tortured to death and revealing false information. It's the subtlety of choices like these that hint at a more dynamic and living world; thus, I believe that such choices DO belong in Custom Settlements - and perhaps they can even be taken a step further.
That's all for now, and it's your turn to share!
