Syrion
Recruit
I recently downloaded (and subsequently registered) the game, and find it excellent in terms of mechanics and potential. It's certainly one of the best shareware games I've ever seen, probably the best in ten years. (The real golden age of shareware being Apogee, of course.) That said, I've got some suggestions which I feel would improve the game and make it more interesting.
Terrain
Currently, the terrain generator seems to be rather primitive. It produces decent terrain for fighting, but there is no unity: in every area of the map, it generates what is essentially a square of terrain bounded by a ring of mountains. This is a little odd, especially given the engine's strength regarding terrain. What I suggest is that the terrain be generated (and tweaked to the developers' satisfaction) via a set of algorithms based on realistic terrain, at high resolution; the "overworld" map could be created as a low detail version of this same map. Put the terrain creation algorithms within the game itself and store the seeds, and the download will remain small (though the installation will take longer, of course).
What are the benefits of this method? For one thing, the land would now be predictable based on your location on the world map. The world map, furthermore, could be more detailed. (Vegetation and other terrain modifiers could be added as other layers, also according to algorithms if you like.) If you're interested in the sort of terrain generation I have in mind, check out the World Machine. This program can be used in concert with the more famous Terragen for spectacular results, and I think its methods could be duplicated for Mount & Blade.
Tactics
Besides improved terrain generation and coherence, tactics are another issue I see. You have little or no control over where you appear, and so your tactical choices are limited, no matter how good your character may be at tactics. I suggest that, before a fight starts, you should see a tactical map where you can assign units tasks. Crossbowmen, for instance, might be directed to line themselves up along a cliff, firing down upon enemies. Knights and infantrymen could be given separate orders, and so on. For playability's sake, the level of detail in tactical control would have to be diminished within the actual fight, but this is realistic.
This scheme adds significance to the tactics skill and to charisma. Higher levels of tactics would result in improved maps, with higher terrain detail and information about enemy placement, and so forth. Tactical commands within the battle would become secondary--and their effects could be determined by charisma. A truly charismatic commander could lead his troops anywhere, and be obeyed instantly; someone lacking charisma could command something tiny and be unheeded. To prevent charisma from being the "deal-breaker," though, one could acquire "authority" through victories. An authoritative commander--however ugly, scarred, and unfortunate in circumstances of birth he might be--could lead his band effectively.
If this proposal is adopted, I suggest that the presentation of the tactical map should be in the form of a low-detail, archaic-style topographical map. Some modern conventions could be used, like elevation demarcations consisting of clustered circles, but the accuracy could be randomly distorted, based once again upon your tactics skill. Units could be presented as three-dimensional markers like chessmen, but this isn't crucial.
Anyway, feel free to discuss and debate these proposals. I hope they meet with approval from the powers that be, because I truly feel they can improve the game's presentation and polish.
Terrain
Currently, the terrain generator seems to be rather primitive. It produces decent terrain for fighting, but there is no unity: in every area of the map, it generates what is essentially a square of terrain bounded by a ring of mountains. This is a little odd, especially given the engine's strength regarding terrain. What I suggest is that the terrain be generated (and tweaked to the developers' satisfaction) via a set of algorithms based on realistic terrain, at high resolution; the "overworld" map could be created as a low detail version of this same map. Put the terrain creation algorithms within the game itself and store the seeds, and the download will remain small (though the installation will take longer, of course).
What are the benefits of this method? For one thing, the land would now be predictable based on your location on the world map. The world map, furthermore, could be more detailed. (Vegetation and other terrain modifiers could be added as other layers, also according to algorithms if you like.) If you're interested in the sort of terrain generation I have in mind, check out the World Machine. This program can be used in concert with the more famous Terragen for spectacular results, and I think its methods could be duplicated for Mount & Blade.
Tactics
Besides improved terrain generation and coherence, tactics are another issue I see. You have little or no control over where you appear, and so your tactical choices are limited, no matter how good your character may be at tactics. I suggest that, before a fight starts, you should see a tactical map where you can assign units tasks. Crossbowmen, for instance, might be directed to line themselves up along a cliff, firing down upon enemies. Knights and infantrymen could be given separate orders, and so on. For playability's sake, the level of detail in tactical control would have to be diminished within the actual fight, but this is realistic.
This scheme adds significance to the tactics skill and to charisma. Higher levels of tactics would result in improved maps, with higher terrain detail and information about enemy placement, and so forth. Tactical commands within the battle would become secondary--and their effects could be determined by charisma. A truly charismatic commander could lead his troops anywhere, and be obeyed instantly; someone lacking charisma could command something tiny and be unheeded. To prevent charisma from being the "deal-breaker," though, one could acquire "authority" through victories. An authoritative commander--however ugly, scarred, and unfortunate in circumstances of birth he might be--could lead his band effectively.
If this proposal is adopted, I suggest that the presentation of the tactical map should be in the form of a low-detail, archaic-style topographical map. Some modern conventions could be used, like elevation demarcations consisting of clustered circles, but the accuracy could be randomly distorted, based once again upon your tactics skill. Units could be presented as three-dimensional markers like chessmen, but this isn't crucial.
Anyway, feel free to discuss and debate these proposals. I hope they meet with approval from the powers that be, because I truly feel they can improve the game's presentation and polish.
) is that at times, when there's a river or such in the combat area, if you follow it along, it just... stops...
