Troop individuality

[Falcon Critical]

So in my latest game I'm running around as a mercenary in a small group and I realised something.  Each of your troops is unique and persistent. Say you have three sword sisters, one blonde with no emblem on her shield, one redhead with emblem/crossbow, and one with a helm and emblem shield.  A few battles later you notice the same three are running around the field, and start looking for them every battle.  They're always the same. 

Also when you talk to a particular unit type, you will always talk to the same one... until they die and the next one becomes the 'spokesperson' for that unit type. Interestingly if you talk to a unit, then go back to the party screen and click on their unit type again, it updates the mini-picture of the unit to be that top one.

Now you might have realised this already, but I took it to the next level.

I recruited an extra peasant woman, and talked to her.  She had dark hair.  I levelled her up (Camp Follower), talked to her again. She still had dark hair, but gained an axe/shield combo as weapons. Levelled her again, same appearance, same gear (Huntress). Again (Camp Defender) and she kept the same look and loadout once again. When I got her to sword sister, her gear changed to sword/shield, but she still has the same black hair/hairstyle.

Basically the point of this is that its an extra level of unexpected 'realism', each troop in your army is as individual as you or your companions. I can post screenshots if you want, but its just as easy if you pick up one or a couple of farmers/peasant women/any troop and try this yourself.

 

[Somebody]

Troop DNA is persistent over however many troop upgrades. Their loadouts are persistent over battles, because generating them randomly each time strains resources, so the game keeps them in memory. Not sure if their appearances will be kept in your saved games though.
Anyways, you always talk to the first troop in the stack, so nothing new there. Didn't know about the updating troop preview.
Not sure if this is still true, but if you have a troop with a horse which isn't guaranteed as cavalry (i.e. Vaegir Veterans), they will lose their horses in battles.
Not sure how your peasant woman kept her woolen dress/regular dress on, since Camp Defenders should wear leather jerkins or vests.

 

[Falcon Critical]

Oh the armor changed, as all Camp Defenders do, but her weapon choices remained. So you think its just persistant for that one session till you exit out of the game? Interesting I'll try that out too.

-- edit --

Nope, reloaded the game and my single units and spokespeople seem to be the same. For the record currently have just one of:
Nord Veteran Archer
Vaegir Knight
Kherjit Veteran Archer
Rhodock Sharpshooter

All of these have the same appearance as last night. First merc crossbowman is the same too (mean moustache).  Loadouts however don't appear to be maintained? I had one Camp Defender last night with a bow (which seems rare) and this morning none of them do.  Not sure whether appearance is maintained of all your garrisoned troops, will test that.

 

[Seawied86]

I started to notice this as well. Whats even more interesting, is that your companion's troops keep their DNA as well. I was fighting alongside a Khergit lancer who did not spawn with a helmet. He was very recognizable because he was quiet old, had a funny haircut, and a face that ALMOST rivaled styo's. Three battles later, he is still there, riding alongside me fighting the vaegirs (still no helmet either!)

At first I thought it was  a bug, causing all khergit lancers to look the same, but I saw others that looked different, and now that I read this thread, it makes sense.


It could just be a random generation a few times in a row (although unlikely, its statistically possible,) but this does hint at the idea that your lord's troops carry DNA as well.

 

[mrdang]

good find. this works out for immersion and processing--rare combo.

 

[Boduar]

I had a beast sword sister in my army for a while she was one of the rare ones with a plate helmet complementing the rest of her plate armor.  She eventually died to a couched lance from a dumb swadian and I watched it happen 

 

[Brentimus Maximus]

Wow, this is a good find.  I initially had the impression that they were randomly generated each time, but in this last patch I'm pretty sure I'm noticing the same thing. 

 

[CryoNomad]

Great. Now if my sword sisters are ugly I'm stuck with them...

 

[Ringwraith #5]

Wow, this is a good find.  I initially had the impression that they were randomly generated each time, but in this last patch I'm pretty sure I'm noticing the same thing. 

No, troops were always individual, even back in old M&B. This was exploitable with hired blades, who used to be a mix of mounted and foot troops, but by swapping them in and out of castle garrisons it was possible to assemble a force of mounted-only hired blades, which was pretty damn effective.
On the other hand, it is possible to build a clone army in M&B: http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,55188.msg1428995.html#msg1428995

 

[Lance Tankmen]

except in tournaments, maybe its just me but i fight in the 2v2 outa the last 4 and a hired blades on my team and when i fight him 1v1 he looks different 

 

[Brentimus Maximus]

No, troops were always individual, even back in old M&B.

Don't get me wrong, I believe you.  I had just made that assumption based on casual un-scientific observations. 

 

[darkweaver]

This was exploitable with hired blades, who used to be a mix of mounted and foot troops, but by swapping them in and out of castle garrisons it was possible to assemble a force of mounted-only hired blades, which was pretty damn effective.

Hah, in some odd way that might explain why hired blades get classed as "cavalry" now...

 

[Falcon Critical]

except in tournaments, maybe its just me but i fight in the 2v2 outa the last 4 and a hired blades on my team and when i fight him 1v1 he looks different

Yeah in tournaments and seemingly the training mode where you melee vs your troops, it appears the characters are randomly generated.  I had the above stated sword sister as the only one in my party when I went to do the melee practise, and it was a totally different looking one that I fought. When I went back to my party it was the same one again.  She died a few battles later as my only casualty fighting bandits in one of my towns.

 

[manekemaan]

it would be pretty cool if you could select troops individually then ^^ creating a whole army of blonde sword sisters sounds kinky ^^

 

[Falcon Critical]

I do wish there was a way to choose which troops level, for example I currently run around with camp defenders as my archers, but a number of them just stand there with sword/shield.  If only there was a way to select which ones upgrade to sword sisters or get put into garrisons..

 

[Dent]

I like this for immersion. I sometimes give names and ranks to the soldiers I recognize, and it's always a little sad when one that I've fought alongside for months is killed.

 

[Brentimus Maximus]

I never give my guys names, but I'm always sad when I lose a regular that's been with me from the beginning.

 

[Senta]

i hear you guys, in EATRC mod i've had this one rescued Brigadier (i am with the Duchy), he was often the only guy on foot in my party and yet he managed to survive, (and level) for about 4 months. He died to a mountain bandit in the village, i only noticed after because i probably would have reloaded, that's how much i liked him! I even gave him a name, Frank the Tank.

RIP Frank.

 

[Eluqqa]

It would be nice if each soldier had a screen where you could see their randomly generated name and achievements. (amount of kills, etc.)
Utterly useless, but nice.

 

[Falcon Critical]

It would be nice if each soldier had a screen where you could see their randomly generated name and achievements. (amount of kills, etc.)
Utterly useless, but nice.

I second that, when I finish a siege defense with my huscarls having cut down over a thousand troops, it would be good to know which of my huscarls had the most notches in his sword/axe, and when a troop dies being able to see their final stats.