As far as I can tell so far, you only get relationship boosts when you actually intervene in a battle with your ally? If you are in the army when the battle starts I have not noticed a relationship boost, although I could be wrong.
Joining an army and travelling with them should give a passive relationship gain with the leader of the army, and smaller gains with the other members of the army. Fighting with them and winning should give a bonus, perhaps even based on how well your troops did (encouraging players to get their troops involved with battles instead of sitting back unless they're needed).
Similarly, being involved in defeating enemies, taking castles, defending castles, should all give relationship boosts, perhaps to the leader of the faction?
Fighting enemy armies near friendly villages should give a relationship boost with local notables.
Right now, doing quests and brown-nosing everyone seems to be the major way to improve relations, but if my clan is out there busting our asses for this faction, notables should recognize that, if even slightly. I feel like my renowned character who has defeated major armies in our territory should have a decently established relationship with many notables, even if I don't stop to deliver their herds every time.
Also: Possibly add more quests that players can easily hand off to lackeys? I have a hard time finding companions that can do some of the quests, especially the ones that require both decent charm and other skills. There should be more odd jobs to pawn off on companions for short periods of time, with no major rewards, focusing on relationship building. It is difficult to get high relationships with notables unless you focus religiously on doing quests for just that notable.
We just need a wider variety of quests that can boost our relationships.
Joining an army and travelling with them should give a passive relationship gain with the leader of the army, and smaller gains with the other members of the army. Fighting with them and winning should give a bonus, perhaps even based on how well your troops did (encouraging players to get their troops involved with battles instead of sitting back unless they're needed).
Similarly, being involved in defeating enemies, taking castles, defending castles, should all give relationship boosts, perhaps to the leader of the faction?
Fighting enemy armies near friendly villages should give a relationship boost with local notables.
Right now, doing quests and brown-nosing everyone seems to be the major way to improve relations, but if my clan is out there busting our asses for this faction, notables should recognize that, if even slightly. I feel like my renowned character who has defeated major armies in our territory should have a decently established relationship with many notables, even if I don't stop to deliver their herds every time.
Also: Possibly add more quests that players can easily hand off to lackeys? I have a hard time finding companions that can do some of the quests, especially the ones that require both decent charm and other skills. There should be more odd jobs to pawn off on companions for short periods of time, with no major rewards, focusing on relationship building. It is difficult to get high relationships with notables unless you focus religiously on doing quests for just that notable.
We just need a wider variety of quests that can boost our relationships.