Mercenary bug/exploit

[Jake_j_a]

Sorry if this has been mentioned, I could not find it through search.

Version 0.93.4

I started my first new game as the traveling trader and headed for Stack. When I got there (after looking around a bit on the way) it was night and I noticed some fighting in the store (which was closed.) I decided to watch the fighting and after a little while saw a guard leave the store carrying someone and followed him to the jail where he put the "Human Mercenary" in the cage. I'd read on the forums that you can recruit prisoners if you pay their fine, so I sold my goods and waited at the jail for the guy that lets you do this, and sure enough there were several "Human Mercenaries" in the jail at 500 cats each (some were 1000 or 1500 but I only had around 2500 and there was no obvious stat difference based on price.) So I picked four of them and paid. Only one joined immediately, so I talked to the guard again and they were there at 0 cats, so I picked them and after the third time all four had joined me. Fully geared except weapons (which are fairly easy to scavenge for) with all combat skills around 30, all four of them for only 2000 cats. Needles to say this made the normally difficult early game significantly easier.

This happens pretty consistently, so after some experience with the game I started over. If you hang out in the jail and steal their weapons (no negative reactions from anyone if you get caught, so just keep trying until you get it, they are usually unconscious anyway) you can have 4-6 fully geared combat veterans and still have cats left to pick them up food enough to set out hunting bandits as soon as their health is recovers. Just the four can easily dispatch any hungry bandits, escaped servants or dogs you can find and you can get fully loaded with loot before it's even necessary to go back to town and heal.

[Freddy-Z]

Already done that with Escape Servants..
I just check and pick those who are unconscious as they're taken down by guards fast if they walk.
Also, 'price' depends on their bounty, usually twice the bounty..
End note: you can try to recruit people you put yourself in cage. They are not so much cooperative tho..

[Rispek Cortez]

Do we really want them to fix this? hehe

Alright, alright, I guess they should fix this. However, I do think there should be a way to bring Mercenaries into your army, it just should cost a ton of money. Perhaps paying their bounty to gain their gratitude, then a dialog option to buy their services outright (several ingame weeks worth of their regular cost to hire). That way it's not accessible to the beginner, but a great way for the seasoned adventurers to fill out their ranks.

[Jake_j_a]

I actually like the recruiting people from jail thing, obviously the cost needs to be re-balanced as even a 'Hungry Bandit' costing 0 is far better then an unskilled bar patron at 700. That's not really the issue here though, the problem is how the Merc's spawn or behave landing them in the prison so consistently, it happens almost every time you enter a town with a bar and mercenaries for the first time, or is it just me?

As far as balancing goes, for a start they should have all their gear confiscated, not just their equipped weapon, then maybe have a 'base' price and add their bounty value onto that. As it is, you can actually make money by bailing out a Merc at 500 and selling his gear, effectively paying you to take a guy far more skilled then anyone you'll find at the bar for 2500 or more cats. Yea the guy at the bar starts with basic gear, including a weapon, but lets face it, your first encounter with hungry bandits will land you just as good stuff as what they come with. I don't know, but I'm sure they will figure out a more balanced system, my concern was more the 'bug' part then anything else, nothing wrong with merc's getting a little out of hand and landing in prison once in a while, but this constantly has to be a bug or at least un-intended.

Now that you mention it, adding a third recruitment options on Merc's for a 'permanent' contract where they actually join your faction, for a hefty price, would be great, but that's a subject for a different forum.

[Rispek Cortez]

Gear being confiscated makes sense. Gives another reason for someone to join your faction, they lost all their equipment and are broke, so why not try their luck with an unknown faction.

As for the mercs getting in fights in towns, I have only seen it once personally. Seemed like the entire town was fighting. A tech hunter rolled down the stairs to lay dying at my feet, so naturally I picked her up and waltzed off back to my town (perfectly natural response, right? ... right?! ). She ended up joining my faction when she woke up.

Hopefully they will iron out the system so this doesn't happen to much, does seem like a bug that mercenaries not employed by an enemy would be causing crime in a city.

[Freddy-Z]

Fights generally start with a npc (patron/merc/thief) either being stuck in a shop after oppening hours (when he moves, he's considered a thief and get a bashing by shop guards) or moving from one place to another with free seats, generally.. you guess it, a closed shop. They then try to force the door open and get caught by paladins/servants.. Both way they end up in jail..

Bad Teeth is a good town to see all that as there is no bar. Worse town to recruit too as cages are in barracks.. private access..

[Rispek Cortez]

Bad Teeth is a good town to see all that as there is no bar. Worse town to recruit too as cages are in barracks.. private access..

I believe Bad Teeth was the one I saw the fight at, and absconded with ... err recruited the tech hunter.

That town definitely needs a bar, and police station.