Ranks and WAR!

[Gavin McStine]

It would be nice to have an NPC ranking system. Right now we only have boss and non-boss. I think we need more ranks with roaming, guards and the head of a faction.

Roaming should be broken up into 3 categories. Weak, medium and strong. The numbers should increase for the stronger categories.
3 amount categories should be added, few, normal and amassed.

The ranks should be changed from faction to faction and some factions may have more or less ranks. A few strong roaming group should still be possible. If a amassed strong group is spawned the defending faction should also spawn a defending amassed strong group to fend off the attackers and perhaps a good sideshow for a player to watch or even join one side or just slaughter all.

A weak roaming group might consist of say 7 recruits and a Sargent. A medium might have 5 recruits 2 sargents and one captain. A strong might have a general, 2 captains, 4 sargents and 10 recruits. Normal and amassed might have 2-3 times those amounts.

Guards should be of say Sargent skill at the city gate and better stats in the city. An outpost might have higher skill but inside and outside will have the same skill.

The head of a faction with have its own guards of higher skill level then regular gurards. Also to prevent and low level skilled player from taking advantage of NPC monsters the faction head should have higher defense skill then attack and also be able to insta spawn guards at so much damage recived.

[Hatsune_Neko]

it already has this.
you can see it in the FCS

hungry bandits and cannibals don't though, they have normal then leader.
the higher the rank the tougher and more skilled the NPC is and usually better weapons and armour.

you didnt mention anything about war. and that already is a option among NPCs ( though it doesn't work very well at the moment, since they can only declare war but not declare peace ) and soon will be a option for the PC as well.

[Gavin McStine]

I have yet to see ranked NPCs roaming. Also the spawning of a strong amassed group starts the war. With the defending faction also spawning a strong amassed group.

[Hatsune_Neko]

can see them at cities
the guards. or police. though you do have to click on each person to see what they are. its not displayed visably.

the bandits don't have a system. just low rank and boss. and you can spot which one is the boss usually, hungry bandits they have a sword, and dust bandits their leader wears heavy armour.

factions and wars are still a work in progress. as is the roaming NPC's they just a temp thing until factions are finished. we should see it once the new map is out or the starting of it.

[philthymcnasty]

I honestly would like to see the ability to rank my squad.

So that if i am away, i can give my second in command an order like: "if someone threatens us, kill them", or "if someone threatens us, pay them because we are too weak"

That way the base will have more autonomy. Maybe even a "standing orders" feature for towns, so that certain industries are prioritized.

[PnzrNorm]

I honestly would like to see the ability to rank my squad.

So that if i am away, i can give my second in command an order like: "if someone threatens us, kill them", or "if someone threatens us, pay them because we are too weak"

That way the base will have more autonomy. Maybe even a "standing orders" feature for towns, so that certain industries are prioritized.

I like the idea of automatic tasking squad members to certain structures dependent on their rank, which the player can set
An example would be Scabbies would be those of Labor <30 and they'll auto-work stone mines, ore mines, wells, farms, and other structures churning out basic goods.

[Keryyn]

Hi,

I admit that if such a system of automatic tasking was to be implemented i'd like it to have an option to toggle it off/on. I wouldn't use such a feature because the game is also about managing your squads/base once you have one ... If you wanted to have one, which is not the case for everyone ...

I think permanent jobs will let players enjoy fully automatic production lines with guards protecting the workers and let your fierce fighter squads wander the desert as you look for targets to hunt down !

As for the ranking system by itself, military speaking, it's interesting, if its stays a roleplay feature. Maybe small icons like the ones in the total war series, with small bronze, silver and gold chevrons, maybe a few variants for really high ranking squadmates, you could increase/decrease it's rank as you see fit and manage squads accordingly. I don't see much point of ranks for bandits, they are just bandits, not like any kind of organized army.

Holy nation and samurai however, you could think indeed of a nice ranking system which would also influence their equipped gear so that you may recognize their threat level more easily than clicking them.

You could assign ranks yourself to characters you deem fit the role, it's not always a matter of attack/defence skill or labouring efficiency. Mine overseers could be losers with no fighting skill and labouring skill, just they have a good first aid ability and run fast to aid teammates and provide the materials to a processor or storage area.

A squad leader might have a higher rank, but not be the most talented fighter in the squad either, so it's better to let the player decide who's in charge, because it's part of the game to give you freedom to manage your people and it's also, somewhat, a duty you have to your people ^^ ! What's the point of managing a base/city if you ... don't do it ?

Game allows pausing, teleporting the camera focus to any of your squadmates and assign roles/jobs etc anytime you want.

Also to prevent and low level skilled player from taking advantage of NPC monsters the faction head should have higher defense skill then attack and also be able to insta spawn guards at so much damage recived.

Please, no more x-men spawning around from nowhere, pathing is a nightmare right now, and when it will be fixed i really don't want to see insta-spawning of enemies, it would break immersion.

However, you could think of a runner in some squad, military ones at least, and some animals in packs that would go to the nearest nest or base and bring back help as soon as they are attacked or in danger ... Realistic reinforcements somewhat.

[Gavin McStine]

The insta spawn isn't from no where, the spawn would be from some base building, remember this is the faction head, which should never leave the city.

As for bandits they should still have a ranking system, but have less ranks. All gangs have some sort of ranking system. Everyone knows their place, they might not have a title.

[Aereto]

The insta spawn isn't from no where, the spawn would be from some base building, remember this is the faction head, which should never leave the city.

As for bandits they should still have a ranking system, but have less ranks. All gangs have some sort of ranking system. Everyone knows their place, they might not have a title.

To make sense of this idea, I'm trying to visualize the strategic field. The best I could idea I could describe is that bandits would spawn at the base of operations as long as:

a) The leader in charge of the base is alive, which means that no delegated roaming or raiding bandit groups would appear and navigate from there once taken out, leaving the place permanently abandoned due to enemy awareness of what should have been their hideout. If the stats and skills are still there and once implemented, stealth and leader assassination can be a difficult and thrilling option, with bonus points if units can deliver structural damage to power supply the same way to gates and doors to make the best use of 6~7 hours of darkness.

b) No person from any hostile faction should be present for new groups to spawn, as reinforcements and supplies are aptly denied and reluctant to deliver if one person is keeping intel on the field or in a siege/assault situation. (Unless a bandit group arrives on field from a different operating a base, which is an entirely different factor.)

The bandit groups seen roaming could not be traced back to the base by info, instead traced to the coding, and thus may have to be shadowed to see if they are returning from or to patrol routes. Finding their hideout by accident or area sweep remains possible.

I only see dust bandits and sand ninjas being capable of this. Hungry bandits are banded together and both homeless and nomadic. Cannibals have camps, but are likely nomadic in order to prey on the changing routes for a meal.

Though such a feature is best utilized in a procedurally generated world. Ranks and hierarchy may be good and all, but implementation of their significance is where it gives them weight.