Responding to threats while traveling

[Valykry]

Okay, occasionally I send a group halfway across the map for one reason or another. On an uneventful run they stick together fairly well. But kenshi being kenshi, "uneventful" is few and far between. Now the problem is when my "caravan" is on the move, if something attacks, only the person being attacked stops to fight back. Everyone else continues on, making even traveling a micromanagement affair. Is there a way around this?

[Undead Rufus]

Without making convoluted use of the Bodyguard job, no, you pretty much have to keep an eye on characters you send gallivanting across the map.

Eventually, as long as you manage encumbrance, the only real threat to run down your people will be beak things.

[Valykry]

As long as they stick together, the only threat is strolling through a hostile holy nation city like they own the place. They can pretty much handle anything else. Unfortunately, sticking together isn't their strong suit.
Is there a mod that fixes this?

[lizardmang]

This mod is supposed to fix/improve a lot of pathfinding issues, including characters splitting up when following the same move order.

https://www.nexusmods.com/kenshi/mods/602

[Valykry]

Thanks

[Bandy]

As mentioned, maybe try using the bodyguard job at least for your more vulnerable characters. A -> B -> C -> A ... that way everyone has each other's back, no one gets picked off or left behind. Just in theory, again, I only have vulnerable avatars bodyguarded.

Have to say though from my experience, and you recognize this, when a squad is traveling that should be your primary focus.

[Morkonan]

I'm not sure of this, as I don't make use of it too often, but if you set a "Formation" then one would assume that there would be a "Formation" property that helped with this.

I normally just move everyone in one "blob" and ignore Formation commands.

[Valykry]

Honestly, I can't tell what "formation" does. I have it set to military, and they just kinda pack together, the formation being longer than it is wide. I set it to caravan, and they do the same thing. Never has it looked like anything *I* would call any kind of military formation nor caravan formation. Nothing like what I see the npc's marching around in.

Unless it isn't designed to work by selecting everyone and telling them where to go.

[Shidan]

Indeed, formations only work if you set the other characters to follow another one. If you're selecting everyone, they'll all move separately.

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Valykry:

Honestly, I can't tell what "formation" does. I have it set to military, and they just kinda pack together, the formation being longer than it is wide. I set it to caravan, and they do the same thing. Never has it looked like anything *I* would call any kind of military formation nor caravan formation. Nothing like what I see the npc's marching around in.

Unless it isn't designed to work by selecting everyone and telling them where to go.

I don't use it, really. I never had a reason to. I think selecting the Group itself would be the better command choice and the first character in the Group window will be the "leader" unit.

[Bandy]

Originally posted by Shidan:

Indeed, formations only work if you set the other characters to follow another one. If you're selecting everyone, they'll all move separately.

I suppose I usually just have everyone selected as mentioned, so they are technically all following their own paths from A to B click, SO possibly any one of them could get caught/hung on terrain mesh and be left behind?

I have not played enough to have two squads on the move, one is always active and has my attention, just asking for future reference.

[angrytrex]

I think the best solution is to just condense your caravan down to one 100 stealth Pawn with robot limbs. Just have this pawn pick up and carry the pack animal across the map in stealth mode.

[Ash vs. Himself]

Originally posted by Undead Rufus:

Without making convoluted use of the Bodyguard job, no, you pretty much have to keep an eye on characters you send gallivanting across the map.

Eventually, as long as you manage encumbrance, the only real threat to run down your people will be beak things.

I was thinking, in terms of bodyguards, I wonder if I assign all my squad to protect one person in that squad, and then the one person to protect one of the bodyguards if that would help.

[Valykry]

As far as I can tell, the whole "bodyguard" thing still has one flaw. In order to travel, you still have to give one of them a move order, and the one with the move order ignores whatever other jobs they have. So if this one particular character isn't the one attacked, it keeps on walking. Any set to bodyguard this character keeps on walking unless they are attacked. It's just a mess to try to get them to travel without babysitting them.