They have to fix the party movement speed

[ikko]

It's not fun when you start the game and your party moves at a 3.0 speed while every Looter party moves at a 5.0

[Supply Side Jesus]

Look for reasons you are moving that slowly. Likely overburdened and herd penalties.

[ikko]

It's just because you're early in the game and you haven't hired a good Scout companion yet. But what do they expect people in the early game to do? You can't fight anything to level up because you're slower than every other AI party.

[Xenothor]

You start the game with a speed well over 5, usually well over 7. If you are letting your speed drop that low, that's on you.

[ikko]

Originally posted by Xenothor:

You start the game with a speed well over 5, usually well over 7. If you are letting your speed drop that low, that's on you.

Probably because when you start the game your party consists of one guy on a horse. Soon as you hire some recruits, the speed drops.

but again, what does the game expect the new player to do? You have to hire recruits

[Supply Side Jesus]

There is no right way to play the game, but I do not hire recruits in a new game as they are useless. Early on, fewer is better. Don't misunderstand max party size as a mandatory minimum.

In my new game I am right now T3 clan and just got my first fief. I run with a party of 50 cavalry-only and I only pick fights I know I can easily win.

Suggestions on starting:

1. Do enough tournaments to get basic gear - chest, helmet and boots. If you can't win them reliably without gear, skip to 2. Trick to landing hits is to side-step and circle strafe AI, they don't deal with it that well. Also remember you can go into blocking almost half-way into your swing - prioritize not getting hit to landing hits on your own. Don't forget to shield bash every opportunity you get. Empire tournaments are easiest to win, as lots of fights are sword and board.
2. Make sure you have enough riding skill to use war horse. Buy Aserai mount in one of the desert villages. Buy Galve in one of the steppe cities. Then practice drive-by with galve, with practice you will be able to solo 10-20 bandits all on your own.
3. Recruit 10-something cavalry or mounted archers, but don't promote them when they start requiring war horse. Too expensive early on and no advantage. Mounted archers F6, they do decent job skirmishing. With cavalry have them follow you so they don't get trapped on the footman.
4. Farm looters until you have enough weapon skill to take on harder target. It takes about 60 for your swing to speed up that it is easier to hit moving targets.
5. Get a ranged weapon - bow or throwing javelins both work. Learn to use them mounted. Get 40 or more skill. Participate in the arena skirmishes to get initial 10 skill or create character in a way that already has some skill-ups.
6. You should be ready to join a kingdom as mercenary. Up your party to 40 or so, but focus on speed. Don't join fights you can't cleanly win. Load last save if you have to. Load last save if you win with lots of casualties.

[NotTooSharp]

You don't *have* to hire recruits. You can run, alone, from town to town doing quests, fighting in tourneys, and avoiding bandits. You can even solo groups of looters semi-easily with a bow, good aim, a spear, and good positioning. Additionally, as you hire recruits, you can get mules and sumpter horses so that you can have a "footmen on horses" bonus to your speed.

[Edmund Greyfox]

Simple- Don't hire a bunch of troops. If you keep your starting party at around 10-15 until you've earned enough cash to buy some horses you are faster then most bandits. Not a lot faster, but you can catch them. The reality is that you really shouldn't have more then 25 troops until you're close to tier three and are ready to join the wars. You don't need them to hunt bandits, so why pay higher upkeep?

Also keep in mind that buying horses should be your absolute first priority to spend money on. You need a better horse for yourself and for any companion you recruit, one riding horse for each soldier you have, and then a pack animal for each solider a well. Just don't buy more than 1 horse and 1 pack animal per soldier, because that will create a herd penalty for movement..

[Edmund Greyfox]

Originally posted by NotTooSharp:

You don't *have* to hire recruits. You can run, alone, from town to town doing quests, fighting in tourneys, and avoiding bandits. You can even solo groups of looters semi-easily with a bow, good aim, a spear, and good positioning. Additionally, as you hire recruits, you can get mules and sumpter horses so that you can have a "footmen on horses" bonus to your speed.

I don't believe mules and sumpter horses can be ridden by troops. They are pack animals, not riding animals. Yes, you start the game on a sumpter horse and can put your companions on them, but i don't believe they give the mounted infantry bonus.

[NotTooSharp]

Originally posted by Edmund Greyfox:

I don't believe mules and sumpter horses can be ridden by troops. They are pack animals, not riding animals. Yes, you start the game on a sumpter horse and can put your companions on them, but i don't believe they give the mounted infantry bonus.

I actually just fired up my game and realized this and thought, "Oops. Also, how in the hell have I never noticed that before?"

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Edmund Greyfox:

... Yes, you start the game on a sumpter horse and can put your companions on them, but i don't believe they give the mounted infantry bonus.

I agree. AFAIK, they only offset the encumbrance value of inventory/trade items and can't be used to get a "riding bonus" for hired units. Sumpter Horses can effect fewer items, but have a larger effect on their encumbrance than mules, IIRC. (I think that's the way it works.)

[ikko]

You guys all give good advice but it's not intuitive to a new player and thus I still think changes need to be made.

[Core]

Originally posted by ikko:

You guys all give good advice but it's not intuitive to a new player and thus I still think changes need to be made.

I think growing is a part of the fun. If we had more x and more y, it wouldn't be as entertaining. And I always hire companions first, with whatever money I have.

[Teralitha]

I think pack animals used to count as travel horses that your troops ride on. But now I think they dont, and just slow you down from herd penalty. Just my theory.

[Xenothor]

Originally posted by Locklave:

It's 95% about having riding horse for infantry.

Plus you need to have sufficient troops to manage pack animals now that they have the herd penalty.