The game is lacking a main character/avatar.

[Jǫrmungandr]

I touched this topic briefly once before in a post that was mainly about something else, but I would hope the devs would see it (and hopefully agree to implement it)...

There is no main character, no avatar. We need a main character. If he dies, game over. Our "main character" is only present during dialogue and scripted events. The rest of the time he seems to be sitting on the back of the wagon watching the rest of the retinue fight... He's not on the battlefield. Hardly a leader worth following. I know he supposedly took an arrow to the chest or something in during the failed chasing down of Hogart the Weasel or whatever his name was again in the scripted event/intro text at the beginning of the game. But our men suffer worse permanent injuries and they make it back into the fighting line, unless we sack them. If I'm the head of a mercenary company I'd want to act the part, and lead by example, rather than being the passive spectator.

I also know there is one background we can choose (called 'Lone wolf', if I recall) where we can choose to have a main character, but the terrible price to pay is that we can only have max 12 men in our roster, rather than 20. We really should have a main character no matter the background we choose. I also always thought the game should be balanced so that we can use all 20 men on the field at the same time, assuming they're healthy and ready to fight. Not to make the game easier (I like the difficulty), but because it makes sense from a logical point of view for any decent merc company to utilize the squad and seek superiority in numbers. The enemies' strength (many of which are monsters anyway) would be scaled up, so the game wouldn't be easier. We would just not be fighting 12 v 24 anymore, while the remaining 1-8 men (potentially very healthy) would be sitting on the sideline watching.

What do you guys think?

[suejak]

The Duck Knight původně napsal:

Soo...have you tried Nets?
Nets often help.
...wait...
this is about something else, right?

gimme a sec. Just gonne read what this was all about...
ah.
"we need a player character".
no. we do not.

LOL

[CblP-0|0y0|0E/\]

I THINK LONE WOLF START SHDNT FLEE OR RETREAT!!!!!!!
IT MAY BE CONTROLED BY WITCHS OR GET MORE PSYCHO DMG VIA LOW RESOLVE!!!!BUT NO FLEE OR RETREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

[andrekroon27]

For gods sake the events literally talk about how the captain doesn't need to actively participate in fights anymore.

And yeah, making fights bigger WOULD make them take longer and be more tedious, you increase the time it takes to finish a fight by 66% for no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ reason by increasing active roster cap to 20 and also buffing enemy numbers.

[The Duck Knight]

Kill'em ALL původně napsal:

The Duck Knight původně napsal:

Soo...have you tried Nets?
Nets often help.
...wait...
this is about something else, right?

xD
It seems that the long-time-favourite "but only without an active contract!" has finally found a worthy successor! Does the Church of Nets accept new acolytes yet?

Feel free to spread the word where ever you see the need. You can always quote my binding answers to all net-related problems everywhere all around the web.

When in doubt, nets will help.

[Wild colonial boy]

krikkert původně napsal:

What do you guys think?

I think you are right, every company should be able to put all men on the field.

[Wild colonial boy]

the dark wizard původně napsal:

Making the game quite unbalanced sure, but it allows you to have the avatar you wanted.

The game already is imbalanced putting you against more opponents

[the dark wizard]

Wild colonial boy původně napsal:

the dark wizard původně napsal:

Making the game quite unbalanced sure, but it allows you to have the avatar you wanted.

The game already is imbalanced putting you against more opponents

It's meant to be a hard game brother, thus you are out numbered to make it harder. It's also what the perks is balanced around. If you want an unfun experience then install the mods that allow you to have 18/27 bros in your squad, this makes every fight super unbalanced. You can also try the "ultra bro" mod that allows you to get super brothers (I do it when I wanna test something out). The game is balanced for what it is presenting to you.

[Wild colonial boy]

the dark wizard původně napsal:

It's meant to be a hard game brother

It was my point tho

[One Old Soldier]

Alright, lets break this OP down piece by piece:

krikkert původně napsal:

I touched this topic briefly once before in a post that was mainly about something else, but I would hope the devs would see it (and hopefully agree to implement it)...

You and dozens upon dozens of other people have brought this topic up already, once upon a time I seem to recall being included in that count but I've come to accept that the biggest reason is that frankly the captain isn't always in the thick of it with his men. Leaders from the front often die a grisly death, them's the bones.

I can't see how many hours you have since your account's settings prevent me from doing so, but I'm going to assume not very many hours if this is what you're getting hung up on.

If more serious players wanted this, we'd have more than 7.5% of the entire playerbase with the "Too Stubborn to Die" achievement which requires said lonewolf scenario hit level 11.

krikkert původně napsal:

There is no main character, no avatar. We need a main character. If he dies, game over. Our "main character" is only present during dialogue and scripted events. The rest of the time he seems to be sitting on the back of the wagon watching the rest of the retinue fight...

And? Once again, not all leaders fight, a commander can't very well lead his men as effectively if he's too busy not getting a knife in the gut. Commanders require a different kind of skill than just being able to properly wield a blade or bow.

Lonewolf allows you that option. The "Legends" mod also offers up new "Avatar" starting options if you so choose as well. As others have also mentioned, pick a character from your war-band, if he dies wipe your save. Simple as that, people have been artificially handicapping themselves in videogames for as far back as I can fathom.

krikkert původně napsal:

He's not on the battlefield. Hardly a leader worth following. I know he supposedly took an arrow to the chest or something in during the failed chasing down of Hogart the Weasel or whatever his name was again in the scripted event/intro text at the beginning of the game. But our men suffer worse permanent injuries and they make it back into the fighting line, unless we sack them. If I'm the head of a mercenary company I'd want to act the part, and lead by example, rather than being the passive spectator.

You'd make a poor soldier if you can't trust your officer to competently lead you without drawing cold steel himself and being right in the thick of it, odds are after the first scrap or few (if you made it that long) you'd probably be thrown out of the lot all together.

Julius Caesar was beloved and trusted by his soldiers enough as a commander of one of the most powerful armies in the world at the time because he commanded respect and loyalty from his men. Not because he was right in the thick of it with them, but because he led them fairly and made good on his promises to his men.

krikkert původně napsal:

We really should have a main character no matter the background we choose. I also always thought the game should be balanced so that we can use all 20 men on the field at the same time, assuming they're healthy and ready to fight. Not to make the game easier (I like the difficulty), but because it makes sense from a logical point of view for any decent merc company to utilize the squad and seek superiority in numbers.

Once again, plenty of mods allow this, and you could easily pick a random lad out of the ranks and give him a title like "The Captain" and if he dies, you end the game, simple as that.

You're asking for the inclusion of a mechanic players have already LONG ago added in with free mods that anyone can acquire should they so choose to have it for a game that launched out of early access over 3 years ago.

This is akin to demanding the Devs for Dark Souls add in a 'one life' mechanic that wipes your save 3 years after the game's release because you REALLY SUPER-SERIAL want it. You're also asking this from a studio with less budget and manpower to go back and re-write all of this again while they're working on a new expansion that seems ready to up-end how this entire game plays. An expansion that may have more options for what you're wanting.

krikkert původně napsal:

I also know there is one background we can choose (called 'Lone wolf', if I recall) where we can choose to have a main character, but the terrible price to pay is that we can only have max 12 men in our roster, rather than 20.

In those Militia playthroughs? you're allowed to have so many people because you can't really hire alot of the stronger warriors (only peasants and their like). There is also the matter of balance which you claim the game is already fairly balanced, yet wanting to change the game's mechanics to drastically UNBALANCE it. Lonewolf is MEANT to be hard.

krikkert původně napsal:

The enemies' strength (many of which are monsters anyway) would be scaled up, so the game wouldn't be easier. We would just not be fighting 12 v 24 anymore, while the remaining 1-8 men (potentially very healthy) would be sitting on the sideline watching.

What do you guys think?

I think saying "Well we could make them stronger!" is once again, you saying 'the game's pretty balanced already' on one hand then wanting to DRAMATICALLY change the game's entire balance because you really want your super special character.

You're demanding a company who has already fully released this game to dramatically change the base mechanics, stats for it's enemies (risking unbalancing the ever-loving hell out of everything) and risk completely making 3 year's worth of fan's support of the game (including mods and guides) worthless or insulting their loyal customers because you want one feature you can already include in your game without modifying the code whatsoever.

Do you really REALLY think that's a decision they're going to give much weight to?

[BrowneHawk]

I always wanted the game to have a main character. I always roleplay and make myself one of the fighters. Enjoyed lonewolf when it came out. Still think it would be cool to have the real leader on the field.

We should be able to make ourselves a custom start toon and pick it perks.

[Sarcastro]

Sounds like what the OP wants is the Disgraced General mod. Start with a single high level disowned noble. Has great stats and a crap ton of perks. If he ever dies the game ends. Also start with a bunch of gold a named item or 2 and can run 16 brothers in battle with a max of 24. Also get a couple other perks, like 25% faster map speed, little more supply room.

Not had any issues with it in terms of crashes wither.

[One Old Soldier]

Sarcastro původně napsal:

Sounds like what the OP wants is the Disgraced General mod. Start with a single high level disowned noble. Has great stats and a crap ton of perks. If he ever dies the game ends. Also start with a bunch of gold a named item or 2 and can run 16 brothers in battle with a max of 24. Also get a couple other perks, like 25% faster map speed, little more supply room.

Not had any issues with it in terms of crashes wither.

Honestly, I like "Legends" because it offers way more variety in starts it also drastically changes how armor works:

Basically every soldier can equip a gambeson/peasant attire and 4 kinds of armor such as vests; overall body; cloaks and tabards as well as runes (if you have a specific character gained through an event) that can be attached and removed to each suit to customize how much and little armor you want for each man (or woman, which is a part of the mod, as well as metric boatloads of new perks and backgrounds)

Hell, 2 of the starts include letting you play as the Undead, as a warlock/necromancer or Ancient Legionaries.

[Shui]

realism is a dumb reason to use as an argument for commander not being on the field

that said, lone wolf start is adequate for avatar, I wish there was as start where you could roll a fully custom avatar that wasn't hedge knight, but its good enough for me

[The Duck Knight]

Shui původně napsal:

realism is a dumb reason to use as an argument for commander not being on the field

that said, lone wolf start is adequate for avatar, I wish there was as start where you could roll a fully custom avatar that wasn't hedge knight, but its good enough for me

I want a origin with an avatar that is an Noble with cocky perk and 6 random permanent injuries that can't be taken from the frontline under any circumstances. If he dies, you lost.

Also: he should only wield a net that is replaces for free after every use.
Also: maybe he should not be able to move on the battlefield, but need to be pushed around by another brother.

[juanval]

I like to play ironman mode and I like the way the roster of brothers is displayed: no leader appears in combat. All brothers are equal. The leader of the band appears in contract dealogues but not enters in combat. For me is the perfect way.

On the other hand, there is a origin in which if the leader dies, game over.