you are a good man

"optimized a moral trigger by excluding horses from calculation"

:D Horses have feelings too!

Thanks for all your work. Looking forward to a new rags-to-riches campaign with a new character.

Your notes don't mention it specifically here, but you talked before about Praetorian quests, so I'm assuming that's in and included in your "freelancer" note, right?

Origineel geplaatst door BanDHMO:

"optimized a moral trigger by excluding horses from calculation"

:D Horses have feelings too!

Thanks for all your work. Looking forward to a new rags-to-riches campaign with a new character.

Your notes don't mention it specifically here, but you talked before about Praetorian quests, so I'm assuming that's in and included in your "freelancer" note, right?

I think I have every stuff you send me included, expect the minor faction events and the silk worm event.
Do you mean the Praetorian dialogues, or the Nil expedition we talked about (both are included)

"I think I have every stuff you send me included, expect the minor faction events and the silk worm event."

Wow, really? Even the repeatable exploration stuff? I thought you were only going to be able to do that in a later release. If you managed to get it in this one, that's awesome!

"Do you mean the Praetorian dialogues, or the Nil expedition we talked about (both are included)"

I only meant your Praetorian quests. You said earlier that you had a bunch of quests for Praetorian rank advancement built that involved assassinations. One of those you were going to replace with the Nile expedition stuff, which I suspected you didn't have time to do, but the others would still be there, since you built them already. Good to know even the Nile stuff is in!

Origineel geplaatst door BanDHMO:

"I think I have every stuff you send me included, expect the minor faction events and the silk worm event."

Wow, really? Even the repeatable exploration stuff? I thought you were only going to be able to do that in a later release. If you managed to get it in this one, that's awesome!

"Do you mean the Praetorian dialogues, or the Nil expedition we talked about (both are included)"

I only meant your Praetorian quests. You said earlier that you had a bunch of quests for Praetorian rank advancement built that involved assassinations. One of those you were going to replace with the Nile expedition stuff, which I suspected you didn't have time to do, but the others would still be there, since you built them already. Good to know even the Nile stuff is in!

But the exploration feature is incomplete, because I havent created generic strings, so can only do a maximum of 11 to east and 11 to south. And as I said in the blog, the silk worm is missing.
(yeah I said I wont do it for this version as I thought I would have not enough time to test it, but I had)

And regarding Praetorians: Freelance and play as Praetorian, hopefully you will see all events.

Great! I'm also really enjoying Arretium's new village scene. Very Roman. :)

By the way, I lucked out and got Dry Wells as the first village quest I did. Everything worked flawlessly, and thanks for further improving some of the texts.

The only inconsistency I noticed was that other quests in the game use sentence case (first capital, subsequent words lower case) without a period at the end for quest names, and this quest is "Dry Wells.", but honestly, this isn't even a typo, so who cares. I wouldn't worry about changing it.

I'm also enjoying the change where you have to get 200 renown to start buying businesses, thus extending early game and preventing my usual "run for a business empire, then play while rich" strategy.

Wow, this mod is honestly amazing. Most definitely the best Roman singleplayer mod out there, for sure. I am curious though, do you plan on adding more factions? Factions to populate southern africa, egypt, arabia, etc.

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the work you put into this mod! It is my absolute favourite by far. I play it even more than Bannerlord since that isn't feature complete yet, and I don't think it'll ever match the depth of features you put here. You're a legend!

"I'm also enjoying the change where you have to get 200 renown to start buying businesses"
When did I changed that ? :D

Origineel geplaatst door Sir_Royland:

Wow, this mod is honestly amazing. Most definitely the best Roman singleplayer mod out there, for sure. I am curious though, do you plan on adding more factions? Factions to populate southern africa, egypt, arabia, etc.

In the blog I said "Interactions with minor factions (Gaetuli etc.)" will be a thing in the future (mainly via events, but if you are at war with them they will raid your villages in Africa/middle east)
Together with that I will add 1 new place + minor faction (which will act like the other 3) Aksum.
Thats the plan.

Origineel geplaatst door Kornan:

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the work you put into this mod! It is my absolute favourite by far. I play it even more than Bannerlord since that isn't feature complete yet, and I don't think it'll ever match the depth of features you put here. You're a legend!

Thanks!

Origineel geplaatst door BGMaxi:

"I'm also enjoying the change where you have to get 200 renown to start buying businesses"
When did I changed that ? :D

You didn't? Haha, nice. I must have just accumulated all the renown without noticing in the past. Either way, it's good. Feels nice to have done a soldier start this time instead of a businessman/commander.


On another note, I've played through quite a few quests now, and some of them feel like they would be great to make repeatable. Maybe when you are an emperor, there can be events similar to what Nero faced when he sent you to do these things, and one of the choices can be to personally head the unit doing the job? I'm talking about things like:

- fighting bandits in the city streets
- putting down civil unrest in Rome
- assaulting a villa of a political opponent guarded by mercenaries
- assaulting a rich merchant's villa whom you accused of treason
- non-lethal villa assault to arrest someone

Finally, obviously, fantastic job on all the quests, like others said! You've only put a little one-liner in the change log for freelancer, but behind that is a lot of really cool quests, and with more unique scenes than I ever expected. Very nicely done.

I forgot to document the feature under game concepts too, lol

I have a suggestion about the Civil War questline. Usually Kaeso Flavius says you need somewhere around 150,000 denars to bribe people to start the coup. I was wondering if there could be an option to promise the money for bribes after you become Emperor.

That way if you don't have the money on hand, you can still launch a coup, but now with the added difficulty of having to keep your promises. If you fail to pay off the bribe after a certain period of time has passed once you are Emperor, a severe penalty should occur, such as a massive opinion decrease from the Senate and all your lords, increasing the chance of an assassination attempt greatly.

@Kornan, dont know if I ever add this option. interesting idea, though.

CONTAINS SPOILERS
STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED
THROUGH EARLY FREELANCER QUESTS YET

@Maxi, here's the writing proposal for the event of Avarica and Superbius' reappearance once you are emperor that we talked about earlier. I took it a little bit further with the raid on the gang option that we didn't discuss. I think it fits, but it's totally optional.

Also, there's a further extension of this storyline that I want to propose to you in concept. It's below the writeup text. Please read it after you read the events so far.



Name: A Blast from the Past
Prereq: Player did the freelancer quest that finishes Avarica/Superbius chain (I propose regardless of outcome as even in the worst case they could've escaped, but potentially only if player choices let them leave)

Event intro text and choices:
"
During your daily briefing on the security situation in the city of Rome, an adviser closes his speech with a curious bit of news. He speaks, somewhat unsure whether he is doing the right thing bringing it up.
^^
'Divine Emperor, forgive me for bothering you with such a trivial matter, but perhaps it will be of interest.
^A thief captured several days ago in the city market claims to be an old acquaintance of yours. Of course, we usually pay such claims no mind. Criminals will say all kinds of nonsense when they are caught, after all. However, she has volunteered to be interrogated under torture and after three days of intense pain she is still insisting on her story.
^We suspect there may be a chance, as small as it is, my emperor, that she may be telling the truth.
^She says her name is Avarica. Would you like to see her, my lord?'
"

Option 1: Send her in. "As guards bring in the dirty and battered woman, you recognize her as a camp follower you met when you were just a foot soldier. She and an ugly recruit named Superbius have deserted the legion after stealing some supplies. Despite her horrifying appearance from repeated tortures, she is smiling triumphantly, obviously happy she managed to make it to see you.^After guards force her to her knees before her emperor, she is allowed to make her plea." (Proceeds to dialog with Avarica below)
Option 2: Dismissed. (Avarica will be gone forever) "You wave the annoying adviser off. The emperor has more important business to attend to." (Ends the chain)


(A)varica:
"
-- {playername}, you have not changed one bit!
^^(Your guard promptly plants a stick into her side and whispers an angry instruction to her ear. Avarica keeps beaming at you, barely noticing the pain. She's obviously been through far worse in the past three days).
^^-- Forgive me, Divine Emperor. I didn't mean to offend. I am your obedient servant and have nothing but respect and admiration for you to show.
^-- I wish I could have seen you again as a free Roman, but instead I have to ask for your help.
^-- When my darling Superbius and I escaped from the legion, we were wanted fugitives. We lived on the run, going from one city to another, taking odd jobs. Sooner or later people started asking questions wherever we went and we had to move on. It was a hard life, but we managed, at least until we got to Rome.
^-- After some time living here, we were approached by a gang. This wasn't like other times when people got suspicious. This gang knew everything about us. They even got our Centurion's old papers, sealing judgements for me and my love to hang on a cross... If we refused to do as they say, they threatened to turn us over the the vigilia.
^-- They've asked for money and other things. Made me steal in the markets and him rob people at night. Every day they wanted more and we had to do anything they said or the vigilia would execute us.
^-- Now I am caught and the story would have come out soon. I have only one hope left, so here I am, begging for your divine pardon for the crimes Superbius and I have committed. Please, my emperor, I will do anything, I beg you!
^^(Avarica bows even deeper, kneeling at her emperor's feet as she awaits your decision.)
"

Opt1: You must pay for your crimes. (Avarica will be gone forever)
"Dura Lex Sed Lex - the law is harsh, but it is the law. You explain to Avarica that none of her misfortunes change the original crime, and her punishment has been written and sealed a long time ago. She and her ugly lover will be crucified and this time officials will make sure they are both dead. Let everyone know, this emperor is lawful and just and does not play favorites." (+Reputation, +Renown, end of story)

Opt2: You are forgiven. (Avarica will be gone forever)
"You order documents drawn up, reversing Avarica and Superbius convictions and declaring them free and loyal Romans. Tears of joy run down through dirt and blood on Avarica's cheeks. She thanks you profusely as she is lead out, promising to praise your name in every corner of the empire." (end of story)

Opt3: You are forgiven and will be my servant now.
"While the pardons are quickly drawn up on your command, you explain to Avarica what is next. The extremely well-paid and coveted servant positions at the emperor's palace are something the best of the best spend their whole lives dreaming about and only select few ever get. As you announce that she is now granted such a position, Avarica gasps in disbelief and stands with her mouth open, breathing rapidly. ^^For a moment, it seems she might pass out, but then she flies at you, with the loudest happy scream you've ever heard and embraces you, showering you with kisses and smearing dirt and blood over your pristine luxurious clothes. She nearly earns herself a gladius in the back before you stop the guards with a gesture.
^^It's all over, your reassure Avarica. Their struggles are done.^^Hundreds of jealous pretenders who have been hoping for the honor of an imperial servant position for years waste no time spreading rumors of your romantic involvement with the newly minted maid. Avarica's passionate thanks that culminated with kissing you before being dragged away only helped lend these rumors credence." (spawns Avarica the Maid NPC in the imperial palace, dialog below)

Opt4: You are forgiven and I gift you a villa.
"While the pardons are quickly drawn up on your command, you talk to Avarica about what comes next. You take good care of your old friends, you explain. You are not even half way through explaining that you are giving Avarica and Superbius a luxurious villa when she faints and collapses at your feet, drawing a chuckle from the courtiers in attendence. You end up sending her to her new home with your medicus. After they recover, you can visit the couple in their new villa.^^Naturally, such generousity causes rumors alleging she is your new lover to spread to all corners of Rome." (-50000 denari, +Renown, adds Superbius villa location to Rome, which is identical to the merchant's villa from the very first quest, spawns Avarica and Superbius NPCs there)




NPC dialogs

Avarica (talkable NPC if you chose to keep her either in the palace or in the new villa)
=======
"My Divine Emperor, the most benevolent and generous of all gods! Is there any way I can serve you?"

Opt1: Nothing right now. "A: Yes, my emperor."
Opt2: Cook me some of your legion stew. "A: -- Right away, oh divine! I'd do anything for you! ^^(Avarica fixes some of her signature disgusting stew, just like she used to do in the legion. It is barely edible, but the taste brings back memories of your humble origins. You smile as you declare that it tastes like donkey crap and she laughs back, giving you a hug.) ^^-- Thank you, my emperor. I know that's exactly why you like it."
If not already done:
Opt3: About that gang blackmailing you. "A: My emperor, I can tell you everything about them. Do I see in your eyes that their lair is about to get stormed?"
Opt3a: Not today.
Opt3b: Yes, the vigilia will tear it apart. "That night, town guards descend on the gang's hideouts. Loot is confiscated and many criminals are prosecuted in a public show. The Roman crowds cheer law and order." (+10000 denari, +Rome, +Reputation, +Renown, mark as done)
Opt3c: Yes, I will personally slaughter them! (Starts a street battle between player + Superbius + Praetorians vs 25 bandits; gives +Rome, ++Reputation, +Renown, mark as done)


Superbius (only talkable in the Villa)
=========
"Divine Emperor! I still can't believe I had the honor of serving with a god! Thank you again for this beautiful villa. We are forever in your debt. Is there any way we can serve you?"

Opt1: Nothing right now. "A: Yes, emperor."



Continuation:
As I wrote this stuff it seemed like Avarica and Superbius returning to a life of crime would be a natural progression from where this ends. After all, they didn't steal crap from the legion because they are lawful people. Now that all their needs are take care of and they have nothing to do but sit on their butts and make you stew, they'd end up trying to get back into crime for power. Only, if they have half a brain between them, they'd try to use the emperor's protection to their advantage. So, you can end up with your very own pet gang that may even grow into a Thieves Guild of sorts if you support it enough. Avarica could eventually develop into something of a godfather-type character under your control, and Superbius would make a fun intimidator with that mug of his.

So here's what it'd look like.

After the gang is demolished, Avarica would come to the player explaining that many low-level people were in the gang involuntarily just as she was, and a few of those who chose this life themselves had a semblance of honor too. They scattered when your forces crushed the gang and are now being picked up by rival gangs moving in to fill the vacuum. Since these people have few skills other than being criminals, most will either die or join other gangs. She would propose instead organizing them into a gang of her own. They would never survive a competition with rival gangs without help, but your clandestine support can arrange for them to control a piece of the city. You spend money, and possibly do a couple of fights or events, similar to clearing the gang above, and eventually you have your little pet gang. From here, there are many directions it can develop, which we can talk about.

At a minimum, it can be a money and time sink with repeatable single-fight mini-quests and/or events as you work to expand their influence just because it's fun, i.e. for an emperor who has everything, why not a pet street gang?

Further potential, a pet criminal organization under the control of the emperor can then be used as a prop for political battles, can bring in money, be a source of intelligence, can be a threat of embarrassing scandals for the player, etc. It makes a good platform for repeatable street-fighting, caravan-robbing, and villa and hideout-storming quests where the player can participate incognito, as well as events, where you can choose to send vigilia against rival gangs on intel from your own criminals, set up political opponents with cat burglars planting treasonous documents in their homes, etc. Not to mention it will be a great hook for any future quests that you might want to begin with "emperor, my little birdies are telling me that..." :) Thoughts?

PS The only thing I don't have an answer for is, if it grows into something bigger, there should be a way to trigger it without serving in the legion first for people who don't do freelancer or start as commander/emperor. Probably would just slightly rephrase or skip some of the dialogs.

Origineel geplaatst door BGMaxi:

@Kornan, dont know if I ever add this option. interesting idea, though.

That's understandable, it would be a lot of work. Frankly I'm amazed at all the work you've done adding so much detail already!

I have a question about the new Villas in Rome that you can purchase, do they serve any function? Right now the only thing in them are a few slaves you can talk to. I thought it might be an interesting idea to add a chest where you can store items, or even be able to rent them out like the Villa in Neapolis.

If you're feeling particularly up for adding more content, maybe even a quest or two involving them? Right now their high prices of 50,000 and 100,000 denars seems a lot for places that don't have any gameplay.