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Author Topic: Allegiance Identifiers  (Read 1379 times)

Judge Joe

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Allegiance Identifiers
« on: September 26, 2021, 07:15:50 pm »

Something to make adventure mode more playable, in a fairly realistic way. Allegiance identifiers: no more running into fights or even armies and pitched battles with no way to figure out who's fighting who or why. Naturally, battles can be confusing, at least at first. Yet there should also be clues, as there would be irl. Or even extremely obvious things like uniforms; soldiers and warbands should make some effort to be identifiable to each other before going into battle or on raids/campaigns. Sewing/painting/chalking/penciling their entity symbol on shields/surcoats/capes/brooches or cloaks would be the most reliable indicator. If your adventurer has ever seen the symbol before, a creature description might read "A swordsdwarf with a six petalled lily painted on his shield in dimple dye. You recognize the symbol as that of the Crucible of Cheese, a dwarven civilization." And then whenever you look at another soldier with that indicator; it might simply read "A speardwarf of the Crucible of Cheese". It might even be cool for units to be the color of their "uniform" if any (because to me, who a unit is fighting for is far more useful info than what their highest weapon skill is, which is how colors are assigned now; I don't care if the guy has a sword or an ax; I care whether it's me he's about to smack with it).
Less sophisticated factions might have less sophisticated identifiers; something as simple as the color or style of someone's crest, the braiding of their beard, or a tattoo could tell you what outlaw gang/militia/what have you they're in. Though in such case, you might not be able to figure it out until you've had a chance to ask the significance of an identifier. Though even if you don't know WHY one group is all wearing matching plumes, you should be able to quickly notice it (so that if you decide to side with one group and win the fight for them, you can make sure to only kill the other side).

You should also be able to ask someone WHY they are fighting. It seems like a really weird omission that you can't (you can ask someone why they're WALKING, which seems somehow less urgent). Of course, bandits robbing a caravan might be less than forthright about their intentions, but bandits under attack by a squad of knights will truthfully state that they're fighting for their lives. The knights, conversely, will proudly announce that they're clearing the roads of bandits for the glory of King Whatsisname.

It seems like a lot to take in in a fight, but when you consider how much you can learn from a few frantic words and visual cues (where such things are available) it makes sense. Think Skyrim; if you're wandering, and you see legionaries fighting bandits, you know it immediately.
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FantasticDorf

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Re: Allegiance Identifiers
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2021, 09:45:57 am »

👍 +

Obviously it should also have a means to be falsified or enable breaking a oath to betray your side, but this would greatly clarify battles on multiple different scales all the way down to jealous squabbles, loyalty cascades, to epic battles.

Would dwarves yell something to the effect of "For [fortname]" as a clear indicator other than being a meta-attachment for the viewing purposes of the player?
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Orange-of-Cthulhu

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Re: Allegiance Identifiers
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2021, 05:03:56 pm »

+1

Incidentally, if members of a civ identify people's allegiance by what shield their carrying (alternatively by the entire uniform) it creates interesting possibilities for if you pick up their shield - then it might be made possible to pose as a member of the other army.
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Starver

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Re: Allegiance Identifiers
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2021, 12:07:15 am »

Previews of the way the Steam release work (and suggestions) have included allegience-markers as non-diegetic overlays. Exact form probably yet to be finalised, but for Fort mode should distinguish Fort/Hostile/Others, if I remember how that was left hanging on these forums.

How that might work with far more complex situations a random Adventurer might stumble into (outwith a 'home' or 'away' factionalism being already conveniently established in some situations), or how that might work in the parallel non-Steam (slightly more base graphics) or your Steam version that you "classic-graphics rethemed"... I wouldn't care to predict.

But it'd be nice to see as a unit/entity description, with the flavour as suggested or similar. Especially if I could (through a little otherwise innocent tweak of the RAWs?) actually get one plucky little band donning actual sprigs of lilac.
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