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[Ultima Ratio Regum]

How will be the factions handled? Would it be possible for you to make items/creatures/factions moddable and allow people to make their own factions with modded equipment, stats, rules, description etc? It would provide great customization to anyone who wants to play specific scenarios or to make "whos race wins" bets... Et cetera, it would make the game much more interesting to play with .

Also if you can, please add descriptions to anything possible (which you can inspect). You can even make them simple/nonexistent for now, and let the community fill it, it would add a lot of flavor to the world. I would jump on such project gladly!

And of corse: it looks great!

Intelligent creature factions will not exist in the first alpha, but when they do, factions will be generated and then iterated through several simple generations of conflict to create empires and smaller city-states. Each will have a colour, and a randomly generated name, flag, and various other things. I don't plan to allow modding in the traditional sense just yet, but I will likely put in a function to allow you to design specific factions that will exist in a game, or to generate a world with very specific parameters. Say, if you want to let the world generate, that's fine, but if you want a world with one gigantic empire and you start off with just a tiny village, that should be possible too, but that's once factions actually appear! Of course, wild creatures etc have factions, but those aren't the same. And thanks! Stay tuned for the winter screenshot update

Oh, there are already descriptions for absolutely bloody everything . I might end up asking for ideas, though, so thanks a ton for the offer! Currently, creatures all have detailed descriptions. In the next few days I'm going to properly add trees and plants back into the mix, and they'll all get descriptions. Also, the names and histories of forests, mountains etc are all generated, and come with descriptions. You can also view a weapon, which will give you a close-up ASCII image of the weapon, in addition to info about its history, make, benefits, etc, and a general description. There's a bloody lot of words in this game!

Back with some more MAGIC questions 

First of all: Will a highly trained mage be able to draw energy out of living creatures and use it for spells? And could he draw energy from heat, movement (as in falling rocks 'n stuff), electricity, wind?

Could he actually end up killing himself by using up all his energy? (like, his heart stops because he is over fatigued)

Would there be drawbacks by using magic (mental problems, sickness, pain)

How powerful would mages be at their highest? Would they be awesomely strong, godlike, one man army's that could throw men and monsters around like leaves in a hurricane and level entire cities without breaking a sweat? Or would they be no stronger than any other man, but with an army of zombies and elementals?

Would magic mostly be focused at singular (fireballs, and magic missiles) or AOE (tornado summoning, oversized air blasts, meteor showers, and mass necromancy) magics? Or would it be a mix?

Could you store mana in objects for later use? Would it drain over time?

Would magic be something rare or common? And how powerful would an 'average' mage be?

And finally... Could you enslave a village, leech energy out of the villagers and then use their drained corpses to make an army of undead and take over the world?     

In order :

Living creatures, probably not. Weather etc is much more on the mark!

Hmmm. That could be a good balance, actually, though there are some other ideas for risks from 'over-using' magic.

At their strongest, I'm not sure how strong mages will be, really. It'll all need balancing. They will probably be able to take out a hefty portion of an army at once, at the most, but there will have to be some major negative repercussions of that too!

Individuals might have some small magics, but most of the magic of consequence (or all; not sure yet) will be on a much wider scale, and used by very few individuals.

Super, super, super rare. The average mage'll be pretty strong!

Ah, now, if they're dead, I suspect you'll be able to leach from them

[Leatra]

I bet Deon will make a great mod for this game
Making the game moddable as much as possible would be great. I mean, look at Cataclysm. Modders make mods and Whales (developer) merges them into the game. It's like a big community all working together for one game.

I got some questions about MAGIC too

Is there going to be a chance to fail casting a spell and also a chance to fail horribly while casting a spell? When you try to use a ranged spell you shouldn't be able to hit exactly where you want with a poor marksmanship. You could kill your allies if you aren't careful. Another example is, while raising a corpse that corpse could be hostile towards you or something. Trying to heal your allies could result in opening more wounds on them maybe. This could balance things and force the player to learn spellcasting from a teacher if the player knows nothing about it. Nobody can learn a subject without a book or a teacher if they know absolutely nothing.

I rembember you mentioned rituals; time-consuming powerful spells that can effect the battlefield considerably. Will there be godly rituals where you ask help from your god(s)? Like, when we are fightining against an evil warlock who worships the god of destruction and death. You could ask for a protection against unholy spells from the god of... creation and life maybe?

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

I bet Deon will make a great mod for this game
Making the game moddable as much as possible would be great. I mean, look at Cataclysm. Modders make mods and Whales (developer) merges them into the game. It's like a big community all working together for one game.

I got some questions about MAGIC too

Is there going to be a chance to fail casting a spell and also a chance to fail horribly while casting a spell? When you try to use a ranged spell you shouldn't be able to hit exactly where you want with a poor marksmanship. You could kill your allies if you aren't careful. Another example is, while raising a corpse that corpse could be hostile towards you or something. Trying to heal your allies could result in opening more wounds on them maybe. This could balance things and force the player to learn spellcasting from a teacher if the player knows nothing about it. Nobody can learn a subject without a book or a teacher if they know absolutely nothing.

I rembember you mentioned rituals; time-consuming powerful spells that can effect the battlefield considerably. Will there be godly rituals where you ask help from your god(s)? Like, when we are fightining against an evil warlock who worships the god of destruction and death. You could ask for a protection against unholy spells from the god of... creation and life maybe?

I'm not yet sure how much 'external' modding support I'm going to have; there will be abilities to create your own scenarios within the game from a very early release onwards. As for actually changing mechanics, creatures, etc, I'm eager for all suggestions, but I'm not sure how moddable those will be . Now, to your questions (though again, magic won't be around for some time ):

Marksmanship is an interesting question, for magic, and bows, and various other projectiles and similar. I'm not quite sure how marksmanship is going to work, though presumably it'll be skill-based. I rather like the idea of potential errors with healing the like, though - I'll have to think about one! For raising corpses, I think I'll definitely put in a chance of that corpse being reanimated but hostile, as that raises potential amusement when reanimating especially strong creatures...

You won't be able to get divine/supernatural assistance on the spur of the moment, because the rituals will be too complex for that. However, you will be able to make preparations for a battle with appropriate deities - though too, of course, will your foes. I think some deities will have in-built alliances and hatreds, and mortal armies playing those out will affect supernatural matters too, perhaps...

[Levi]

Will there be morale?  If I don't pay/entertain my armies enough will they desert or turn on me? 

I could see some fun/desperation in trying to keep a large powerful army as inexpensive as possible.   

[Ivefan]

Will there be morale?  If I don't pay/entertain my armies enough will they desert or turn on me? 

Morale is a must because your newly recruited peasant horde ain't going to stand and fight against that fearsome undead dragon.

Now if they were religious fanatics it would be another matter.

[Frumple]

Yeah, morale's been stated to be an intended feature several times already

Comes up every few pages, heh.

[Levi]

Yeah, morale's been stated to be an intended feature several times already

Comes up every few pages, heh.

Ah, thanks.  I really should read the whole thread sometime. 

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

Will there be morale?  If I don't pay/entertain my armies enough will they desert or turn on me? 
I could see some fun/desperation in trying to keep a large powerful army as inexpensive as possible.   

Oh, you bet they will. Balancing army demands is going to be important. If your army is bored, kill something! If your army is poor, rob someone, loot a town, etc. If they're starving, you could march them to hunt down some huge creatures that could provide meat for all. Obviously, those all have potential downsides, but you'll have to weigh those up

Morale is a must because your newly recruited peasant horde ain't going to stand and fight against that fearsome undead dragon.
Now if they were religious fanatics it would be another matter.

Yup, to both. Some groups want to fight some foes, some groups don't, some folks are simply braver, some respect their leaders more/less, and so on...

Yeah, morale's been stated to be an intended feature several times already
Comes up every few pages, heh.

Yep - lots of different kinds, though, like bravery, respect for leaders, willingness to fight, willingness to go hungry/thirsty for times, willingness to march, willingness to fight the foe, respect for allies...

Ah, thanks.  I really should read the whole thread sometime. 

I highly recommend it!

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

New devblog entry on the mysterious appearance of the Penrose River... or, more world gen stuff!

http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/2011/12/19/the-case-of-the-penrose-river-2/

Here's how rivers look at the moment (without any current or indicator of flow shown, currently):

[Ivefan]

If they're starving, you could march them to hunt down some huge creatures that could provide meat for all.

This is something for the small bands of raiders and such but would be rather tedious when the player gets too many followers.
Unless you mean something like "Lets hunt a dragon, Dragon steaks for everyone!" provisioning your army should be depending on some foraging score, either from an appointed underling or your own score.
That score could be depending on a lot of factors such as the forager being familiar/unfamiliar with the terrain(plains vs jungle) , over foraging like what would happen near a large city(buy provisions instead)

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

If they're starving, you could march them to hunt down some huge creatures that could provide meat for all.

This is something for the small bands of raiders and such but would be rather tedious when the player gets too many followers.
Unless you mean something like "Lets hunt a dragon, Dragon steaks for everyone!" provisioning your army should be depending on some foraging score, either from an appointed underling or your own score.
That score could be depending on a lot of factors such as the forager being familiar/unfamiliar with the terrain(plains vs jungle) , over foraging like what would happen near a large city(buy provisions instead)

Oh, yes, in larger armies you will be able to get supply trains and things going to keep your forces supplied, and some people in your army will be specifically tasked with hunting etc each time your army makes camp. Again, though, even a large army will be challenged by some of the huge creatures, so if you encounter one, it won't be trivially easy, but it WILL provide a ton of food. Also, yeah, proximity to a city will obviously make everything easier, which'll mean expanding empires and leading your army away will need logistical support, lest everyone starve and turn on you : )

[Ivefan]

Oh, yes, in larger armies you will be able to get supply trains and things going to keep your forces supplied, and some people in your army will be specifically tasked with hunting etc each time your army makes camp. Again, though, even a large army will be challenged by some of the huge creatures, so if you encounter one, it won't be trivially easy, but it WILL provide a ton of food. Also, yeah, proximity to a city will obviously make everything easier, which'll mean expanding empires and leading your army away will need logistical support, lest everyone starve and turn on you : )

Being near a city wont necessarily make provisioning easier, especially if its a hostile one that torched all the farms, as you wont be able to hunt due to no game.
Supply trains can be intercepted and would require a city providing it and probably an escort, either by owning the city or contracting merchants if you're a mercenary force.

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

Oh, yes, in larger armies you will be able to get supply trains and things going to keep your forces supplied, and some people in your army will be specifically tasked with hunting etc each time your army makes camp. Again, though, even a large army will be challenged by some of the huge creatures, so if you encounter one, it won't be trivially easy, but it WILL provide a ton of food. Also, yeah, proximity to a city will obviously make everything easier, which'll mean expanding empires and leading your army away will need logistical support, lest everyone starve and turn on you : )

Being near a city wont necessarily make provisioning easier, especially if its a hostile one that torched all the farms, as you wont be able to hunt due to no game.
Supply trains can be intercepted and would require a city providing it and probably an escort, either by owning the city or contracting merchants if you're a mercenary force.

Oh, no, I meant being near a friendly one, simply because the supply chain will then be a lot shorter. And yes, you'll definitely need to assign protection to longer supply chains; but by the same token, you can attack the supply chains of your foes...

[Ivefan]

I just thought of something.
You should give settlements traits or some kind of sliders which dictates what you can do or what consequences actions in a city will have.
Like, in a high corruption settlement a bandit can sell their stolen goods without any uncomfortable questions asked.
Or in a theocratic city state you can easily recruit believers for a cause or another.

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

I just thought of something.
You should give settlements traits or some kind of sliders which dictates what you can do or what consequences actions in a city will have.
Like, in a high corruption settlement a bandit can sell their stolen goods without any uncomfortable questions asked.
Or in a theocratic city state you can easily recruit believers for a cause or another.

I like all these ideas! I'm still thinking about how civilizations are going to be defined, and I'm thinking along very similar lines to this. Pick a random series of traits for each civilization (with, at least, traits that match up) and then go from there. Obviously you won't get Elves who hate the environment, or dwarves who don't care the least for metalwork, but there should still be a lot of variation in the kinds of things you said - religiosity, corruption, militarism, traditionalism, expansionism, foreign relations, population demographics, etc etc . It would obviously affect what civs form alliances and wage war, too. Then once the game starts, let you find one you agree with to join; or if none, join one close, and try and influence it in the direction you want...