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[Dutchling]

@Man of Paper, limbs will not go flying, as he said that a few posts ago.

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

Just one request: Don't work yourself to death. If you do and this remains unfinished I will figure out a way to hunt you down for building up my hopes for a brilliant game.

Lol I agree ill help you hunt him down.

He doesn't look like he is stopping any time soon

Worry ye not, I shall not be stopping (hear that, everyone? No need to come hunting!), though I actually have to take a couple of days off now as I'm heading home for a brief period, but everything will resume come Friday. Besides, way over 50% of 0.2.0 is now done, so November is still pretty definite. Maybe even before the 30th!

Oh, another brief series of questions!

How prominent will siege weaponry (ballistae, trebuchet, catapults, etc.) be in the game? Will we be able to use flaming ammunition? I think you've already answered yes and probably to these, but I don't totally recall.
More importantly, will limbs go flying and will they do damage to people they hit? I want to see a cadre of bandits flee in fear after the catapult I brought along for no reason scores a direct hit on their commander and his arm bitch slaps one of his fellow bandits from 30 feet away.
Will ladders and grappling hooks be implemented for scaling walls? Would a defender be able to dislodge them? And would someone playing an assassin be able to use said grappling hook to scale buildings and the like?
Grappling hooks made me think of alternative weapons such as bolas and the like. Are there any plans to include weaponry to trip up opponents/screw up their horses? How about nonlethal take-downs?
When battle lines crash, will there occasionally be pushing and shoving around prior to all out combat? For visual reference, when the Persians first engage the Spartans in 300.
Will your character gain titles and nicknames for his or her accolades/defining features? Like Leatra the One Eyed, or Mad King WraithLord?
Will character appearance change over time? Say, if your guy is always swinging that sword arm and charging through trees, will he become more muscular? If you got a king that does nothing but sit on his throne, will he eventually turn into fat lard man? (Fun fact, as a kid a few friends and I made a video by the title Fat Lard Man.) I highly doubt this one, as I figure it'd be nigh impossible to implement, at least without being too demanding, but I figured I'd ask anyway!

Is it apparent I spent a lot of time on public transportation today?

I so want to sig that
edit: the deed is done

also, an extension to the grappling hooks, how about good, wholesome ladders? and by an extension of extensions, boiling tar/ a hearty push on the people climbing said ladder?

@Man of Paper, limbs will not go flying, as he said that a few posts ago.

Excellent! In order:

Yes to ballista/catapult/trebuchet, and also early cannons of some description. Maybe additionally some esoteric and rare ones, early flamethrowers, grenades, etc.

@ Dutchling, TRUE, but limbs will be severed. However, if someone is, say, hit full-on by a catapult... there may be some flying limbs. Which is to say, I think there will be. But not many. And it'll be rare.

Yes to both; I imagine grappling hooks are many for individual/stealth characters, whilst ladders will be present for armies trying to reach a castle. Of course, as The Two Towers teaches us, the defenders will be able to see the ladder, look down, attack, etc...

I like the bolas idea greatly. It's on the list. There will be a full selection of throwing weapons at some point, I can guarantee that.

Yes, definitely re: pushing etc - combat, being brief and bloody, will have a lot of scrabbling, falling, desperate hits, fighting over weapons, losing footing on the ground, using environmental advantages,etc. It'll take a while to program, but I think it'll be worth it!

Titles I was intending to have, but I hadn't thought of nicknames - that's a great idea, I'll add that!

As much as I love the phrase Fat Lard Man, for the most part, no - you raise skills and stats through the skill trees, not through using them (to avoid farming etc). There are of course bonuses to specific skill tree gains for specific classes, and there will likely be books (or maybe artefacts...?) that will raise a skill or a stat or similar. There will also be a detailed page you can call up to describe your character, and that will certainly change over time. I could certainly implement a slight appearance change based on other factors, though... and maybe I will...

As for tar/pushing - I'm actually working on falling mechanics and implementing them into the current time system at the moment. As you fall, for instance, you see each turn pass by, and so combat will go on, or arrows will fly past, as you fall. You can currently watch the terrain fly past as you drop, but I think it'll look amazing in combat! So pushing would utilize that code, and I will definitely include that; I love the boiling tar idea. Which connects to TRAPS... but that's a topic for another time .

In the mean time, a rather long and detailed blog entry about ruling, the Rule skill tree, and how to keep cities in line:
http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/2012/11/06/city-state-mechanics/

[fred1248]

Just out of curiosity, will there be any form of counterattacks? Like, instead of just parrying a blow, using the chance to do a special movement / lethal blow.

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

Just out of curiosity, will there be any form of counterattacks? Like, instead of just parrying a blow, using the chance to do a special movement / lethal blow.

I am not sure. It would depend on Dexterity and maybe Intelligence if so, I think, but I'm inclined to say no as it's not a choice/power in the player's control, and if it WAS, the player would obviously just always go for the counter-attack. Though maybe some of the special attacks for some weapon skill trees could be counters...

[Sharp]

As for tar/pushing - I'm actually working on falling mechanics and implementing them into the current time system at the moment. As you fall, for instance, you see each turn pass by, and so combat will go on, or arrows will fly past, as you fall. You can currently watch the terrain fly past as you drop, but I think it'll look amazing in combat! So pushing would utilize that code, and I will definitely include that; I love the boiling tar idea. Which connects to TRAPS... but that's a topic for another time .

I like the idea of combat going on as you drop but will this also be a feature while stationary? I don't like it in games like ADOM and Dwarf Fortress Adv Mode where all moves which aren't yours happen in a flash and all you get are messages if any, it would be nice to maybe have an option to go through combat at a set FPS till your turn so you can see how enemy units are moving, the arrows flying, the big rock fired from catapult heading your way. Obviously there are limitations but DF's Fortress mode seems to handle it so it is possible, but im guessing it would be a lot more processing required but it would look cool.

[fred1248]

Hm, so combat is basically just parry dodge dodge block slash parry block slash, other words, dwarf fortress-like combat?
Though what I'd like to see is some sort of system that prevents one on one combat from lasting way more longer than it should be.
Look at dwarf fortress, when you have two equally equiped / trained warriors fighting, the combat log can go up to dozens of pages.
I think there should be a penalty for a failed attack, for instance, if your attack is parried / blocked, and depending on how badly you botched the attack / how good well trained the opponent is,
opponent sees an 'opening' in your guard in one of the pre-determined bodyparts depending on weapon / fighting style (and vice versa, of course.)

[Leatra]

In the mean time, a rather long and detailed blog entry about ruling, the Rule skill tree, and how to keep cities in line:
http://www.ultimaratioregum.co.uk/game/2012/11/06/city-state-mechanics/

This reminds me, I like the trait and personality system behind city states in Civ 5. It was a good idea but felt a little shallow. You talked about the cities like 50 pages ago in this thread and mentioned how cities can specialize and have unique features. If you are still sticking with the same idea (which I hope you do) I hope you can pull it off.

Leatra the One Eyed

I would rip one of my eyes out just to get that nickname.

[Man of Paper]

The update on city-states sort of fits in with the question I was just about to ask:

Will you eventually be able to incite rebellion within a city? Say you gather intelligence on a city with a food shortage. Would you be able to -

As a ruler, send caravans stocked with the supplies they need to the city and sway the people to fall under your rule?
or
As a secret agent man, use the intelligence as well as networking to locate people who are unsatisfied with the current rule and convince them to take up arms?
or
Have the ruler killed, either by your own hand or a hired one, and move to have a puppet/yourself declared their ruler?

Also, will we be able to poison water sources/food stores? How about sabotaging enemy siege weapons and defenses (gates, walls, etc)? Will you be able to work similar to the spy units in Rome: Total War, were you can open city gates to allow invading forces in? I just had the idea of how sweet it would be to be a spy/agent attached to an army and tasked with making their fights easier, so I'm wondering how well they would blend.

[Graknorke]

I think I remember seeing this a good half-year ago. I never really checked into it properly though.
Starting up 0.1.3b now.

[Ultima Ratio Regum]

I like the idea of combat going on as you drop but will this also be a feature while stationary? I don't like it in games like ADOM and Dwarf Fortress Adv Mode where all moves which aren't yours happen in a flash and all you get are messages if any, it would be nice to maybe have an option to go through combat at a set FPS till your turn so you can see how enemy units are moving, the arrows flying, the big rock fired from catapult heading your way. Obviously there are limitations but DF's Fortress mode seems to handle it so it is possible, but im guessing it would be a lot more processing required but it would look cool.

You've raised a really good point I hadn't thought of. I'll implement different options to allow you to simply go from turn to turn, or to toggle something which shows you every turn in the middle, maybe. Or maybe you can choose the FPS at which intervening turns are shown. No, I don't think it would be that hard to add, actually; I could very easily show down the displaying of intervening turns.

Hm, so combat is basically just parry dodge dodge block slash parry block slash, other words, dwarf fortress-like combat?
Though what I'd like to see is some sort of system that prevents one on one combat from lasting way more longer than it should be.
Look at dwarf fortress, when you have two equally equiped / trained warriors fighting, the combat log can go up to dozens of pages.
I think there should be a penalty for a failed attack, for instance, if your attack is parried / blocked, and depending on how badly you botched the attack / how good well trained the opponent is,
opponent sees an 'opening' in your guard in one of the pre-determined bodyparts depending on weapon / fighting style (and vice versa, of course.)

No, I totally agree! Combat will not last long in a 1v1 duel, most of the time, or if it does, it'll be closely matched and will likely move beyond just using weapons and shields and things. If you look at some of the weapon skill trees, the ability to spot openings is in there; there are going to be a lot of factors that influence those, but certain abilities/skills will allow you to spot openings, slow the time until your foe's next attack, etc. Equally, yes, definitely, your foes will see openings when fighting you; I think it should be interesting to code. Now that I have such a flexible time system I really want to use it heavily in combat, and to make sure that combat is as varied as possible; obviously weapon combat, but also hand to hand, wrestling, knocking foes over, and even using environmental objects as well I think could be a lot of fun, particularly in indoor environments!

Leatra the One Eyed

I would rip one of my eyes out just to get that nickname.

That is, indeed, how you unlock it.

The update on city-states sort of fits in with the question I was just about to ask:

Will you eventually be able to incite rebellion within a city? Say you gather intelligence on a city with a food shortage. Would you be able to -

As a ruler, send caravans stocked with the supplies they need to the city and sway the people to fall under your rule?
or
As a secret agent man, use the intelligence as well as networking to locate people who are unsatisfied with the current rule and convince them to take up arms?
or
Have the ruler killed, either by your own hand or a hired one, and move to have a puppet/yourself declared their ruler?

Also, will we be able to poison water sources/food stores? How about sabotaging enemy siege weapons and defenses (gates, walls, etc)? Will you be able to work similar to the spy units in Rome: Total War, were you can open city gates to allow invading forces in? I just had the idea of how sweet it would be to be a spy/agent attached to an army and tasked with making their fights easier, so I'm wondering how well they would blend.

Because it will be relevant to history generation in the near future, I've been planning out how different levels of city loyalty, revolutions, uprisings, coups etc will be handled, but yes, I'd definitely like to allow you to do that. The "Subversion" skill tree in large part will deal with that kind of thing! I'd like the player to be able to do all the things you've typed, but also to make sure that the AI can do the same. I'm still working on the skill tree, but it's going to include things like organizing resistance, using explosives, sabotage, recruiting people towards you, maybe some cryptographic skills too, and the like. Though the details of the last one must stay in the Secret Projects section for now...

I think I remember seeing this a good half-year ago. I never really checked into it properly though.
Starting up 0.1.3b now.

Glad to hear it; though do check out the most recent blog entries, the screenshots of the world map and the in-game view of the most recent two or three posts are far more representative .

[Graknorke]

Yes, I've been reading through the blog too. Not sure how far it's worth reading back. I guess I'll find out when I finish it.

I've been wondering, when ruling and cities come around, will there also be the option of telling specific NPCs what to do, such as having someone who you keep around for political reasons, sending them out on certain tasks like going to settlements to communicate with its citizens; or going up so some schmuck in the street and offering a load of money if he can hunt down a nearby dragon den within a month; or some other example of having an NPC do something you ask of them, potentially with conditional rewards or gifts and things.
Also kind of depends on how much autonomy the AI has. Will individual characters have their own desires and motives, and be able to themselves ask things of other NPCs? I'm thinking that NPC motives are going to be a thing, because of rebellions etc.

[Devling]

Since this is trying to be realistic I just want to do a quick rant on ancient warfare...

During most of ancient history, pretty much up until humans collectively realized that it is stupid to stand in a square formation in the open when people with guns are shooting at, warfare was two big groups of people stabbing each other until one gave up.
Calvary and archers were just gravy, but the footsloggers did most of the work. Often it wasn't the army that killed the most that won, rather the army that didn't break won(and killed more people). That's why soldiers which could either scare the shit out of their opponents, or didn't break were valuable.
On a personal level, weapons break and dull waaaay quicker then you would think. Using your sword as a defensive tool is a bad idea, because it will become dull and useless(speaking of which, is there going to be degradation? Stuff between it's broken and useless, and full repaired? Dull and less effective, but still able to kill things?). Fighting was mostly body checking and trying to get around your opponents shield(or trying to hit them in a vulnerable spot/hit them period if they are dodging).

And that's all I'm pretty sure. Things to keep in mind.

[Leatra]

Since this is trying to be realistic I just want to do a quick rant on ancient warfare...

During most of ancient history, pretty much up until humans collectively realized that it is stupid to stand in a square formation in the open when people with guns are shooting at, warfare was two big groups of people stabbing each other until one gave up.

Calvary and archers were just gravy, but the footsloggers did most of the work.

I think you are oversimplifying a bit. That statement would make Sun Tzu very angry if he heard this. There is a lot more to it than crashing two big squares of angry men towards each other. There are things like flanking, ambushes, fake retreats, use of fire, using the darkness of the night (not just with ambushes), false flag, deception, decoys, exploiting the terrain and the weather, use of skirmishers, shock tactics, special movement tactics like pincer movement and testudo formation and a lot more I can't think of right now. There are even unique tactics that were only used by certain cultures.

Also, calvary and archers are crucial to army morale and everybody knows that army morale is the only thing that can win battles.

[Mephansteras]

Cavalry also brings up a really important point: Do you have stirrups or not? Stirrups allow for true Heavy Cavalry, with all of the battlefield dominance that went along with it. Prior to that Cavalry were more of a Skirmishing unit. You could hit pretty hard with them, but not nearly as hard as you can when you have stirrups and a set lance.

Although even there it came down to a changing of tactics, as armies went back to large pike groups to fend off the cavalry that had been made obsolete by advanced Roman infantry tactics.

[Man of Paper]

What will you be doing to ensure battles don't become repetitive? How varied will NPC tactics be? Will they adapt to your battlefield decisions? Will a civilization you've beaten repeatedly adopt new strategies in order to combat you?

Will I be able to capture Prisoners of War and personally torture information out of them? And how about public executions for criminals/enemies of the throne?