le_souriceau

[le_souriceau]

I have other issue with flag.

While is fun and rpg-wise tempting to use it and show proudly in every battle, its mechanicly rather moderate weapon (while its morale + effect not so drammatic), not worth dedicated bannerman. Usualy it just back-up weapon for one of my archers.

So, my idea that banner must be buffed as weapon or as psy warfare tool (may be as some new abilities, to buff defence or offence of brothers or something like that).

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Same promblem : ) This “one more battle” thing is very strong in BB.

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Mostly agree with Wargasm.

From my experience battle-forged is MUST for every frontal shield figher or heavy 2h build.

Anticipation + Dodge is must for archers as protection. It gives just a little more chances against [current build] crazy enemy sniping. I even go so far to give them Overhelm for “tactical supression” (but this is debatable option).

Fearsome is very useful for any warhammer specialist/or just casual user (they trigger morale check with EVERY HIT AGAINS EVERYONE LIVING). Its posible to break very fast even orc warriors (especially with some sort of Adrenaline helped spam of attacks for 2 rounds in row). But useless against undead wich is now large part of problems. But nice trade-off. May be considered.

[le_souriceau]

I mostly agree with points above.

My feel after may be 40-50 hours of play in this pre-relise state:

Serious problems in balance!

1) Ranged enemies gone absolutly OVERBOAD. Every battle I just struggle to survive against enemy archers and gods forbid heavy crossbows. Problem I think has 2 dimensions:

а) how ranged combat works by itself (modifiers)
b) enemy shooters have too hight stats (every one of them is farking wilhelm tell or robin hood, WHY?) – actually, they miss VERY rarely and mercislly hunt down any weak or wounded brothers. Every time they know who is weakest targed and bombarding him to certain death.

Return night time malus to accuracy! Now even a night battles it is impossible to be safe from enemy snipers terror. They just hit you anyway.

2) Overhelm is not right. It breaks things. My greatest concern that in all fights after some point your company is outnumbered 1 to 2 even 1 to 3 and when tonns of enemies (not just werewofles, but elite mercs) spam it… they just tear apart even very defensive brothers with shield and all def perks. They NEVER MISS in result (same story as with enemy shooters). This must be battle brother exclusive skill (like adrenalin) or something.

It must be adressed. One of the critical issues.

3) Overall balance of campaign progression still very punishing (vet), enemies become hard faster, then company gains adequate force. There is simply no “easy contracts” at some point to gain some money and farm exp for newbies. Still many completly unbeatable things with normal (naturaly formed) party (whiout very extensive farming and min-maxing, hundreads of save-loads) – tonns of elite undead, 20-30 orc encounters and other things like this.

Overall conclusions — brothers too weak (low on instuments) most times to win agains very hard-hitting brick-like enemies that game send on you every battle after some point.

Battle 25 elite mercs.
Battle 20 orcs with warboss.
Battle 25 brigands with tonns of snipers.
Battle 35 undeads with ghosts, 2 necromancers.
Battle 20 roman undeads with priest.

How ordinary naturaly build and played party can even survive this battle after battle? In crisisis, to make things worse, that sort of battles just stucked in 2-3-4 series and time limit.

[le_souriceau]

I hope for realease version some balancing will be done.

After hours and hours of play I almost hate end-game battles (especialy this crisis ones, with packed in series of 2-3 or even 4 in row), fearing them – they long, very hard and only lead to another, even more brutal ones. And this is bad, unfair hardness. Like you spawned in ditch and 20+ guys above on hill, 5-6 of them start practicing their warbow and heavy crossbow skils, then 2 swordmasters run down and gently chop survivors to pieces.

I always played on vet (since yearly versions) and now even considering to be craven and go for normal, just to have pleasure from game and relax in adventures, not eat endless suffer.

Sorry for this little whiney offtop : ) Those crisisis ended my nerves with cascading extreamly hard battles.

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At this point, I think, in sense of balance and logic of game mechanics we have 2 games.

In first one you can beat anyone without too much genius spark or something. You just need to meticulously use some kind of merc eugenics (to pick best of best), may be restart map several times to have “perfect roster”, then level-up them in certain boring, but effective way, farm tonns of best possible rare items to furher increase effectiveness оf ubermecrs. Then save-load (scum) for only 100% no losses win, preferably using most cheese tactics possible.

In other… with “average joes” on veteran, with roster regulary weakening from wounds (and perm ones), deaths, equipment losses (as game meant to be played, I think), wihout tonns of rares, many contracts/encounters/locations more or less unbeatable.

Mercs just don’t have raw stat power this way to overcome armored, hardhitting and always very numerous enemies.

[le_souriceau]

I want to share one thing that outraged me without limit during noble houses crisis.

There is quest about raidin. In 2 of 3 of target locations I was greated by huge garrisons of elite mercs (I think 22-24 them, including hedge knights and swordmasters). Even one such battle is hard. Two almost in row (there is time limit for quest) made my hair grey! They actually stronger than “field armies” of houses. Where is logic in this? Why some farking salt mine or lumbermill on the end of world guarded better then most princeses virginity? As I understand raiding – it is hit and run on soft spots. Not killing entire elite armies.

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I think there way for “slowing things down” (if this is personal preference) — selection of noble houses war as 1st fixed crisis. No destruction of settlements (just raiding, nothing pernament), so you can live your own life (gain equipment and exp) while they fight. And only join big fight when ready.

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Adrenaline + Killing Frenzy + Berserk works pretty good with archers. Its possible to destroy enemy ranged support and lighty armored units in first round of combat, to lesser extent – soften some hard ones. AND If melee situation is critical, adrenalin-pumped archers can always help front line (or themselfs) with doubled output of melee attacks (perfect with longaxes + Backstabber).

My recent (and pretty effective) band looks like this:

[UH][A][A][A][A][UH]
[M][Wh][Ax]Ax][Wh][M]

UH – ultra-heavy, health + max armor, elite guys with long axes (i have 1 tile heavy axes too in case of orcs) to cover flanks. Battle Forged makes them pretty durable.
A – archers warbows/longaxes (capable in melee), only weak spot is rather light helmets for shooting distance.
1s line, medium-heavy armor, all with shields (Shield Expert taken – actualy helps + Underdog). Shieldwall use if needed.
M – shield/mace, guys with most melee def (flanks), they stun enemies if in trouble.
Wh – shield/warhammerer, guys with most fatigue for armor craking.
Ax – waraxe/shield, my weakest fighters.

ALL with Footwork, Adrenaline and Fearsome, it gives great spike damage/morale shock and to some extent mobility (at price of risky fatigue issues).

Hail of arrows and then just grind everything to dust in melee.

Not very fancy or imaginative and boring… but I can beat more or less every possible enemy in game so far. Works fine with stock weapons and armor – but rare finds can boost too even more raw power.

Ghosts and tonns of orcs still give some painful troubles anyway.

[le_souriceau]

Well, I agree, сrossbows still have bonus against armor but… if there is too many situations where this is so critical? Even very presice crossbow fire unlikely to win a day in battle against big group of heavy orcs (against unarmored ones bows is better). With goblins its better have bows (its possible outshoot them with good marksmen). With wolfs and ghouls too. With zombies may be crossbow little better, but they are not too big problem anyway. In cases with necromancer its way batter have bows (he can be shoot very fast from afar). With regular bandits its way nicer to pick their skirmishers with bows. Crossbows can be good against some heavy humans, but ocasion is rather rare and there are shields anyway.

May be its good idea to have your shooters have BOTH perks for bow and crossbow and 2 packs of equipment for any situation in storage. But anyway with bows now you have only rare and situational drawbacks, with crossbow lack of distance is always here.

Also there is goblin crossbow. Interesting if mass-armed. Buts its kind of wierd (and rather hard) to farm it.

Unique weapons are good in all classes, but I think getting them is more luck and flavor then something to tie up your builds in “regular game”. Is more like fun “post-end-game” collector experience or something.

One day beaten by orcs I become to think about some kind of macedonian/swiss answer : ) spears and pike formation with agility defence/adrenalin focus for dps. But is hard to get. Good base stats (more likely swordmasters needed) and tonns of patience to level them up in optimal way.

[le_souriceau]

I generaly liked new update, but some points. Mostly about weapon balance.

1) After introduction of warbow (and changed point-blank mechanics) crossbows more or less useless, especially on later stages of game, when you have decent marksmen and must hit fast/far/hard to survive. Bow speciality perk gives warbow immense advantage over crossbow to push things more.

2) Same thing – I myself found swords inferior to other melee choices for specialist. Yes, they have their pros and can be used for some fancy agility build (not my thing), but… Most of end-game challenges leaves them lacking in so needed power.

3) New long axe is generaly FAR more usefull choice for 2d line (SPLIT SHIELDS!) over billhook with it sitiational pull ability. This comes to extent where billhook is almost irrevelent weapon.

For me main pain/horror/imbalance of the game – large orc warbands (with lot of warriors/warchief). In order to defeat them somewhat reliably you must abandon most of variety and fun in warband-building – use very strict perk configuration, practise “recruit eugenics”, savescamming and heavy calculated abuse of game mechanics and AI.

Every time when I trying play with fun, diversed and more or less random band of average joes, they simply farking annihilated by orcs. But boring “powerplay”, munchkins band have some success. This is sad. My be I just bad commander :/

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Main Menue background illustration — there is some “inner logic” problem as I see it.

Looks like castle and city is attacked or taken. It means BIG TROUBLE for all people around. BUT…

Cows just eating their grass as nothing happen, villagers cooking food (popcorn may be?) with chimneys lovely smoking. In real life all this people stop all work and run like hell to nearest safe place, even more after their natural defensive destination (fortifed city) is likely overrun. And this cows are extreamly prized proprety in medieval setting — they will be stolen by attackers or driven away by fearful owners and hidden.

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I think propetry kill this spirit of wandering merc company. More ties with real estate, less freedom.

But this is good idea about caravan train — MOBILE BASE with some more item capacity, upgrades, may be with few non-combat special characters.

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I just restart couple of times before I get more or less realistic looking world to play. In game like this with its RPG elements I feeling great urge to have some believable “setting”, where towns factions placed in some logical way. When generation is senseless mess I cant play and have fun.

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