Styxwash

[Styxwash]

In general, the overland map is quite frustrating. I wish they made it turn based and revolved around the players movement. Pause and go is annoying and fits badly with the battlefield part of the game.

I would like to see some strategical, RNG based abilites on the map, like adv. scouting/tracking, stealth, camp entrenchment etc.

It would be great to see some kind of connection between the two parts of the game, maybe even a tactics preparation phase, where you can place your troops within an area on the map.
It’s very frustrating how your mercs (and enemies) are just dropped down into random terrain.

This would also make it less tedious to both retreat or make use of the terrain without spending 5 turns moving your troops. AI should make use of it as well, letting them pick their terrain.

I was disappointed that the player doesn’t have a skillset of his own, including skills affecting the overland map and archetypes like diplomacy, bartering and leadership (similar to Expeditions: Conquistador/Vikings)

Would be great to see a BB2 with such features, including cavalry, siege and indoor battles.

[Styxwash]

Here we go, I think it happens pretty often with Footmen. Five out of eight footmen have a Military Pick. For once the Sergeant has a Cleaver and not a Warhammer.

This is from a beginner ironman test game I’m playing atm. Fight would turn out alot easier if the footmen had more varied weaponry.

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[Styxwash]

Some times you will face Bandit or Footman group where more than half of them are wielding military picks, on expert that amounts to some times 5-6 military picks. I will try to take screenshots in the future, but it has happened at least 3-4 times last few weeks playing alot.

Sure, good shieldmen can avoid alot of hits and I always keep up shieldwall until my mercs are fatigued, but one hit with a military pick will leave 100-150 chainmails very low, so it only takes one hit to disable a merc.

Fights against most enemy types are considerably easier when you use at 3 military picks and fights against human opponents are that much harder when they randomly decide to bring a bunch of them.

With some more consideration I suppose the military pick isn’t all to bad unspecced, but the Warhammer does crazy armor damage and if you can get your hands on a few of them, I see no reason not to have equally as many Hammermasters.

Again, I would never buy any other 1H T3 weapon aside from Warhammer (and Rondel) because Flailers, Daggers and 2H Swordsmen usually perform alot better. But I do save most of my cash for armor and replacement mercs, so I generally prefer capturing T2-3 weapons. Spear and Mace tactics are fickle and I see no reason to have axes on the frontline after mid-game.

My main concern is still that the standard attack on hammers feel useless. Only reason I ever use it, is later in a battle when most enemies are dead or have damaged armor. Some times maybe to finish of a tough gravely wounded enemy with no armor, late in a round, to prevent it from attacking again. But generally it’s just a waste of fatigue.

I do always carry spare armor, helms and shields + some extra weapons of different types. Buying tools is also a high priority for me.

[Styxwash]

Comparing the statistical values in this case isn’t showing the optimal potential though. Imo. even specced use is to strong. Why? Because of the high impact per hit. Many enemies, especially in the War crisis, I’ve been finding, seem to have Battle Forged, but not very heavy armor (footman unit). A hammer pick will remove a targets armor quicker round for round, meaning you can kill targets faster.
The Spear hit bonus is only good early game or if you have a particularly tanky high level merc with below 65 base to hit bonus (unless you have at least 5-6 high hit mercs for a very strong combined dedicated Spearwall)

My exact point was that the standard hammer attack feels useless, considering it does less armor damage and very weak HP damage. Why waste the fatigue? I never said I didn’t understand the aspect of distributing roles.

I just find that frontline hammerguys outshines other 1H/Shield types alot (aside from flails). Mace and Spearmen on the frontline have good tactics, but without at least one Warhammer going at your targets after taking down the shields, you are at such a disadvantage, that on hard mode, you really need at least 3-4 people using hammerpicks initially. Relying on Mace stun (low dmg output), 1H Axes destroying shields or Spearwall seems alot more up to chance imo.

Military Pick/Warhammer, Flail and Warbrand/Greatswords seem to outshine most other setups for the frontline. I’m not saying the other tactics can’t work, but the are unreliable and have low dmg output round for round. Dagger spec, both tanky or initiative based is awesome too, but I think you only need one or maybe one of each type.

[Styxwash]

Perhaps more fatigue is not a good option. It was just a offhand alternate suggestion.

I think the hit penalty is better. Atm. the military pick just feels very strong early to mid game, even as initial weapons for lvl5-6ish mercs with spec in another weapon. Ofc. after hitting a Destroy Armor, you switch to Axe/Sword for high HP dmg or a 2H.

I think -5 hit penalty without Spec would make the ability a little more balanced.

Atm. theres almost no point spending fatigue on the standard hammer attack. Might as well save the fatigue for Destroy Armor on another target if your current one is busted already and let someone with another weapon do the finishing job.

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