World Simulation

[Yolan]

Hi devs.

Just a brief thanks for returning to work on this game. It really is lovely (put 240 hours in since the early days!).

Also, a return to an old critique. After coming back from a year long break, I’ve found I’m quite annoyed by the same issue that drove me away originally, which is the way the world rubber-bands to meet the strength of the player.

I play on veteran-iron man. I like difficulty. I like RNG. I like big risks and real consequences. But I feel cheated by the way the world reacts to my existence so closely.

I’ve basically just lost another campaign because the group i was fighting looked like a strength which I could easily handle, but was actually several degrees stronger because I crossed some invisible line in terms of my own strength. I went from a team that could murder tough bandit camps, to a team that was getting murdered by near identical bandits… What is worse, I know that I am probably now a dead-man walking, because my remaining guys are still high level enough to trigger all the nasty fights, without having the requisite base skills or equipment to handle it…

What I’m saying is that if feels like I am being ground down by the hidden system behind the visible and intelligible simulated fantasy world. As always, the biggest thing I hope for from BB is…

1. A more simulated, objective world that doesn’t change itself simply because I am there, but rather changes gradually over time, partially scripted, partially as a result of dynamic occurrences.

2. The ability to play iron-man vet, while still reducing risk by taking easier fights, by staying in safer regions, by saving up money. Instead of gradually getting stronger and forging my way into more and more dangerous regions, getting better gear, gaining glory, I feel like I am on an escalator. I can either go up, or fall off and die. Let me move about. Take a rest. Manage my risk. Build up a buffer. etc.,

Right now, I feel like if I want to do well at Iron Man, I need to know how to game the system by staying under a certain number of team members by day X or by retiring my early guys because they generate more risk than they can handle etc… I just wish we could have the intelligible, visible, simulated world be the actual world I am playing in, rather than the skin covering the bones of a rubber band system.

Such a nice game. Great aesthetic. Fun fights. But the way the world scales just frustrates me no end. A systemic world, with safer / dangerous regions, and stable, lower risk / lower pay vs. higher risk higher pay quests would really make it so much more pleasant and enjoyable. IMO.

[kem]

Well,
1) you complain about that poor recruits does not pull their weight? That is a given. Find beter ones, they come at low levels, that keeps curve in check.
You want to play veteran and want it to be easier? Just play normal than. I want NG+, to make expert even more brutal.
2) why do you want to make parts of the world even less attractive, currently its worth its time to farm as far away as youbcan handle, to get sweet, sweet famed loot.

[Yolan]

“1) you complain about that poor recruits does not pull their weight? That is a given. Find beter ones…”

I don’t complain that poor recruits do not pull their weight. Rather, it is a problem of how the level scaling works. As far as I know, a poorly equipped, poorly stated member of your team is going to contribute to the mathematics of the level scaling simply because of their level. I am more than happy to have to retire weaker guys in the face of bigger threats. The problem is that level scaling causes all kinds of complications and wierdness. Let say I am too poor to hire new people, having had a few big losses. Yet my remaining weak players are high level, and the result is a series of punishing fights that are scaled too high for waht you can reasonably deal with.

“You want to play veteran and want it to be easier? Just play normal than.”
I don’t want it to be “easier”. And I explicitly said that and explained what I actually wanted.

2) “why do you want to make parts of the world even less attractive…”
I don’t. I want parts of the world to be safer. Which makes them -more- attractive if you are trying to recover from some bad losses, and want a steady drip of money to help you get on your feet.

[Trappist]

Hi Yolan, I agree, i’m also Vet Ironman player and i do feel there is a power curve i need to stay ahead of. I also would like the option to be able to play more conservative and not fall behind. I guess its the impact of number and level of reserve guys that does me in and I end up trying to game it.

Currently you are forced to take risks as better gear is the reliable way to beat the curve, cos levelling up is gonna happen regardless. I like to build a band of bros and pretty much stick with them. Not into firing levelled bros to bring in better dudes, just not my style.

Late game is sort of frustrating with all the massive enemy stacks roaming around and the fact that your backups are contributing to that phenomena, but cant assist in any of the actual fighting.

[Author]

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