Loot the dead!

[Furious Mental]

I'm pretty sure that historically armies made a bit of coin looting the dead bodies of their enemies for armour and weapons. I think it would be a good feature in MTW 2.

[SpencerH]

It was a very big bonus for the winners. Unfortunately CA has never imlemented it (despite that it's been discussed here many times) except for ransoming back prisoners in MTW. It would have come in very handy for my current (now quit from boredom) campaign. I ended up in a stalemate with 4 provinces while at war with 2 much bigger (Germans, Macedonians), and 1 smaller (Thrace) countries. Although I crushed army after army in front of my cities, I only had enough money to maintain my forces against constant assaults from different directions and couldn't generate an army with which to attack. If I had been looting the dead (as is appropriate) it would've been a better game.

[Lord Adherbal]

good idea, but it'd make the game even easier then it already is. So unless it actualy becomes a challenge to play against the AI and destroy enemy armies, it won't add to the fun.

[Dead Knight of the Living]

This is a great idea. But let's take it a bit further. I think baggage trains should either be on the battle map or represented by a certain location, which if you reach it you get all the loot. The army with the baggage train has the option to withdraw it at some point in order to protect it.

But with a couple of exceptions.

1. If you withdraw your baggage train, your troops lose morale and fight less effectively due to the fact they're now worried about their possessions and also translate the withdrawing baggage train to mean the battle isn't going so well and I might die.

2. If your army is in complete disorder and routing, the "withdraw baggage train" option is unavailable.

3. There should be another unit in MTW2. The raider. Like a spy. But if you move it against an enemy army it may steal some of that armies possessions and kill some of its troops. (Not a lot. I'll just give an example)

It'll be a single unit like a spy. Right. But with a numerical value added to it like say 100. The 100 meaning there are 100 raiders in that unit.

The more raiders you have the better chance of succeeding in a raid. Also, the leaders traits will determine success or failure too.

You move the "raider" icon against an enemy army (like you would your spy). And if you succeed you get a little message saying:

RAID SUCCESSFUL
FLORINS (OR WHATEVER MONETARY UNIT MTW2 WILL USE) GAINED: 580
ENEMY CASUALTIES: 25
FRIENDLY CASUALTIES: 10

Now you have 90 raiders left in that unit. You should still be able to raid a bit more. Once you get under 70 or 75 it might be time to retrain.


Something like that.


I can't wait for this game to come out.

[Mithradates]

Y not just represent horses chasing defeated foes off the map as them looting the baggage train which i believed often happened in battles at the time.

[Lord Godfrey]

I disagree. Battlefield looting benefits the individual soldier, not the general or king’s treasury. The King gets the ransom paid and a percentage of the pillage from a sacked town, but the smart soldier knows how to find and keep the battlefield loot.

[B-Wing]

I think I agree with Lord Godfrey. Ransoming should be enough, and I only support it because its historically accurate. Gameplay wise, I just don't think its a good idea to give monetary awards to players for winning battles. Looting/pillaging a city is the only exception I would allow, personally.

[Cesare diBorja]

So, how about this, 1 point of morale for every 1000 enemy troops killed and looted or 1 point of morale for every battle survived on an indidual scale? If it must benefit the troops. Personally I would like to see the individual soldier detailed a bit better, such as; name, age, region of origin, rank or troop type, campaign or battles, exp, morale, skills and a picture to boot(there are lots of those). Pipe-dreaming, but its oh so good.

Pierre de Lyons
age 22
Burgundy
Seargent-at-arms
4 battles in Provence
3 exp
morale 8
Skills melee7/missile0/artillery0/brawl(or defense)4
armor +2 metal(looted)......+1 Flesh would be standard for padded cloth
sword +3 (looted)......+1 sword would be standard
poleaxe +1(standard)
Florins: 10

1. Each time a soldier enters a city he expends his wear or even sells his loot to live. He gets so much for his earnings 2-5 Florins a month(high even by Medieval standards, but what have you). cost of living is 1-3 Florins a month.
2. 1 Florin in rural or small/large towns, 2 for cities, 3 for huge cities. +1 if in a troubled area, +2 if its a war torn province. -1 in places of peace and abundance.
3. It would a new way of dealing with supply and demand and morale.
4. Players could add surplus Florins to their armies individually based on need.
5. -1 morale point every time a soldier is below his standard of living(0 Florins/ monthly)

diBorgia

[Furious Mental]

Yes well I know that improved morale or weapons or armour would be rather more historical but a cash bonus seemed more feasible.

[screwtype]

Pierre de Lyons
age 22
Burgundy
Seargent-at-arms
4 battles in Provence


I think this is going a bit far!

But it would be nice if each individual unit had a campaign history you could read...

[Cesare diBorja]

if you can get details of individuals from battle reports in the battlelog, it could very easily reflect this info without taking hardly any resources. Sorry for my big imagination, but I am interested in making the game better not dumber.

diBorgia

[SpencerH]

A cash reward from winning a battle would tend to support the blitz player. So what? Blitz players will play that way in any case! Looting the battlefield for swords, armour, horses, and later muskets etc was an important 'perk' for the winner. It would be easy enough to include the 'spoils of war' as temporary trade items which would then benefit players depending on the level of development of their trade systems. Another alternative would be to reduce the price of units while the 'resource' is available.

[Voigtkampf]

Reminds me of WoW... Phat lewt... :wall:

[Furious Mental]

"It would be easy enough to include the 'spoils of war' as temporary trade items which would then benefit players depending on the level of development of their trade systems. Another alternative would be to reduce the price of units while the 'resource' is available."

I think that's an excellent idea

[Mooks]

I think a majority of it should go to the soldiers though.

[Dead Knight of the Living]

I agree the soldiers got a lot of the loot. BUt leaders got the lion's share. Not just what they captured themselves, but also from gifts their soldiers gave them after the battle.

Either way. I would like to see an actual unit/location/object or whatever representing the baggage trains. Because in many battles in history what happens with the baggage train. The attacking troops stop attacking to loot. They become disordered and this has many times resulted in a routing army re-taking the field.

Union victory at Cedar Creek. Looting for food loses the battle for the Confeds.
http://www.dailytidings.com/2002/news0611/columnists/columnists-05.php

This is just one example. You could also use the Battle of Stalingrad as another.

Earlier in WWII the Germans had a chance to take an undefended STalingrad securing a strategic river crossing. Potentially helping knock Russia out of the war. Hitler instead chose to take the oil fields in the Caucusus. National level looting was his undoing.

I just think it'd be cool if in this game your army could be completely routed, but turn around and destroy the greedy looting army that just whipped up on you.

[Mooks]

A enemys big baggage train should also boost morale. Its like a big fat cake after a hard days work :idea2: