What would you change about MTW?

[Ironsword]

2.) Improve/fix the AI, especially on the campaign side of the game: No more allies backstabbing you for little or no reason. No more 1-province factions attacking 30-province superpowers. No more constantly retreating their way to death across the campaign map as you invade -- for gods' sake computer, at least defend your capital! No more randomly attacking my ships (but making no other aggressive moves). Better handling of fleets and trade. A more realistic assessment of its chances of victory when considering war with another faction (sure, the AI may take that first province, but can it withstand a counterattack?).

^^ I agree with this completely

[Karl08]

One thing I would like to change back to v1.0: I want to be able to merge mercenary units, and also use them to replenish my regular troops (very useful after a bloody crusade has come to your province to leech off your armies). On that note, I wish the retraining worked the same way as in RTW: it takes too long to retrain units one by one, and there is no logical reason why you should have to.

For that matter, there is no logical reason why you can only construct one building at a time, either, and perhaps the number of buildings you can construct at the same time in one province could depend on population and/or infrastructure (and gold, of course).

[Axalon]

Hi all, I intended to make a post here long time ago, but now I finally managed to do so…

“What would you change about MTW?”

This is a very, very interesting question and it’s also fascinating to see how people have reacted and answered this question so far. It really shows how different we all are and how we think in this regard. As for myself, well.... Apart from all the changes I already made in MTW-redux, it would be plenty of other things like (in chaotic order): more in spoiler…

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1. Include a strategic AI-editor, so you could tailor all that to your hearts content.
2. Include a tactical AI-editor, so you could tailor all that to your hearts content.
3. Include a trade-editor (including AI), so you could tailor all profits, values and revenue (all related stuff) to your hearts content.
4. Include an agent AI-editor, so you could tailor all that to your hearts content.
5. Include an agent-editor, so you could tailor all parameters and set new ones to your hearts content. Thus actually create new agent-classes!
6. Include a naval-battle-editor, setting various difficulties, influences, bonuses and penalties and so on. All this so naval battles could actually be influenced by the player settings. All in all making naval power a decent factor and fairly interesting to keep track instead current almost entirely random model. Also I would include a “withdraw”/retreat option for ships under attack. I would also, with decent naval battles system in place create various building that increased the efficiency of ships as in upgrade buildings och additional “valour” buildings and stuff like that.
7. Introduce the new parameter of “transport capacity” of ships so it required many big ships for an army of several thousands of soldiers. Small ships would only transport a very small amount. It could work like the castles do. A clear cut limit on how many troops each ship could carry each turn...
8. Include an stratmap-editor, so you could easily create other maps than the one we got on Europe (MTW) and the British Isles (VI).
9. I would change the entire diplomatic system to at least the level it has in M2TW. Because that is way better than in MTW. Also I would carefully consider to include a similar model found in “Europa universalis” with friendly/hostility ratings. Also the model for declaring war and stuff like being forced to either declare war or chicken out on alliances. Stuff like this.
10. Change the system for spies and include more activities for ‘em in the lines of what is found in M2TW at least. The various sabotage operations is a great idea! I would have them do different stuff as in a small operation menu were you could order them to do different stuff like:counter-spying/traditional spying/planting “evidence” for trials/sabotage/sparking revolts/assign them personal security duty (protecting a general from other agents)/spreading corruption (in enemy territory of course)/trial on enemy agent! (Emissary or whatever). Thus you could tick whatever duty saw appropriate for the spy in question and the he would do that solely like this was his current orders. Thus making the spy a more valued and diverse agent. And making things harder at the same time. As of now the do several thing at the same time, “me not like that”...
11. Make the princesses more useful, interesting and valuable. Giving them perhaps significant bonuses in diplomatic affairs (marriage, peace offerings and reinforcing royal connections and alliances, as in factions marry and marry again thus reinforcing the royal bounds). Give them special traits of their own as well. I would increase the loyalty bonus to +3 for a marriage of a princess among own generals.
12. Make a lot harder to get actual information on enemy territories and forces. Perhaps like divided into various stages of accuracy, depending on how much energy and resources are allocated to that end. Like estimate levels (at least 4-5 levels). Perhaps like you need an emissary or princess to get diplomatic info, a spy to get info on armies and happiness, buildings and stuff along such lines.
13. I would also make various spy, princess and emissary reports more frequent and possibly more accurate and varied.
14. Include more culture categories. At least have 3 custom slots for that end.
15. Include more religion categories. At least have 3 custom slots for that end.
16. I would include at least double the size of all bif plates and probably change the file-format for them as well. So at least 256 and 512, but I would prefer 512 and 1024 plates. The system itself is ok, once you have the plates.
17. Include at least 100 vacant custom SFX slots.
18. Include at least 100 vacant custom GFX slots.
19. Include at least 10 vacant slots for custom agents. Thus completely destroy the limited framework that the game has now.
20. I would include at least 100 vacant slots for custom units. Thus completely destroy the too limited framework that the game has now. Probably set unit max to 512 units per file.
21. Include at least 25 vacant and custom slots for projectile weapons. So you could have some solid diversity in various bows, crossbows and siege weapons. As is are too limited for my taste.
22. Include at least 60 vacant slots for custom buildings. So you could have some solid diversity in various bows, crossbows and siege weapons. It is too limited in that way for my taste as is.
23. Increase the upgrade-buildings to a 1-5 model instead of the current 1-4 (armorer and blacksmith).
24. Increase the number of basic castles to 1-8 instead of current 1-5. It would be more diverse and fun that way. Yes it would require more maps no doubt…
25. Rework all the siege stuff. As in M2TW you would have to defend a castle with the forces you have essentially, and of course they would be up and running on the walls and stuff like that.
26. I would at least include the siege-machines of M2TW and let them have similar functions. I would also have more diversity there, as in heavy/regular/light battle-ram/siege-tower/catapults and all such stuff. I would also allow siege-machines to play a more active part in battles. Move ‘em around and stuff like that.
27. Probably introduce a new agent: “Siege-engineer”, a strategic agent to move around for different impacts on sieges, shorten or prolong sieges, requirements for building stuff “on site”. Perhaps giving various bonuses on assaults and thing like that.
28. Probably introduce a new agent: “Brigand”, a strategic agent to move around for different impacts on enemy territory, high jacking tax-transports (which was partly “shipped” back to you), instigate unruliness and forcing the enemy to have greater garrisons there. Things like that.
29. Probably introduce a new agent: “Lady/Consort”, a daughter of nobility who could be married away for loyalty among your own generals or princes. But she would not be nearly as good as a true princess of royal blood. Perhaps +1 or 2 in loyalty. Essentially what the currently princess does.
30. I would make it really worth while to marry a “real” princess giving perhaps additional “xp” to the character who marriages her.
31. I would throw out much of the current, and in many ways completely random, vices and virtues thing. I would make it completely dependent on what “you” actually did, if AI-automation management was turned off. I would also divide it into to levels. 1. Tactical aspect/level of it, only relevant in battle. 2. the solely strategical aspect/level of it in which you “buy”/choose your virtues (and vices) with xp earned from battles with the general in question. 1 strat virtue is free of penalties (princes should start like that maybe, maybe this could be randomized) of any strat vices, with another one you’ll will be forced to choose a vice as well. Things like that, so all that stuff is completely related to what “you” actually do and what happens to “you”. This way a battle-hardened general would have plenty of possibilities to gain such things in contrast to a greenhorn general who simply has no xp to buy some virtues (and vices). Thus you essentially create your own general the way YOU like and not in the way CA like. Xp, yep I would definitely put ‘em in...
32. Include at least a functional naval-combat system that was ACTUALLY dependent on the different values of ships so there was any meaning at all to build different kinds (currently the only meaning is related to movement. This goes for ALL versions of MTW. Hardcoded).
33. I would make the admirals more important and probably throw in a few special and limited traits just for them. Using the Xp-model again...
34. I would reintroduce the 4 seasons/turns on each year as good ‘ol Shogun. Hence making a full year meaningful again instead of current 1 year/turn model. That way also greatly expand the lifespan of everything in the game, so you can actually do something for real with generals and agents. They will and of course should die of old age eventually (yes agents too).
35. I would make a stricter division between nobles and commons. Making it only possible for nobles to receive titles. It would work like the royal-blood thing in MTW v.1.1 roughly. Instead of a royal-blood marker there would be a “nobility” marker. These guys would only come as knights (and similar) and start with 1 star. All other troops would have 0 stars. All non-nobility unit leader would be titled “captains” and could get knighted if sufficient xp would be gathered in battle (thus “buy” a nobility marker with xp).
36. Make it a lot, lot harder to get high values on stars/command, for starters I would at least multiply 3-4 times the amount victories that is the hardcoded standard now. There are TOO many 5-9 star generals running about in the game and above all is TOO easy to get there as well. I would prefer that anything above 4 stars would extremely rare and noteworthy (yes some battle virtues would need to be reworked for that).
37. I would probably make a few adjustments on the stratmap with about 20-30 additional provinces, 3-4 in “Spain”, 3-4 in “France” 5-6 in the British Isles, 4-5 on the Apennine peninsula, 4-5 in North Africa and the rest in the eastern part of Europe. All this might be problematic with current system and map.
38. Rework the various thresholds for the generic tactical campaign categories such “powerful attack”, “good defense” and “good moral” and stuff like that to be far more diverse and operating over greater span of numbers. I would have changed reduxes combat-system even more if it not were for these... So yes, in order to create even more diversity in the unit-stats (thus making battles even harder and more dependent on units and their training. Redux is probably just about 50% of were I really wanted to go with all that).
39. Include an Orthodox and pagan game-score.
40. Include an pagan battle-order-sound-set.
41. I would at least include one custom battle-order-sound-set
42. I would make the game far more compatible with all new hardware.
43. I would have killed ALL well documented and discovered bugs in the game.
44. I would have destroyed the current name-framework and model in the game. I would the replace it with a model with at least 60 vacant and optional custom titles for various pieces such as agents, rulers and generals and all that. So it were possible to have mixed rulers if one would like that (it is not possible due to the current model, at least not on an acceptable level). Thus you could have titles that would work with queens, female knights and female spies (like “lady de Winter” in 3 musketeers etc.) and different and more adjustable name-structures like Spylord, Champion, Priestess, Highcaptain, Grand Admiral, Archdruid, Shieldmaiden or whatever. Hell I would even devise a system with “suggested defaults” that you could rewrite in the ongoing game. As in the title “General” rewritten by the player to “Hero” for instance.
45. I would include a portrait amount editor for agents and generals and all that. A thing that could actually set the framework and the exact number of used for various portraits, so it could be controlled by the player if he/she wanted to. As 1-40, 1-12, 1-1, 1-24 etc. It should have the capacity to go between 1-99 at least.
46. I would include 500 custom and vacant event and news slots.
47. Introduce multiple choice and effect events similar to Europa universalis.
48. Perhaps introduce a stability-factor in the game inspired by the one found in Europa universalis, but I would have designed it 10x times better and compliant to what you actually do. (It’s really a joke what they got in E.U2, not played E.U3 thou, but my guess is that it is more of the same crap).
49. Introduce a fully operational land-trade, as in trade caravans and the like.
50. Maybe introduce additional resources, at any rate, include 10 custom slots for such things in the game.
51. I would rework mercenary-model so in could be completely adjustable and controlled by the player if he/she wanted to (totally moddable).
52. I would have some animations on the strat-map. Nothing fancy is required but something because it’s just static as is. Some waves in the sea, or the whale that they never used or something.
53. I would have some basic and simple animation on all the agent-pieces in the game, not the static poses that it currently has. Again Europa universalis comes to mind.
54. I would probably introduce another new agent: “Jester”, a strategic agent to move around for different impacts on happiness in your realm, possibly does some simple spying as well in enemy territory with the trade off that the agent is visible and still makes the people there happy as well! So there was some sort reason for the enemy to leave the agent alone instead of immediately order an assassin on the case.
55. I would devise a system that would at least allowed limited campaigns for multiplayer mode. I have NEVER understood why CA did not take that freaking excellent opportunity to allow players to enjoy stuff like that. Campaigning against each other! That would be so much more cool and fun! I would have kept the current “heads on” battles as well.
56. Include small and optional cut-scenes in the tradition of shogun and in similar size (not that crappy stuff like M2TW, with too much loading time, yet poor in quality regards to that loading time).
57. I would include at least 10 additional stock unit bif-plates, thus providing more possible variation. The ridiculously hard task of doing custom ones is simply too much work.
58. I would include at least 3-4 additional stock bif-plates on horses. Thus providing more variation.
59. I would have included a lot more SFX in the strat-map and the various events and things that happens there. But I would keep the excellent sound quality. Actually MTW have a very high quality in sounds, it’s just that the program does not seem to cope with that fact too well (too much lag). A shame really. Actually about 50% of MTWs entire size is directly related to SFX and game score.
60. I would include a lot more generic news so you could “drown in all that” if you wanted too. Set as an game option of course.
61. I would include a deployment phase while attacking in tactical, although the deployment area would be 25% of the map area available to the defender.
62. I would include the entire map while deploying as a defender in tactical mode. Short of the attackers deployment zone of course. That way you could actually do some serious ambushing.
63. I would develop the glorious achievements system radically and provide an editor to that end. Making it possible to create new ones and/or fully adjust all of the existing ones.
64. Include an “Influence” editor so that could be adjusted fully to your hearts content.
65. I would make it an optional possibility for the player to freely assign portraits within each category (spies, emissaries etc.) and all this while playing – as in during an ongoing game.
66. Possibly included some simple variation within each portrait like “Castle Wolfenstain/Doom” kind of thing. Or some lighter animation similar to the ones found in Starcraft/Warcraft. I would have made sure that all loading times were under strict control and kept within acceptable standards. Otherwise I would discarded that possibility.
67. I would have animated the sea, if a simple and efficient method of that could be provided, without much extra loading time, otherwise I would abandon it completely.
68. I would have included a total unit-editor which allowed the player to modify ALL parameters in regards to tactical mode.
69. Introduced “smaller campaigns” in the game with lets say 25 provinces conquered for a valid win. As in I would have reworked the victory conditions for the game. Roughly like this: Minor victory=25 regions, Major victory=50 regions, Total victory=100 regions or the whole map.
70. I would have introduced “Minor campaigns” similar to those found in M2TW although I would have designed it differently than that.
71. Reworked the entire historical campaign system so that you would get something similar to the SSI classic; the excellent and simple solution of “Panzer General”. Thus the troops you have would follow you thru each episode (battle) from one to the next during the entire “historical” campaign. Gaining resources for that depending on how you fought your battles and how well you won these or lost them! Yes, you should be able to continue such campaigns even if you loose a battle. It’s not historical anyhow, it’s purely speculative so lets embrace that fact and let the speculative scenario work for us instead! History has very little to do with videogames, even if I find it hard time believing that CA would openly and thoroughly admit that ironclad fact. History serves only as a good source of INSPIRATION, nothing else.
72. I would have the battle-map textures bigger, at least doubled in their size.
73. I would have included more cosmetics in tactical mode. More birds, buildings, cows, sheep, fleeing peasants and stuff like that. And I would made sure that all sound-files were correctly applied to every circumstance. As in no humming bees during winter-battles and stuff like that.
74. I would have made things a bit more foggier because it creates a good atmosfare in the battle map, me thinks….
75. I would have included Tree SFX in tactical mode...
76. I would have included a reworked fire-GFX-model.
77. I would have made almost everything flammable, including trees. Smoldering towers, oh boy that would have been nice!
78. I would have included an optional “Battle Psycho”- game score that kicked in after a certain amount of minutes and with some accurate and functional triggers. Thus adding some real flavor to battle (as it should be in my opinion, making them nasty and dramatic. Music devised and composed in the excellent and expressive tradition of the classic movie score of Apocalypse now. Oh boy that would be cool! Making battles nasty). I don’t give rats ass about the rating board would slam an “18+” on the game, so be it…. To me it would have been well worth it.
79. Included various levels of gore and blood settings in battles...
80. I would have made it possible to adjust SFX and GFX settings in battle.
81. Included a few victory and loss grades for Battle. Like minor, major and total victory/loss. Just to get a fast perspective on how to evaluate it. Essentially like M2TW but better and more explicit. Also I would have “sexed up” the battle-results menu.
82. I would have allowed multiple recruitments of troops like M2TW. That is a good idea and I would want it in here as well...
83. I would have reworked the reinforcement system during battles.
84. Increased the max operational units in battle to 24 units.
85. I would have made each strat unit-stack have a max of 1000 men, instead of the current 960 men. Easier that way...
86. Reworked siege-loss formulas... As in no losses the first turn and then it would increase more and more for each new turn. But all this in a slow pace at least the first 3-4 turns. Sieges should take time, but not 10 full years…
87. I would have made the papist reappearances optional...
88. I would ensure that all weapons and shields worked properly and at least complied to Tyberius standard.
89. I would have made ALL portraits to comply with the redux standard.
90. I would have included the possibility for the armies to move thru two regions instead of the current one (while on land).
91. I would have made the AI fight stubbornly for each and every province as long as it held less then 12 proivinces. Only retreating if there actually was another province to retreat to, and only at odds worse than 2:1.
92. I would have AI to do less crusades/jihads and above all made these more spectacular and important. A crusade should grant piety bonuses for ALL units that have joined it, not just the general. And I would probably raise that bonus somewhat, possibly +2 piety.
93. I would have probably sexed up all menus and interfaces in the game, lots of goldtext and metal, older yellow-ish parchments, some basic animations and SFX on top of it all.
94. I would have made all GFX files in standard formats so they were easily moddable…. Animations in gif for instance (it would probably work just fine). Targa-format on all GFX should work just fine, thus throwing bifs, lbms and all that special crap out the window.

Darn! If I just managed to brainstorm another six changes it would have been a solid 100-list! Nobody is perfect here....

So, the real short version of it is that I would change a lot of things. There are probably more I would have changed but this is all I can think of for the moment, apart from the all the changes already made in redux.

- Cheers

[Roark]

Axalon to design M:TW3 plz, k thx.

[Fagar]

the failure rate of assassins.
get so sick of slowly building up an assassins valour to 4-5 stars setting him on a valour 0 emmissary in your own provinces with a 93% success rate and then failing.
I would prefer realistic success percentages.
In reality it never seems more than 25%
With a good assassin, you attempt 4 low level targets in four consecutive years and the odds are very good you will fail at least one of these times.

[caravel]

the failure rate of assassins.
get so sick of slowly building up an assassins valour to 4-5 stars setting him on a valour 0 emmissary in your own provinces with a 93% success rate and then failing.
I would prefer realistic success percentages.
In reality it never seems more than 25%
With a good assassin, you attempt 4 low level targets in four consecutive years and the odds are very good you will fail at least one of these times.

You may be confusing your assassin failing an assassination attempt with your assassin getting caught by counterspies before he can even attempt the assassination. Beware of border forts and also be aware that a rival faction assassin or spy could be counterspying in the province.

[Fagar]

You may be confusing your assassin failing an assassination attempt with your assassin getting caught by counterspies before he can even attempt the assassination. Beware of border forts and also be aware that a rival faction assassin or spy could be counterspying in the province.

Unfortunately I wish I was. I may have worded it poorly but I actually said:
'I get so sick of slowly building up an assassins valour to 4-5 stars setting him on a valour 0 emmissary in your own provinces with a 93% success rate and then failing'

It's not really all that big a deal but just a frustration I would change if I could.
As a matter of interest it is my understanding that border forts act as 4 valour counterspies and I have always been led to believe that any valour 5 or more assassins can get through undetected unless there is a border fort and an enemy agent there as well to stack the valour bonus?

[cori]

good points, vantec but:
"Actually, armour and weapon upgrades should be counted individually like valour. It's a little silly how 1soldier that has golden shield and sword can give the same upgrade to 99 more men if you're lucky, and how 99 men who have golden shield and sword can lose their prescious just for happening to land into the same army with a lone lunatic"

actualliy they are individual, just armur stats displaed for unit lider,not for whol unit and it is really
deceptive:after merging units seemse like all unit is armured,but actually it may be only lider ...
dont be surprise with high casualties..