FAQ updated - 10/04/2006

[The_Doctor]

http://p223.ezboard.com/fshoguntotal...cID=1127.topic

Part Six Agents and Characters

Q. What new agents will be included in Medieval 2’s campaign game?

A. There are a number of new agent types in Medieval 2, some will be player controlled whilst others will be under AI control. These include Merchants and Princesses which are added to the array of characters from Rome that include Diplomats, Spies, Assassins and Priests.


Q. Do agents improve their skills as the game progresses?

A. All agent characters have attributes that develop the more you put them to use in the campaign game. So Princesses for example have a Charm attribute that governs their success in diplomacy and the likelihood that a proposal in marriage will be accepted.


Q. How do Merchants work?

A. The campaign map is sprinkled with resources that can be harvested by using your merchants. These agents can travel to foreign lands to gain a monopoly on these resources for your faction. The value of the resource and the skill of the merchant will govern the amount of money they can make.


Q. Can you use Merchants to seize another factions resources?

A. Merchants can also be used aggressively to capture resources monopolised by rival factions in order to disrupt their economy. They can attack rival merchants on the campaign map. Merchant clashes are auto-resolved to decide the victor.


Q. What ‘RPG-parameters’ can we expect from the Generals and governors?

A. There will be a whole new set of Medieval traits for characters, along with a number of primary attributes. One big addition is the idea of Chivalry and Dread that effectively decide whether a character is good or evil thus giving characters far more distinct personalities.


Q. How do characters develop Chivalry and Dread?

A. Like all traits and attributes, characters develop these through their actions in the game. For example when a General captures a city, you have the option to peacefully occupy the city or wade in and exterminate the population. That kind of choice will govern how your General develops.


Q. What effects do Chivalry and Dread have?

A. Chivalrous types will inspire loyalty in those around them. Dread lords meanwhile can terrify their followers and the enemy alike.

[Divine Wind]

Positive stuff!

[Dutch_guy]

Q. How do characters develop Chivalry and Dread?

A. Like all traits and attributes, characters develop these through their actions in the game. For example when a General captures a city, you have the option to peacefully occupy the city or wade in and exterminate the population. That kind of choice will govern how your General develops.

I'm still keeping my hopes up for a capture-routing-units-in-battle option.

Would be a great feature and would fit nicely in the dread/chivalry attribute system.

[Servius]

Sounds like, as Machiavelli said, it is better to be feared than loved.

However, perhaps Chivalry will act like the old MTW virtue of Loyalty on the Camp map and affect Morale on the Battle Map. Conversely, Dread could do what it did in MTW (suppress rebelliousness in the populace) and could weaken the moral of the enemy on the Battle Map. It's not clear from the FAQ.

[Taurus]

Liking the sound of the chivalry and dread stuff.

[Zatoichi]

Q. How do Merchants work?

A. The campaign map is sprinkled with resources that can be harvested by using your merchants. These agents can travel to foreign lands to gain a monopoly on these resources for your faction. The value of the resource and the skill of the merchant will govern the amount of money they can make.


Q. Can you use Merchants to seize another factions resources?

A. Merchants can also be used aggressively to capture resources monopolised by rival factions in order to disrupt their economy. They can attack rival merchants on the campaign map. Merchant clashes are auto-resolved to decide the victor.

OK - so does this mean a merchant has to remain alive for his faction to get the income from the resources he's captured? Or will his faction retain the income from resources regardless, only losing them if a rival merchant captures the resource?

Either way, it seems to complicate the trade and income side of things, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Looks like you'll need to station plenty of assassins around these resources to keep the enemy merchants away, presuming it's not just other merchants who can damage each other.

[Duke John]

which are added to the array of characters from Rome that include Diplomats, Spies, Assassins and Priests.

Did we have Priests as agents in R:TW?

[The_Doctor]

Did we have Priests as agents in R:TW?

No, they where retinue people. In BI there where also battlefield units.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

It's funny - more content that has been restored but called new. I guess that's good, though...

Merchant Battle!

Merchant1 used Corner-the-Market!
Merchant2: Hax!!111
Merchant1: lol
2: ban plz
1: n00b
2: telling admin!11
1: rofl lol
Merchant2 used Counter-proposal!
2: lol PWNED!!!1
1: OMG
1: cheater
2: lol whoze n00b now
1: merch whore hax
2: no ur liek sux
Merchant1 left the server! Merchant2 wins!

You got new resource: Parsnips!

[Duke John]

No, they where retinue people.

So it's another example of how badly CA knows his products and service. Can't trust PR.

And it's lame to constantly compare M:TW2 to R:TW while being a sequel to M:TW. They might as well make a FAQ that states that M:TW2 has different units than R:TW; Men-at-arms, knights, billmen, etc.

[screwtype]

Very little that's new here except the merchants. And their inclusion hardly augurs well for hopes of a more realistic economic model. Also, the idea of merchants fighting each other over resources is lame.

I suppose we should be grateful for the inclusion of any factor which gives the economic side game a bit more depth, but this seems a rather gimmicky way to go about it.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Very little that's new here except the merchants. And their inclusion hardly augurs well for hopes of a more realistic economic model. Also, the idea of merchants fighting each other over resources is lame.

I suppose we should be grateful for the inclusion of any factor which gives the economic side game a bit more depth, but this seems a rather gimmicky way to go about it.

lol n00b. merchs r liek soooo hardcore n stuff. just cuz ur liek some n00b dont lamz0r merch rush! rofl parsnips pwn!

liek edit n stuff: turnips r 4 n00bs. dont do turnips. liek a n00b. n00b. lol

[Furious Mental]

Obviously I can't be sure but I think "merchant clashes" are probably just an abstraction of merchants competing to convince a foreign state to trade with them and not the other bloke.

[screwtype]

Obviously I can't be sure but I think "merchant clashes" are probably just an abstraction of merchants competing to convince a foreign state to trade with them and not the other bloke.

Like the man said, get ready for the merch rush, n00b.

[screwtype]

lol n00b. merchs r liek soooo hardcore n stuff. just cuz ur liek some n00b dont lamz0r merch rush! rofl parsnips pwn!

liek edit n stuff: turnips r 4 n00bs. dont do turnips. liek a n00b. n00b. lol

Hard to argue with that. You manage to put the case in your own unique way as usual, PG

[Quietus]

Very little that's new here except the merchants. And their inclusion hardly augurs well for hopes of a more realistic economic model. Also, the idea of merchants fighting each other over resources is lame.

I suppose we should be grateful for the inclusion of any factor which gives the economic side game a bit more depth, but this seems a rather gimmicky way to go about it.

I agree, it is cheesy.

The only thing missing is a Looney-Toons-inspired Merchant Sabotage in-game video:

:Friendly merchant sneaks slowly from a boulder:

:changes direction of road sign; winks at the camera:

:Enemy merchant caravans passes, takes the wrong direction:

:Friendly merchant watches then grins:

end of video.

[screwtype]

:Friendly merchant sneaks slowly from a boulder:

:changes direction of road sign; winks at the camera:

:Enemy merchant caravans passes, takes the wrong direction:

:Friendly merchant watches then grins:

end of video.

Don't forget the "Laurel and Hardy" theme music playing in the background.

[Wandarah]

it adds the ability to secure specific resources. it's simple. it's easy. it's a good idea.

of course, it's not you know, enough for the anorak crowd. i'm not concerned if they're big purple blobs that suck up minerals from the ground and spurt them from thier huge nostrils into storage sacks that grow on thier flanks, as long as theres a distinct strategy involved.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I'm just bothered about the "merchant battles" bit.

Does your merchant die if you lose?

Is there a respawn point?

Can you be a "team killer"?

Are there "headshots"?

And to top it off, it's autoresolved! I want the option to try out some "finishing moves" with "cinematic splendor" in full 3D!

rofl