Dev Diary: Missions

[Tamur]

I may have somehow missed this, but at the .com there is a new (to me, anyway) dev diary on Missions by Penny, the voice behind the recent castles/cities video.

A few points I had not heard before:

1. Missions can be given to you by other factions. Very cool concept. Can the player give missions to AI factions? Hmmm.

2. re: missions from other factions... "These can come from individuals within the faction, seeking external help to further themselves within the faction, or from the faction as a whole."

Wow. This seems to state that there is no long a single AI per faction, but a number of them, and sometimes they are working against each other. Does this mean that the leaders of AI-faction settlements can make agreements with you exclusive of their faction? If so, that opens up a huge new area design-wise, allowing the player to create unrest, convert, send merchants, assassinate, all with another faction's city or castle leader as the sponsor, etc etc. The mind boggles.

So this probably isn't true for M2. Really cool concept for future development, though.

3. Mechanics. It seems like they did a lot more work designing mission conditions this time round, good news.

4. UI - yay for the missions scroll! Whoever added that should be given a well-funded retirement account... and then made to go back to the low-fi prototyping slavepit so we can get more like this.

All in all, this is very exciting! Of course, it's probably mentioned weeks ago in another thread and I'll look like an idiot posting here. But ah well...

edit: added link

[Vladimir]

Outstanding! So the feudal system is in? I imagine on higher difficulties you'd have a lot of power hungry nobles looking to take your throne.

[Vlad Tzepes]

I like the idea of multiple missions at the same time - from the Pope, from the Council of Nobles and, hopefully, from AI characters other than faction leaders. Gives you some sort of interaction with other factions, other than war.

This multitude of missions makes justice to non-Catholic factions also (playing Orthodox or Muslim in MTW was not so fun).

I hope CA won't discard the Golden Achievements system.

[edyzmedieval]

Looks good. We'll see how the product fares in November.

[Dutch_guy]

Wow. This seems to state that there is no long a single AI per faction, but a number of them, and sometimes they are working against each other.

So...Civil Wars seem to be possible then, well at least I'm hoping they will be.

[Tamur]

Yes, it certainly seems so. We will see I guess, but here's hoping... and here's hoping we can encourage them along in other factions, while squishing naughty nobles at home!

[The_Doctor]

The word mission appears ~36 time in that diary. The word has lost all meaning to me.

It sounds like a good idea.

[Martok]

I admit I'm intrigued by the possiblity of being assigned missions by other factions, and especially by specific people within a faction. On paper at least, it sounds like this feature could add a nice level of complexity and depth that I wouldn't have expected the game to possess.

And I second Dutch Guy: Let's hear it for civil wars and coordinated "Rebels"! I still really wish this had been a feature that could've been added to the original Medieval.

[Dr_Who_Regen#4]

It would be great if we could ask the AI factions to undertake a mission. They would be a series of options and rewards. Like you could ask someone to blocade a port and you would pay them 1000 florens, or maybe conquer a specific provence and you would give them your daughters hand in marriage....

Anyways it would be an extension of the diplomatic options, but would allow you to be a bit more specifc, instead of just offering money, land, or marriage for a general attack, alliance, peace treaty, etc...
This way you could give the reward based on them actually doing something tangible to help you.

[hoetje]

It would be great if we could ask the AI factions to undertake a mission. They would be a series of options and rewards. Like you could ask someone to blocade a port and you would pay them 1000 florens, or maybe conquer a specific provence and you would give them your daughters hand in marriage....

Anyways it would be an extension of the diplomatic options, but would allow you to be a bit more specifc, instead of just offering money, land, or marriage for a general attack, alliance, peace treaty, etc...
This way you could give the reward based on them actually doing something tangible to help you.

I like your idea dude

[The Spartan (Returns)]

cool!!
i will finally get to see a request for help attacking a faction in action!

[GodWillsIt]

Outstanding! So the feudal system is in? I imagine on higher difficulties you'd have a lot of power hungry nobles looking to take your throne.

This would be trouble to the HRE, France, and England not to mention many other factions

[Myrddraal]

I must say my immediate reaction to the word 'missions' was very dubious.

But having read the text, this seems great. It's a way of reflecting the influences on your faction beyond your whim. It's a way of representing the influence of your nobles.

It's funny, cos I was planning a similar system using a script for my WoT mod (with the advisor presenting advice comming from your nobles or councils)

[B-Wing]

Good find, Tamur! I'm rather excited about missions, now. Everything mentioned in the diary increased my anticipation for Medieval 2. Well, one thing was kind of disappointing to me: the return of blockade missions. I think these are done poorly. They just don't seem demanding enough to me for their reward. I think they should instead require you to maintain a blockade for at least a couple turns. 1000 florins isn't enough incentive to declare war on a faction you are neutral with (and lose the profits from trading with them), and blockading a port that belongs to a faction you are already at war with for a single turn is rarely, if ever, a troublesome task, and its basicly just giving you cash for doing something you ought to already be doing on your own initiative.

Still, that's a very minor complaint and not one that's going to bother me. I wonder if the computer can make requests of other computer-controlled factions?

[IrishArmenian]

Very good. Great job, CA!

[Geoffrey S]

Sounds interesting, and hopefully works as a good immersive feature. Looks promising.

One thing I'm hoping for is a diplomatic option to ask factions to remove their armies from your territories. I got fed up with enemy demands in RTW that my armies withdraw or they'll declare war, but not having a similar option myself.

[Mount Suribachi]

I hope CA won't discard the Golden Achievements system.

Well, reading this very interesting (and anticipation inducing) Dev Diary, it seems like the new missions system is a kind of GA system in itself. Whilst you don't get "points" for it, they scope and variety of the missions on offer certainly seems to at least rival MTWs GA goals. Most MTW vets feel that the GAs in MTW were a huge missed opportunity - they had so much unrealised potential, but even in their limited form, were very popular with players.

Well, one thing was kind of disappointing to me: the return of blockade missions. I think these are done poorly. They just don't seem demanding enough to me for their reward. I think they should instead require you to maintain a blockade for at least a couple turns. 1000 florins isn't enough incentive to declare war on a faction you are neutral with (and lose the profits from trading with them), and blockading a port that belongs to a faction you are already at war with for a single turn is rarely, if ever, a troublesome task,

If you look at the screenies, you can see that the blockade mission is for 3 turns, not 1


Overall, this is probably the most interesting, enticing thing I've yet seen about MTW2. I loved the Senate missions in RTW, and MTW2 seems to take it to a new level

[Incongruous]

Also about blockades CA devs said that they would give you're faction a financial boost.

[B-Wing]

One thing I'm hoping for is a diplomatic option to ask factions to remove their armies from your territories. I got fed up with enemy demands in RTW that my armies withdraw or they'll declare war, but not having a similar option myself.

Likewise. I think that should have been in the RTW from the start.

If you look at the screenies, you can see that the blockade mission is for 3 turns, not 1

Oh sweet, you're right! That's great. Obviously I should have actually read the description instead of assuming. Thanks for correcting me!

[hoetje]

On those 2 screenshots,you can read : you will recieve 1000 florins.I thought it was 'receive' and not 'recieve' ?
CA,quickly fix this fault :P

[sunsmountain]

Looks like Glory Goals / Glorious Achievement mode will be largely replaced by this system. I don't mind it that much, though it would be nice to win by points for completing missions...
(instead of always having to conquer everything)