GameSpot Designer Diary: Mission Design

[Martok]

Strangely I tended to find the Senate missions were perfectly appropriate for my Julii campaign. They always set a target that was just within my grasp and often nudged me along a road I was already going (Gaul etc).

Then I envy you, econ. The missions I received always seemed pretty random. I did get the occasional mission that made sense for my chosen faction (conquer a Gaulish settlement as the Julii, capture a Carthaginian city as the Scipii, etc.), but overall that was pretty uncommon in my experience.

I did not mind the blockade Greece/Carthage ones. I saw them just as a mechanism to make sure I was at war with the same enemies as the other two Roman factions.

I can see the logic in that....and if missions like that had been limited to "blockade" only, I might not have minded so much. The problem is, I also received missions telling me to outright conquer Carthaginian and/or Greek cities as well. I still remember a Julii campaign where I was told to conquer Carthage itself, but the Scipii were already powerful enough to have done so themselves. Talk about your "WTF?!" moments....

Of course, what sold the missions to me where the chance of nice reward like a triarii (crumbs, they took long to build) or even better an exotic unit.

I admit I found that to be pretty cool as well, at least in concept. Often times, however, all I received was a couple extra units of Histati or maybe Principes if I was lucky. The most exotic "reward" unit I ever received was a unit of Sammite Gladiators, and that was only one time.

[econ21]

I still remember a Julii campaign where I was told to conquer Carthage itself, but the Scipii were already powerful enough to have done so themselves. Talk about your "WTF?!" moments....

Given how bad the AI is at conquering - particularly when crossing water is involved - asking a human to do it is actually rather understandable. Is this is evidence of a self-aware AI?

[Martok]

Given how bad the AI is at conquering - particularly when crossing water is involved - asking a human to do it is actually rather understandable. Is this is evidence of a self-aware AI?

Heh. Believe me, the thought has occurred to me more than once (that I was assigned the mission because the AI-controlled families were incapable of carrying it out)!

After a while, I just started refusing to carry out missions like that. They always made me feel like I was working on one of those group projects back in high school, where all the other kids in my group were relying on the "smart kid" (me) to do most of the work for them. I have no desire to repeat that experience with a computer game (albeit 15 years later).

All that said, if the missions in Medieval 2 are assigned in a way that's sensible and furthers your faction's agenda, I'll be happy.

[Polemists]

I realize some people want no penalties. However politics is part of the world and trying to play favorites is always a challenge of almost anyone. Guilds are only there if you build a guild hall, Pope missons only if you choose a catholic faction. So that leaves other factions and Council of Nobles, which as stated will be dependent on your assets, location, and other things.

Some of you may want them turned off completely but they are in game. So either wait for a mod or accept it.I don't see point arguing a feature that is in game and is only expanding. I mean it's more missons then RTW, so they seem to like pushing that way.

I always liked missons, I felt so bored as the barbarians cause other then odd battle here or there I felt there wasn't any real drive. No great empires, just bunch of half naked spearmen which cost a fortune. Rome factions at least I was trying to achieve Rome, there was something to actually achieve rather then a arbitrary 15(if you did short) provices with no real events affecting me in between.

Just my view.