If you could change the way strategus battles work...

[chadz]

... what would you do?
 Don't even base it on the current situation, start thinking from scratch. The current way strat battles work is a very simple one, and I'm sure there would be funnier and tactically more challenging version.

Just think about it like this:

Input: 2 parties, different troops, different weapons, fighting on different locations (villages, castles, towns, plains)
Ingame Battle: ?
Output: 1 party wins.

How should the battle be fought?

This is just a brainstorming really, I'd like to hear how you would do it if you could decide.

[Digglez]

allow factions to pick non-faction Sergeants/Lieutenants that can also control battalion flags

prime time battle windows ONLY and/or negotiated-scheduled battle times that both sides agree to

siege structures like forward spawn, healing tent, ladders should be imperious to ranged fire except maybe throwing

[chadz]

Not improving it - remaking it. I am aware of improvements that could be done, but that's not what this topic is about.

Think disruptive.

[Digglez]

Not improving it - remaking it. I am aware of improvements that could be done, but that's not what this topic is about.

Think disruptive.

current model is great and respreents a good clan battle system.  If you want different game modes besides ticket count deathmatch, make a caravan attack/raid style play where attackers have to GET an object(s) and get them away from defenders.

Make defenders have to escort objective to escape point. Like TF2 payload maps


also, some sort of ambush system would be nice.  Where attackers flags were a huge circle around defender spawns.  attackers get to deploy first and get ready before defenders spawn

[LordBerenger]

Before you try to find a way to improve battles, remove raid completely first and foremost.

[DaveUKR]

If you fix the balance in crpg, fix maps in Strat, if you fix the strat map itself - strat battles will be golden. I don't see any reasons to make a great revamp of Strat battles now, just make something that we have now working like clocks. And then we will see.

[Vovka]

would be desirable that the player's life was more valuable to the player himself. For example to limit the maximum number of respawns - all tickets / quantity mercs.


and how about try spawn at comander and mb 2-3 sergeants?

[Segd]

I think simple returning of troop multiplicator would make Strat more dynamic & fun.

[Camaris]

I really really enjoyed tonights battle.
If i would improve something then perhaps a bit better use for healing tents etc.
Perhaps something like "healing"-banners.

Or implementing some additional buffing banners.
More use to siege material would be cool too. Stationary arbalests etc.

At sieges there could be some "major" flags like in siege-mod. If you capture those all smaller flags in some areas are disabled and you can build a permanent spawnpoint there. If defenders dont manage to get it back before those permanent spawnpoint is build those flags are lost forever and attackers got a new spawning area.

If attackers could set their spawn areas before attack each map would get different tactics every time. If its possible to split spawns it would get even more interesting. Allowing mercs to finally bring their own equip would be really awesome too. (they would have to be around at stratmap). Probably not doable but getting battles with more factions would be awesome: Like 20 new people as new reinforcements after 20 minutes if someone came to help and joined battle late with his own troops.

[Aztek]

^^^^^^

[Keshian]

1.  Allow max 61 fighters again on each side (scaled down with troop count like currently) - so many players cant get accepted to the really fun battles involving more than 200-300 troops and this would help.

2.  Make all hired mercs invisble to the opposing side, so on thee roster list for battle applications just lists Merc 1, 2, 3 etc.  - makes it more acceptable to apply for all battles

3.  Allow for waves of besiegers with large fights involving sieges - so instead of 3000 v 4000 you would have a 1500 v 2000, then the leftover tickets would continue to a new battle in the second wave 15 or 60 minutes later so maybe 1800 v 2000.  This would allow you to hire a whole new set of mercs and provide more opportunities for people to fight and would more closely resemble a real besiegement of a castle.  Force better preparation with more siege equipment as gear would be split equally between the waves.  We would have twice as many large fights as now where the norm is 100v 100 with no shows on one side for 80% or more of the battles list.

4.  Make the NA 3 server less laggy

5.  Double the xp gain

6.  Add battering rams

[Lt_Anders]

Ok First: Standardized(ish) battle maps. No random Generation. Make maps based on location. IE if you fight in a forest, make it a primarily forested map. If you attack in hills or mountain, defenders should get the height advantage over the attackers. Everything else should be some variation based on flat maps with various additives.(Like make one map fight in open plains with a farm in it. Battles were often fought near small villages and farms so perhaps add this into map scenes.)

Start there. Each type of terrain should bring about tactical choice: Do i attack on mountain and risk the offensive disadvantage or do I attack and prevent reinforcement(or otherwise). Add tactical choices into battle location. Keep it varied though, to few scenes and people start to develop plans.That's it for map scenes.

Though not battle related, this would make a good change to battle system.(Of course, not concerning fiefs)

For battles:
Use spawn wave system along with a capture and hold dynamic, similar to BF gold rush. Defenders have 3 "lines" so to speak and each successive line gets "harder" to penetrate. If the defenders manage to hold 1 line very long, then they can "time limit" win.(Spawn wave mechanic doesn't have to be used and the current death spawner time can work as well.)

If you combine this with a modified fief layout and open field maps(designed for this from the start) you can get tactical setups and battlefield commanding as well as you gear brought becomes important.

some refinements: Give the attackers 10/10 spawns at start with each successive "line" capture giving them a spawn point further in. Give the defenders 3/3/4 spawn points at each line. Capture of all  spawns each line wins that line. Spawns are UNABLE to be put up once taken down. Also once tickets are out battle is over. But make it OBJECTIVE rather than KILL BASED. Also, Add score as a report option.

Take some or all, of this if you wish. Make refinements based on what you see.

Better battles need two things. Proper(not necessarily balanced) maps and the mechanics to be used on those maps.

[BattalGazi]

Avoid multiple accounts and bug abusing. The rest will be fine.

[Pentecost]

-One of the things I thought added some depth to battles in Shogun 2 was that when one army reinforced another, the reinforcements would not be available at the very beginning but would arrive at a time after the start of the battle proportional to when the reinforcement was made. If you routed the army that was being reinforced before the reinforcements arrived, you would basically win because of the huge negative morale penalty to the arriving enemy troops. I don't know if this mechanic could actually be applied to Strategus though.

-There is currently little point to defending villages during an invasion. The strategy that every NA faction being attacked has adopted so far after being attacked in earnest is to withdraw everything of value to inside a castle or town and to only mount a real resistance from there. If you made it so that holding villages in the vicinity of castles and towns had an effect on your ability to defend the castles and towns associated with them, it would make for village battles that were meaningful and not all population-ticket peasant slaughters.

-I second Diggles' ideas about implementing some game modes that focus on accomplishing objectives other than "wipe out the enemy army in its entirety". Strategus is about great battles, but not every great battle needs to be a reenactment of Waterloo.

-This is also a good suggestion that should seriously be considered if the game would allow for it (http://forum.meleegaming.com/suggestions-corner/repair-castles-after-sieges/). I feel it would add a greater element of strategy to decisions about how exactly to attack and hold territory, and it would add a sense of continuity to major siege battles that isn't currently there.

[Kelugarn]

(click to show/hide)

Allow mercs to be hired in squads/battalions that have separate spawn locations that can be arranged within a given area of the map for each team. Allow faction leaders/battle commanders to set battalion spawns in the 120 seconds before the battle starts.

Allow commanders to call in reinforcements (respawns) in waves, divided by battalion.

Remove flag spawn point system and replace with something like a "control zone" for each battalion that the enemy must hold for a certain amount of seconds, uncontested, to disable spawns.

Allow defenders to spend gold/csites/con mats in the 5 hour reinforcement window to build fortifications/alter map.

Ability to restrict gear to certain battalions.

Get new servers.

Not much else coming to me right now that would affect strat only.