If you want a real change to the game then they should simplify getting troops.
The current system is a fucking joke!
I know that ideas never get applied but whateva, here is my idea (even though it can be seen as too "realistic" and unbalanced and gives too much power to fiefs and gold):
- Fiefs generates troops (troops or population, population could be switched to troops for a gold fee representing the "training" of a soldier) for the faction owning the fief
=> villages / castles / cities, would have a different troop generation rate (something that would make sense)
This would give an incentive to capture fiefs a lot (more attacks) and to defend them to the last man (no emptying out of villages like we see today)
That would be the major "legit" way to have troops.
Then :
- You can pay "mercenaries" (troops) for gold and gold alone
The price (static, dynamic, player regulated?) and availability (in fiefs? anywhere? an infinite pool or a static pool that regenerates like prosperity?) would be for discussion.
But I feel like we need a way for people to "pay their way" into the strategus chessboard : atm, only factions with a looooooooot of players (big cRPG clans only) can have a chance to compete; but guys with just their own hide to bet on cant do shit even if they are "successful" in the trading business.
We should have more ways to grind troops and the more the better.
I also feel that the necessity to play cRPG to be able to grind strategus troops is like forcing children to eat brocolli to deserve a piece of cake