oh neat

Nice, lots of good features again! Especially looking forward to the new areas of the map. Always felt weird that many big islands were deserted and there was a big hole between Germanic and Sarmatian areas.

Here is the patrol stuff we talked about on another thread. Unfortunately I read your response just now after writing it all up, or I wouldn't have written it, since it sounds like you might not need it anymore. I'll post it anyway, maybe parts of it will be useful to you.



PATROL OUTCOMES

Propose rewards:
reward_low = 5 points
reward_med = 10 points
reward_high = 20 points


Name: Nothing happens
Prep:
{patrol_nothing_vignette0, "a small merchant caravan slowly making its way to the nearest town."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette1, "a wild scavenger gnawing at a day-old animal corpse."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette2, "a young woman taking a break from gathering roots and berries to swim naked in a creek in the wilderness, oblivious to your whole unit stealthily gawking at her before moving on with the patrol."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette3, "a group of pilgrims traveling to visit their holy site."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette4, "an imperial messenger, riding down the road at lightining speed, his purebread horse foaming from exertion."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette5, "a logger's caravan, bringing donkeyloads of wood to the nearby village."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette6, "a foraging party, returning back to the legion with a fresh carcass."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette7, "a hunter, headed to town with a haul of skins and furs."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette8, "a large, well-organized caravan, whose guard detachment rivals your unit's strength, its hardened mercenaries staring you down with suspicion as they pass."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette9, "a village party, returning from town with miscellaneous purchases."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette10, "a few birds, soaring magestically over the path and flying along your route, which is definitely a good omen."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette11, "a dead bird, decomposing on the ground, definitely a bad omen."}

patrol_nothing_vignette_full = "^^You saw " + patrol_nothing_vignette + rand(0, 11)

Text: "March, march, march. The potentially dangerous task of patrolling with a small force turned typically uneventful again. The unit covered its designated route, taking great care to avoid potential ambushes." + patrol_nothing_vignette_full
[reward_low]



Name: Enemy spotted
Text: "A small group of armed men suddenly turned around as your unit approached and moved briskly, putting more distance between you until they disappeared from view. You have a few horsemen that can pursue, but most of the unit is on foot. ^^"

if player_rank is not high enough to command: "The unit commander proceeds with caution, keeping the force together. It is too slow to catch up to the opposing light party, who easily slips away." [reward_low]

else

Opt1: Proceed slowly, keeping the force together. "You proceed with caution, keeping your force tight and looking out for each other.^^"

N=25
N% chance: "As you round a bend in the path, you see the opposing party lined up to meet you, backed by more allies. As missiles rain down around you, the unit organizes for battle. This would have been a tough battle if your heavy infantry wasn't with you." [battle: player + 5 equites + 15 heavy infantry vs 20 light infantry, reward_med]

(100 - N)% chance: "The heavy legion infantry is too slow to catch up to the opposing light party, who easily slips away." [end patrol, reward_low]

Opt2: Lead your few equites in a mounted pursuit. "You and the horsemen easily catch up with the armed men.^^"

X=25
X% chance: "Seeing your superior speed they turn around and attack." [battle: player + 5 equites vs 7 light infantry, reward_med]

Y=25
Y% chance: "As you round a bend in the path, you see the opposing party lined up to meet you, backed by more allies. It is too late to run, as missiles rain down around you, you order a charge at the superior enemy." [battle: player + 5 equites vs 20 light infantry, reward_high]

(100 - (X + Y))% chance: "As you catch up, the armed men lay down their weapons and submit to your inspection. There is nothing to suggest they are bandits or otherwise engaged in anything illegal, so you let them go." [end patrol, reward_low]


Name: Suspicious character
Prereq: {player_rank} is high enough to command the patrol
Text: "The patrol is uneventful, until a fellow soldier points to a man, hiding in the shrubs along your route. He tries to flee, almost getting to his nearby horse before your soldiers apprehend him. ^^When questioned, he claims to be a peasant from the nearby village, just out collecting firewood. No firewood is found, which he explains by saying he just got here when he heard you marching and wanted to look."

Opt1: Let the peasant go.
50%: "The peasant thanks you and offers endless apologies for behaving suspiciously without realizing it. Your patrol finishes without further incident." [end, reward_med]
50%: "You release the supposed peasant, but less than an hour's march later a superior enemy force ambushes you. The bastard was a spy after all!" [battle: player + 5 equites + 15 heavy inf vs 30 inf, reward_high]

Opt2: He is clearly a spy, torture him until he gives up the ambush location.
50%: "The peasant cries in pain for hours as you do disturbing things to him, and it eventually becomes clear he has nothing to give up. You release him and finish the patrol. ^^The commander gives you a thorough chewing out for taking too long to complete your task, but it is nothing compared to the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ you must face the next day when the village representatives tell your commander the rest of the story." [end, NEGATIVE reward_med]
50%: "The fake peasant is actually an enemy scout and confesses everything after enough pain. Once you know the location of their ambush, you carefully flank it and attack them unexpectedly from behind. Before the battle can really get underway, the entire bandit contingent surrenders in horror. Your unit is given a hero's welcome back at camp, as you parade the captives along the castra's main street." [end, reward_high]


Name: Cattle thief
Prereq: {player_rank} is high enough to command the patrol
Text: "Earlier on the patrol, you passed through a village that complained about their cattle getting stolen overnight. Now your unit catches up to a couple of shady characters herding cattle, who run at the sight of you. ^^The thieves escaped, but you do have the cattle now."

Opt1: Bring it back to the legion's camp. "You detach a couple of equites and have them herd the cattle back to camp, while the rest of the unit completes the patrol. Your commander is impressed by your flexibility and taking emerging opportunities without compromising your mission. It doesn't hurt that the commander will save thousands of coins on legion provisions now either." [end, reward_high, +commander relations]

Opt2: Return it to the village. "You take a detour to bring the cattle back to the village. The peasants are grateful for your help." [end, reward_low, +nearest village relations]

Opt3: Sell it at the nearest market and divide up the money with your soldiers. "After selling off the animals, all of you are slightly heavier with silver. You make up a story to explain the delay in completing your mission and the denarii in your soldiers' pockets helps everyone back it up. Cattle? What cattle? We didn't see any cattle." [end, reward_low, +5000 denarii]

Originally posted by BanDHMO:

Here is the patrol stuff we talked about on another thread. Unfortunately I read your response just now after writing it all up, or I wouldn't have written it, since it sounds like you might not need it anymore. I'll post it anyway, maybe parts of it will be useful to you.



PATROL OUTCOMES

Propose rewards:
reward_low = 5 points
reward_med = 10 points
reward_high = 20 points


Name: Nothing happens
Prep:
{patrol_nothing_vignette0, "a small merchant caravan slowly making its way to the nearest town."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette1, "a wild scavenger gnawing at a day-old animal corpse."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette2, "a young woman taking a break from gathering roots and berries to swim naked in a creek in the wilderness, oblivious to your whole unit stealthily gawking at her before moving on with the patrol."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette3, "a group of pilgrims traveling to visit their holy site."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette4, "an imperial messenger, riding down the road at lightining speed, his purebread horse foaming from exertion."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette5, "a logger's caravan, bringing donkeyloads of wood to the nearby village."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette6, "a foraging party, returning back to the legion with a fresh carcass."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette7, "a hunter, headed to town with a haul of skins and furs."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette8, "a large, well-organized caravan, whose guard detachment rivals your unit's strength, its hardened mercenaries staring you down with suspicion as they pass."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette9, "a village party, returning from town with miscellaneous purchases."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette10, "a few birds, soaring magestically over the path and flying along your route, which is definitely a good omen."}
{patrol_nothing_vignette11, "a dead bird, decomposing on the ground, definitely a bad omen."}

patrol_nothing_vignette_full = "^^You saw " + patrol_nothing_vignette + rand(0, 11)

Text: "March, march, march. The potentially dangerous task of patrolling with a small force turned typically uneventful again. The unit covered its designated route, taking great care to avoid potential ambushes." + patrol_nothing_vignette_full
[reward_low]



Name: Enemy spotted
Text: "A small group of armed men suddenly turned around as your unit approached and moved briskly, putting more distance between you until they disappeared from view. You have a few horsemen that can pursue, but most of the unit is on foot. ^^"

if player_rank is not high enough to command: "The unit commander proceeds with caution, keeping the force together. It is too slow to catch up to the opposing light party, who easily slips away." [reward_low]

else

Opt1: Proceed slowly, keeping the force together. "You proceed with caution, keeping your force tight and looking out for each other.^^"

N=25
N% chance: "As you round a bend in the path, you see the opposing party lined up to meet you, backed by more allies. As missiles rain down around you, the unit organizes for battle. This would have been a tough battle if your heavy infantry wasn't with you." [battle: player + 5 equites + 15 heavy infantry vs 20 light infantry, reward_med]

(100 - N)% chance: "The heavy legion infantry is too slow to catch up to the opposing light party, who easily slips away." [end patrol, reward_low]

Opt2: Lead your few equites in a mounted pursuit. "You and the horsemen easily catch up with the armed men.^^"

X=25
X% chance: "Seeing your superior speed they turn around and attack." [battle: player + 5 equites vs 7 light infantry, reward_med]

Y=25
Y% chance: "As you round a bend in the path, you see the opposing party lined up to meet you, backed by more allies. It is too late to run, as missiles rain down around you, you order a charge at the superior enemy." [battle: player + 5 equites vs 20 light infantry, reward_high]

(100 - (X + Y))% chance: "As you catch up, the armed men lay down their weapons and submit to your inspection. There is nothing to suggest they are bandits or otherwise engaged in anything illegal, so you let them go." [end patrol, reward_low]


Name: Suspicious character
Prereq: {player_rank} is high enough to command the patrol
Text: "The patrol is uneventful, until a fellow soldier points to a man, hiding in the shrubs along your route. He tries to flee, almost getting to his nearby horse before your soldiers apprehend him. ^^When questioned, he claims to be a peasant from the nearby village, just out collecting firewood. No firewood is found, which he explains by saying he just got here when he heard you marching and wanted to look."

Opt1: Let the peasant go.
50%: "The peasant thanks you and offers endless apologies for behaving suspiciously without realizing it. Your patrol finishes without further incident." [end, reward_med]
50%: "You release the supposed peasant, but less than an hour's march later a superior enemy force ambushes you. The bastard was a spy after all!" [battle: player + 5 equites + 15 heavy inf vs 30 inf, reward_high]

Opt2: He is clearly a spy, torture him until he gives up the ambush location.
50%: "The peasant cries in pain for hours as you do disturbing things to him, and it eventually becomes clear he has nothing to give up. You release him and finish the patrol. ^^The commander gives you a thorough chewing out for taking too long to complete your task, but it is nothing compared to the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ you must face the next day when the village representatives tell your commander the rest of the story." [end, NEGATIVE reward_med]
50%: "The fake peasant is actually an enemy scout and confesses everything after enough pain. Once you know the location of their ambush, you carefully flank it and attack them unexpectedly from behind. Before the battle can really get underway, the entire bandit contingent surrenders in horror. Your unit is given a hero's welcome back at camp, as you parade the captives along the castra's main street." [end, reward_high]


Name: Cattle thief
Prereq: {player_rank} is high enough to command the patrol
Text: "Earlier on the patrol, you passed through a village that complained about their cattle getting stolen overnight. Now your unit catches up to a couple of shady characters herding cattle, who run at the sight of you. ^^The thieves escaped, but you do have the cattle now."

Opt1: Bring it back to the legion's camp. "You detach a couple of equites and have them herd the cattle back to camp, while the rest of the unit completes the patrol. Your commander is impressed by your flexibility and taking emerging opportunities without compromising your mission. It doesn't hurt that the commander will save thousands of coins on legion provisions now either." [end, reward_high, +commander relations]

Opt2: Return it to the village. "You take a detour to bring the cattle back to the village. The peasants are grateful for your help." [end, reward_low, +nearest village relations]

Opt3: Sell it at the nearest market and divide up the money with your soldiers. "After selling off the animals, all of you are slightly heavier with silver. You make up a story to explain the delay in completing your mission and the denarii in your soldiers' pockets helps everyone back it up. Cattle? What cattle? We didn't see any cattle." [end, reward_low, +5000 denarii]

thank you, I will for sure use most of it.

Great, glad it comes useful. One thing that's been bugging me about it is that I think there should be some reputation consequences for doing the stealing and torturing an innocent, but I didn't put them there because there isn't a corresponding way to get positive rep, and it would just drain all the player rep over time, since it's such a frequently repeated event. Maybe it's possible to decrease up to a limit? Like, torture a peasant who's innocent, rep -=1; rep = max(rep, -10)? This way you have consequences, but if you are already seen as bad, it doesn't make you any more bad, because this kind of thing is expected of you.

Originally posted by BanDHMO:

Great, glad it comes useful. One thing that's been bugging me about it is that I think there should be some reputation consequences for doing the stealing and torturing an innocent, but I didn't put them there because there isn't a corresponding way to get positive rep, and it would just drain all the player rep over time, since it's such a frequently repeated event. Maybe it's possible to decrease up to a limit? Like, torture a peasant who's innocent, rep -=1; rep = max(rep, -10)? This way you have consequences, but if you are already seen as bad, it doesn't make you any more bad, because this kind of thing is expected of you.

just a -1 reputation as long as rep is larger than -10 should work fine.

Originally posted by BGMaxi:

just a -1 reputation as long as rep is larger than -10 should work fine.

Awesome. So maybe stealing -1 up to -10, torturing -1 up to -20, and returning cattle to owners +1 up to +10, something like that?

Originally posted by BanDHMO:

Originally posted by BGMaxi:

just a -1 reputation as long as rep is larger than -10 should work fine.

Awesome. So maybe stealing -1 up to -10, torturing -1 up to -20, and returning cattle to owners +1 up to +10, something like that?

yes thats fine