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Old Post Arming the Mob

Mym

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Upon watching kinggath's Conqueror QnA I got to thinking about the idea of a customizable, trainable, feared death squad. Here I would like to present several ideas for Conqueror about them, the raider army in general, and balancing.

Firstly, your raider army. As it stands there is no system in place to properly equip your army in an organized fashion, assign standard issue gear, or organize your fighting force. In order to efficiently deal with all these issues, I propose that the Sim Settlements team create a framework that allows players to assign units to squads a la FCOM (Remember, it was Napoleon who championed "DIVIDE and conquer"). In addition to this fundamental component of militarization this framework must also allow players to determine WHICH squads get what gear through a barter screen in which the player donates gear to a pool that the squads obtain obligatory gear from. This includes weapons and apparel. If different versions of the same item are donated (I was thinking of using The Rebel flannels for a squad, which come in different colors) then the versions assigned are randomized. Eg., A squad is donated combat armor with two different Creation Club paint jobs, and assuming the gear is in excess then the gear is randomly assigned so that all of them will wear one or the other, regardless of any statistical differences between the armors. The same all goes for weapons. This framework feature would likely require the maker of FCOM's blessing to use, however the option of outfitting entire squads with different gear would be original to Sim Settlements. I'll go into the balancing issues of this and more in time.

As for implementation, the options are very open. My idea is simple. FCOM requires a radio? Well then make it a radio station plot! A designated "military infrastructure" plot could potentially mean removing some of the Conqueror system implementation from Jammer. The pros of this would mean a more professional-paramilitary means of ordering your army around, more coordination options as the 4-branch dialogue system would no longer hinder the player's potential control, as well opening up room for Jammer to eventually serve another purpose in the Conqueror late-game. Without having to be your chief means of commanding your army the whole time, Jammer must find another role. I'll leave that one to you guys. The cons are that this likely will interfere with the team's current progress with Jammer and/or future plans with Conqueror. This ultimately means going back and changing things with Jammer and just more work in general. All of this is something to consider.

But now for the concept that has me psyched for conquering: a freaking death squad. Or personal vanguard, whichever you prefer. In conjunction with my previous framework concept, the death squad in Conqueror is a wonderfully enticing idea. Kinggath brought it up in his QnA video and I immediately got to thinking about all of this. Once again I'll leave the big ideas up to the main team, but allow me to describe my basic vision. Upon gaining significant power and notoriety in the Commonwealth, it will become necessary to: inspire your troops, demoralize the enemy, and attain military elitism. An elite unit can do this and more. The gunners don't have an elite unit. Or the minutemen. But the key powers, the Brotherhood, Institute, and... The Railroad? I guess they need muscle, hence Glory and her fellow tank units, whatever they're called. Anyways, the big players have feared warriors such as the Coursers and the Paladins. Realistically, those people could tear your raiders to mincemeat. Having a death squad with custom high end gear and more importantly, EXPERIENCE, will counter those powerhouses.

And thus, here is my second big framework suggestion: combat training and combat experience. Your death squad is absolutely no different from other raiders in SKILL, fancy gear notwithstanding. Yes, higher level raiders will come around, but just stop a moment and say the words out loud: "higher level raiders". Ooh. Awe-inspiring. At the end of the day, it isn't an elite unit without its members having earned their status. If a system, even just an extremely simple one, allowed soldiers to "rank up" and earn some kind of permanent boon to health or stats upon successfully attacking or defending a settlement, then it would make the whole idea of a death squad meaningful. Additionally, a system of training units in order to boost rank more gradually (to a limit, in order to prevent a stupidly powerful army from emerging with little to no experience) would achieve the same effect. And should a more complex system be adopted, then perhaps regular training facilitated by a recreational military plot should be necessary to prevent recruits from ranking down. All this means more immersion, meaning for the term "death squad", and a greater sense of military dominance for the player.

The final point of discussion from me is balancing. Every suggestion I've made is aimed at streamlining the Conqueror experience and making the mod more in-depth. However, some glaring issues are present with the ideas I've presented.

Number 1: The player can eventually equip their army with unbeatable weapons/armor.

To this I say, "Why try and stop it, when we can embrace it?" If the player wants to forge a REAL Scourge of the Commonwealth, then provide them with the tools to do so! Personally I think that using the Contraptions DLC and/or the Industrial Revolution addon pack would excel here. Imagine creating an armament industry for your soldiers, a proper War Machine! Now, systems should be in place to counter things such as the player equipping their army with an astounding number of powerful modded gear. Perhaps Conqueror should place ID's on modded weapons detected in the gear pool I proposed and arm opposing forces with similar weaponry in similar quantities. That might not be necessary, though. The difficulty curve in Conqueror may prove suitable for my suggested additions out of the box. Either way, the player's ability to equip their army with fearsome technology should be welcomed. Whether that is through research and development and/or manufacturing is up to the main team.

Number 2: We like Jammer how he is, thank you.

In order to make an omelet, you gotta transfer oversight of military operations from a psychotic homeless man to a properly trained individual. Hell, make Jammer trainable in that field so he can work at that radio station plot I mentioned. Maybe implement a quest for Prewar knowledge in a library or military base somewhere so that you can move to the professional military phase of conqueror. Jammer doesn't have to be removed or completely altered, but at some point in the Conqueror play through a branching dialogue menu with an uneducated thug just can't support all the complex operations of military command while still maintaining immersion and fun. A simple plot is all that is necessary.

With that enormous bout of thought expunged, I'd like to leave it to you fine folks to ponder what I've said and make any critiques. Once again I'd like to say that all my suggestions are aimed at making Conqueror a fun experience worth devoting time to. Thanks for reading.
 
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