Hi all!! A few weeks ago I asked here how you wanted your infantry to fight ( old post ). The top answer by far was "make them hold the line", so that's what I built. It was called Better Infantry AI back then, now it's Hold the Line , and it's out as a beta. Available in Nexus Mods. What it does: No more moshpit: soldiers keep their place in the line and step in and back a little instead of turning into one big blob. AI formations that make contact switch to a charge, so both sides fight the same way. Shields in the front rank: shield and spear first, then other shields, then spears and pikes, then everyone else. Works in shield walls too. No more falxmen eating javelins and arrows in the front while the shield guys wait in the back. Rear ranks fight with spears: the second rank thrusts past the guy in front instead of hitting their back and getting stunned. AI spearmen also keep the spear out more instead of always pulling the sidearm. Deep format...
Okay, let's be completely honest here: Bannerlord still feels a bit barebones and unflavored compared to what it *could* be. And while a big reason for that is that there are still some lacking mechanics, especially in the diplomatic side, it's also the CONTENT. Particularly in this case, the unused lore that could all be made the base for some amazing story quests. Think back to Mount and Blade: Viking Conquest. I'm thinking story quests like that. No, not the shitty 'story quest' we have for the banner and that crap. A proper, fun quest with branching paths that give you choices on how to steer a kingdom on a certain direction, take sides with certain lords, and give you the chance to improve your skills, get gear and get money.
Many of the main story quest lords have their own dialogue when you meet them, that is really just unused for anything else thereafter. For example, the feud between Banu Sarran and Banu Qild: The leaders of these clans and Unqid himself mention it outright, but it has no actual effect on gameplay, and no story quests to really take advantage of the lore. It makes Bannerlord still feel like a beta build in a way.
Taking that specific feud, what if, once you become a vassal for the Aserai, Unqid calls you to mediate between the two clans, hoping that you, as a newcoming vassal, will be relatively objective and non-controversial to the two clans? And then maybe you could go around, talk to the clan leaders, talk to their members, even. Perhaps the girl who eloped with that Sarranid guy, Nimr, could talk to you herself. You could put some combat and other fun stuff in the way: Maybe the clan leaders ask you to do certain tasks like wipe out the hideout of a certain infamous bandit that's been scourging their lands, which could become it's own branch of the quest. Or maybe, rather than trying to mediate between the two clans, you could actually choose to side with either clan, and depending on the choices you take, either the feud is resolved somewhat peacefully but with the other clan being weakened via political maneuvering, OR it could even go down into violence, with maybe a battle or a few before you come out victorious in the quest.
This is just my own vague idea for how a quest for the Aserai could be formulated, forgive me. Obviously it wouldn't be as boring as I mentioned; like how I said before, if you take a look at the story questlines in VIking Conquest (The Revenge, and the additional one, The Last Tuatha De Danann), TaleWorlds has clearly shown they CAN make good questlines. They already put the lore in to make the foundations for such faction-unique questlines: How Urkhun forced the nomads into cities and how Monchug allows other tribes to attack Khergits after they were weakened at Pendraic for the Khuzait faction, the rivalry between Olek and Raganvand for Sturgia, the disagreements on attacking and betraying the Empire in Vlandia, etc etc. There are also chances to implement such quests involving minor clans, which would really help give some flavor and breathe life into the various factions and the world in general in Bannerlord.
Implemented properly, these (optional, of course) story quests could help give more variety and lore-building opportunities for Bannerlord, which would especially be fun for the lore-hungry portion of the playerbase.
What are yall's thoughts?
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