Marching, A Solution to "Everyone will just play mounted the map is too big"

[Kaemik]

Preface

So realistically, a mounted rider should cover more ground per day than a footsoldier because mounts are faster. Wrong. Why did humans evolve to walk on two legs? Four legs offer more contact with the ground and power for running. Well, consider the energy needed to move two legs that bear your bodies weight vertically vs. the energy a four legged animal needs to move.

Our paleolithic ancestors were champion endurance runners and sometimes killed their prey by simply tracking it until it succumbed to exhaustion.

Why is this relevant? A fit human can cover more ground in a day on foot, than a mounted one. Horses are faster, but especially when laden with a rider and supplies they also have less endurance. Thus, this suggestion is not only balanced, but it's realistic. (Realism is a stated goal of the game according to the FAQ before anyone gets triggered by that word)

Suggestion (Simple Implementation)

Players can enter a state of "marching". In march mode stamina is drained until they reach 75% and then stabilizes there. Marching is slower than a sprint but should ALWAYS be faster than what I call "Average Move Speed" (Movespeed when restam periods of walking or resting are averaged with sprinting based on how much time is spent in each state during the most efficient style of movement for a particular build)

Average move speed of a mounted build is lowered to a similar speed as foot builds by manipulating their stam stats.

Initiating a march has a small cast time. If a player receives damage while marching the first attack is considered an "ambush" this immediately lowers them to 25% stam and deals double damage (this is so that initiating a march to escape a fight is incredibly risky). Marching off cliffs also deals double damage.

Suggestion (Phase 2: Group Implementation)

A leader can initiate a march group that other players can join. While within a certain proximity of eachother everyone in the march matches speeds. The speed of the march is based on the slowest member of the march. Ambushes are changed to a 10 second debuff that applies to the whole group allowing for double damage beyond the 25% stam effect.

If an individual member falls beyond 50 meters from the march's leader, they revert to their individual speed (which could be beneficial in catching up or scouting). If they are more than 250 meters away they are removed from the march.

Suggestion (Phase 3: Road Buff)

While traveling on roads all marches receive 25% a movespeed buff and maintain 90% stam. Certain terrain also offers debuffs such as a light forest debuff or a heavy swamp/marsh debuff. Roads continue to override these debuffs. In other words, a group on a road through a swamp travels at the same speed as a group on a road through open plains.

What is the point? It's a realistic bonus for roads that also sets up ambushes better. Particularly in say, a road through a forest or swamp, bandits can set up ambushes along the road knowing that many people looking to get through quickly may take the predictable path of the road.

Final Note

Tames following an owner should be teleported to the owner if they fall behind in a march state. This has nothing to do with realism and everything to do with fixing the fact tames that get hung up on every twig due to broken pathing and are annoying to wait for. However slower tames can slow down the marching speed or their controller (and thus their group in group marches). This also allows a player to temporarily enter a march state to fix a stuck pet.

 

[Belteyn]

Some interesting ideas, although personally I think increased speed on roads/paths is the best option. My reasons:

• Link speed buff to roads/paths is most realistic as it links it to actual type of terrain. Your other suggestions could potentially be used on any terrain i.e. people getting speed buff crossing mountains, water, etc... and therefore reducing effectiveness of natural terrain barriers and people choosing to build in hard to reach places or places chosen because of terrain.
• By encouraging players to use roads/paths you will likely increase PvP as roads will be attractive places both for bandits and guards from local settlement/domain offering protection to players using their road systems i.e. well run territories will encourage travel/trade if they can properly offer protection on their roads.
• Tactical decisions for sieges e.g. protecting incoming roads systems as most likely 'fast' route of attack
• Risk versus reward - use roads for faster travel, but more likely to be attacked

 

[Kaemik]

Oh it's not meant to be three options but rather three progressive steps. Implementing marching should be simple so that's step 1. The group functionality would take some work so that's step 2. Making terrain and roads effect it means they need to divide the ENTIRE map into terrain types with boundaries. This is cool enough I feel it's worth it, but step 3 due to the workload it would pose.

 

[Belteyn]

Well I heard Henrik answer question in stream the other day that Groups are not planned, so that kinda rules out option 2.

From a technical perspective I think a lot easier to mark out roads/paths for speed modifier than all terrain. By that I mean you would simply superimpose a 'layer' over existing visual roads that a player is either on or not. Whereas trying to tag every square meter of map terrain as a specific terrain type would be a development nightmare as most of the time multiple terrain types are in play.

My issue with option 1 is I don't really think any speed modifier should exist on certain terrian types e.g. 'marching' over mountains.

 

[Urtz]

Why not just use wagons instead? Give them like 12 seats each. You can transport a full war party with 2-3 wagons, problem solved. Ships will also be very good for that.

As for mounted combat, I think it should be more difficult to skill into. Make it so a mounted warrior is basically useless on foot, force people to specialize.