Flags for Castle Ownership

[ancestral]

Actually, I think it would be cool to have a color banner draped over the keep of the castle of the current/last occupied leader.

Totally cosmetic, but I think it would add a little flavor to the game.

[melinath]

Actually, I think it would be cool to have a color banner draped over the keep of the castle of the current/last occupied leader.

Totally cosmetic, but I think it would add a little flavor to the game.

I agree. Sort of an "Arr, Mateys! Put up the Jolly Roger!"

...

except for non-pirate flags. There could even be a flag-unrolling-animation for when you take over a neutral castle.

[Turuk]

Split to save from the other topic.

Not a bad idea, it would be trivial but a nice little touch.

[thespaceinvader]

Make sure they're easily distinguishable from village flags, would be the only thing i'd say - flags are what distinguish villages from non-villages, after all, apart from the mouseover icon.

[Velensk]

I like this idea much like I like the idea of having faction spefic village banners. It's cool and hurts nothing.

[Erudirien]

Might as well give another positive reply to this idea. I like it and it would certainly add a nice touch to the game.

[Turuk]

Here's the better question. Is anyone interested in trying their hands at creating the flags?

[ancestral]

Not necessarily an attempt to draw the banners, but two placement suggestions on where they could go.

Banners could certainly be narrower or longer and could be different shapes. You could also have more banners on other sides or even inside the keep on the rear towers.

Draped down the towers.

bannersuggestion1.png (84.89 KiB) Viewed 3594 times

[Pentarctagon]

Here's the better question. Is anyone interested in trying their hands at creating the flags?

if the question is now "Will anyone actually create the flags?", maybe this thread would be better off in the art forum?

[Turuk]

if the question is now "Will anyone actually create the flags?", maybe this thread would be better off in the art forum?

Don't worry, if art actually comes out of this in some fashion and gets posted in this thread, it can get moved or the posts split to start a new thread. Putting it in art workshop in the hope of getting art is the opposite of how we treat the art forums.

[Gambit]

Then there is the question of how best to implement this even if you get the art.

Are we suggesting that someone hardcode an option for terrain to be "capturable" or just asking that some sort of global WML moveto event be placed in core?

And when you design your flags remember there are many different kinds of keeps. Something ground based (rather than hanging off the side) would be better.

[ancestral]

Then there is the question of how best to implement this even if you get the art.

Are we suggesting that someone hardcode an option for terrain to be "capturable" or just asking that some sort of global WML moveto event be placed in core?

And when you design your flags remember there are many different kinds of keeps. Something ground based (rather than hanging off the side) would be better.

• At the beginning of the game, if the leader is on a keep, it is colored for that player.
• Whenever a different leader enters the keep, it changes colors.
• I suggest that the color not change when the leader leaves. Leaders will enter and leave their keeps very frequently in games, and showing castle ownership seems kind of stupid if it's only when the leader is present there, part of the time.
• This also adds a visual cue for the player as the spot to where a leader can recruit and recall units. Sometimes it can be confusing for newer players who may think they can be anywhere in a castle, for example.

I like this better than removing the color when a leader leaves the keep because often in a game a leader will enter and leave all the time. Having it so a leader has to "capture" a keep to re-color it seems kind of fun, and could bode well for any future "capture the flag" or "domination"-style games.

[Gambit]

Just remember that there are some mods where castles (and their keeps) are built and destroyed. It needs to be linked to the terrain types.

A KotH map would be cool for this too.

[Tonepoet]

It should probably be a WML option as opposed to something that's a part of the basic game. There are atmospheric reasons that some people may not want a flag up at your keep. Rebellions, abandoned castles, poorer areas, fledgling nations, temporary encampments, disorganized areas, wilderness/cave scenarios, nongoverning bodies and the unpatriotic all may not have a flag ready for various reasons. Let's not break storytelling capacity just for an add nothing gimmick. Also, don't forget that starting a leader on a noncastle hex was implemented not too long ago, how do you deal with the situation then?

On the other hand, if it's used as a WML option you could add to any hex destination however, then it could add a lot to stories and could be added to any fitting map. Fighting for particular hexes in special scenarios comes to mind, especially concerning non-village buildings. It could be added to any keep in any map where it would make sense to have a flag without necessarily being obtrusive to those that don't. On the downside, it may be a hassle to add to every single map by hand if it's wanted to be in the majority of keeps but if that's the case, the default option for keeps could be set to on with the option to turn it off for those rarer instances where its found to be undesirable.

As for the look of these flags, I'd suggest they be larger rectangular flags like the ones used by virtually all nations today. It'd be easy to distinguish from the triangular slivers we currently use for villages that way.

P.S. These probably aren't up to snuff, as they're from the wrong perspective, I have no idea how to really animate a sprite ect. ect. However, here are some flag sprites I just made. Maybe they'll spark more interest in the project or could be used as a mock up? Too many well received ideas get forgotten because nobody ever did anything for them.

[Fosprey]

Just remember that there are some mods where castles (and their keeps) are built and destroyed. It needs to be linked to the terrain types.

A KotH map would be cool for this too.

What mods are those?