Masklings So Far

Masklings (the little guys with spears) are currently the only antagonists in BronzeAge. They periodically launch raids from their camps, prompting the player to build walls and towers to defend against them. In 1.0 they attacked pretty frequently, sending small raids of 5 or so. These raids aren't particularly threatening, but they were almost constant. It got to the point where in one of my test worlds I simply ignored the "enemy sighted" notifications.

I wanted to change that in 1.1. Now the size of their raids grows rapidly, and the time between raids decreases. The goal was to make raids small and manageable at first, but later becoming major events, while being infrequent enough to not be annoying. I even simulated Maskling camp growth and raid frequency (see chart) to help in balancing.

This model falls apart, however, once there is more than one Maskling camp. The camps don't coordinate, so it's easy to have the player get swamped by raids from multiple camps at the same time. Luck plays a major part in how the early game plays out, the number of camps generated nearby largely determines how frustrating the game will be.

Additionally, Masklings pick randomly from available targets when launching a raid. This means that if you create a new settlement it is just as much a valid target for a mob of 30 angry Masklings as the well fortified city you've built up over the past half hour.

A New Model

For 1.2 I'm planning something different. Instead of each camp sending periodic raids, the entire tribe will form persistent warbands. These warbands will travel between camps, gathering warriors, and then interacting with player settlements. I say "interacting" instead of attacking, as the warbands will do more than just try to destroy you. Warbands will have a few options: watch the settlement for a bit, dash in to destroy a building then leave, siege the settlement, or try to destroy it.

These options will also allow for a more gently introduction to Masklings. In 1.1 the first time you see a Maskling it's going to try to destroy something, and unless  you've had the foresight to build a tower someone is likely going to die. In 1.2, the first time you see a Maskling they'll just be watching you, letting you know that enemies exist without punishing you. Then, over time, they will ramp up aggression. This will give the player time to build defenses before they're needed.

Warbands will also scale themselves to the settlement they're interacting with. No more will  a freshly founded settlement be mobbed by a swarm of 30, instead each settlement will get the same gradual ramp-up of hostility.