I recently played in v0.31.25 in adv mode for a few weeks, and there are two things I felt were vital improvements:
1. A follower gets tapped on the arm and drops their weapon; they never pick it up again, and eventually become a wrestler; a crossbowman starts with 30 bolts, but has no means to pick up a used bolt or acquire more; eventually, they become a hammer{man,dwarf}.
Ideally these example guys would know their needs and desires, would pick up and wield weapons and missiles as appropriate, as well as looting defeated enemies for useful weapons, armour and (more generally) wealth.
But until then: I read in the original dev notes an intention to support the idea that "everyone would permit trade, at the right price" - if I could trade with my followers to give them what they need, that'd make a huge difference to my ability to keep them alive. I think that'd need, in addition, allowing gifts to give an "are you sure?" rather than x-for-zero trades automatically givbing a "yes yes, that's what you want to trade, but what do you want in return?"; I think it'd also need a follower to be capable of wielding/wearing/using an item received in such a trade, if suitable (and, trickier, knowing what's suitable - giving an accordion to a swordsman should ideally not cause them to wield the accordion in the next fight).
2. After travelling in the world map, my follower list is often fatally reduced from what it was when I set out. Either automatically on entering travel mode, or by means of a separate "gather followers" command, I could really do with "5 followers are not available to travel: 2 because they are dead, 1 because she is unconscious, 1 because she is enthralled, and 1 because she's busy fighting an enraged badger".
I'm not sure if it happens, but likewise if a follower gets distracted during a world-map journey, I'd like a warning and an option to descend to local map and chase/help her.
There are many smaller things, but these two feel like they'd make a huge difference to the concept of forging a band of coaligned fighters.
- it'd be hugely helpful if there was a "rally to me" shout that would attract those in earshot that had a "duty" rating sufficient to exceed their engagement in whatever they were busy with;
- I'd love to be able to see their stats, make them train, have them sneak and swim when I do, have them post lookouts when camping, and have them automatically build a temporary (fortified, according to ability and knowledge) camp when camping;
- there should probably also be some potential for in-camp treachery (thieving, assassinating), impregnation and other interactions, and eventually a round-up page that allows you to check (your adventurer's analysis of) the psychological makeup of the group and potential for problems;
- that might end up being a useful precursor for a similar round-up page for fortress mode.
Can I make potential recruits fill in a personality profiling questionnaire before recruiting them? Can they then turn me down on the grounds that "I am not a number"?
Hugo