I’m just linking that post as it sums up nicely that this is a means for them to test the mechanic and gives you an understanding as to why they have made the decision to allow control over the unit.
Right now I think the trapper is definitely a way of testing certain things, see how they pan out, see what works and what doesn’t. The trapped allows them to experiment with these types of mechanics.
I have my own concerns with the control over individual units, but if handled correctly and in specific situations I’m sure it can be a very interesting mechanic … it’s just getting that balance right which I imagine will be the hard part.
I see a lot of people refer to the RTS element of Stonehearth, and yes I admit it does mention that the game is equal parts sandbox, RTS and RPG and I’m sure we will see those elements creep in with time, but I think first and foremost it should be considered as a settlement building game.
The reason I’m drawing on this, is that I can see the individual control of units in battle being a useful ability to have, whether or not that happens I have no idea, it would probably be better to see what direction they wish to take combat.
As for the settlement building aspect I don’t have the vision to see the benefits of control over specific units … although I’m sure there are plenty.
Well, I don’t think it’s a paradigmatic shift at all, I really wouldn’t worry about there being a transition to control over each unit, I definitely think this is more of an exception than the rule.