Combat Skill, Companion Tracking, & Returning Companions

[Ares]

I'd like to suggest a separate Combat skill be added to better reflect character's composure in battle. It should increase very rapidly with fighting, and should mostly exist to better differentiate between civilians, novice fighters, and veterans. Essentially, a hunter may possess great skill with a bow, stalking prey that won't fight back, but if suddenly thrust into a life and death struggle against several seasoned Njerpez warriors, he may suddenly find himself quite unnerved. But if he's then been through several encounters--especially if successful--he will likely go into his next fight with far more confidence. The impact of this skill wouldn't be too overly significant--weapon and defense skills should still remain paramount--and as I mentioned, it should increase quickly. This will make it more important to find adventurers and seasoned fighters if for instance you are planning on chasing down some robbers or sacking a Njerpez raiding camp. As an aside, I also would suggest making tracking a useful skill for companions when chasing wildlife, making seasoned hunters more useful if you're hiring them to help you hunt.

Next, I would like to suggest that companions be more likely to be willing to 're-enlist' with you immediately (or sooner than they would otherwise) if your pay greatly exceeds their expectations. I think it creates greater immersion when I keep the same companions around for my various tasks. If I've led them on a successful raid of a Njerpez camp, for instance, and their efforts were rewarded with a great deal of loot, they'll likely trust me for future, lucrative expeditions. But if I was stingy in rewarding them, they'll likely be more inclined to look for work elsewhere, and may take a long time to be willing to work with me again. It would also be nice if when they left me in the wilderness they might indicate which village they will be heading toward should I wish to recruit them again in the future.

[JP_Finn]

For future reference, please separate Suggestions (new Suggestions are limited 1 per day)
Devs prefer single suggestion per post, so something possibly beneficial won't get over looked by another suggestion.

Separate Fighting skill has been also suggested prior, without much traction from devs.

I do agree the re-hiring should be sooner, especially if all companions make back alive.
For the "returning to home village" part, I've come to rely on Map F6 notes for a lot of the "I should remember this"
When I'm recruiting 1 or several companions, I'll generally tag the Village green X and list the name(s) of companions. Helps when looking companions later on too. (Only trouble since Smiths were added, I label those villages with yellow..)