Development Info Mount & Blade moves to v0.710

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Mount & Blade; TaleWorlds

<a href=http://www.taleworlds.com>Mount & Blade</a> has been upgraded to <a href=http://forums.taleworlds.net/viewtopic.php?t=6246>version 0.710</a>, bringing you various tweaks, blood, and new shields mechanics.
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<blockquote>Version 0.710 is finally out. I was planning to make this version compatible with older savegames but unfortunately I screwed up at some point, so you will need to restart your game if you install this version. Anyway, I hope the new features will at least make up for that a bit:
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* Fixes to AI, NPCs can dismount when they can not get to the enemy on horseback
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* Fixed glitch with hand and glove models.
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* Shields now have speed rating, and it takes a moment for blocking to become effective.
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* Made hitbox slightly smaller.
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* Blood!!! Twisted Evil
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(To disable blood, edit the configuration script and remove the line with the "enable_blood" directive)
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* Added option to control Attack direction by mouse movement.
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* Added option to control Defend direction by mouse movement.
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* 64-bit Windows support.
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* Each point of intelligence gives one skill point again.
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* Other small bug-fixes
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There are also quite a few changes to the module system. I'll post those in a seperate thread in the mod discussion forum.
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I want to thank everyone who contributed to the new version, all the forum members for their suggestions, feedback and support, the wonderful mod authors and the mod tools developers, and our dear site admins. Thank you all for making the development of this game so much fun.
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Now, without further ado, here are the download links
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Full Installer:
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http://www.taleworlds.com/download/mountandblade_0710_setup.exe
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Upgrade patch:
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http://www.taleworlds.com/download/mountandblade_0710_upgrade.exe</blockquote>It's great to see an indie game growing and shaping up so nicely. Great job, armagan.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPG Dot</A>

 

[Pr()ZaC]

Finally some good RPG related news.

 

[Claw]

Control Attack direction by mouse movement? FINALLY!!

 

[Wysardry]

7.11 is now out. Get it here:

http://www.taleworlds.com/download/moun ... _setup.exe

Patch to upgrade from .710:

http://www.taleworlds.com/download/moun ... pgrade.exe

 

[FrancoTAU]

Should i wait till this sucker hits 1.0 before trying it? I'd much rather wait for the "real" releases if it will be signifantly more complete.

 

[Section8]

It's well worth a play now. You get it for half the price, with full update support, and in its current incarnation it's very playable and enjoyable, but purely sandbox.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Yeah, download it now. You can play it without having to pay until your character reaches level 6, at which point your character will stop advancing until you buy. Try out the arena in the starting town as wel as the training. You'll figure out pretty quickly whether you like the combat or not and that's all their is to the game at this point. Even if some RPG elements come in later, I doubt they'll be anything beyond Fed Ex missions or combat-laden quests. It's primarily an aciton game. It's quite a good one though.

 

[Shock]

Exactly how is this better than Minions of Mirth aside from being able to ride horses? Both are independent efforts.

 

[Section8]

Hey Shock, would you concede that both games are utterly different in almost every respect, aside from the fact they're both independent efforts?

The opinions of Minions of Mirth here at the Codex seem to be divided into two camps. There are the folks who love it, and sing its praises, and then there are the people who willingly admit that it's an incredible achievement, but the style of game doesn't necessarily appeal.

I'm currently in the camp of "doesn't appeal" but I'm still willing to persevere with it and see if it grows on me.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

the only thing I need to know is if they finally fixed that idiotic copy protection scheme that keeps the game from launching on my computer...

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Hey, they did! Yeehah!

 

[Shock]

Hey Shock, would you concede that both games are utterly different in almost every respect, aside from the fact they're both independent efforts?

The opinions of Minions of Mirth here at the Codex seem to be divided into two camps. There are the folks who love it, and sing its praises, and then there are the people who willingly admit that it's an incredible achievement, but the style of game doesn't necessarily appeal.

I'm currently in the camp of "doesn't appeal" but I'm still willing to persevere with it and see if it grows on me.

Yeah, I think anything anyone who lives here has to pay money for is in the "doesn't appeal" category.

 

[Shagnak]

Yeah, I think anything anyone who lives here has to pay money for is in the "doesn't appeal" category.

English please nigga.

 

[LlamaGod]

This game is great and I bought it over the summer.

Minions of Mirth is shitty and I could just go play a real MMORPG instead of some half-assed one with omg extra party members and SOUNDTRACK MUSICS!1

 

[Section8]

Yeah, I think anything anyone who lives here has to pay money for is in the "doesn't appeal" category.

That's it! That's it exactly!

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Tried out the demo, it's pretty good! one thing that struck me is the fact they went for a more realistic armour style, it's not the spiky crap we usually have to put up with.

 

[Balor]

Well, I heard armor was modeled from museum pieces, so small wonder that it looks realistic.
Combat system is also quite realistic, save a few things that are hard to implement.

 

[Zomg]

I can't stop playing this. Has it come up before that it feels like action Darklands?

 

[Balor]

Well, it sertainly feels like he was inspired by Darklands in a way .
I'd say, making 'Darklands with modern graphics and combat' is a surely winning move.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

I just started playing yesterday, since they finally fixed the bug that kept it from starting up on my machine. Is there a story in this or is it entirely freeform? Does anybody know whats on their to do list for the official release?
The mounted combat is nicely done once you get the hang of it, and the action melee combat is nicely done too. Th only thingI was slightly sad about is that you roam the outdoors in map mode instead of being able to ride across the realm.
But certainly a very cool offering for an idnide developer!

 

[Pr()ZaC]

I just started playing yesterday, since they finally fixed the bug that kept it from starting up on my machine. Is there a story in this or is it entirely freeform? Does anybody know whats on their to do list for the official release?
The mounted combat is nicely done once you get the hang of it, and the action melee combat is nicely done too. Th only thingI was slightly sad about is that you roam the outdoors in map mode instead of being able to ride across the realm.
But certainly a very cool offering for an idnide developer!

The "map" part can change when and if they feel to, but due to the size of the "realm" I guess it won't be an easy task.
There's no story (AFAIK) and the todo list, which isn't public, might vary, because mod tools are available and people can fix, add and change what's necessary. It's not a SDK but it's useful.

 

[Camrin]

Well, it sertainly feels like he was inspired by Darklands in a way .
I'd say, making 'Darklands with modern graphics and combat' is a surely winning move.

Well, well. Don't say it's Darklands 3D yet As for now, even graphic was better in Darklands ;D When I arrive in a city other than the starting one, I see only blank screens with options to choose (visit count, merchant, tavern, smith or leave). If it was a text rpg, I wouldn't say a thing, but we can expect a bit more from 3D. In Darklands' town screens were static (beautiful water colour paintings, btw), but you had all variety of options to do. You could go to dozen places and in most of them you had few actions to choose. I recall doing things that are rarely possible in crpgs: pray in church, study in your tavernroom, wandering to some darker alleys of the town in search for a brawl... And that's only obout town options, not to mention such thing as character creation, which in M&B is a laugh when compared to old Darklands.

Combat in M&B seems terrific for me, but I'm in the point where fight is no challenge for my superknight in shiny plate armour. I've got 10-15 high level mercenaries, all mounted, and when battle starts I have to hold them on to save some enemies for me. I think the game needs balancing and also more role-playing elements to keep the player in. When being a neutral character I can play only few missions from merchants:
1. Escort the caravan from X to Y
2. "Oh please noble knight pay the ransom for my kidnapped daughter" near Y.
3. Deliver some units of Z from X to Y
...and repeat.

Besides that, there's nothing to do. No real characters to talk, you can say yes or no to pick the mission, trade stuff to get more money to get better stuff... I have all the best equipment and potential enemies tend to run when see me - it's kinda depressing. That's the case with all games without an involving plot. Hopefully they can implement some in final version. Wake me up when it'll be more role-playing in the game.

PS: I dunno if that wasn't posted in other thread, but for all those who don't know what Darklands is like, you can download it with manual from www.the-underdogs.org. The game has probably the best character creation system ever, I can compare it only to the one in Paragon's crpgs (like Twilight 2000).

 

[Balor]

Hah! Telling that 'you don't know what Darklands is' on RPG Codex is blasphemy that is punishable with slow death by suffocating the perpetrator with his own testicles :twisted:.

 

[Zomg]

I'm feeling like archery is a little underpowered, at least once you get to the point that you can get decent horses with enough speed and maneuverability to lance effectively. The main use for it seems to be killing pole and two-hander infantry really fast (particularly with foot archery and some athletics), but lances can mow through any infantry (and anything else) fairly well and infantry without shields is not a big problem in any case. Archery also has the problem of requiring two equip slots, and since a shield is nearly mandatory for situational use that means you have to choose between a lance and a one-hander. It also does friendly fire damage. And has limited ammunition.

I'm at an impasse with my hunter character because I've put way too many points into Power Draw yet I never use my bow anymore, and those wasted points are killing me as the group sizes get bigger and bigger. Rehabilitating the character means investing yet more points into Horse Archery and still probably not coming close to couched lancing.

 

[Camrin]

Hah! Telling that 'you don't know what Darklands is' on RPG Codex is blasphemy that is punishable with slow death by suffocating the perpetrator with his own testicles :twisted:.

Aye, blasphemy it is , but I wonder if we did some poll on forum about "what Darklands is", what would the results like

 

[Zomg]

It reminds me of Darklands for the, "naked baby in the woods" undirected beginning part of the game (where in Darklands you typically stick in one city doing alchemy and patrolling the streets at night for robbers vs. fighting river pirates in M&B and living off armor scraps and slaving) and for the sense that you're playing to expand your horizons - instead of killing Raubritters for plate armor and cash for good quality weapons so you can survive extended trips across the world map acquiring Saints and virtue, you're killing mountain bandits to strengten your band so you can participate in the faction stuff effectively. There are novel gameplay experiences waiting for you as you climb up the power pyramid rather than level ten being the same as level five except all the numbers are twice as big.

I'd like a more than cursory setting in the final version and maybe a mechanic for a resolution (one faction wins, player creates a faction, etc.) or climax akin to Baphomet in DL, but if the dev duo wants to pump out this M&B and save that kind of work for a sequel I've already gotten way more than my money's worth out of it.

It sucks that the Darklands IP is rotting in some corporate oubliette, only used to bust the balls of abandonware sites, when a M&B ripoff in the Darklands setting would possibly kill me with pleasure. The sluggish, boring RTw/P combat devoid of non-alchemical strategy in DL was never the heart of the game.