Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

[ERYFKRAD]

There were people fighting in the arena for something else than cash?
I found it to be the most reliable income source for fighter characters.

The melee wasn't profitable much, the tourney though, yeah.

 

[Serus]

4) Wars need to be more decisive.

Absolutely not. The kingdoms in game are already small (3~4 citieis, few castles), and there are only 6 (5 in bannerlord ?). If you make the wars more decisive one war can cause a kingdom to be crushed. Not to mention it makes little sense in context of quasi-medieval setting. In a mod that has a significantly bigger map it can work but in vanilla game - no.

Not decisive in the sense that every war causes a whole faction to be defeated. But think of how it happens in vanilla M&B.

- The war starts randomly. The enemy faction is at full strength, but often the AI just rides around dispersed, looting and waiting for you to beat them up.
- But suppose they manage to pull together and attack a serious target. A big battle happens and your side wins. Nice going! Except the AI lords all get away and next week they are back with a fresh army of trash mobs.
- Repeat ad nauseam. The enemy kings usually won't offer peace no matter how bad they are losing. So you either have the patience to grind down the whole faction or you take it easy on them and eventually get a random offer to end the war.

I think this could be a lot better. What if wars happened for a reason, and factions had clear goals of what they are trying to achieve. Then the AI could generate a viable strategy of how to accomplish those goals. When the defining clash finally happens and one side wins, the losing kingdom can't just reload. They have to scramble to keep fighting -- maybe by hiring mercenaries, or bribing another kingdom to join their side -- or sue for peace.

Look at something like CK2 in comparison. There's a lot of room for M&B to grow.

I agree with you but what you describe is not the problem of wars being not decisive enough imo but of the AI cheating badly on how fast it can replenish its forces - how wars play out is the consequence of that. Wars should be more logical in how they play out (as you correctly pointed it) but not more decisive as in: more likely to cause one side to be annihilated. So we agree in the end on all points except semantics.

 

[Iznaliu]

But it didn't really "work well", it was just completely bland and uninteresting so you never bothered paying much attention to it. Oooh, two hours of play and my polearm skill went from 239 to 240. Joy!

Things should be interesting in themselves, not because they are clearly signposted.

 

[Pentagon]

But it didn't really "work well", it was just completely bland and uninteresting so you never bothered paying much attention to it. Oooh, two hours of play and my polearm skill went from 239 to 240. Joy!

I mean, is there really a substantial difference between that and playing for a couple hours, leveling up, and raising your Small Guns by 5 points?

 

[Raapys]

But it didn't really "work well", it was just completely bland and uninteresting so you never bothered paying much attention to it. Oooh, two hours of play and my polearm skill went from 239 to 240. Joy!

I mean, is there really a substantial difference between that and playing for a couple hours, leveling up, and raising your Small Guns by 5 points?

There is. For one, everyone likes gaining a new level and placing actual points(and m&b already does this for the skills). For another, you want to see yourself actually improve with something after having leveled up. If your damage and attack speed increase by .5% then that's not something you're gonna notice. If on the other hand the improvement is 20+%, leveling up will feel great.

Having few but strong skill increases plays a lot better than having countless tiny ones. It's also doable with an improve-by-doing system like M&B's, but they'd need to cut down the max weapon skill level from 500 to 10 or so. And you still won't get the satisfaction of placing the skill points yourself.

 

[Keu]

They should release an early access with battle mode and multiplayer, combat looks ready as it is in the E3 videos, i can't wait anymore, even Grimoire will be out first.

 

[Zanzoken]

I think TW are a victim of their own success with the original M&B. Take this quote from a recent feature:

It explains why Bannerlord has been so long in the making. “We are trying to make the best game we possibly can,” says Ali Erkin, TaleWorlds’ managing director, “and this unfortunately has meant going back to the design board in certain cases, rethinking certain features, or rewriting a piece of code that doesn’t perform as well as it should.”

By way of an example, Erkin reveals that the character development system has been reworked three times from scratch.

Was this really necessary? They could've left the attribute/skill system completely unchanged from M&B and I don't think anyone would have cared. It's not a major feature and worked well enough to at least be unobtrusive on the important parts of the game.

It's a rare case of devs actually having too much time and money to work on a game. They are under no financial pressure to finish it so they obsess over every little thing. Instead of just saying "good enough" and using precious resources on major improvements and areas of growth.

 

[deuxhero]

There were people fighting in the arena for something else than cash?
I found it to be the most reliable income source for fighter characters.

I use it at the start of a new game to get weapon skills to an acceptable level and have a bit of cash for starting gear. After that there's no reason to touch the melee.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/15/15808656/mount-and-blade-2-bannerlord-demo-e3

Unfortunately, when pressed about the status of the game and a release date, TaleWorlds declined to comment. For a game that’s been in development for nearly five years already, that’s a troubling response. It should be understood that the game itself is a massive undertaking, and includes a multiplayer arena mode, sieges, role-playing and a vast strategic layer that takes place on an overworld map. But to go so long and not yet have an end in sight is worrying.

 

[ColonelTeacup]

There were people fighting in the arena for something else than cash
I found it to be the most reliable income source for fighter characters.

Yes, but after a while it becomes soul crushing to continue doing. Especially when you get lucky and find those massive feasts that allow you to compete in the tournament at all stages of the day so you can make over 10k gold in a single day with no trouble.

https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/15/15808656/mount-and-blade-2-bannerlord-demo-e3

Unfortunately, when pressed about the status of the game and a release date, TaleWorlds declined to comment. For a game that’s been in development for nearly five years already, that’s a troubling response. It should be understood that the game itself is a massive undertaking, and includes a multiplayer arena mode, sieges, role-playing and a vast strategic layer that takes place on an overworld map. But to go so long and not yet have an end in sight is worrying.

Damnit.

 

[Old One]

I don't really care that much about the vanilla game. The important thing is that the engine and the core mechanics are solid and mod well. I don't think I've played a game of vanilla Warband since the first time I fired it up.

 

[Pentagon]

I don't think I've played a game of vanilla Warband since the first time I fired it up.

Well we need SOMETHING to keep us occupied for the first few months before the best Warband mods get refitted. After that, I doubt I'll ever play vanilla again.

 

[Serus]

https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/15/15808656/mount-and-blade-2-bannerlord-demo-e3

Unfortunately, when pressed about the status of the game and a release date, TaleWorlds declined to comment. For a game that’s been in development for nearly five years already, that’s a troubling response. It should be understood that the game itself is a massive undertaking, and includes a multiplayer arena mode, sieges, role-playing and a vast strategic layer that takes place on an overworld map. But to go so long and not yet have an end in sight is worrying.

Grimoire before M&B2 confirmed.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Game is released in 2016

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=652255665&tscn=1497642667

 

[LESS T_T]

"ready when it’s ready - but hopefully sometime soon": http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/06...2-bannerlord-commanding-has-never-been-better

E3 2017: IN MOUNT AND BLADE 2: BANNERLORD, COMMANDING HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER

Riding across the dunes of a vast desert with a detachment of mounted archers at my back, I had a singular goal passed down from my commander: Lead your units to the enemy to keep them off our infantry. Calling for my troops to follow my lead, I crested a large dune and saw the ranks and formations of our enemy, and began picking off their infantry while strafing the group of soldiers. A large dust cloud kicked up around our horses, and it was only as my troops quickly spun around that I realized the hazy cloud was hiding the enemy’s cavalry - who crashed into our own mounted team while killing dozens of my archers. Ordering a quick retreat, my battered followers raced ahead while the cavalry followed in hot pursuit - right into my team's bowmen group that had stopped at the top of a dune to rain death on the forces we lured into them.

What transpired was just a fraction of the entire battle, but developer TaleWorlds has expertly crafted these large skirmishes (with armies numbering in the hundreds) to allow players to take command in a way of their choosing. Those who love to micromanage on the battlefield can issue orders to individual sections of your army, while those preferring freedom can delegate other leaders to deploy troops in smart ways that took terrain, enemy placement, and their own personalities into account.



Harassing infantry from the safety of your horse can turn the tide of battle.


Like previous Mount and Blade titles, Bannerlord's campaign will have you traversing the world to make a name for yourself - impressing lords of one of the many factions, or choosing to grow your own independent army. Depending on your standing within those factions - you might be the one taking orders, and following them helps the overall army function smoothly. Become a lord with titles and land, and you’ll have the freedom to take command of more battalions - or call all the shots you want.

CEO and Founder of TaleWorlds, Armağan Yavuz, revealed that some lords tend to act very cautiously - preferring to harass with mounted units and wear down an army before going in for the kill - while others may be more reckless, merciful, or even bloodthirsty - chasing down every fleeing soldier they could. Getting to know a lord can go a long way into finding out what makes them tick - and how to best them in battle.

With new additions to how battlefield skirmishes work, the interface is clean and nearly non-existent, as large shield icons for different troop placements will appear on the horizon and fade the closer you get, and a small meter at the top notes the overall strength of the opposing armies - and how many each side has lost. At one point, my army was slowing getting destroyed as I saw the meter slowly dropping. The visual representation gave me just enough time to spot the source of the problem - a large battalion of archers pinning my army down - and by sending my cavalry to flank them, I was able to turn the tide of battle in my favor. Your troops aren’t mindless either: They’ll follow tasks you assign, but can also break off to help those in need, and fight back or chase down targets you might otherwise miss.

Unlike Mount and Blade: Warband, Bannerlord doesn’t have the ability to toggle a map overview (it can get easy to get lost when chasing stragglers down sometimes), but Yavuz said they were still toying with the idea of bringing it back - or keeping it out in favor of a more realistic sense of what an actual commander could see in real life.

Skirmishes aren’t the only thing that got an overhaul - as individual combat is more fluid than ever. When trying out an arena demo, I found that in addition to Mount and Blade’s directional combat, shields could also be angled to deflect from the sides, or even raised to protect from above - perfect for siege battles. There's also better options for breaking the guard of opponents using kicks and shield bashes to find new openings. Slicing and striking from different angles looks better than ever, as motions look less stiff than in Warband, and momentum allows for quick-follow up attacks that take position and speed into account, letting you hit faster and harder than in previous titles. For those who value every advantage, there's a lot of hidden factors that play into every attack, and knowing how and when to strike can give you a major advantage.



Huge armies + desert sands = obscuring dust storms.


Bannerlord has also enjoyed a fresh coat of paint - and while it may not be up to par with other games in its age, it’s sacrificed just enough to allow truly gigantic battles that look as pretty as they are deadly. Seeing the plumes of my helmet flutter in the wind along with my horse's mane was a great touch - and clouds of dusts kicked up from the infantry became thick where the fighting was the fiercest.

I wasn’t able to take part in a siege during my hands-on time, but if the giant armies clashing among the dunes or grasslands looked this spectacular, I’ll be looking forward to leading that charge when the full game is released - which Yavuz stated will be “ready when it’s ready - but hopefully sometime soon.”

 

[Rahdulan]

I think that's absolutely the main thing I want out of it - improved commanding over armies, maybe even with proper dedicated UI that's not just function key shortcuts. I've read about people complaining graphics aren't up to snuff, but all that really reveals is they never seriously played M&B cranked to the max and/or modded to go even beyond that. Scale is far more important here than whether there's enough hair types and how far you can see them from. Game looks just fine.

 

[IDtenT]

I really want to see Napolean II.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Mountain Blade!
Mountain Blade!
Mountain Blade!

 

[Zanzoken]

Yavuz stated will be “ready when it’s ready - but hopefully sometime soon.”

Not long ago they were saying it would release to Early Access in 2017.

Why the return to ambiguity? Only logical explanation is they are pushing to next year.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Why the return to ambiguity? Only logical explanation is they are pushing to next year.

or 2019

 

[Burning Bridges]

Games that take so long suck anyway. I just remind you of the whole IL2 Cliffs of Dover fiasco. 10 fucking years and in the end the game wasn't even fun.

So I wouldn't be surprised if they took the codebase of Mount and Blade (never understood why many things look so similar) and build from there, then realized people are gonna be furious and now try to make up for that.

 

[Iznaliu]

or 2019

2100 would be a conservative estimate at this point.

 

[Metro]

Every game I anticipate these days seem to be pushed further and further into the future.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/18

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord at E3 2017 – Our Thoughts

Greetings all Bannerlord watchers and curious visitors! With this blog we hope to talk about our experience at E3, what we demonstrated and our reasons for attending. We may still be considered newcomers at E3, with this being our second year at the event, but each visit has provided us with a wealth of experience and knowledge which will help us to pursue bigger and more ambitious goals in the future!

Our focus for E3 was on giving hands-on demonstrations of battles in Bannerlord - the first time the game has been available to play outside of our studio. We decided battles would be a great way to show off a core feature of the game and something which has received a lot of attention during development.

Our booth was larger than last year’s, which allowed us to have a small lobby area where people could get an idea of the game from a video, and a short explanation from a member of our team while they waited for the previous session to end. The benefit of this was giving people as much time with the game as possible. The four computers we had inside barely went unused for a minute during the three days of E3; we really got the most out of our time there!

11 of our team attended in total, including our CEO and Founder Armağan Yavuz who was there to lead our presentation team and ensure attendees had a fantastic experience playing the game!

The demo itself revolved around the two battle scenarios we published as videos at the start of E3: “Horse Archer Sergeant Gameplay” and “Cavalry Sergeant Gameplay”. “Sergeant” here is referring to the fact that in these scenarios, we are controlling a single formation while receiving orders from our commander - essentially acting as a sub-commander. The idea is that when multiple parties enter a battle on the same side, the senior ranking leader will take overall command and designate individual formations as they wish. The player can fit in at any level of this system, just like the AI, and so depending on their company and individual progress can expect to be commanding part or all of the army in Bannerlord.

This allows players to be part of larger battles at an earlier stage in the game, giving them a taste of command without being too overwhelming. It also serves as a reward for progress, connects the player more closely to their AI peers and adds variety to the battle gameplay. In our system, we also allow the player to designate control to the AI at any time, so while you have the option to design and execute a specific strategy, you can also just get stuck in and focus on your own personal combat.



In addition to the battles, we allowed attendees to warm up in Bannerlord’s version of the “arena-brawls” (essentially what the tournament master offers you to do if there isn’t currently a tournament in town). We also used this as a way of highlighting some of our new combat features, all of which you can spot in the videos. We think the Directional Shield Blocking, Shield Bash and Attack Chaining are all natural additions which fit into Mount & Blade’s combat system very comfortably, maintaining the intuitive nature of the combat while adding some depth and variety. It was great to see how quickly players of the previous games got to grips with the bashing and chaining, working it into their fighting style. They aren’t the only new combat features in Bannerlord but we are still finalising the system and are looking forward to talking more about it in future!

You can read our full press release, with details of the battle and combat features highlighted in our E3 demo right here: https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/News/174

We took bookings during the weeks leading up to E3 but made sure to keep some slots free so that we could accommodate passers-by and additional requests during the event. This worked out brilliantly!

We brought in as many people as possible - including many players who dropped by on the day! People were really enthusiastic about the game and generally reacted very well to the demo. It is always exciting to see the games we make inspire such reactions and to see them directly was a real privilege.

Coverage in the media has also been generally very positive - we’ve highlighted a few examples you might find interesting here: https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/News/175



Of course, we understand a lot of you are looking to hear a release date and more details on the politics and campaign side of single player. In our opinion, the most important thing is to deliver a great game, worthy of our efforts and your expectations. We have so far avoided giving a release date thinking it would distract us from our attention to quality. The campaign is something we can definitely show off more and we’re looking at the best way to do it justice, and present it with the clarity and depth that it deserves.

During our announcement we found that there was a lot of confusion and many people weren’t able to find our extended gameplay videos and written information easily. We took this as a lesson and will try to plan accordingly in future to make sure our announcements come off as clearly as possible. In other news, we would like to introduce our new Community Manager, Callum, who will work alongside Frank and help improve our direct communication with you, the community! He has already made a huge impact organising the Steam forums and we expect he will continue to keep up the great work in the future.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Of course, we understand a lot of you are looking to hear a release date and more details on the politics and campaign side of single player. In our opinion, the most important thing is to deliver a great game, worthy of our efforts and your expectations. We have so far avoided giving a release date thinking it would distract us from our attention to quality.