Mount & Blade Makes #1 at The Underdogs

[HardCode]

While I really, REALLY love the game, I am not too sure that M&B should outrank Wasteland (old skool biatches!)... yet ... and perhaps some of the other titles. But I guess it must say something for the game.

http://www.the-underdogs.org/genre.php? ... ort=rating

 

[Zomg]

M&B is very good, and deserves transient high rankings on lists like that, but this is obviously the result of a coordinated attack from the taleworlds forums.

M&B almost makes me nervous. It's such a grand slam, with mainstream idiot appeal to boot (my "mainstream gamer" WoW-playing friends all bought it after getting the shareware on my recommendation), I'm afraid it's going to scare away a lot of indies without armagan or his wife's raw talent.

 

[roguefrog]

It's good, really good, but obviously not "TEH BEST." (it isn't even finished yet) Anyway I'm glad its getting recognition.

 

[Abernathy]

As one who frequents the Taleworlds forum, I think I can pretty much say that it's definitely not a co-ordinated attack. It was definitely 'helped along' a bit when someone realised it was very close to the #1 position, but nothing quite that organised occurred, to the best of my knowledge.

 

[bryce777]

Well, the combat is amazingly good. As you point out it can't touch some of the games like wasteland for example, and if the writing on the main page is an example there is never really going to be any plot to speak of.

The pirates mod is very good, though, and at some point I will get around to the middle earth mod, which has hugeness going for it, if nothing else.

 

[Section8]

I think it's probably deserving of the title, although I'm always skeptical about recent games outranking classics. It's not as though it's an underappreciated commercial classic, it's an independent effort that's become a snowballing success story and that makes it pretty special in my eyes. It's a true underdog getting up, rather than a good game that never sold well.

 

[Abernathy]

I think it's just a hell of a lot of people going 'WOW!!' right now. Me included

And who knows what M&B will become once it's finished?

Currently I'm just using it as a quick 15-minute bash every now and then, rather than playing it like the complete game it isn't yet. And I must say it's a hell of a lot of fun just to have a way of letting off a bit of virtual steam for a short period like that

 

[bryce777]

I just hope that he is smart and makes it as modable as possible. Sounds like it is fairly good about that, but if he made some tools that could be released to do a lot of the stuff, like a quest editor for example, it could really make the game take off even more.

The good thing about an independent game like this is that it can continue selling indefinitely at the same price and doesn't have to worry about shelf space. That said, when you have a big modding community it gives you a core of particularly rabid fans (which probably explains a lot of the great scores on underdogs). Hopefully he will be smart enough and sucessful enough to make this a big priority.

 

[sheek]

I am ashamed to say that I am maybe one of the chief culprits.

I originally found the game browsing through RPGs at Underdogs. Then it was in the late 8/10 range. A few months ago I went back and it was in the mid 8's and I started a thread simply suggesting that people who liked the game and hadn't voted might want to give their opinions.

I'm kind of pleased it's number one... I don't personally think it's 'deserved' but then these kinds of rankings are never objective. But I agree that there is something not right with overhyping a game.

I just hope that he is smart and makes it as modable as possible. Sounds like it is fairly good about that, but if he made some tools that could be released to do a lot of the stuff, like a quest editor for example, it could really make the game take off even more.

The good thing about an independent game like this is that it can continue selling indefinitely at the same price and doesn't have to worry about shelf space. That said, when you have a big modding community it gives you a core of particularly rabid fans (which probably explains a lot of the great scores on underdogs). Hopefully he will be smart enough and sucessful enough to make this a big priority.

Latest news I heard is that Armagan has given up making a plot for the main game and is going to concentrate on making it a 'mod platform'. I don't know if that's a good idea or not.

There are lots of problems with modding at the moment. Anything more than basic troop replacements, map changes, new textures etc can be maddening because of all the totally inexplicable errors. The biggest mod so far (Storymod which I helped playtest) ended up sending one modder into 'retirement' and the main modder into semi-retirement. I think they spend about half the time simply trying to fix bugs and creating new ones in the process.

The other problem is that mods are not compatible at all. Each one is like a completely new version so there's no way to mix and match. Some programmer guy on the forums suggested changing the engine to allow Morrowind type 'plugin'. I thought was a great idea but apparently Armagan was against it.

 

[Abernathy]

Latest news I heard is that Armagan has given up making a plot for the main game and is going to concentrate on making it a 'mod platform'. I don't know if that's a good idea or not.

Bugger

No way - Mods are great and all, but I've really been looking forward to seeing stuff like this evolve!

Was this a thread I missed on the Taleworlds forum? Or do you have a link I can chase up?

 

[Balor]

Well, Darklands didn't have a plot to speak of and it doesn't make it a bad game.
You just have to have a lot of things to do besides plot advancement... in Darklands, you had aplenty.
If we'll have same amount of things to do in M&B, it may be not that bad.

 

[sheek]

Latest news I heard is that Armagan has given up making a plot for the main game and is going to concentrate on making it a 'mod platform'. I don't know if that's a good idea or not.

Bugger

No way - Mods are great and all, but I've really been looking forward to seeing stuff like this evolve!

Was this a thread I missed on the Taleworlds forum? Or do you have a link I can chase up?

http://forums.taleworlds.net/index.php/ ... #msg148577

 

[Abernathy]

Danke. Travelling....

 

[Abernathy]

Well, Darklands didn't have a plot to speak of and it doesn't make it a bad game.
You just have to have a lot of things to do besides plot advancement... in Darklands, you had aplenty.
If we'll have same amount of things to do in M&B, it may be not that bad.

This is true. I followed Sheek's link and read the source, and I guess it's more of a mental block I have, or a preconception of what I think I want, than anything else.

Wait and see, I guess. Whatever, I think I'm as much of an M&B fanboi as any Oblivion spotty teen, so I'll take whatever's put on the table and love it no doubt.

 

[HardCode]

The best thing that can happen to M&B is for Armagan to continue to do what he is now doing - making a highly moddable game platform.

Why should his efforts go into fleshing out ONE story and ONE setting, when the modding community is already kicking out MULTIPLE stories and settings. He just needs to continue to add to the power of moddablilty via the game engine, and we will get many, many games from one Mount & Blade.

It kind of reminds me of the old C64 game "Adventure Construction Set"

 

[Zufuriin]

I am split between which direction would be best for this game.

Personally, I think I would enjoy a good open-ended plot, quests and exploration, but what I have in mind is probably too extensive and would take quite a lot of time and effort to even remotely complete. On the other hand, a MW-esque plugin system or modules would really increase the variety and diversity of gameplay types. This would bring a large quantity of mods with differing quality, potentially surfacing a great modder and allowing them to show their creativity. Armagan and company would not have to work nearly as hard on developing storyline and dialogue and instead can focus more on what they really want to improve upon, whatever it is.

Either way it goes, I'm sure that it will turn out well and have an increasingly large fanbase and popular support.

 

[bryce777]

The best thing to do is make modder tools, not make plugin ability. In my opinion, anyhow.

I can't imagine writing or even overseeing the writing of a game that will be in turkish, so I think it would be tough for him to have something that great either.

A decent little story and some more quests, plus a shitload of moddability would be the smartest thing, I think...and if that does not seem the right direction he can always switch...perhaps by rolling the codebase into M&B II.

 

[Astarsis]

Lets not foget mount and blades isn't even completed yet !

I started with .711 and upgraded to .731 and man ! that was crazy ! the castles, all the cities gone 3D. Armagan keep amazing us ! (He and his wife are the only devs with a couple of help for the art & sounds)

So far I'm really amazed. It's the only game I saw with REAL physics, rather than stupid toy physic like oblivion pointless clutter.

the horse having more trouble going up mountains than you on foot. you slow down going up, speed up going down. you can do fighting stances like a samurai, trot in circle trying to get behind enemies. the horse is not the ultimate weapon as it got its pitfalls.

The random mission remind me of daggerfall and I love rescuing refugees, turning them in sword sisters and giving black knight a sound beating.

So far, it's the best game I ever played !

 

[suleo]

the horse having more trouble going up mountains than you on foot. you slow down going up, speed up going down. you can do fighting stances like a samurai, trot in circle trying to get behind enemies. the horse is not the ultimate weapon as it got its pitfalls.

Yea it sure does, especially against SPEARS ( :shock: ) and pikes. I'm playing Gondor in the LOTR mod and one of the toughest enemies to deal with are the haradrim master pikemen and the corsair pikemen. I don't remember which is which but one has a *very* long 2-handed pike while the other has a pike and shield. The shielded type is even worse because you can't even take him down with arrows easily.

Having said that, horses rule the battlefield in large open spaces and against individual enemies, as it should be. And couched lance damage is great