Hello Taleworlds and Community,
TL;DR:
More time between rounds. Fix ranged combat so "skirmishing" is viable. Make Captain’s Mode maps bigger and more open. I love the singleplayer game though.
About me:
My name is Mikkel Andersen. I am a 26 year-old, business engineering student. My passion has always been gaming ever since I was 10 and someone showed me Flash games on the internet. Since then my passion has grown, and I have come to love almost all genres of video games.
Why I am writing this:
I have had extensive experience playing (and enjoying) Taleworlds games (mostly Mount and Blade: Warband and Mount and Blade: Bannerlord). My greatest joy in Mount and Blade: Warband has been singleplayer and the vast amounts of mods. My greatest joy currently in Mount and Blade: Bannerlord has been the singleplayer experience only because it has gotten more love and attention than Multiplayer (which would have taken first place on initial release of Early Access due to introduction of Captain Mode). While I have loved all that Taleworlds has done for the singleplayer experience in Bannerlord, I have a lot to say about the Captain Mode multiplayer experience and where Taleworlds is directing it, which I will emphasize now (this is based on the date 19-08-2021 following Future Plans update on Steam August the 17th).
My outlook on the lacks and wants of Captain Mode Multiplayer:
First off, the gameplay:
1. Communication:
I am happy that Taleworlds has chosen to allow voice chat and quick-chat commands. One of the big problems has always been communication.
Yet, I feel like the time between rounds is too short to allow any kind of constructive communication. It would be wise to allow for more time between rounds to communicate with your team, strategize and change setup.
2. Progression:
I am happy that Taleworlds has chosen to allow customization as a form of progression. I think this is a very smart move that will allow die-hard fans to continue their engagement and enjoyment of the multiplayer experience.
What else can you progress with? In my point of view, all of the different gear you can use for a certain unit could potentially be unlockables that require you to play with a certain unit in a certain way. For example: Palatine Guards start with sword and bow, and can then over time unlock different items (e.g.: Polearm, Crossbow, Shield, etc.) through different requirements (e.g.: capture xx flags while using this unit, kill xx with a weapon-type while using this unit, win xx games while using this unit).
3. Size of units:
The current size of units is low, not allowing for bigger battles and (in my non-programmer opinion) not allowing for easier balancing of units. The reasoning is simple: the more units, the more unbalanced mechanics will be evident if you pit two units up against one another in a 1v1 charge.
4. The state of combat:
Currently, the biggest down-side to combat is the ranged combat. Ranged combat is almost useless unless you have good communication and/or have a faction that has ranged that work in melee and ranged combat. There are some solutions in changing the maps, but also damage from arrows and throwables could be higher.
Currently (and I may be slightly wrong here), full infantry with one cavalry to bug the infantry into using spears is the meta (which is a bad meta). It could be good to have commands that allows the unit to choose weapons themselves (e.g.: as the game AI acts right now) and commands that allow to force a unit to use a certain available weapon-type.
Secondly (and most importantly), the maps:
The maps is the biggest problem for me (hence why it gets its own section). It seems like the maps in Captains Mode have been catered to also fit use for Skirmish Mode, which is a shame. Why do maps always need to have buildings? Why do maps always need to have chokepoints? The newest maps Taleworld has released (Ebereth Killfort and Cliffs of Akkalat) both fall short of my hopes and expectations for Captains Mode as both involve small spaces and close spawning proximity. Allowing for more terrain to be crossed and more open areas would destroy the horrible F1F3 infantry meta that is still plaguing the Captain Mode Multiplayer experience. Jawali is in my humble opinion the best map, because it allows for space and time between engagements (making actually engaging an enemy feel more “special” and granting opportunity to shoot enemies from afar). Maybe make maps based on the following examples:
I hope this has been useful information and that people agree. I love the game, and I hope all the best for its future development and my future enjoyment.
I come to you in your time of need,
Sincerely,
Mikkel Andersen (a.k.a.: Klumpe-Dumpe)
PS: I love you. Hire me Taleworlds.
TL;DR:
More time between rounds. Fix ranged combat so "skirmishing" is viable. Make Captain’s Mode maps bigger and more open. I love the singleplayer game though.
About me:
My name is Mikkel Andersen. I am a 26 year-old, business engineering student. My passion has always been gaming ever since I was 10 and someone showed me Flash games on the internet. Since then my passion has grown, and I have come to love almost all genres of video games.
Why I am writing this:
I have had extensive experience playing (and enjoying) Taleworlds games (mostly Mount and Blade: Warband and Mount and Blade: Bannerlord). My greatest joy in Mount and Blade: Warband has been singleplayer and the vast amounts of mods. My greatest joy currently in Mount and Blade: Bannerlord has been the singleplayer experience only because it has gotten more love and attention than Multiplayer (which would have taken first place on initial release of Early Access due to introduction of Captain Mode). While I have loved all that Taleworlds has done for the singleplayer experience in Bannerlord, I have a lot to say about the Captain Mode multiplayer experience and where Taleworlds is directing it, which I will emphasize now (this is based on the date 19-08-2021 following Future Plans update on Steam August the 17th).
My outlook on the lacks and wants of Captain Mode Multiplayer:
First off, the gameplay:
1. Communication:
I am happy that Taleworlds has chosen to allow voice chat and quick-chat commands. One of the big problems has always been communication.
Yet, I feel like the time between rounds is too short to allow any kind of constructive communication. It would be wise to allow for more time between rounds to communicate with your team, strategize and change setup.
2. Progression:
I am happy that Taleworlds has chosen to allow customization as a form of progression. I think this is a very smart move that will allow die-hard fans to continue their engagement and enjoyment of the multiplayer experience.
What else can you progress with? In my point of view, all of the different gear you can use for a certain unit could potentially be unlockables that require you to play with a certain unit in a certain way. For example: Palatine Guards start with sword and bow, and can then over time unlock different items (e.g.: Polearm, Crossbow, Shield, etc.) through different requirements (e.g.: capture xx flags while using this unit, kill xx with a weapon-type while using this unit, win xx games while using this unit).
3. Size of units:
The current size of units is low, not allowing for bigger battles and (in my non-programmer opinion) not allowing for easier balancing of units. The reasoning is simple: the more units, the more unbalanced mechanics will be evident if you pit two units up against one another in a 1v1 charge.
4. The state of combat:
Currently, the biggest down-side to combat is the ranged combat. Ranged combat is almost useless unless you have good communication and/or have a faction that has ranged that work in melee and ranged combat. There are some solutions in changing the maps, but also damage from arrows and throwables could be higher.
Currently (and I may be slightly wrong here), full infantry with one cavalry to bug the infantry into using spears is the meta (which is a bad meta). It could be good to have commands that allows the unit to choose weapons themselves (e.g.: as the game AI acts right now) and commands that allow to force a unit to use a certain available weapon-type.
Secondly (and most importantly), the maps:
The maps is the biggest problem for me (hence why it gets its own section). It seems like the maps in Captains Mode have been catered to also fit use for Skirmish Mode, which is a shame. Why do maps always need to have buildings? Why do maps always need to have chokepoints? The newest maps Taleworld has released (Ebereth Killfort and Cliffs of Akkalat) both fall short of my hopes and expectations for Captains Mode as both involve small spaces and close spawning proximity. Allowing for more terrain to be crossed and more open areas would destroy the horrible F1F3 infantry meta that is still plaguing the Captain Mode Multiplayer experience. Jawali is in my humble opinion the best map, because it allows for space and time between engagements (making actually engaging an enemy feel more “special” and granting opportunity to shoot enemies from afar). Maybe make maps based on the following examples:
- An open plain with a river crossing where 1 point is on either side of the river and 1 point is on a bridge (allowing for better decision making on wether or not to take the middle bridge or cross somewhere else albeit much slower).
- An open plain where there is forest and hills on the edge of the map (allowing for good environment for archers/cavalry to work their magic and also allows for sneakiness by walking behind hills and treelines).
- Any map with open terrain as the focal point, pretty please.
I hope this has been useful information and that people agree. I love the game, and I hope all the best for its future development and my future enjoyment.
I come to you in your time of need,
Sincerely,
Mikkel Andersen (a.k.a.: Klumpe-Dumpe)
PS: I love you. Hire me Taleworlds.
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