Recent content by iamastrangeloop

I would suggest making block one of the buttons rather than the triggers, I tried it with left trigger but it's hard to choose the direction of your block with the left stick while pulling left trigger at the same time. I put block to my Y button on my xbox one controller. Oh yeah, you also should change block direction and attack direction from "mouse direction" to "Movement direction". Works great after that. Hope it helps.

Don't worry about it! You can remap the controls to controller in the game menu and it's definitely not perfect but it's totally functional and playable, just a few tweaks and it'll be great. You have to remember what buttons you map though because it just says "button doesn't exist", but it totally works, i've been playing with controller for everything except for troop commands basically. Thanks everyone for your responses btw!

These are absolutely fantastic my friend.

Ahhhh! Thanks Callum for the great blog. This is the one I was waiting/hoping for. Love the new AI features, for me it was the biggest thing missing. I am once again very excited for the early access. Would like to see a video of that shield wall AI in action if possible! I almost forgot that harvesting season is just around the bend...Thanks for the great reminder Taleworlds. Keep it up. =)

NUQAR'S Kentucky "Nuqar" James XXL said:

I know this sounds kind of harsh and pessimistic but I can't shake this feeling.

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Thanks for explaining. I understand.

DanAngleland said:

A lot of those are really subjective....

More worrying is that there is no sign of the major problems going away. I am in the beta, and know now what other beta players have been talking about for so long. No offence, but have any of you 3 (strangeloop, Baybear or FBohler) played the beta? It sounds as if you are being complacent, imagining that the beta will unfailingly iron out any problems.

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Yeah they definitely are subjective, that's why I said "arguably better".
Nope, not really interested in playing MP. I mostly play M&B for the SP.
I am not so naive to unfailingly think that the beta will iron out any problems, but I for sure hope that they will fix some of them, that's why I'm here giving my opinion on what I find lackluster in the video.

NUQAR'S Kentucky "Nuqar" James XXL said:

My point is that it's naive to assume Bannerlord is going to be substantially better than warband when Taleworlds has only made one game so far (warband is nothing more than a few patches on mount and blade, plus multiplayer), and the unmodded experience of that game is medicore at best and mindnumbingly boring at worst.

I don't know of any development studio which has suddenly produced a game far surpassing anything they've made before, and with Taleworlds the situation is even worse because most of the people they seem to have hired are interns or inexperienced graduates, and it shows in just about every aspect of the game.

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If you thought unmodded Warband was mediocre at best and clearly you think that Bannerlord is not going to be good then why do you spend so much time here in the forum? Just curious.

As to your comment about not knowing of any studios not producing games that are better than the previous one is just nonsense. Have you played Metro Exodus? I didn't think very much of the Metro series before it, but Exodus was fantastic. In fact you just reminded me that I have yet to go back to it and play the new game plus hardcore mode they added.
There are countless other games that are arguably much better than the previous ones.

Off the top of my head:
uhmmmm The Witcher: Wild Hunt
Batman Arkham City
Half life 2
Any Grand Theft Auto Game
Any number of Call of Duty Games
The Bioshock games
Mass Effect 2
Super Mario World
Mario Galaxy 2
RDR2
Halo2
I haven't played it yet but the new God of War game seems like everyone loved the hell out of it
Tony Hawk Pro skater 2
Skate 2
Skate 3
Wolfenstein 2 the New Colossus
Injustice 2
Far Cry 2, 3, 4 etc...
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, Oblivion, SKYRIM
The list goes on, so if you can't at least think of ONE game that was made better than the last I'm not sure you really play much of them, or are so stuck in the past that you can't enjoy the present.

FBohler said:

BayBear said:

NUQAR'S Kentucky "Nuqar" James XXL said:

iamastrangeloop said:

Yeah...Expecting a game that comes out a decade later than the previous one to have slightly more combat variability and depth, ...so unrealistic.

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I know you're being sarcastic but this is actually the case here. It is actually quite rare for direct sequels to improve dramatically on the previous game and most of the time the sequel is slightly worse. Add to that the fact that Taleworlds is based in a country with less game development expertise than Iran or Saudi Arabia, and it's not absurd to assume the game is going to be more or less the same as warband.

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Comparing completely independent games and developers and then extrapolating conclusions is rather pointless as they all have nothing to do with each other. I can tell you from a project management viewpoint that these kinds of outside conclusions are rather comical and without merit. They only seem to make sense from a global view and largely come from individuals needing to make conclusions out of fear and impatience. Bannerlord is clearly an improvement over Warband in most respects and the parts that need polishing (i.e infantry combat and some bits of AI) are being polished with the beta testing.

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Totally agreed.

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Double agreed.

Bjorn The Hound said:

Real solution is AI for challenging game. No one can deny that. But there is another indirect solution for this. That is damage dealt and taken. Correct me if I am wrong, in Warband hardest difficulty ratio is 1:1 as much as I remember. In other games, this ratio is more customizable than WB and not always but usually, this kind of difficulty settings enforce player use another intended features or the solutions they come up with. Ofcourse, in these games you only control your character not hundreds of troops so I don't know what could happen if this is implemented in Bannerlord.

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  Yeah I made a realistic fighting mod for Blade and Sorcery VR (which is basically a sword fighting simulator if you haven't played it). The game actually gets me thinking a lot about Mount and Blade, because it's basically a smaller scale version of it but in VR. This was my first mod ever, I learned how to do it because the combat was too easy but I saw the potential of what the game could be, an actual sword fighting simulator where you can feel like you are really in a sword fight. I am by no means a master at modding but I would say it was pretty successful for a first attempt.
  In the original game the AI would just kind of stand there and their reaction time was so slow that kills were insanely easy and unless you were surrounded by like 10 people (even then it was possible and pretty easy to kill them all) you just wipe out the enemies without a thought, it's insanely fun, but the thrill doesn't last long, and I was yearning for more challenge to the combat, wanted to feel like I was fighting against another person because isn't that the point?
  So yes, the first thing I did was lower my health to where I could only take a couple of major hits before dying, because I really don't think anyone could survive taking more than 3 or 4 full on sword slashes (if that). Then, for weeks I tweaked the numbers in the JSON files for AI combat, slowly bringing them to a point where the AI would dodge if you tried to stab them, they would keep their sword up in defence when anyone was near, they would parry and try to block your slash if they were too slow to dodge, if they had a large medieval shield they would be very hard to hit but it was possible with lots of effort, and they would attack you quicker but with more variability as to when they would strike, making parrying and dodging their hits harder to predict, like a real fight. I gave AI characters different "brains" so that they would behave differently from each other and not all act identical, some would strike fast and often, some would be more cautious, some are fast, some are slower, like how people are in real life, each challenger has different strengths and weaknesses. This not only worked making the combat better for me, but also for AI against AI, whereas before they just sort of sliced each other up all in the same mindless robotic ways, now they dodged and parried hits from ANYONE fighting them. I didn't realize how cool it was what I had made until I sat back and watched some AI fighting each other and it looked like they were actually fighting now, concerned about their safety, trying to not be hit by a sword, sounds of clashing swords and shields wrang out as the AI now seemed to fight for their lives instead of just kill kill kill without any thought of defense. And the beautiful thing was you could just sit back and watch the AI fight each other and it was INTERESTING, to see who would win. Obviously this is all done by just timing and numbers and chance and who has the better weapon or shield, but the game now felt more organic and real, like these people were individuals and they didn't want to die. And when it was 4 AI vs. 2 other AI, you could usually count on the larger group of 4 winning, but sometimes the group of 2 would take down the larger group, and it was exciting to watch. The underdog now actually has a chance of winning and the numbers are stacked against them, but it was possible, if they got lucky and fought just right, they could win.
  I do however realize that implementing something like this on a larger scale like Bannerlord would come with a whole host of issues to work out, but if I can do it on a smaller scale with with ZERO modding experience beforehand in a couple of weeks, I'm pretty sure experienced devs could come up with some creative way of making the AI more intelligent with some tweaks of numbers. Maybe there could be different ways of thinking for AI, like when they are fighting as a large group they fight one way (more aggressive), and when they are mostly engaged with 1 to 3 enemies they could fight another way (more defensive minded) as just an example. I am pretty sure in a real fight I would find it hard to defend myself against more than 2 people at a time unless i'm surrounded by allies. Let's imagine for a moment walking around a large M&B battle where the AI isn't just mindlessly swiping at everyone who comes near, but also tries to not get hit by any means, the battle, to me, would be so much more exciting.

NUQAR'S Kentucky "Nuqar" James XXL said:

iamastrangeloop said:

Who said anything about only one tactic?

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Well judging by the battles in the beta, it's going to be just that. Warband had virtually zero tactical depth and battles were more or less just a stat grind with positioning and tactics playing no real role. You could surround an enemy entirely but if they had better stats they would always win. Bannerlord right now is the same, if not worse. The combat has never been particularly deep or varied in singleplayer, so expecting a challenging game is an unrealistic expectation I think.

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Yeah...Expecting a game that comes out a decade later than the previous one to have slightly more combat variability and depth, ...so unrealistic. And if the combat is no more challenging than the same game we've all been playing for over 10 years what is the point? I personally am not that interested in playing a reskin of the same combat with different RTS mechanics, EVERYTHING else in the game gets a significant upgrade, why not combat/AI, one of the MAIN pillars of the game?
  I guess it comes down to WHY we play a game in the first place. Personally I like puzzles and challenges, to have to learn and out think the enemy, my skills and intelligence the mark of how well I do, not how long I have played for. Sure leveling up is fun, but if you're just grinding your way to success then you aren't necessarily playing any better than when you started, if there is no challenge, for me there is no game.
  But what is salient to me in a game may not be to others hence the need for different settings. That way If you want to be a superhero and dive headfirst into a sea of enemies with little to no backup and are able to cut them all down without thinking too much about your safety, sure! Or if you want it to feel like a real battle and have to think more strategically about which fights you get into in the first place, and have to use your allies and fight as a group to win, and maybe play a little more cautiously, OK! There can be room for several play styles in one game, it doesn't have to be just one way, the only limit is the devs creativity, and I for one am giving them the benefit of the doubt that they will deliver something amazing for us all. It's still early and things like this can be tweaked (or modded). Games now a days are constant works in progress even after the game comes out, so let's not limit our expectations of Bannerlord to what Warband was.

NUQAR'S Kentucky "Nuqar" James XXL said:

iamastrangeloop said:

  Please just make the game hard, combat looks too easy on the current build. Those defenders don't put up much or any fight it seems to me, I know it's early still though, just my two cents. Games are too easy these days. I want to feel like those AI soldiers are fighting for their life and will do everything in their power to NOT be sliced by a sword instead of just accepting death. Please don't make it a hack and slash and have some realistic combat, enemies need to parry and dodge as much as they can, often using shields to block which should be hard to break their guard, they are supposed to be fighting for their life! You can bet if someone comes at me with a sharp blade I will be trying to block or dodge before they get that thing anywhere close to me.

A battle should be filled with terror and triumph and rage. I just don't feel that from this siege video, but I know it's early and there's still lots of time. Easy games are mindless time wasters, challenge is good, something to come back to. Not a whole lot of memorable easy games in my book, but the hard ones are worth coming back to again and again until you are victorious, and it will feel great.
Happy week-end people.

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Easy games can be fun if they give you well desgined systems to beat your enemies with. Rome total war is probably the easiest in the series but it gives you so many options. No battle feels like a grind because you can approach it in a dozen ways, leading to interesting scenarios. Meanwhile total war attila has so many "hardcore" limitations on the gameplay that every battle is more or less the same.

Warband was more like the latter. It was tedious and grindy in the midgame because there were hundreds of sieges but nothing to break them up or make them more interesting. I would much prefer a game where you can steamroll the enemy 50 different ways than a difficult game where there is only one tactic.

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  Who said anything about only one tactic? if the game is hard AND designed well you will have to get creative and come up with or find your own tactics that work, if the game is too easy then you are just picking and choosing which way you watch the enemy die. I am too old to enjoy just mindless slashing of brainless enemies anymore, it's been done to death, I don't want to feel like a god in this game, I want to feel like a soldier in an army, and that should feel exciting, and terrifying. I'm not talking Dark Souls or Sekiro hard where you are forced to memorize the enemies moves kind of stuff, but at the very least the combat should feel risky, like the person you are about to encounter could take you out if you aren't careful, haven't we had enough Dynasty Warriors? I am hoping for something a little more realistic. I do agree easy games can be fun, but at least give us the option for more realistic combat. I know modders will be able to make some harder modes but I'm hoping the base game's AI INDIVIDUAL combat can be challenging and not just cannon fodder dummies to slice up.

  I haven't played much Total War, not really into RTS games myself so I can't really compare, but M&B is quite different in combat because you are a soldier and not a god looking down on the battle watching everyone do their thing, so I feel it should immerse you in the individual role more, and I imagine any individual that's ever been in a real medieval war would say that it's scary as all hell...to see a massive force of enemy soldiers cresting a hill in the distance, knowing that the choices you and your fellow soldiers make in the next few minutes will decide if you will ever see the sun rise again, that's the excitement and fear that I want to feel for my character. If the game is too easy you lose that thrill of battle from the get go, it's just a micro manager hack n slash. Might as well call it "THOR Thundergod Kill Them All With No Problem and Blade"


  Just my personal preference, but I see where you are coming from. Hoping there will be difficulty settings so we can all play the way we want, and of course mods will solve the rest. =)

  Please just make the game hard, combat looks too easy on the current build. Those defenders don't put up much or any fight it seems to me, I know it's early still though, just my two cents. Games are too easy these days. I want to feel like those AI soldiers are fighting for their life and will do everything in their power to NOT be sliced by a sword instead of just accepting death. Please don't make it a hack and slash and have some realistic combat, enemies need to parry and dodge as much as they can, often using shields to block which should be hard to break their guard, they are supposed to be fighting for their life! You can bet if someone comes at me with a sharp blade I will be trying to block or dodge before they get that thing anywhere close to me.

A battle should be filled with terror and triumph and rage. I just don't feel that from this siege video, but I know it's early and there's still lots of time. Easy games are mindless time wasters, challenge is good, something to come back to. Not a whole lot of memorable easy games in my book, but the hard ones are worth coming back to again and again until you are victorious, and it will feel great.
Happy week-end people.

Without my morsels my week feels...incomplete.
Could we have just a few crumbs of first person gameplay for our next serving?