Recent content by Smorkin

kraggrim said:

Spoiler

Well, there's some roads in Bannerlord at least. I seem to remember them saying world-map ai was being greatly improved so I'm hopeful for efefctive road-use by npc parties.

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I just couldn't see any roads in their new video - which sparked my comment. There is possibly a little faded one near the bridge centre right, but their general absence else where is stark. I am crossing my fingers as well.

Quidfit said:

Smorkin said:

It looks good but I am somewhat confused by the continuing absence of roads in Warband maps.

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I would disagree with you on this if you consider that the armies and caravans are not to scale with the cities, for units to actually use the roads they would have to be constantly overlapping and passing through eachother, add bandits and I don't see how it's possible to have units follow the road. A road that is only used by 1 out of five units seems pointless and does not add to the realism at all.

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My comment was more about map aesthetics, as this post linked from their new map video, yet it could equally applies to realism. To say as you do that following roads doesn't add to the realism, then I am curious exactly which real world you live in. I didn't suggest on the map every man should walk down the road, nor a separate animation. I meant the party just generally follow on top of it (perhaps with a movement bonus).  If it makes it easier to imagine, think of it demonstrative of the wagons/mules and other heavier parts of the warband on the road and the rest of the chaps lumber through the surrounding countryside. Even on a small country track 1 out of 5 units is not useless at all - because that 1 would be least flexible part, carrying the food/weapons/armour/tradegoods etc. Though its pretty logical small warbands of less than a hundred would column up and tramp down the easy dirt path rather than end up covered in mud/sand/hedges. But really this is a game - realism is far far away.

However, I strongly suggest walking out your front door and taking a walk outside this afternoon, see how difficult it is to beeline through the fields and hedgerows. A bit of 'realism' will do you good and you will find not much has changed regarding this in many thousands of years. Armies generally followed roads whenever they could, or did 'a Roman' and built them as they went, then followed them home.

There was a comment about roads & bandits that seemed irrelevant. Warband already has bandits - roads have no real need to affect them specifically. If roads exist, and people use them, then logically a few bandit ambushes on roads likely to happen by default.

Yea I remember seeing literally one or two as you said, that's why I thought it might be a pathfinding issue. As you can see from my post above it detracts from their otherwise great visuals. It makes settlement placement look incredibly random

It looks good but I am somewhat confused by the continuing absence of roads in Warband maps.

Every real map has roads, even if its just major trade routes. A map looks weird without them. Roads connects the towns, allows the eye to flow across the beautiful features and breath life into the whole, making it feel alive.

I fear this is one of the reason Warband maps look so odd, with isolated settlements and castles unconnected to one another. The mind expects them. Like a face without eyebrows, something just looks off without them. Or a historical reason: roads pretty important and the success of every major pre modern civilisation can be measured in part by the quality of their roads/infrastructure network. Please put at least a few connecting the major settlements, it could even be a town upgrade to improve wealth, or if you wanted to be really advanced fade the green grass terrain overtime where there is constant traffic between villages and towns.

I am having trouble comprehending this oversight and I can only assume this is down to a pathfinding issue and that AI would not use them, though giving them say a 150% movement boost the AI should use them somewhat when choosing the quickest route from point A to B. Even if the AI completely ignore them it would improve the visuals dramatically.

Add roads please!! 

I have great hopes for bannerlord.

But music-wise, please please don't follow the trend of most games these days and have music playing continuously. Think atmosphere: Birds chirruping, branches creaking, flags flapping, soldier's trudging through the mud, horses whinneying, swords clashing, warcries bellowing (and not that godawful racket from the soldiers shouting in warband mount and blade that would force me to turn off the sound), or wounded screaming, and all followed by the calm after the storm as the battlefield settles into silence.

So of course the devs are adding music, and the clips sounded epic, but don't waste all that hard work!! Use it as a tool to ADD to the atmosphere - not overwhelm it. Play a song, then have a break of 3-4 minutes of no music, then play a different song. Or put songs on triggers on certain events, i.e. first encounter with faction/ entering city for first time/ entering inn/ meeting a king. Make us look forward to the rare event where that epic tune is suddenly and unexpectedly played.

I beg you, don't just make a playlist and put it on repeat with the best song playing over and over. Don't make one or two songs and play them in every battle. Such an approach (adopted by too many, quite frankly lazy, game devs) is intrinsically flawed. Common sense says you don't stick 10 tracks on repeat. You get sick of it after an hour.  Even with a playlist of 'only' 50 songs (for example on an ipod, as rarely do games have that many, GTA excluded) you get sick of even that many pretty quickly, a week or two tops. You will get exhausted of even chart number 1's after hearing it 30 times in a day or two... Music then gets muted.

It can be done well. Many examples come to mind, but first to mind is skyrim's dovahkin music - despite the huge amount of work and full orchestra involvement - this was really only ever played on menu screen (and possibly rare boss battles at the end adding to the sense of epicness of the fight when you heard it). It won awards for a reason.

And don't just ignore/chuck out those tester single instrument pieces. Why not use them for a random musician in a village square, or an inn, a bard practising or messing around. Loads of atmosphere for little effort. It's instant injection of character and soul to a village.

Apologies if I laboured the point, but I would really love Bannerlords to be great!