In the quest example we’re shown, the developer meets a man in the pub who has just had his horse stolen. He’d be grateful if you helped him get it back. If you agree, he leads you off to the people responsible elsewhere in town, giving you the opportunity to talk to their leader and compel them to return your new friend’s horse. When they refuse, you fight one of their heavies in sword combat in order to teach them a lesson. It’s an opportunity to teach the player a lesson too, letting them get used to conversation and combat systems in an environment less intimidating than the wilderness.
Suitably impressed, the horseless bar friend joins up to your squad of merry men, which comes in handy not long after when – in the wilderness – we meet more horse bandits. We get a greater glimpse at the combat here, as a dozen or so people on the battlefield manouver around, stabbing and swinging, while the developer moves among them on horseback. Combat is meant to be deeper than previous iterations of the game, taking into account timing and previous attacks, but it’s more about subtle differences than a total overhaul. TaleWorlds say they want it to “still be very accessible and intuitive.”