The campaign map was, I think, very hastily altered before release to add more 'choke points' and "interesting terrain". What it really did was make almost 1/3 of the map literally inaccessible, there is a mountain on every corner and every place quite literally feels the same. I was playing Warband today and was in awe of how the Rhodok mountains actually felt as if they are a real mountain range instead of someone messing around with the campaign map to make it interesing before release.
So, I have a few suggestions as to what to do to make the campaign map more enjoyable and I hope some of the people here will find it agreeable:
1. Town and castle icons, while detailed, need to be a bit smaller. This method od making cities on the map (complex models instead of icons) reminds me of Rome 2 and it's obnoxiously large cities that made the campaign map feel like its a meter in width, and not a whole Europe. A sense of vastness in Warband was in Bannerlord replaced by a surprisingly crowded atmosphere.
2. Mist and darker colours. Yes, Warband had mist. And it was actually a really helpful tool in setting the atmosphere of a place. Aserai and Khuzait lands are better in this regard but even in the winter season the campaign map is bright as hell.
3. Plains. Just plain open fields. Get rid of at least half the mountains please. The peninsula around Rovalt only has ONE NARROW STRIP OF ACCESSIBLE TERRAIN. Battania, Vlandia and Sturgia feel almost exactly the same, even though the height difference is huge. Right now it's not a campaign map, it's a huge set of tight hallways.
I hope this will not be brushed off by the team as 'the design choice has already been made'. This map NEEDS decluttering, and I sincerely suggest returning to the old map design that we had before release. Please.
So, I have a few suggestions as to what to do to make the campaign map more enjoyable and I hope some of the people here will find it agreeable:
1. Town and castle icons, while detailed, need to be a bit smaller. This method od making cities on the map (complex models instead of icons) reminds me of Rome 2 and it's obnoxiously large cities that made the campaign map feel like its a meter in width, and not a whole Europe. A sense of vastness in Warband was in Bannerlord replaced by a surprisingly crowded atmosphere.
2. Mist and darker colours. Yes, Warband had mist. And it was actually a really helpful tool in setting the atmosphere of a place. Aserai and Khuzait lands are better in this regard but even in the winter season the campaign map is bright as hell.
3. Plains. Just plain open fields. Get rid of at least half the mountains please. The peninsula around Rovalt only has ONE NARROW STRIP OF ACCESSIBLE TERRAIN. Battania, Vlandia and Sturgia feel almost exactly the same, even though the height difference is huge. Right now it's not a campaign map, it's a huge set of tight hallways.
I hope this will not be brushed off by the team as 'the design choice has already been made'. This map NEEDS decluttering, and I sincerely suggest returning to the old map design that we had before release. Please.