Hello, I've been playing Mount & Blade: Warband since 2010, and I am a dedicated Mount & Blade enthusiast who continues to enjoy Bannerlord as of 2023.
The multiplay population in the Asian region, where I live, has significantly decreased.
Consequently, I haven't been able to play Skirmish 6v6 for over two years, unless I'm playing with friends. Let me examine my thoughts on the reasons behind this drastic decrease in server population.
01) Initial failure in addressing crashes Those who have played Bannerlord during its early access period would know that it was plagued with crashes. There were instances where the server crashed every 20 minutes. This caused many people to leave.
02) Emergence of competing games during the early access period While Bannerlord was unable to fix its crashes, alternative multiplayer games that could replace Bannerlord's multiplayer experience started emerging. Chivalry 2 is a prominent example.
03) Lack of freedom due to the disappearance of Warband's advantages.
In Warband, players had the freedom to earn money and use that money to choose their own items and create their own troops within their chosen cultural faction. This was a significant advantage that Warband had. However, in Bannerlord, the troops themselves are pre-defined, similar to Battlefield. Personally, I view this change positively. However, the loot system needs improvement. I obtained most of the items for my troops through looting. But it's different for other players. Loot can only be obtained in official servers, but in the current situation where multiplayer population is dwindling, it has become very difficult to acquire loot. As a result, people join official servers and simply spectate without playing the game, while they earn money by tabbing out and watching YouTube. This is not a normal situation. These exploits have been effective for over two years and are still possible.
Furthermore, unlike Warband, Bannerlord does not have a Deathmatch mode. Deathmatch is a mode with tremendous freedom, unlike TDM or Battle Skirmish. It stimulates people's playful nature and adds to the fun.
Additionally, in Bannerlord, unlike Warband, you have to check the "Dedicated custom server helper" option to use custom maps. People who are unaware of this always say things like, "I can't enter the server," "Oh, you have to check the Dedicated custom server helper and then join," "How do I do that?" Players come to play the game, not to deal with complicated settings.
04) There is a lack of provided maps.
The shortage of provided maps in Bannerlord is quite evident. Players have already discovered all the flaws in the existing maps and are resorting to climbing on top of map roofs to play.
05) There is an imbalance among troop types.
There is a significant imbalance among troop types. The Blannidian Light Crossbow is extremely overpowered, almost comparable to a machine gun. Additionally, Blannidian cavalry can wear Half Barding and wield the longest lance, which seems excessively advantageous compared to other factions.
Regular archers become much stronger than their mounted counterparts when they choose the "Shoe Icon" perk and ride a horse. This doesn't make sense. TaleWorlds' staff members should spend a considerable amount of time playing the game alongside regular players to understand these issues.
06) Overall, cavalry is as powerful as armored vehicles. Cavalry in this game is incredibly strong. I view this positively, but the sound of horse hooves is too quiet. It's like a stealth armored vehicle. Please increase the volume of horse hooves.
07) There are many bugs in the provided maps.
Humans are not perfect, and balancing is a highly challenging task. However, the sound of water in maps like Echerion is so loud that it causes auditory discomfort for players. Additionally, there is a bug in Nord town where players can climb onto roofs from the intersection area.
While it may be impossible to eliminate all bugs, it is possible to minimize them.
0
It seems like TaleWorlds employees may be experiencing burnout.
This is not intended as criticism towards the TaleWorlds development team. However, from the perspective of general players, it feels like they are neglecting the game. They don't seem to have a passion for the game they are creating.
The reason I feel this way is that the above-mentioned bugs, which I mentioned months to years ago, still exist and it is surprising that these bugs are still present.
Furthermore, in the current TaleWorlds multiplayer forum, people are writing critical posts expressing their feelings about "something," but the response from the developers is mostly indifferent.
09) In the end, the remaining players in multiplayer are mostly hardcore enthusiasts, not newbies.
That's absolutely true. Newbies are rarely seen. Eventually, even the dedicated players who remained for the repetitive battles and gameplay are getting tired of the game and quitting. What's the point of honing our skills through 1:1 duels when there are no people to play with?
Oh, and this is not limited to the Asian server. The player population has significantly decreased worldwide. Compare the initial release in 2020 to the current situation.
///
I won't write any further as I have a lot to say. Besides, since no one will read this anyway, there's no point.
The multiplay population in the Asian region, where I live, has significantly decreased.
Consequently, I haven't been able to play Skirmish 6v6 for over two years, unless I'm playing with friends. Let me examine my thoughts on the reasons behind this drastic decrease in server population.
01) Initial failure in addressing crashes Those who have played Bannerlord during its early access period would know that it was plagued with crashes. There were instances where the server crashed every 20 minutes. This caused many people to leave.
02) Emergence of competing games during the early access period While Bannerlord was unable to fix its crashes, alternative multiplayer games that could replace Bannerlord's multiplayer experience started emerging. Chivalry 2 is a prominent example.
03) Lack of freedom due to the disappearance of Warband's advantages.
In Warband, players had the freedom to earn money and use that money to choose their own items and create their own troops within their chosen cultural faction. This was a significant advantage that Warband had. However, in Bannerlord, the troops themselves are pre-defined, similar to Battlefield. Personally, I view this change positively. However, the loot system needs improvement. I obtained most of the items for my troops through looting. But it's different for other players. Loot can only be obtained in official servers, but in the current situation where multiplayer population is dwindling, it has become very difficult to acquire loot. As a result, people join official servers and simply spectate without playing the game, while they earn money by tabbing out and watching YouTube. This is not a normal situation. These exploits have been effective for over two years and are still possible.
Furthermore, unlike Warband, Bannerlord does not have a Deathmatch mode. Deathmatch is a mode with tremendous freedom, unlike TDM or Battle Skirmish. It stimulates people's playful nature and adds to the fun.
Additionally, in Bannerlord, unlike Warband, you have to check the "Dedicated custom server helper" option to use custom maps. People who are unaware of this always say things like, "I can't enter the server," "Oh, you have to check the Dedicated custom server helper and then join," "How do I do that?" Players come to play the game, not to deal with complicated settings.
04) There is a lack of provided maps.
The shortage of provided maps in Bannerlord is quite evident. Players have already discovered all the flaws in the existing maps and are resorting to climbing on top of map roofs to play.
05) There is an imbalance among troop types.
There is a significant imbalance among troop types. The Blannidian Light Crossbow is extremely overpowered, almost comparable to a machine gun. Additionally, Blannidian cavalry can wear Half Barding and wield the longest lance, which seems excessively advantageous compared to other factions.
Regular archers become much stronger than their mounted counterparts when they choose the "Shoe Icon" perk and ride a horse. This doesn't make sense. TaleWorlds' staff members should spend a considerable amount of time playing the game alongside regular players to understand these issues.
06) Overall, cavalry is as powerful as armored vehicles. Cavalry in this game is incredibly strong. I view this positively, but the sound of horse hooves is too quiet. It's like a stealth armored vehicle. Please increase the volume of horse hooves.
07) There are many bugs in the provided maps.
Humans are not perfect, and balancing is a highly challenging task. However, the sound of water in maps like Echerion is so loud that it causes auditory discomfort for players. Additionally, there is a bug in Nord town where players can climb onto roofs from the intersection area.
While it may be impossible to eliminate all bugs, it is possible to minimize them.
0
It seems like TaleWorlds employees may be experiencing burnout.This is not intended as criticism towards the TaleWorlds development team. However, from the perspective of general players, it feels like they are neglecting the game. They don't seem to have a passion for the game they are creating.
The reason I feel this way is that the above-mentioned bugs, which I mentioned months to years ago, still exist and it is surprising that these bugs are still present.
Furthermore, in the current TaleWorlds multiplayer forum, people are writing critical posts expressing their feelings about "something," but the response from the developers is mostly indifferent.
09) In the end, the remaining players in multiplayer are mostly hardcore enthusiasts, not newbies.
That's absolutely true. Newbies are rarely seen. Eventually, even the dedicated players who remained for the repetitive battles and gameplay are getting tired of the game and quitting. What's the point of honing our skills through 1:1 duels when there are no people to play with?
Oh, and this is not limited to the Asian server. The player population has significantly decreased worldwide. Compare the initial release in 2020 to the current situation.
///
I won't write any further as I have a lot to say. Besides, since no one will read this anyway, there's no point.
