How to save the game?if the game is fun enough,i think only few players will leave just for these 3 reasons.
What actually make bannerlord mp dead is its "balance" i think,both faction balance and class balance.i feel that TW's target to balance and develop game is more like to butter up "pro players",instead of making common players feel comfortable.So here we got rank system and strange balance based on the advise from pros.But in TDM and siege where common players always play,it is more easily to kill noobs for pros now than 1 years ago(when 2 hand inf is op, pros and noobs can kill each other in 1 hit,which make the technique gap between pros and noobs small)
Now the heavy inf has very good weapons(can even 1 tap peasants and 2-hand inf ),shield(very hard to broke),perks,armor(more than 40 or 50),movement speed(80 even 84).So pros with heavy inf can kill lower class very easily,and even more easily after picking up a 2hand weapons.For noobs,it is more hard to kill pros' heavy inf,which means no money for higher class.Even noobs can aford a heavy inf,it is still hard to win a shield and heavy armor battle with pros.Some one may give up the game or choose to be an archer.
With looter perk and best heavy inf and 2 hand sowrd,pros and some players vote and play vlandia in TDM and siege almost every round especially beyond the sharp time.This means half of the players who don't play vlandia will have a hard game experience.Imaging a new player finish download bannerlord , open the game and join EU server,find there are 10 guys in vlandia and 5 guys in sturgia,as a normal people,he choose to join sturgia to balance the number of players,and then vlandian pros beat his **** out,he can't kill vlandian sergeants with worriers but only make low damage and gain no money.Finally he get money for assist kill,he buy a berserker and get killed in only 1 hit by a 1 hand sowrd because he runs more slowly than the sergeant in combat........will he feel happy??
Let alone some stupid problems:
1.mace is op in 1.7.1,so NIN3 nerf it.But he also nerf the armor without extra armor perk,so if you pick mace perk and fight against a guy pick extra armor perk,you will both find that you make almost same damage to each other,as sword is longer and faster and it can thrust and you can get extra armor and can even 1 tap light armor class, mace perk is a really joke now.
2.vlandia is op in 1.7.1 but NIN3 still buff its inf in 1.7.2.he even let 2 hand sowrd perk grant +5% movement speed,which make other factions' 2hand inf just joker.Maybe he think vlandia should get some pay for making its archer more expensive.I can't understand.So still many pros continue to play vlandia and vlandia seems sill op.
3.EU captain mode is still dead
4.........
How to save the game?I don't know,I am not very pro at the game or developing a game,i only have played the game more than 1600 hours and love the game and want more people come to play the game and wish players could have more fun beside just kill and kill.I am really glad to see that in e1.8.0 we could have mp mods,but before that,here are still many serious problems in the game now.And i think the biggest one is "balance".
Seeing how chivalry2 attract so many people,here are my advice about TDM's and siege's class system :
-inf 1(peasant):80-90$,all faction get looter perk,armor:low,speed:very fast,equipment:poor(short pikes,farm tools,throwing stone.etc)
-inf 2(light inf):100$,armor:medium,speed:fast,equipment:good(2-hand,medium shield,javelin,army weapons.etc)
-inf 3(heavy inf):100$,armor:best,speed:slow,equipment:good(better shield than inf2)
-inf 4(if needed,like battaina):100$,the lower the armor is ,the higher the movement is,equipment:good
-archer1(light archer,milita archer):100$,(xbower can be 110$),armor:low,speed:fast(a bit slower than light inf),equipment:not good(bad bows,less arrows)
-archer2(if needed)(heavy archer,archer master):140$or more,armor:medium or good,speed:slow,equipment:good(good bows,enough arrows)
-cav1(light cav):140$or more,armor:low or medium,speed:same as inf(according to armor),equipment:medium(spear only)
-cav2(if needed)(heavy cav):200$ or more:armor:good,speed:same as inf,equipment:good(get lance)
-hero unit(if could):300$or more:armor:best,speed:fast(but not fastest),equipment:best(based on faction characteristic)
others like the kill reward ,native money are no need to be changed.the respawn time of defender in siege can be longer.
I think class system like this in TDM and siege will be friendly to new players and easier to make faction balance,and let bannerlord played more like warband under existing frame,and enjoy more than kill to earn money to kill more and easier. Players can use the unit they love and fight fairly,if you want to use higher class unit,use peasant to earn money more quickly to buy a cav.Even no kill and just die as peasant can let you have chance to play cav or hero unit.More details about this system need more time and energy to test and finish.