Dev Blog 05/07/18

[parsehtml]<p><img class="frame" src="https://www.taleworlds.com/Images/News/blog_post_47_taleworldswebsite.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="290" /></p> <p>One of the main activities you carry out in Mount & Blade games is visiting towns. Towns serve as trade hubs and strongholds where you can socialise with the nobility, recruit companions or get quests. For Bannerlord, we spent a lot of effort on the town menus to make the experience as fun and immersive as possible.</p></br> [/parsehtml]Read more at: http://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/67

 

[NPC99]

Im waiting until september comes, so I can finally go back to a normal name.

So enjoy my MLP theme for now until my name change.

Lolbash again or something completely different?

 

[Balexander]

omg when i hear  distant future from Taleworlds "10 years   

 

[Kortze26]

Maybe, there's a plan to have the website ready to go by gamescom in 5 weeks time...

 

[Revverie]

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Why make the scene at all then? Just make menus for all locations -oh wait , my way has options.....bugger off

Except "your way" has already been tried in multiple mods already in Warband,  like in Gekokujo, where you are forced to search a town to meet the guild master before getting the shortcut to talk instantly. It has always been tedious, repititive, and has hurt the replayability of the mod.

Forcing players to walk around a giant city to look for collectables and people I would argue is a terrible idea and belongs in an open world game on the likes of Assassins Creed. Not in Mount and Blade when time is money and reducing excessive micromanagement to go into battle is a must for in-game productivity.

If you want exploration in video games I believe you are better off playing traditional RPGs with a focus on you and a small group of people taking quests.

So you just play mount and blade just to see fights? What I loved the most about this game was role-playing a character without having to be "the chosen one", and role playing a character includes visiting places, exploring a world. That may be your perception of how the game should be, but not for many of us. I wouldn't like getting collectables and that kind of stuff, but at least I would like to get a proof that this game is alive and it's not just an excuse to swing a sword against a bot

If your reasoning is immersion and how to make the world feel more alive, then I fail to see how forcing a player to walk around for 7 minutes to find an NPC is going to help make the player more immersed.

Wow you always manage to get this defensive about everything? First of all I never said you're FORCED to do this. Like I said M&B isnt just swinging a sword, having stuff in towns and villages that call our attention it's a necessary adittjon for the immersion player, like getting into a tavern and having an npc giving us a  secondary quest that gives us a lot of money or an unique sword, or quest that gives us some knowledge about the kingdom we are in. Besides the scenes are wonderful now, I wouldn't mind the walking if I get to see that Roman structures while I go quest/treasure hunting.

 

[Silen]

Wow you always manage to get this defensive about everything? First of all I never said you're FORCED to do this. Like I said M&B isnt just swinging a sword, having stuff in towns and villages that call our attention it's a necessary adittjon for the immersion player, like getting into a tavern and having an npc giving us a  secondary quest that gives us a lot of money or an unique sword, or quest that gives us some knowledge about the kingdom we are in. Besides the scenes are wonderful now, I wouldn't mind the walking if I get to see that Roman structures while I go quest/treasure hunting.

I agree with you. While having a good variety of options accessible directly from a menu might be handy for some players who don't care about immersing themselves in the world, don't have much time or have visited the same scene many times before already, it seems that the developers are putting a lot of effort into creating great scenes and making them feel alive. I think encouraging their exploration in some way without taking anything away from the quick options could only be beneficial.

Even if you are a player who likes roleplay and immersion, having everything laid down on a menu without any reason to explore might make it far more tempting for you to simply use the menu.

 

[Revverie]

Yeah, I'm definitely not against this feature, I love it, it will make things a lot more easier if I'm not in the mood to enter a town. It really shows that taking their time can make them come up with good stuff (like stuff we've seen in previous blogs). I can't think how similar to warband the game would have been if they released it in 2016 like they said they would. This is a huge improvement

 

[ArnulfFloyd]

I love also this feature already implemented in Warband mods because make easier access to guildmasters

 

[lolbash]

Even if you are a player who likes roleplay and immersion, having everything laid down on a menu without any reason to explore might make it far more tempting for you to simply use the menu.

Thats the point.

 

[rohtvak]

I have a feeling that the people speaking against shortcuts have never played warband for more than one playthrough.

The feeling is incorrect, I have slightly over 700 hours in Warband on steam, as well as an additional 200 (*probably) in the original disk-based version of the game when it first came out. Not bragging, I think most people on this forum have many more hours than I. No matter how many playthoughs, I never tire of the immersion.

Thanks for the clarification Callum.

 

[The Meddling Monk]

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What do you think the icons mean next to the name of the city?

If nothing changed from 2016, I could tell you some. From left to right:

1. City's gold
2. Not sure, looks like a pitchfork?
3. New icon, maybe something to do with repair levels?
4. Garrison
5. Food storage
6. Wall level

2 = peasants in the castle

I also think it would be the number of villagers, but that would mean that the garrison is larger than the population or maybe is the number of recruit you can obtain?

Perhaps it's related to a settlements productivity / prosperity level? Another guess could be some sort of rebellion / unrest metre, though I don't think TW have confirmed anything like that being in-game.

 

[Silen]

Even if you are a player who likes roleplay and immersion, having everything laid down on a menu without any reason to explore might make it far more tempting for you to simply use the menu.

Thats the point.

My point is that if everything can be directly accessed by a menu, there should be some sort of encouragement to still enter the scene, otherwise I don't see what's the purpose of putting so much effort into creating these beautiful settlements and making them look alive.

 

[kalarhan]

My point is that if everything can be directly accessed by a menu, there should be some sort of encouragement to still enter the scene, otherwise I don't see what's the purpose of putting so much effort into creating these beautiful settlements and making them look alive.

it is still a sandbox. If the player cant create his own adventure, then he is playing the wrong kind of game.

there are plenty of linear games out there that will take you by the hand and lead you step by step.

if players really want a carrot or cookie for doing something, just add a achievement like "Master Explorer - found all NPCs in the game"

 

[lolbash]

Even if you are a player who likes roleplay and immersion, having everything laid down on a menu without any reason to explore might make it far more tempting for you to simply use the menu.

Thats the point.

My point is that if everything can be directly accessed by a menu, there should be some sort of encouragement to still enter the scene, otherwise I don't see what's the purpose of putting so much effort into creating these beautiful settlements and making them look alive.

Immersion. You do not need to force a player to explore the map for reqards to make them feel immerse in the world.

 

[ArnulfFloyd]

I agree with you, Rainbow Dash

 

[Revverie]

None of these suggestions "force" anyone, if you want to do it you do it, if you don't you don't. There's a reward there, want to go? No, okay, don't do it, have fun doing other things is your choice

 

[Antar]

I can accept not having to visit the scene to unlock NPC access, but I hope there will still be some kind of incentive for entering the scenes. As many of you and Callum said, of course players can explore if they want to anyway, but incentive is important for exploration. Sandbox doesn't mean there doesn't have to be incentive to do things.

If the large footsoldier party slowdown didn't happen on the game map, people wouldn't intentionally slow down for immersion.

Also I like menus, but I personally don't want too many things replaced with menus. At least not for a game like Mount and Blade.

 

[Revverie]

Yeah, entering a castle for the first time with all those lords felt great in the moment, having it replaced with menus would be weird so I'll keep up the traditional way. I don't want to play menu simulator do everything in one click the game, I hope at least tournaments feel alive this time and it's not just betting through a menu and go fight 10 dudes until you win. Having the town exploding of people feasting and claiming for the fighters is something necessary in my opinion, you know, even being a champion in the arenas have to give you some tittle, something that people recognize of you, that it's something Warband lacked of, money it's not enough incentive for me to do those things WHERE'S THE GLORY??

 

[lolbash]

I can accept not having to visit the scene to unlock NPC access, but I hope there will still be some kind of incentive for entering the scenes. As many of you and Callum said, of course players can explore if they want to anyway, but incentive is important for exploration. Sandbox doesn't mean there doesn't have to be incentive to do things.

What incentive do you have in mind?

People here keep saying crap like "more exploration please!!!". If this is so much of a problem for you then surely you can think of a solution.

 

[Antar]

What incentive do you have in mind?

People here keep saying crap like "more exploration please!!!". If this is so much of a problem for you then surely you can think of a solution.

When I saw the new interesting NPCs in these scenes, I thought meeting them for some neat benefits, which also fit thematically, would be the incentive. Some people in this thread don't like the sound of that but I'd still keep it as an option.

Can't say I have any clear ideas myself, though, I'm not making the game or anything. Maybe some unique activities and events. Or, even better, have some quests take part in the scenes, I'm sure there are many things you can do with that.

(Maybe a quest with the Nervous Man  )

 

[lolbash]

Have you tried the mods that make you meet the village elder/guildmaster before you can finally use the shortcut to instantly talk to him?

Gekokujo is one mod that comes up to mind.

Like I already mentioned, its more of a chore than it is immersion.

Im not sure if you and me have the same idea for this game. When I think about Bannerlord I think about battles to fight, quests that needs to be done, and time is money. Not walking around town simulator.