Dev Blog 08/02/18

[parsehtml]<p><img class="frame" src="http://www.taleworlds.com/Images/News/blog_post_26_taleworldswebsite.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="290" /></p> <p>A thousand years ago, the Calradoi were one of a dozen tribes living in the hill country between the southern sea and the Battanian woods. Over time, they subjugated their neighbours, forcing them into a confederation of city-states. Perhaps they were slightly fiercer than the others, or just lucky, or perhaps it was the one tradition that set them apart - the Calradoi had no kings. Ever since the hero Echerion slew the tyrant Cypegos, the institution of the monarchy was banned, in theory at least. There was an assembly of free citizens that met occasionally, a senate of elders (in practice the largest landowners) that sat permanently, and - when it was absolutely necessary - supreme command could be invested for a short time in the person of an emperor, a title that back then meant little more than the right to lead an army.</p></br> [/parsehtml]Read more at: http://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/45

 

[Ki-Ok Khan]

Then let me correct myself: he's just a random 14 yo, the last place where he's going to learn something is in a game forum, and the last place where his opinion will count will be a... Game forum, he will learn in time like we all do, let him ****post in peace

You never know.

There isn't any noticeable AO in these screenshots.
The easy way to detect AO evidences is by looking at the character's armpits and feet.

Yes , you might be right.

Here comparison from Tomb Raider

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https://techgage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Rise-of-the-Tomb-Raider-Ambient-Occlusion-Comparisons.jpg

But as far as I can tell there definitely is something different with lightning.

 

[feraculix]

Like every thursday, visited the taleworlds website looking for the new blog ...
started reading ...
"[...] divide this blog into two parts." - stopped reading ...
started writing a reply in this forum (for the first time in, I guess, more than three years) ...

I'm not complaining - which is bad, it means I'm finally totally indifferent towards the development of bannerlord.
My statement should be clearly visible between the lines, still, as it is just my personal opinion you should not be too depressed. On the other hand, as I'm more like an average guy, my opinion is often widespread among others.

My advice is drawn from a scientific equivalent: real power transfer, and thus transfer of information, via electromagnetic radiation is only possible if the second order time derivative of the underlying source current densities is nonzero. I think you know what I mean.

I remain in great expectations

 

[Revverie]

Like every thursday, visited the taleworlds website looking for the new blog ...
started reading ...
"[...] divide this blog into two parts." - stopped reading ...
started writing a reply in this forum (for the first time in, I guess, more than three years) ...

I'm not complaining - which is bad, it means I'm finally totally indifferent towards the development of bannerlord.
My statement should be clearly visible between the lines, still, as it is just my personal opinion you should not be too depressed. On the other hand, as I'm more like an average guy, my opinion is often widespread among others.

My advice is drawn from a scientific equivalent: real power transfer, and thus transfer of information, via electromagnetic radiation is only possible if the second order time derivative of the underlying source current densities is nonzero. I think you know what I mean.

I remain in great expectations

Yeah I like snorting drugs too

 

[Wilhelmus Van Laecken]

Finally, the Empire blog! 

This was a brilliant one packed with sweet, fluffy lore for us to devour. I for one can't wait to become Emperor/Empress of Calradia! My name shall be Alixenus the Great and all will despair at my military prowess.

Or just laugh at my futile attempts in uniting the empire and crush me like a tiny bug. I dunno, man, Garios seems like a pretty competent foe..

Guess we'll just have to see what exactly we're going to be fighting against (or with!) in the next blog.

 

[karasis65]

I am still wondering about is there a faction releated to parthians/sassanids which If empire representative of Rome there should be a faction like that. And I believe time frame is really suitable for that.

 

[NPC99]

Who murdered Arenicos? My money's on Rhagaea. What do you budding detectives think?

Good blog. Is player permanent death always dispensed by your wife or can anyone kill us?

Like @DanAngleland I found the yellow downward facing arrow on the tavern/shop sign strange. Neither informative or attractive.

 

[alphacreature]

Who murdered Arenicos? My money's on Rhagaea. What do you budding detectives think?

Good blog. Is player permanent death always dispensed by your wife or can anyone kill us?

Like @DanAngleland I found the yellow downward facing arrow on the tavern/shop sign strange. Neither informative or attractive.

Who killed captain Arenicos?

 

[AmateurHetman]

Who murdered Arenicos? My money's on Rhagaea. What do you budding detectives think?

Good blog. Is player permanent death always dispensed by your wife or can anyone kill us?

Like @DanAngleland I found the yellow downward facing arrow on the tavern/shop sign strange. Neither informative or attractive.

Yeah the yellow signs for shops ruin the aesthetic for me, I know they are supposed to be noticeable, but warband tavern signs were more discreet but still recognisable.

 

[JuanNieve]

I hope they change the custom battle menu

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to something more similar to the total war series

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[Kortze26]

I hope they change the custom battle menu

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to something more similar to the total war series

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I think it was mentioned somewhere, that the UI at gamescom was just a temporary placeholder to give people a chance to play the game and in no way resembles the final appearance that they have planned.

 

[Revverie]

Agree with the yellow signs comment, doesn't really fits

 

[Octaviux]

Interesting read to begin understanding the lay of the land and some motivations

 

[Bustah]

ok

 

[Damnedy]

will there be titles in the game before the name?something like marshall, emperor king padavan ???

 

[Gjon the Albanian]

My loyality stands with Biggus Dickus

 

[Gjon the Albanian]

But jokes aside im happy about the fact that you guys split this Blog into two parts. And interesting choice for the Inspiration for the empire, I actually expected the empire to be more based off of middle european kingdoms but cool choice anyway. Looking forward to the next blog.

 

[zdsdead]

I imagine vlandian knights make use of couched lancing. Historically Byzantine cataphracts didn’t charge like the Norman knights they may have fought against. Cataphract charges were at a fast trot and basically a metal wedge being driven slowly into the enemy. Norman knights charged at a gallop with couched lances to hit the enemy like a hammer.

My memory might be a little hazy, but didn't norman knights make use of more of an overhead thrust with their lances, rather than a couched lance?

I thought couched lances, came much later?

 

[Bustah]

Couching a lance should be different for cataphracts and nations other than Vlandia. Normans did couch their lances, and used them overhead to stab as they rode past. However, cataphracts typically did not carry a shield, and therefore would hold the lance with two hands (no normal couching). They would have thrust overhead or held it low, to the side of the horse.

Cataphract charges were at a fast trot and basically a metal wedge being driven slowly into the enemy

Could you provide a source for this? I see no logical reason for them to NOT be moving as fast as possible during a charge. Especially since they often lacked shields, moving at a fast trot would leave you with more time to be pelted with the many missiles that would inevitably be part of a medieval battle.

My memory might be a little hazy, but didn't norman knights make use of more of an overhead thrust with their lances, rather than a couched lance?

Normans definitely used the couched method throughout the 11th century, which I think Vlandia is based on.

I just hope they make lances much more effective and realistic. A lance should not hit someone and just raise back up. It should either break (with a cool sound and particle effect along with animation of discarding broken pole) or keep going. And horses should not stop after running over 1 or 2 people. I'm pretty sure a 2000lb uncaring beast should be able to bowl over a near infinite amount of men, as long as they are not absolutely shoulder to shoulder and barring any interference like stamina or a spear through the head. This would make cavalry more fun to play as, more fun to command, and more fun to fight against. In Warband, the enemy cav charges, you slaughter them as they slam into your loose formation as if it's a brick wall, and then you fight the infantry. That's it. If you play as cavalry, you run around the enemy, attacking archers, and picking at the edges of the enemy infantry blob while it walks in a circle, chasing you like a dog its tail. Even in full plate armor, on a plated armor warhorse with a giant, brilliantly coloured lance, with the most fantastic sword and 1000 renown and 100 honour, you will be forever slapping archers around and weaseling away at the enemy formation, rather than doing, you know, cavalry things, like slamming into enemy formations on your big horse with your big lance and your big cock and generally not giving a ****.

 

[White Lion]

Anyways, a question:

Which heavy cav is stronger Imperial Cataphract or Vlandian Knight ?
Ofc it would be better if they had pros and cons compared to each other.

The impression I've got from various videos and blog screenshots is that cataphracts have marginally better armour but do not use shields as vlandian knights do. I do seem to recall a blog telling that vlandian knight is the best heavy cavalry unit. Maybe in-game cataphracts are slower than their vlandian counterparts which would make sense historically. Oh and maybe the lances have different lengths?

I imagine vlandian knights make use of couched lancing. Historically Byzantine cataphracts didn’t charge like the Norman knights they may have fought against. Cataphract charges were at a fast trot and basically a metal wedge being driven slowly into the enemy. Norman knights charged at a gallop with couched lances to hit the enemy like a hammer.

TW said in the Vlandian blog that their heavy cavalry is second to none, so the Vlandian knights will be the strongest heavy cav in the game, altho I have no doubt that the Empire cataphracts are going to be very strong as well.

Who murdered Arenicos? My money's on Rhagaea. What do you budding detectives think?

Good blog. Is player permanent death always dispensed by your wife or can anyone kill us?

Like @DanAngleland I found the yellow downward facing arrow on the tavern/shop sign strange. Neither informative or attractive.

It is said that poison is a womans weapon, so yeah, I think Rhagaea killed him. This kinda reminds me of Zenobia and Odaenathus. Long story short Odaenathus defeated the persians and took back the eastern Roman lands, he remained loyal to Rome and was declared King of Palmyra. He wanted his son Hairan I (mothered by Odaenathus's first wife, she is unnamed) to be his succesor but in 267 was assassinated along with Hairan I. He was succeded by his son with Zenobia, Vaballathus who was a child at that time, altho Zenobia pull the strings. She wanted independence for Palmyra so she start a rebelion agains Rome, she was defeated and captured by Aurelian who exiled her to Rome to live the rest of her days. Everything Odaenathus created, she managed to destroy in a few years.

I agree about the yellow arrow, doesn't look good.

 

[Cale]

Normans definitely used the couched method throughout the 11th century, which I think Vlandia is based on.

I just hope they make lances much more effective and realistic. A lance should not hit someone and just raise back up. It should either break (with a cool sound and particle effect along with animation of discarding broken pole) or keep going. And horses should not stop after running over 1 or 2 people. I'm pretty sure a 2000lb uncaring beast should be able to bowl over a near infinite amount of men, as long as they are not absolutely shoulder to shoulder and barring any interference like stamina or a spear through the head. This would make cavalry more fun to play as, more fun to command, and more fun to fight against. In Warband, the enemy cav charges, you slaughter them as they slam into your loose formation as if it's a brick wall, and then you fight the infantry. That's it. If you play as cavalry, you run around the enemy, attacking archers, and picking at the edges of the enemy infantry blob while it walks in a circle, chasing you like a dog its tail. Even in full plate armor, on a plated armor warhorse with a giant, brilliantly coloured lance, with the most fantastic sword and 1000 renown and 100 honour, you will be forever slapping archers around and weaseling away at the enemy formation, rather than doing, you know, cavalry things, like slamming into enemy formations on your big horse with your big lance and your big cock and generally not giving a ****.

I think couched lancing might be slightly later then you think, like 12th rather then 11th century but it's still in the catchment zone for Bannerlord anyway and also I'm not sure enough to claim I'm correct.

As for horses, I'm afraid that isn't how horses or cavalry work. In fact, your description about what you end up doing in Warband is pretty much exactly what Cavalry is *for* in medieval contexts.

First off, getting a horse to charge into a group of people is a task in and of itself that takes a large amount of training, breeding and effort. One of the innovations the Normans/Franks brought was actually putting this effort in so that their horses would charge a shieldwall without turning off to the side. A horse isn't a tank, its a thinking animal and one whose natural instinct is to run away from danger, not charge blindly into it.

Next, if you do manage to get your horse to charge into a big group of men then your momentum is not infinite. The horse needs open ground to gain speed and even just having a couple bodies underfoot is going to cause it to slow down so if infantry are grouped together they will quickly falter in the charge. That is putting aside that it is entirely possible to hit a horse with a shield or a body from the side and again slow it down or cause it to rethink this whole charging business. To see this in the period Bannerlord covers you have the Battle of Hastings where the Normans charged the Saxon shieldwall over and over again and failed to break through it, even on the flanks where mostly Fyrd (non-professional warriors) made up the unit.

See also Elegy for Geraint and Y Goddodin for Romano-British cavalry charges ending badly and being remembered in poem.

This is why the defence against cavalry is more or less unchanged from the Dark Ages through to the Napoleonic era: Get your lads in as big a group as possible and stand there with your weapons out. Just like you described in Warband.

Now, what Cavalry is very, very good at in all of these periods is disrupting and killing units that are already broken their formation (the Norman feint at Hastings pulled the fyrd down and led to them getting slaughtered) or are legging it, and units which are looser or less able to defend themselves like Archers.

You can also see this in non-European settings as Steppe tribes and other horse-archer based societies use their arrows and mobility to disrupt and weaken formations and then charge at the end when everyone is in disarray.

Cavalry isn't a hammer (at least in an actual battle) it's a scalpel you apply at excactly the moment and place where it can do most damage and then you rely on the psychological impact this can have to tilt the whole battle in your favour.