does it feel like this game lacks a soul?

[method man]

I am not trolling here, for the record. When I play the game (singleplayer), I feel a strange emptiness. This only happens when I play Bannerlord (and maybe Kenshi, too). Does anyone else get this feeling? Can anyone explain why that is? This game isn't that different from Warband in terms of the level of 'liveliness,' but I never felt existential dread while playing it. Maybe I'm just getting old, or maybe my standards were lower in 2014 (lol). Curious to see if anyone else knows what I'm feeling.

 

[Sanctumm]

Games have no Soul - They are Pixels and Coding - Entertainment - If you feel you lack soul in any ways, then go outside and use some time to charge up your soul

 

[method man]

Games have no Soul - They are Pixels and Coding - Entertainment - If you feel you lack soul in any ways, then go outside and use some time to charge up your soul

Books are just paper and words. Even then, as a form of human expression, they can have a soul. I don't see why games would be any different. Philistine take.

 

[D0c1]

it's missing the little things. lords (individually) hating you when you let them go after battle, monarchs getting angry when you mention claimants, +1 relation after battle alongside an ally, top level units being truly top level, eloping with a lady and angering her whole family and liege, +2 relations when making a feast and king ragnar has decided to confer dhirim on king ragnar, etc...

 

[Sanctumm]

I disagree - only the living can have a soul in my point of view ^^ If you feel dead things have a soul then its here we can only disagree and therefore all my comments will not be what you would like to see

 

[redmark]

I wouldn't say it's soulless exactly, but is still lacking the glue to hold it together as an experience (but that has improved from 1.4.2, when I first played).

Generated companions rather than crafted ones - that has some impact, but less because Warband's companions were particularly well crafted than because as players, we became used to them over multiple playthroughs, which is a little unfair on the generated ones. I have become attached to some companions more than others, but until death rates are reduced, its easier to send almost all of them out as caravans - with zero attachment.

The faction-clan system would be improved in terms of 'soul' if (as others have suggested), you also had a relation with individuals within a clan, rather than the clan as a whole. If you can receive significant boosts to relations from helping a party in a battle, or giving them a bit of cash or doing a quest, maybe traits should also have a bigger impact rather +1/-1 per trait and/or be a constant modifying positive or negative tendency to your relationship.

Some balancing of the levelling/skills/perks would help, to avoid having to focus on it as a logistical and mathematical problem rather than an intuitive reflection of your character.

Mostly though, soul will come from play decisions and execution having consequences. Overall game pacing needs improving (my biggest bugbear, renown gain needs a game setup config option; I can be clan tier 6 and Calradia's superpower by the starting character's mid 30s, and I'm not that good at the game - multi-generational play, which would also add 'soul', therefore doesn't really exist yet). Currently, building up can be interesting, establishing your kingdom becomes a bit manic, then once you start recruiting lords it's just an inevitability that you will rule Calradia, if you can be bothered.

Oh, and of course battles need to be a bit slower (better armour ratings). High death rates means a temptation to use auto-resolve too often, which removes a feeling of connection. I had a battle a few days ago, where I got knocked out fairly early, with 2,400 vs 2,500 - I lost, with the enemy ending with just 8 soldiers remaining. That adds soul. But I think I save scummed as 6 or 7 lords/family/companions were killed.

 

[danEN]

Yep. The characters aren't memorable or interesting, the factions aren't memorable or interesting, diplomacy and relationships are non existent, the quests are uninspiring, your character doesn't feel like he has his own story, it's always the same boring story, character development is also uninteresting.

In the end the game is just a war simulator currently that completely lacks any 'moments' that give you the memories we all look for in games

Let us not even mention how they've butchered the multiplayer community's soul.

 

[StewVader]

I am not trolling here, for the record. When I play the game (singleplayer), I feel a strange emptiness. This only happens when I play Bannerlord (and maybe Kenshi, too). Does anyone else get this feeling? Can anyone explain why that is? This game isn't that different from Warband in terms of the level of 'liveliness,' but I never felt existential dread while playing it. Maybe I'm just getting old, or maybe my standards were lower in 2014 (lol). Curious to see if anyone else knows what I'm feeling.

Many people here agree with how you feel. The game feels hollow and empty, because it is hollow an empty.

 

[StewVader]

Yep. The characters aren't memorable or interesting, the factions aren't memorable or interesting, diplomacy and relationships are non existent, the quests are uninspiring, your character doesn't feel like he has his own story, it's always the same boring story, character development is also uninteresting.

In the end the game is just a war simulator currently that completely lacks any 'moments' that give you the memories we all look for in games

Let us not even mention how they've butchered the multiplayer community's soul.

Yeah 100% this. This is a good description

 

[Gandamula]

Even the names aren't people names, you can't find a connection with a Rug Bloodaxe, Krul the Swift or any Jarlog or Sanoon. I invented all the names right now, but they fit in the game.
Characters look like dolls, act like dolls and have dolls names.

 

[Sarissofoi]

I feel similar to OP.
Game lack little features that made Warband(with Diplomacy) feel alive.
>handcrafted companions
>early interactions with lords
>lords actually having different personalities
>simple leveling system
>you could actually loot some good stuff from enemy
>high tier troops actually being worthy
On the other hand some of Bannerlord features or mechanics feel pointless.
>dynasty mechanics
>leveling system that is bloated with too many perks
>hundreds of characters that have no personalities
>clan system with shared rep and leveling up straight from some mmo
>samey troops trees
>looting system is just to give some lootcoin
It just feel empty and shallow.

 

[Sarissofoi]

In the end the game is just a war simulator currently that completely lacks any 'moments' that give you the memories we all look for in games

And its not even good as war simulator.

 

[MostBlunted]

>leveling system that is bloated with too many perks

+ good ones like "place your troops before the battle starts" were removed

TW said they add it later to the game if I´m up to date, but who knows if they´ll really do it.

Less but more impactful perks would be cool but at least now all (?!) of them are even working.

 

[Ford Perfect]

It does feel dead a little bit, this becomes incredibly clear in towns (and even more in catsles, they are so so bad)
Everyone just stands still, or repeats the same action all over. There is no life, no interactions. NPCs are mannequins, it's like walking on a bad stage. And castles, at least for me, have literally 2 guards around and not another thing. The game cannot feel alive like this.

 

[Nalgasucia507]

Agree with yall. I have started playing ESO. Dam, that game is so lively.

 

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

Yes, it's the "Placeholder" everything and general loop of everything. You are constantly reminded that it is WIP game just running on basic numbers with every single entity behaving the exact same way. There's something about the never ending war loop that makes it very robotic and un-immersive. There is no feeling of "What is the enemy doing?" because they're doing the exact thing they were doing before you beat them down 5 minutes ago.

In warband I would sometime wake up worries like I had slept to late and missed something..... then remembering it's a SP game! I would try to make a guess as to where the enemy was and go searching and if I didn't find them I would race back to my most vulnerable area. Bannerlord doesn't feel like that because it's so perpetual, load game walk five feet , enemy parties all over trying to raid or watching an enemy siege their fiefs, zombie army slowly making it's way toward another location. It's the exact scene over and over.

I wish the defeated AI would go get caught by looters and be ruined when they run out of money. Maybe leave the faction and be homeless for awhile?
Do issues and fight bandits to subside for some time?

 

[Dreed89]

Yes, it's the "Placeholder" everything and general loop of everything. You are constantly reminded that it is WIP game just running on basic numbers with every single entity behaving the exact same way. There's something about the never ending war loop that makes it very robotic and un-immersive. There is no feeling of "What is the enemy doing?" because they're doing the exact thing they were doing before you beat them down 5 minutes ago.

In warband I would sometime wake up worries like I had slept to late and missed something..... then remembering it's a SP game! I would try to make a guess as to where the enemy was and go searching and if I didn't find them I would race back to my most vulnerable area. Bannerlord doesn't feel like that because it's so perpetual, load game walk five feet , enemy parties all over trying to raid or watching an enemy siege their fiefs, zombie army slowly making it's way toward another location. It's the exact scene over and over.

I wish the defeated AI would go get caught by looters and be ruined when they run out of money. Maybe leave the faction and be homeless for awhile?
Do issues and fight bandits to subside for some time?

Haha, very good summary.

Others in the thread have also given good responses.

There are many many discussions on both reddit and forums about the emptiness of the game. OP is accurate on their feelings.

We are not sure whether game will overcome this emptiness as time passes, because these "empty" areas have not received any attention so far.

 

[AndrewArt]

Even the names aren't people names, you can't find a connection with a Rug Bloodaxe, Krul the Swift or any Jarlog or Sanoon. I invented all the names right now, but they fit in the game.
Characters look like dolls, act like dolls and have dolls names.

agreed. Basically, game lacks immersion

 

[vonbalt]

Agree, what we call "soul" in a game is immersion and artistic expression, the game currently has too many placeholders and lacks the little things the would add immersion and make the world believable, that's not even starting on the bugs, balancing problems, lack of indepth features etc.

 

[VanCrio]

I agree. The game is lifless and uninteresting. However, it is a good base for some awesome mods coming our way.