The annoyance in my post come from TW having zero insight (or care?) of what makes Warband MP tick even today, which might be something to aim to improve or highlight in their new installation, rather than nitpicking ideas from someone whose ideas come straight from games such as CS:GO. Yet, we're the ones told by white knights to fall in line and blindly appreciate anything thrown at us. Larger groups can attempt to bypass the restrictions, but it doesn't rid the fact that it feels like a punishment when the organized 6-man groups tend to end up in different servers. Not to mention how small maps make for chaotic (''T'')DM servers which auto-balance any groups into oblivion.
Let's ignore the clunky or unbalanced minor issues for a moment and realize just how repetitive the MP gameplay is with a total of ~10 different maps, not the same free player customization existing in the previous games, nor any option to host private servers. All of which work against the ability for uniqueness, organized battles/sieges, further player-interactions by becoming regulars or even what TW supposedly aims to become with the competitive game-modes due to no in-game VOIP.
To be honest with you, I believe the game might've been released too early. Is it worth sacrificing
two thirds of the player count in the first month just because you might miss some hype? The previous games have been built upon player-made modifications and a strong multi-player community. Currently, the game promotes neither. And don't pull the update-excuse because it's obvious, and doesn't get rid of the previously stated facts.
If they wanted to simply update Warband, they would have made Warband II. This is not Warband II, this is Bannerlord. There are so many supporting factors and evidence that points TaleWorlds wants to make a release on console. From keybinds, to UI decisions, controller support, etc- This is all foundation for releasing on consoles. The class system with pre-determined loadouts screams console format. You also make it like getting feedback from CS:GO players is a slap in the face. In TaleWorlds eyes, Counter-Strike has been a successful franchise for 20 years.
To give you some perspective - According to Steam Charts, CS:GO has (today) 571,745 concurrent users, with a (lifetime) peak of 1.4M (Million) concurrent.
Bannerlord? 42,672 with a (lifetime) peak of 248,034. A majority of those players in single-player, where CS:GO is the opposite.
CS:GO has twice the players of Bannerlord's peak moment
daily.
TaleWorlds is making the game
they want to make; and I don't think they should be crucified for that. The majority of things you asked for in your 2nd paragraph have all been discussed in posts by the mods and devs here on the forums. The things we want outside the scope of their vision will eventually show up in mods and custom servers- those modules are just not ready yet. VOIP is in their development track. You're right; a lot of the stuff you want was added by us on
our time. That time will come, but you just gotta be realistic too.
To be honest with you, I believe you might've purchased too early in excitement and hype. Shedding off thin-skinned players who complain and demand, rather than submit concise feedback with detailed explanations and ways to reproduce issues
is exactly what I would be doing in Early Access. Oh, that's the point I was making; It's Early Access. The game has not been released for retail. Early Access is a soft-release "as-is" while they continue to flesh out the title. It means their core foundation is at a place they feel is stable enough for consumption. It doesn't mean all your hopes and dreams will be in place, nor will every demand made be heard just because it feels entitled to be so. This is dry-starting a freshly assembled engine. It needs to be broken in, oiled, tweaked, and augmented.
There are so many games that are built and released with 0 feedback, 0 input. AAA titles all around you create their games without your input and you buy them without a peep and enjoy them because that is how it is. A development team opens themselves up to the idea of community feedback, and instant regret is had at the result of people exercising "free-speech" just because they can, rather than truly embracing and taking advantage of what has been offered to them.
No one forced you to buy the game, and no one is forcing anyone to be here. Why go against that grain and be forcible of issues that with some searching could easily be found to have been covered, and discussed.
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