I keep trying to like Warband but I just can't.

[Uhtred of Bebbanburg]

Every time I try to play the demo I just can't have any fun. Everything is different and instead of making it better they've made it more bureaucratic.  It now takes more key presses to order your troops around and the categories aren't marked properly.

If you get knocked out in battle the battle ends. Why? I thought Taleworlds new most people didn't like that?

And the weapon movement is so alien from the original it's like starting all over again.

All they've done is add few new concepts and then shuffled up everything else to make it seem new. But really all they've done is take something familiar and force you to relearn it.

I almost bought the game this afternoon after playing the original for many months. I'm glad I spent a few hours playing Warband to remind me how much I didn't like it when it came out.

 

[Blackfish]

I say give it time. Warband is an overall more polished game than the original M&B, imo anyway.

It's true that you need more key presses to command your troops... but then again there are also a lot more commands. The weapon animations are different, but stick with it, after a while I think you'll find that it's better. After playing Warband for the past few months I started up my 1.011 last weekend... and couldn't get into it. The Warband animations feel more much more fluid, you can group troops beyond infantry-cavalry-archers, the campaign map is bigger and more logical.... maybe minor things, but since you've already spent that extra cash buying Warband, might as well take advantage of them.

 

[NJSQRL]

Based off the demo I agree with you.... Warband is useless..

Based off the FULL game however... Well Blackfish said most of what I would have, only more so and better.

 

[Sigma-Rho]

I bought the M&B bundle on Steam, I was going to play the game in order, I loaded up Mount and Blade, walked from one city to the other and turned it off, lol. Came back a few weeks later and decided to check out warband at a minimum and ever since then I can't get enough of it. It's been a very long time since I've had a game to play that I looked forward to playing when I get off work, or the weekend rolls around. I'm pretty happy I found this game, and the funny thing is I almost bought it so many times before that but avoided it.  So hang in there, try some mods 

 

[tsuki]

At first (let's say, 60 days) I couldn't get to like warband just like you. I thought that's far too complicated with it's economical and politics system and couldn't get past that day 100 barrier.
After reading a couple of AARs all over the internet I recently decided to give it a shot and I'm absolutely astounded with the sandbox feeling of it. I really love how the game plays itself without my interaction and if I join the party and try to carve a little part of that pie called Calradia, I really need to make an effort unlike in original M&B. Sandbox games are all about possibilities, and WB really has quite few to play with.

About these annoyances you mentioned: I must admit that it takes some time to get used to the combat system. Unlike the first M&B your movement doesn't stop when you choose the swing direction and it's really difficult to become a good fighter. Once I got enough experience with it however, I found it more natural and fluid, which makes fighting really enjoyable. WB is one of few medieval-themed games which actually require skill to be a good fighter. Most of them are simple LMB mashers.
I really raged hard at the arena when I was still a newbie. They'd all gang up on me and give me 0% of winning chance, unlike in first MB, where I constantly won that 250 denar awards for beating 20+ opponents and staying alive. Mechanics are different, but over time you should grow to like them.

 

[killer110]

Way back when I first got the demo, the first thing which took me by suprise was the friking map!! I was like "WTFLMAONEWMAPBIGCRAPAWESOMETHEHELL!!!??!?!?!?" in just one second in my mind, there was even a new bloody faction and some of the faction colours were different and I thought I'd never ge usd to it. And then I tried out combat. I was like "WTFLMAOIGOTPWNEDAGESLONGSWINGTHEFRIGGINHELL?!?!???!!!!!??!?" The first thing I noticed was how long it tok because of the fluidity, I reckognized it as being a good thing but I felt that it was a bad thing. ANyway, after a while I started gettig a little better but I went back to regular MB (also playing the best mod ever created) and when I went back into combat it felt different, in a very bad way. Un-realistic, non-fluid and just plain horrible. After that it was much easier to accept Warband although I still had trouble with the new combat system, factions etc. but honestly it was definetly worth buying it.

 

[killer-blead]

If you dislike the SP version wait till you see the MP version. Especially if you aren't used to the combat. 

 

[killer110]

MP still feels a bit dodgy to me.

 

[Big_man]

first time i played mb I was hooked on it. then best of all warband comes and now if i play any other game it feels **** because they are nothing compared. now all i play is warband and the odd game now and then. i must of clocked well over 1000-2000 hours on it (or however many there has been since it was released)

 

[Koppari]

Bought warband, played the vanilla for 100 hours, got bored. Downloaded mods, played for 500 hours, still interested.

 

[RalliX]

Mods-The way of the future.
You should try adding Diplomacy, Pre-Battle Orders and Deployment, and maybe the troop mod in my signature.(Yes, I am advertising it.)
Rolled into one, they're don't detract from Calradia, and they add fresh features that keep you more interested.

 

[Uhtred of Bebbanburg]

When I played the demo for the original MB I was instantly hooked. I love it and while I wasn't good at it I could see how in time I would be good.

After playing MB for 100's of hours and becoming expert at all weapons and tactics I now feel like all that is useless and I have to learn everything over again.  Everything I learned before is now obsolete.

Will the next version do the same thing?

 

[tsuki]

Isn't there an option to export your character?
Character screen -> bottom left corner (statistics?) -> export character.
Updates are always save compatible.

 

[Kazzan]

After playing MB for 100's of hours and becoming expert at all weapons and tactics I now feel like all that is useless and I have to learn everything over again.  Everything I learned before is now obsolete.

Not really, tactics are the same, just that there are some more button presses. Fighting is pretty much the same aswell.

 

[Urist]

There are awesome single player mod in the production line. Buying the game would probably be worth it for each of those.

 

[Trimaran]

sometimes happens to me. I stop playing for some time, maybe days maybe weeks and maybe (very low possibility) months. I usually start a new game or download a new mod when I start again. Also spending some time on the forum and reading posts gets me fired up! 

EDIT: Like now! Gonna start playing 

 

[Lord Brutus]

sometimes happens to me. I stop playing for some time, maybe days maybe weeks and maybe (very low possibility) months. I usually start a new game or download a new mod when I start again. Also spending some time on the forum and reading posts gets me fired up! 

EDIT: Like now! Gonna start playing 

You seem to have a low stimulus threshhold. lol

 

[Trimaran]

sometimes happens to me. I stop playing for some time, maybe days maybe weeks and maybe (very low possibility) months. I usually start a new game or download a new mod when I start again. Also spending some time on the forum and reading posts gets me fired up! 

EDIT: Like now! Gonna start playing 

You seem to have a low stimulus threshhold. lol

Ah just finished playing lol felt good 

 

[Uhtred of Bebbanburg]

Alright, I broke down and bought the game thinking maybe if I played it to a higher level I would like it.

I can tell you for the first few days of playing I hated every minute of it. Now in the last few days I've been playing a little more with one full 48 hour stretch without sleep and I'm kinda liking it a bit more. It's 6:30 am here, (Spring Break too!) and I may not go to bed again tonight.

Damn you Taleworlds!

 

[tsuki]

That's a lot of dedication, my friend.
If you hate this game so much, why torment yourself?