JoshRose
Regular
First let me say that this game is amazing, and probably among my favorite games ever, up to this point. That being said, I do have a few ideas that I think would improve the already amazing game.
One of the biggest appeals of MNB is that it's so freeform. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I like that a lot, but it would be fantastic if there were some other options avaliable to you, rather than riding, fighting, resting, fighting etc.
One idea would be to really beef up the tournament mode. I don't know what is planned for version 1.0, but I think the tournament mode could be a much bigger portion of the game.
For starters, a stadium with an audience would be great, including some cheering sound effects. They could be simple 2d cutout figures, like you would see in many sports games, when you look into the crowd.
Next, I think it would be amazing if there were real tournaments, scheduled for a specific day. You sign up ahead of time for your particular division (sword play, jousting, archery, 3 vs 3 battles, etc) and show up on the day of the tournament ready to go. And it could be an actual "tournament" with brackets, quarter finals, semi finals, division finals, etc.
The tournaments could be held at different towns, encouraging you to travel a ways out to get to the more prestigious tournaments, to win more money for your troubles. There could also be a ranking ladder, so you could see your place, and see who was above you. And it would be amazing if your status as a tournament fighter was actually recognized... perhaps the people you speak to in the towns would congratulate you... or perhaps even some 3 vs 3 teams would try to recruit you.
Perhaps you could form your teams by speaking to different fighters also ranked on the ladder, and trying to convince them to join your team, or offering them money to fight along with you.
And, of course, it would bring with it some greater spoils. Earning money in MNB is not easy, and having some difficult tournys with a decent pay off would really be exciting. The highest paying tournaments should only be filled with the absolute best fighters, and it should be nearly impossible for a low level character to win them. That way, you still couldn't rank up tons of denars early in the game. You would have to work your way up before making any big bucks.
It would also be cool if training were beefed up a bit too, once you completed it. It would be great if I could use my own gear, and practice against different opponents of my choice. That way I can familiarize myself with the gear, and work on different skills of my choice.
Another good addition, to make the game feel more freeform, would be hunting. I've seen others mention this. It could be relatively easy, and still be effective. For example, let's say you are riding through a mountain pass... you might see a deer icon traveling along. You approach it just like you would an enemy army. This takes you to the battlefield. Perhaps alone. Or maybe with a few men, so as not to scare the beasts off.
The deer would be quite agile, and rather than the all out tactics of battle, you might have to do some stealthy approaching, before nailing it with a bow, or a throwing axe. There could be a skill in the skill tree that would help you improve your hunting, which would effect spotting the deer on the map, stealth in approaching it, and your chance at killing it with a blow.
In order to keep it difficult, deer should spook very easily for amateur hunters, and they should flee the map immediately. So, most times you would walk away empty handed.
A good sized kill could feed your men for a while, or make a nice sale to one of the merchants. Or perhaps there would be a skinning skill which would allow you to sell the furs and the meat, and as you put points into it, you would become more efficient, and your furs would be worth more.
This would also allow for some extra missions and such. Perhaps someone would task you with killing off a band of wolves who have been ravaging the town. It could even lead to hunting tournaments.
The very last suggestion I have right now is some new weapons. I love the ones in the game, but I am only a level 16, and I feel like I have beaten the game, because I have all the best gear avaliable. It would be cool if there were some really nice weapons that I had my eye on, and that I was working towards.
One of the biggest appeals of MNB is that it's so freeform. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I like that a lot, but it would be fantastic if there were some other options avaliable to you, rather than riding, fighting, resting, fighting etc.
One idea would be to really beef up the tournament mode. I don't know what is planned for version 1.0, but I think the tournament mode could be a much bigger portion of the game.
For starters, a stadium with an audience would be great, including some cheering sound effects. They could be simple 2d cutout figures, like you would see in many sports games, when you look into the crowd.
Next, I think it would be amazing if there were real tournaments, scheduled for a specific day. You sign up ahead of time for your particular division (sword play, jousting, archery, 3 vs 3 battles, etc) and show up on the day of the tournament ready to go. And it could be an actual "tournament" with brackets, quarter finals, semi finals, division finals, etc.
The tournaments could be held at different towns, encouraging you to travel a ways out to get to the more prestigious tournaments, to win more money for your troubles. There could also be a ranking ladder, so you could see your place, and see who was above you. And it would be amazing if your status as a tournament fighter was actually recognized... perhaps the people you speak to in the towns would congratulate you... or perhaps even some 3 vs 3 teams would try to recruit you.
Perhaps you could form your teams by speaking to different fighters also ranked on the ladder, and trying to convince them to join your team, or offering them money to fight along with you.
And, of course, it would bring with it some greater spoils. Earning money in MNB is not easy, and having some difficult tournys with a decent pay off would really be exciting. The highest paying tournaments should only be filled with the absolute best fighters, and it should be nearly impossible for a low level character to win them. That way, you still couldn't rank up tons of denars early in the game. You would have to work your way up before making any big bucks.
It would also be cool if training were beefed up a bit too, once you completed it. It would be great if I could use my own gear, and practice against different opponents of my choice. That way I can familiarize myself with the gear, and work on different skills of my choice.
Another good addition, to make the game feel more freeform, would be hunting. I've seen others mention this. It could be relatively easy, and still be effective. For example, let's say you are riding through a mountain pass... you might see a deer icon traveling along. You approach it just like you would an enemy army. This takes you to the battlefield. Perhaps alone. Or maybe with a few men, so as not to scare the beasts off.
The deer would be quite agile, and rather than the all out tactics of battle, you might have to do some stealthy approaching, before nailing it with a bow, or a throwing axe. There could be a skill in the skill tree that would help you improve your hunting, which would effect spotting the deer on the map, stealth in approaching it, and your chance at killing it with a blow.
In order to keep it difficult, deer should spook very easily for amateur hunters, and they should flee the map immediately. So, most times you would walk away empty handed.
A good sized kill could feed your men for a while, or make a nice sale to one of the merchants. Or perhaps there would be a skinning skill which would allow you to sell the furs and the meat, and as you put points into it, you would become more efficient, and your furs would be worth more.
This would also allow for some extra missions and such. Perhaps someone would task you with killing off a band of wolves who have been ravaging the town. It could even lead to hunting tournaments.
The very last suggestion I have right now is some new weapons. I love the ones in the game, but I am only a level 16, and I feel like I have beaten the game, because I have all the best gear avaliable. It would be cool if there were some really nice weapons that I had my eye on, and that I was working towards.
Someone put Josh in an I-luv-me jacket! j/k ;p
