M&B featured on Gamespy

[josefvin]

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/mountblade/849464p1.html

Sorry if it's been posted before, did a search and didn't see anything. Some interesting tidbits in there, also I think being featured in the PC section of gamespy is bound to draw some new users.

 

[Nabutso]

That's pretty cool, one thing though.

"Frustrating missile combat"
Not really...

 

[Erwin]

The only weapon that really leaves you in the lurch is the bow; archers have to compensate for distance, and making a nearly impossible shot from the back of a speeding horse is rewarded with minimal damage.

Jackass. There used to be a time when reviewers actually playerd the damn game for more than a few minutes before writing about it. 

 

[Arcc]

Ranged weapons DO have the highest learning curve out of all the weapons for new players...

 

[NikkTheTrick]

The only weapon that really leaves you in the lurch is the bow; archers have to compensate for distance, and making a nearly impossible shot from the back of a speeding horse is rewarded with minimal damage.

Jackass. There used to be a time when reviewers actually playerd the damn game for more than a few minutes before writing about it. 

Yeah... Horse archers are so underpowered right now. I mean it is totally impossible to have reticule close with only 4 points in power draw, 4 points in horse archery and only 200 archery skill. And It is totally impossible to predict when to let the string lose. People never managed to get decent headshots.

And horse archer is the most vulnerable character there is!

 

[Erwin]

Ranged weapons DO have the highest learning curve out of all the weapons for new players...

Yeah, okay, the aiming's hard, but low damage? How difficult is it to cheat some skillpoints into PD and shoot someone in Zendar? You know, just to double check that I'm not writing bull**** in an article for a major site? I routinely do over a hundred on headshot, NO melee weapon short of a couched lance even comes close! Minimal damage my foot.

Yeah... Horse archers are so underpowered right now. I mean it is totally impossible to have reticule close with only 4 points in power draw, 4 points in horse archery and only 200 archery skill. And It is totally impossible to predict when to let the string lose. People never managed to get decent headshots.

And horse archer is the most vulnerable character there is!

I lol'd. 

 

[Vulkan]

NO melee weapon short of a couched lance even comes close! Minimal damage my foot.

You would be wrong there, I occasionally do over 100 damage with a great axe, once I even did over 300. I don't cheat either.

 

[Erwin]

That must have been one hell of a speed bonus. Still, I wouldn't exactly call bows underpowered.

 

[Arcc]

Nobody who has really played the game would.
But this is a reviewer reviewing a, let's face it, small game by small developers. The reviewer probably didn't take that much time to review it, and probably didn't spend as much time as one would have on a big name title to try and work through it. You can't really expect every reviewer to do the best job and have to review every single game with equal fervor. I think it's pretty nice that there actually is a review on Gamespy.
Mount and Blade really isn't the biggest title ever. (Disclaimer/Flame Ward: I do like Mount and Blade, etc. etc., I don't hate the game, etc. etc.)

 

[Vulkan]

That must have been one hell of a speed bonus. Still, I wouldn't exactly call bows underpowered.

Of course, I jumped off a cliff and cleaved a mountain bandits skull.

I agree though, bows are fine the way they are, and I enjoy using them.

 

[bobsters34]

Horseback archery? Not easy.

 

[AvaRice]

Some of you guys are taking this article way too personally. Naturally, we'd tend to be defensive against any attack on M&B, but you should note that the article is almost entirely supportive of M&B, and any exposure is a great thing. I don't know where the reviewer is coming from with the archery thing (I'm guessing that because projectiles drop a lot compared to other games, he finds it hard to aim), but regardless of this, I think the reviewer did a fine job of highlighting some of the greater points of M&B.

 

[Hound_of_Culann]

"Holding the mouse button will build up more power, assuming you have the time to do so before the enemy strikes."

Is this true?  I've never noticed this.  I always wait until the last minute to keep anyone from dodging.

I guess M&B will get a lot more press now that it's getting retail distribution.

 

[Taal]

No its not true 

I for one like the review. Its good enough to make people play it but expecting a little less then they should, so when they play the game it exceeds they're expectation. A little like the effect the first AVP movie did for the second.

 

[Nightblade+--]

"Holding the mouse button will build up more power, assuming you have the time to do so before the enemy strikes."

Is this true?  I've never noticed this.  I always wait until the last minute to keep anyone from dodging.

A readied attack will do more damage than an instant click-and-release attack. Just ask the Zendar trainer.
"Holding the mouse button will build up more power..." implies that you will exponentially gain power in your stike.
That is false. There is no difference between a strike readied for 1 second and a strike readied for 1 hour.
Except that you wasted 59 minutes and 59 seconds...

 

[Erwin]

You can't really expect every reviewer to do the best job and have to review every single game with equal fervor.

Hell yeah I can. It's called journalist integrity. And it saddens me that sloppy reporting is so commonplace these days that a lot of people don't see anything wrong with it. Well, I do.

Of course, I jumped off a cliff and cleaved a mountain bandits skull.

Yes, I thought it was something like that.

You should note that the article is almost entirely supportive of M&B, and any exposure is a great thing.

Oh, absolutely. It just peeves me that pretty much the only flaw he mentioned doesn't in fact exist (having been an avid gamer for the last twenty years I naturally don't consider dated graphics, as the reviewer put it, to be a flaw).

 

[mouthnhoof]

Initially, I also found the archery - especially mounted archery confusing.

The game does not take the shooter's motion into consideration when determining arrow flight path. When you ride and shoot to the horses left at a standing person, you need to place the reticule exactly over him. The arrow will fly as if it was shot by a standing archer at the position where you released it, without any added horse speed component. This is even more confusing when shooting at a rider who rides in parallel with you. Although the relative motion is zero, you still need to 'lead' him as if you were shooting from a standing position. Thrown weapons are much worse in this regard.

Another thing that might have frustrated the reviewer and which he was ignorant about is that if you click the LMB, but not hold it, the arrow will be released as soon as the reticule closed. HOWEVER, the arrow will fly to where you were aiming when you released the LMB and not where you are aiming at the time the animation finished! This is not a problem if you hold LMB till the arrow is ready.

I don't use archery much, so I don't care. Bows are for sissies.

 

[Erwin]

Bows are for sissies.

Why, you...!  Any tool can swing a sharp stick! Archery takes devotion and hours of practice! *growling sounds*

 

[Nightblade+--]

Initially, I also found the archery - especially mounted archery confusing.

The game does not take the shooter's motion into consideration when determining arrow flight path.

When you ride and shoot to the horses left at a standing person, you need to place the reticule exactly over him.

I don't use archery much, so I don't care. Bows are for sissies.

Do you know what "contradiction" means?
You have stated that Archery:

[1] is not easy to understand,
[2] requires the player to compensate greatly for distance as well as for the movement of targets and
[3] requires a large amount of skill to be efficient.

But it's for sissies...
Just a wild shot in the dark here, but I'm guessing you suck at Archery.

 

[Adorno]

"We spoke briefly with Fredrik Wester, executive VP for Paradox Interactive, about what's in store for the retail release of the game.
He promised some updated graphics, more polish, and plenty more quests."

Sounds interesting. He must have talked to/heard from Armagan (making promises like that).