M&B Rivals? I Have Seen The Future: And We Ride!!

[JohnathanStrange]

Do you think - now that M&B has shown how "it's done" - that we will witness relatively soon (say within a year or two) imitators of this innovative combat game?

Obviously, fantasy games whether they incorporate magic or are more"reality-based" have been and will be published, so I'm not talking specifically about the new Morrowind or the next RTS game.

What I'm trying to ask is: Having played M&B's mounted combat, will we be seeing other developers shamelessly imitate their horseback combat? Do you now think that our fantasy games with all their emphasis on magic and such, can continue to neglect mounted combat at this level?

Just asking, I don't know. Not searching for a flame war. Of course, your favorite game rules or rooolz.

 

[Hado]

I hope so. There are rarely ever any good combat / tactical fighting simulators on the PC. Let alone one that simulates so many aspects of combat, included mounted..

The only memorable ones ever to come out were: Die By the Sword, Severance: Blade of Darkness, and umm..... Jedi Outcast 1.0-1.02 (the lightsaber combat was precise and deadly..felt a lot like kendo). Savage had some really basic online melee. I'd like to throw in Thief 1+2 in there because the bow and swordfighting were in-depth as well, you could parry , use different swings etc..while being a stealing simulator in a medieval setting

Rest were either total crap console ports or old 80's 2d games.

I really hope M&B takes off and more people start making games like this.. sick of all the shallow commercialized EA crap that's always the same stuff (WW2+ shooters *gag*).

 

[M.A.C.H.I.N.E]

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is quite a good RPG. It's first-person and the combat is simple point & click. (i haven't actually played it, just read review) The whole game world would take you, on foot (not using teleporters etc) around a day to go the whole way round, i think. Preety amazing. I still like M&B better though and it's still in beta!! I have to say Armagran has made one of the best RPGs I have ever played. I can't wait till full game, and M&B 2 if it's being thought of. The main thing I don't like about most RPGs is the god damn magic or ranged system. It's too fantical and just sucks. I'm more into real things or Sci-Fi. They should make a Star Wars RPG. Star Wars Galaxies is one I suppose, but it has monthly fees.

Anyway...

 

[rout]

If morrowind had M&Bs combat system it would have been the best game in the world. As such it is er.. probably the best game ive ever played (of its type). TES-IV Oblivion is under production and I really wonder if they will have a better combat system because of M&B :S

 

[TheSlightFeelingOfRegret]

If morrowind had M&Bs combat system it would have been the best game in the world. As such it is er.. probably the best game ive ever played (of its type). TES-IV Oblivion is under production and I really wonder if they will have a better combat system because of M&B :S

Frankly, I think they won't. For several reasons, one of which is that they are slightly different types of game. Mount&Blade is more combat based, where the player's personal skill play quite a large part in how much damage you do and how much is done to you. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is more stat based, therefore location damage will not be taken into account. Also your character's blocking skill will affect whether you block successfully. However, the combat in Oblivion will be a lot more in-depth than in Morrowind, where it always seemed to me to be a simple try and click at your opponent as fast as possible affair, though I gather that some others managed to play with something verging on skill.

I am quite surprised to find that, although there will be ridable horses and useable stables in Oblivion, there will be no mounted combat. That sounds like a bit of a cop out to me, they really do have quite a large team and they have chosen not to attempt something that was done with considerable flair by a team of two (I am talking about the Mount&Blade team there.)

On a slightly different note, but it may be of interest to someone like myself who plays various styles of game, a member of the team that designed Thief is lending his expertise to the stealth system in Oblivion, so we can expect more intervention from the player this time.

For more information either check the official Elder Scrolls site (http://www.elderscrolls.com) or this one http://www.waiting4oblivion.com , which contains an faq listing the confirmed or denied features of the new game.

 

[JohnathanStrange]

All the mentioning of other games like Morrowind or Jedi Outcast renews in me the common wish that we could combine the best elements (or what we think are the best) of different games to get some supergame that would be the game that one could play for years for different reasons: someone plays to develop a hero with a family, castle, and land, another guy plays purely to increase his weapon skills, a third enjoys multiplayer, and yet another's content being the leading merchant of his city. Some come for the mounted combat and stay to win a campaign, others just to explore and fight with no goal beyond that.

Still, I'd like to think that M&B changes things in more ways than how mounted combat is handled. I wish I could define more clearly what those changes might be.

 

[Konradude]

The fighting system in Oblivion is dramatically changed as to not use stats, and this kind of worries me. It seems awfully familiar, left click to attack and right click to block. It does also have special moves like parries and push back when you get higher in stats though.

 

[Berny]

If morrowind had M&Bs combat system it would have been the best game in the world. As such it is er.. probably the best game ive ever played (of its type). TES-IV Oblivion is under production and I really wonder if they will have a better combat system because of M&B :S

ive heard that morrowind is actually making a whole new combat system....i dont know how it will turn out but if it is like M&B it should be pretty sweet... i think they have horses to...

 

[Sendaris]

TES: Oblivion (Morrowind 2) will apparently include full physics/gravity effects on the arrows, as well as mounts and a new interactive combat system (if you want to block or dodge an attack you have to actually do it yourself, character skills will no longer do it for you.) sounds a lot like M&B's combat system, and im definately looking forward to it.

 

[Sir Saladin]

Its a good question Johnathon Strange, I've been playing goofy rpg's for years and I was really finally bored with the mind flayers and such, its the cavalry fighting in this game that sets it apart, I remember people getting hostile and crazy when the conversation got around to goblins and wizards and zombies. But I think this game could become legendary if they just added a couple things like defending your little princedom from an an invasion. Or if you could start the game as a bandit. Personally I would like to build up a ranking or reputation. Since my real life reputation is scandalous.

 

[TheSlightFeelingOfRegret]

The fighting system in Oblivion is dramatically changed as to not use stats, and this kind of worries me. It seems awfully familiar, left click to attack and right click to block. It does also have special moves like parries and push back when you get higher in stats though.

It's been altered so that it feels more realistic. This time, if you swing your sword and it hit's your opponent the swing will count as a hit. However, you may well not do any damage. Also, the blocking system I suspect that pressing the block button will cause your character to assume a blocking stance. Meaning that he will attempt to block automatically, but he may well fail to do so. If I'm right about these things then the combat will still be reasonably stats based but won't be as distant as Morrowind.

 

[Ashram]

There's been RPG when the player could fight on mounts before M&T, from horses to dragons, already
The idea is not new nor grand, it's just done well here, but others have suuceeded too before.

 

[Haradim]

I doubt it, unless M&B ends up being a widely popular title once it's finished. There hasn't been much stopping developers from making more melee-based FPS, and usable vehicles have been around for years. One would think that it would be no great technical stretch to create a viable footsoldier/cavalry sword-and-board game, especially with the kind of money a big-name developer/publisher can throw around.

 

[hijks]

No, I don't think so, either.

Homeworld was such a fun and innovative game, but all these imposters failed miserably. Darn, even Homeworld 2 felt like a mod with better graphics...

M&B had the horseback combat "right." It's easy to make another game like M&B, but not necessarily the right feel.

 

[Cataphract]

It would be really cool with collision physics in M&B, imagine running with horses 3men deep into a box formation of swordsmen. Collision physics would be really great for mounted combat.

 

[Boris]

This game definatly represents the best forward movement in mounted gaming since Dynasty Warriors.
It is weird there has never been anything like this.

 

[Konradude]

There are no dice rolls in the 4th in the TES series...oblivion.

 

[Malgas]

Actually, the folks over at neversoft are working on a western-themed open-ended action adventure game called "Gun" which looks like it includes mounted combat. The preview over at IGN has a screenie which looks to be the main character using a pistol from horseback in the middle of a pitched battle between soldiers and native americans (all of whom are mounted).

So the idea may well be catching on.

 

[Konradude]

It was most likely already planned before this.

 

[LB]

There are no dice rolls in the 4th in the TES series...oblivion.

That's not entirely accurate. There are no dice rolls to-hit in TES: Oblivion. They're still run for things like damage dealing, damage absorbtion, Persuasion/Intimidation/Taunt checks, etc.