The Mount & Blade Modding Contest - Q3 2019
Theme: Singleplayer Castle Siege Scenes
Greetings everyone!
The contest results are in. This scening contest has been without a doubt the most successful one with 35 submissions made by 22 participants. And boy are the results interesting. With so many quality submissions every small detail counted for it was a matter of points numbered on one hand that decided the winners of the MBMC Scening Q3 2019! Without further ado, here are our winners!
1st Place - Akathir's Eryas Castle - 98/120 points
The contest winner is the essence fairytales are made of. Eryas Castle is a grandiose, dazzling masterwork of a scene. The castle stands surrounded by difficult terrain, stretching its scenic and recognizable towers over an astounding amount of gardens and courtyards. Everything about this scene screams 'memorable' and it's truly a sight to behold. The gameplay was not neglected either, the vast amount of space intelligently crossed with chokepoints leaves the defenders a lot of options in this siege if you can spare a moment to fight other than look around that is. Truly a crown achievement to everything we've seen from Akathir so far.
2nd Place - BeefBacon's The Wizard's Tower - 96/120 points
BeefBacon's 'The Wizard's Tower' takes the second place spotlight. The tower itself is the focal point of a very interesting and well-executed scene. It's a ruined, decrepit and strange location full of quirks and detail. Overgrown ruins, a terrifying swamp and an impromptu mercenary camp find themselves the centre of a desperate defence taking place all over the ruins. It stays consistent with its idea throughout the entire scene, even very far away from the centre of the action. Congratulations to BeefBacon, it's beautiful.
3rd Place - SageMcQuincy's Sea Raider Fortress - 95/120 points
Sharing the third place with 'Fall of Fargrave' is SageMcQuincy's Sea Raider Fortress. It's another unconventional siege idea with great execution. The fortress atmosphere is very believable with the raiders reinforcing ruined stone remains using scraps of wood and improvised barriers. The foiled siege attempts and the ruined siege tower give a great intro to a hectic siege and an intense courtyard battle - pirate style! The whole scene stays true to its original idea and it definitely looks and feels memorable. Congratulations to SageMcQuincy, not his first time in the contest but definitely a well-deserved entry to the top!
3rd Place - xombie5's The Fall of Fargrave - 95/120 points
Xombie5's Fall of Fargrave lands on the third place along with 'Sea Raider Fortress'. Fall of Fargrave is a beautiful blend of terrain and prop interaction and a great take on alternative ways to fight out a siege. Fighting in Fargrave is dramatic business - the quickly assembled defences coupled with overlooking archer positions are all you have to beat the attackers coming in through rough terrain. It's a very interesting scenario that somehow works out being balanced and very fun. The overall scene is also very detailed and looks very good. Props to Xombie5!
Honourable Mention - BeefBacon's Nordhaven - 95/120 points
In contrast to previous scenes, Nordhaven is a place with a very serene, northern vibe. Beautiful mountains, forests and a waterfall surround Nordhaven and its tough folk. The town is very believable and grounded in design with multiple layers organically expanding with the population flow. Great motte and bailey design by BeefBacon!
Honourable Mention - Andzi Proxy's Volcanic Keep - 94/120 points
Andzi's Volcanic Keep is a behemoth in size! It's built on very difficult terrain that blends well into the surroundings and outer scene. The scene is full of great little details(strategy table!), and there's plenty of thought put into every aspect of it. The siege gameplay is also very interesting with chokepoints and open areas intertwining, although the attacker spawn seems a bit too far. Great effort by Andzi!
Honourable Mention - Akathir's Karlsfell Castle - 94/120 points
Skyrim vibes are strong with this one. Karlsfell is more than a castle, it is a sanctuary, well-positioned far in the mountains. Impressive structures, walkways and detail make Karlsfell unforgettable, and you can spend a whooping amount of time just walking around and taking screenshots of the beautiful terrain outside.
Honourable Mention - Profy's Forteresse de Mornas - 92/120 points
Forteresse de Mornas might look straightforward but contains deep gameplay mechanics that result in long and engaging combat. The castle is sturdy with archers positioned around all the many battlements. The impressive terrain, realistic cliffs and detailed castle design bring the scene to life. The castle feels massive so think twice before trying to clash your armies against the walls of this fortress!
Honourable Mention - SageMcQuincy's The Monastery - 91/120 points
SageMcQuincy comes in with another scene featuring a well-done monastery with a solid looking castle. The debris around the battlements, the gardens, long bridge and port really make this scene believable. The superb use of props for architecture really do wonders for the visuals of this scene. The AI mesh is well made and the sieges work as intended.
Honourable Mention - BeefBacon's Lakeview Keep - 90/120 points
Tightly designed castle with small spaces that make battles there feels intense. The surrounding landscape is barren land but filled with life. The rock formations, paths, little village and siege camps make it interesting to look at. The castle layout and the siege gameplay really play into each other. Space and design of the castle are really well used and definitely keep you in check while attacking.
Honourable Mention - xombie5's Unsettled - 90/120 points
It looks like a heap of trash put together in haste, just like it should! The concept is there and it's not overdone. For a lack of an actual castle, the scene does a pretty good job. The defenders have some barricades and chokepoints to rely on. The long approach and the spacious layout leave a lot of tactical opportunities to both attackers and defenders. | |
Participant | Scene | Score | Akathir | Eryas Castle | 98/120 | BeefBacon | The Wizard's Tower | 96/120 | SageMcQuincy | Sea Raider Fortress | 95/120 | xombie5 | The Fall of Fargrave | 95/120 | BeefBacon | Nordhaven | 95/120 | Andzi Proxy | Volcanic Keep | 94/120 | Akathir | Karlsfell Castle | 94/120 | Profy | Forteresse de Mornas | 92/120 | SageMcQuincy | The Monastery | 91/120 | BeefBacon | Lakeview Keep | 90/120 | xombie5 | Unsettled | 90/120 | SageMcQuincy | Stonehill Castle | 87/120 | Suspicious_Man | Claremont | 81/120 | Profy | Château de la Marche | 80/120 | Suspicious_Man | Northmarch Keep | 80/120 | Kazzan | Krak des Serfes | 80/120 | Akathir | Tower of Eternity | 80/120 | Profy | The Crow's Stronghold | 77/120 | Dark_Hamlet | Theodosian Walls | 76/120 | Ted | Oasis | 73/120 | Mauromagno | Muros de Cecilia | 71/120 | Mauromagno | Castillo de Escalona | 68/120 | Gab | Nighthelm Castle | 67/120 | Iceqatius | Six Traitor Castle | 65/120 | Gokiller | Avolire Castle | 63/120 | Dragonfire | Eldren Castle | 62/120 | 7erj1 | Camp of Hawks | 60/120 | MichaelHan | Overlooking Reef Castle | 59/120 | Flavius Aetius | Brenawacht | 59/120 | Athaelas | Numenor | 57/120 | MichaelHan | Viking Earthwood Castle | 55/120 | Arch3r | Muidestein | 54/120 | Latannan | Brunwud Castle | 44/120 | Ettenrocal | The Rock | 44/120 | MichaelHan | Death Lighthouse Fortress | Disqualified (wrong download) |
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Afterword
We the organisers would truly like to extend our gratitude to everyone that made this contest possible. The judges (
Adorno,
BNS Marko,
InVain and
Cuce) took their role seriously and tested the scenes extensively. Their testing was made much smoother and easier thanks to
Somebody who created the testing module. Our sponsors,
Khamukkamu,
NPC99 and of course
TaleWorlds Entertainment provided the rewards that will go to the hands of our winners, thank you very much for that!
Callum from TaleWorlds Entertainment also provided us with 22 Bannerlord beta keys that we dished out to all participants, thank you!
And especially, we would like to thank you, the
participants, who decided to spend your free time on making amazing scenes of castles under siege. They're truly unique and can be without a doubt compared to the best works made for Warband.
Congratulations to all the winners and participants of the MBMC Scening Q3 2019 contest!
All of the scenes submitted to the contest will be released as part of an
OSP package and will as such be available to be used in various mods.
Winners of the contest, please contact me in regards to collecting your rewards.
Thanks to everyone once more,
see you in the next contest!
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