Mount&Blade II: Bannerlord Developer Blog 2 - Painted Plants

Avid blog followers and newcomers to the series, in this, our second blog, we're talking about our team of engine programmers and their role in our development process. It is fitting that the engine team sits in the centre of the office, developing the core of the game. The room is generally busy with the comings and goings of demanding developers, the hardware is powerful and the attitude is relaxed and open. Inside dwell the gremlin exterminating gremlins. The light masters. The engine engineers.

Read more at: http://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/3

 

[Mauromagno Patriota]

looks great, but I'm waiting for a video 

 

[Antar]

Taleworlds, stop making me cry. That looks fantastic since I'm eagerly awaiting the scene editor! Also, I'm in love with those rocks, they look so much better than the rounded Warband rocks!

 

[captain lust]

I don't care for new content, really just add on what is already there man.

No new stuff, just additions. Got it...

 

[Do not look here]

I don't care for new content, really just add on what is already there man.

No new stuff, just additions. Got it...

Aww, damn, now they'll have to start from scratch

 

[captain folms]

Third screenshot looks very nice. Good to see a change in weather and time.

 

[Filou]

I don't care for new content, really just add on what is already there man.

No new stuff, just additions. Got it...

Yeah! you know, like... the same thing, but different!  And by different I mean better!!

 

[Ulreijk the Frisian]

Although the screenshots certainly look good, the fact, that the game engine is seen as the core of the game, makes me worry a little. I was never afraid, that the graphics wouldn't improve, but there are plenty of other good looking games.

To me the gameplay is of much more importance. I just hope, that some of the features developped by modders, like diplomacy, will find their way into the game! A more complex dynamic economic system including the supply with food (cities) would be nice also. Besides religion could add some complexity and authenticity.

As far as battles I hope for improved sieges and more complex possibilities for troop movement commands like sending a group of horsemen to flank the enemy. Maybe a planning stage before the battle itself starts, would be a good idea, in case that you are not ambushed of course.

Considering equipment I would love to see the possibility of customization of weaponry and armour and the possibility to name your sword (or brands like +VLFBERH+T). This service should be outrageously expensive of course and be available from several master blacksmiths only -  spread out across Calradian cities, each specialized on a category of items (swords/axes/bows/helmets...).

Another aspect, that is closer linked to graphics, would be to make ingame dynamics visible. Cities and villages should grow and shrink on the map, and walking through a thriving city feel different from exploring an impoverished one.

I guess some or even most of these aspects will never be included, but I hope that they at least preserve the complexity that was provided by m&b warband. The rest can still be done by the modding community in the end. So take your time, I definetly prefer a well developped bannerlord in 3 years to a flawed one next year!

 

[RalliX]

Although the screenshots certainly look good, the fact, that the game engine is seen as the core of the game, makes me worry a little. I was never afraid, that the graphics wouldn't improve, but there are plenty of other good looking games.

To me the gameplay is of much more importance. I just hope, that some of the features developped by modders, like diplomacy, will find their way into the game! A more complex dynamic economic system including the supply with food (cities) would be nice also. Besides religion could add some complexity and authenticity.

You do understand, that to have those new gameplay elements, you must first have a good engine.
And for modders to do their jobs, you must have an engine.
And to have gameplay, you must have an engine.

ENGINE > GAMEPLAY > GRAPHICS

We can tell the devs how to fix the gameplay in the beta. But good gameplay elements may be difficult to strive for with a slow/inadaptable engine.
Once we got a good engine, we can do anything. Even if the devs come out with a generally medicore experience, but a strong engine, mods can take over. That has always been M&B's strength. Not that Taleworlds are incompetent, quite the contrary.

TW trusts us to make the experience. Unlike certain Triple-A studios.

 

[Maestrro]

Suggestion:
Add sound and effect if you hit wall or tree with sword.

 

[Zander]

From the Blog:

but in Bannerlord, clumps of grass and small rocks can be painted with the sweep of a virtual brush stroke. They'll automatically sit nicely on the ground and rotate/rescale randomly within changeable parameters for a natural flow.

Does this make it more likely that we will have seasons. If the 'virtual brush stroke' can be scripted in game play, and triggered on the month, then it should be pretty easy to brush in snow and brush out grass. Possibility anyway.

 

[Ulreijk the Frisian]

You do understand, that to have those new gameplay elements, you must first have a good engine.
And for modders to do their jobs, you must have an engine.
And to have gameplay, you must have an engine.

ENGINE > GAMEPLAY > GRAPHICS

To be honest: I do not. I have no idea about programmuing or modding. To my knowledge the engine is all about the graphic and physics of a game and it is of course not as easy to alter it as to add or change gameplay aspects. If I was wrong, my bad. I guess you still got my point, that I hope, they will not focus on graphics to much.

 

[Meevar the Mighty]

Suggestion:
Add sound and effect if you hit wall or tree with sword.

It should sound like "Bother!".

I wonder if we will have such a possibility in the scene editor 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNzzHWy4Pfo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBawzTBa6RQ&feature=player_embedded#!

That's pretty cool. Not a lot of point, if the editor camera is good, but it's nice. There seem to be a lot more variables in the new editor, so it might not be efficient to have them all accessible for in-game editing, but "Test" along the top suggests it will be quick to see the scene in-game. Would be nice if there's a special spawn point for entering Test mode positioned at the editor camera (but respawning, you cycle through the normal spawn points), or if you can simply select an active spawn point in the editor.

Hmmm...

Spoiler

Spoiler

HMMMMMMMMM.

I really want to know why these screenshots look so different. Are the one we got today older than the other ones? I mean, I see big differences.

Yeah, no bump map on the ground in the later picture. Good point. It seems that the second scene (Not actually the same town, just the same type) hasn't had the same effort put into painting the ground, or the graphics settings are lower. I doubt they threw away the texture...

 

[dfghj241]

[size=14pt]better sound effects, better interactions with lords and companions (it doesn't need a revamp, just really, it needs MORE), conspiracys ALA game of thrones, and maybe camels... these are my sugestions.[/size]

 

[user1324865215]

GLAD TO HEAR YOUR OPINIONS

 

[Neville]

Looking good.

 

[RoboSenshi]

Suggestion:
Add sound and effect if you hit wall or tree with sword.

Why aren't you running Taleworlds?! Seriously we need this guy at the top!

 

[Azek]

I know this post isn't a Q&A thread, but I want to ask about an issue I've had when M&B battles get too big. Specifically, the point where M&B goes from First-Person Action game to a Real Time Tactics game.

Vanilla M&B Warband battles limit battles to 150 participants, which I guess was a decision to make the battle and non-battle portions of the game tax systems consistently. However, this limitation is easily exploited by the player because no matter how large the enemy force, both armies can only deploy 75 troops at once. Therefore, if you created an elite force of 200 soldiers, it could take on an army of 2000 if they found an optimal battlefield and position.

Unofficial mods like the Battlesizer program, makes the above exploit less viable. However, the amount these battles already tax modern hardware makes me fear M&B II will force many players back to smaller battles.

When you boil down M&B Warband large scale battle gameplay, its essentially a Real Times Tactics game, where your 3d character is the cursor that moves troops. In my opinion it is this RTT aspect which continues to make M&B unique, in comparison to the growing number of melee focused action games. It should be embraced and refined by supporting it with UI and refined mechanics.

1. Build a system which allows 1000-3000 man battles to be split up into more manageable chunks. For example, a flank system where the army is divided into a left, center and right flank. The battles would be played out one front at a time, each flank under a different commander (player or companion.) Or a phase system that feels more natural, less exploitable than

2. A unit deployment system. Give larger battles (even in the 150 Warband limit) some kind of strategic depth.

 

[cwr]

The new scene editor looks awesome!

 

[FrisianDude]

twdd_02_khuzait_village

Name slightly suggests to me that perhaps these are Khergit-predecessors. Like Bahestur mentions having been a nomad before 'the Kerghits arrived', right? Maybe he's a Khuzait; a sorta Hun-like fellow from a sorta Hun-like civilization getting displaced by a sorta Mongol-like civilization.


'Battanian' doesn't sound Germanic/Celtic to me, though.

 

[i_am_spartacus!]

AAAWESOOOOOOOOOME!!! well done. Nice to hear that it will use directx 11.  What about multithreaded engine???!
The scene editor reminds me of War3 World Editor at some point. Hope it has some app to simplify scripting too!!) Waited for something like that for long time.