Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Old Discussion Thread

[Kagos]

This whole ordeal kind of smells like development hell a little bit. Maybe development purgatory or development river styx.

Called it. I'm waiting (kind of hoping at this point) for the cancellation announcement in six months or so.

 

[PinCussion]

Sod off Kagos.

 

[Kagos]

Seems like a consensus something went wrong in development. We can't know for sure but my money's on losing on of the lead programmers.

 

[TheGreatGold]

Kagos, please gtfo... 

 

[ToyBoat]

everything's fine

 

[Plovercrest]

everything's fine

 

[TheGreatGold]

everything's fine

 

[DanAngleland]

If it's because you're not content with the current fighting that's totally fine! We all understand and it's a crucial part of the game! No one is going to get angry for you polishing and improving stuff. The point is just tell us!

This is pretty much the same content as in Pendragon's post yesterday; both asking for something that we were given three weeks ago. Lust posted and said that he will be starting work on a blog soon (so he has probably started on it by now), he also told us that Taleworlds are currently mainly focused on the combat for the purpose of starting some external testing.

Obviously I don't have any insider knowledge, but my view of the situation is as follows. Last year was unprecedented for Taleworlds in terms of how many games conventions they went to. Bannerlord was given a lot of public exposure; that was clearly a priority last year, and would have dictated the schedule of the team (people having to prepare their part of the game specifically for each games convention).

This year, they have moved onto the next stage and so the order of priorities has changed- they have said they are focusing on combat at the moment to get it ready for external testing (Speaking of which, someone asked if we can expect 'something for our hands' in the next two months- bear in mind this was the 2nd of January- and Lust replied "Really can't talk about dates at all. I want to say that's looking at least a little early though"). Lust said in one of his many replies on 2nd of January that they aren't planning to go to PC Gamer Weekender this year because: "that's a reflection of our current development goals and cycles" and "The timing just isn't quite right unfortunately!", which is why I say the priorities have changed. That's not to say they won't go to such conventions when they have something new and impressive ready to show, but preparing things for games conventions is not their focus at the moment, it is getting the game ready for public testing and advancing the game in general toward a release state.

 

[Kehlian]

The answer is pretty simple to me, they are caught up in an infinite loop of hype and improvement.

They wanted to deliver the best product they can. They wanted to keep some features a surprise. The hype builds up, they believed what they had wasn't enough in regards of what people expected, so they took some time to improve again. Beeing as secretive as they were, they didn't say anything, so the hype kept building up, and they kept feeling like what they did to improve was not enough in regards to the new level of hype and expectation, etc...

I really believe something like that happens. Sorry if I'm not clear enough, my english level is still pretty low.

 

[Rungsted93]

The answer is pretty simple to me, they are caught up in an infinite loop of hype and improvement.

They wanted to deliver the best product they can. They wanted to keep some features a surprise. The hype builds up, they believed what they had wasn't enough in regards of what people expected, so they took some time to improve again. Beeing as secretive as they were, they didn't say anything, so the hype kept building up, and they kept feeling like what they did to improve was not enough in regards to the new level of hype and expectation, etc...

I really believe something like that happens. Sorry if I'm not clear enough, my english level is still pretty low.

I think you're spot on with this, sadly that's often what happens when a game is too long in development, then all the time they want to improve the game but in the end when the funds run out the game will often be rushed... Honestly can anyone name me a good game that's been 6+ years in development ? I should say i hope for Bannerlord to be the game we're all hoping for though!

 

[Rungsted93]

If it's because you're not content with the current fighting that's totally fine! We all understand and it's a crucial part of the game! No one is going to get angry for you polishing and improving stuff. The point is just tell us!

This is pretty much the same content as in Pendragon's post yesterday; both asking for something that we were given three weeks ago. Lust posted and said that he will be starting work on a blog soon (so he has probably started on it by now), he also told us that Taleworlds are currently mainly focused on the combat for the purpose of starting some external testing.

Obviously I don't have any insider knowledge, but my view of the situation is as follows. Last year was unprecedented for Taleworlds in terms of how many games conventions they went to. Bannerlord was given a lot of public exposure; that was clearly a priority last year, and would have dictated the schedule of the team (people having to prepare their part of the game specifically for each games convention).

This year, they have moved onto the next stage and so the order of priorities has changed- they have said they are focusing on combat at the moment to get it ready for external testing (Speaking of which, someone asked if we can expect 'something for our hands' in the next two months- bear in mind this was the 2nd of January- and Lust replied "Really can't talk about dates at all. I want to say that's looking at least a little early though"). Lust said in one of his many replies on 2nd of January that they aren't planning to go to PC Gamer Weekender this year because: "that's a reflection of our current development goals and cycles" and "The timing just isn't quite right unfortunately!", which is why I say the priorities have changed. That's not to say they won't go to such conventions when they have something new and impressive ready to show, but preparing things for games conventions is not their focus at the moment, it is getting the game ready for public testing and advancing the game in general toward a release state.

Three weeks to do 1 page blog? And yes i know he said it, but it was honestly not the most revealing post. I understand you don't want to go to events but there's no reason why they can't go in game and take 5 screenshots each week! They got to have more scenes than the ones we've already been shown... And my point still stands as it's okay for them to be honest, we accept that they want to improve stuff but why not give us a bit more detail ? I understand there's some lore and surprises they want to keep for whatever reason but there must still be stuff they can tell us

 

[CaptainLee]

The answer is pretty simple to me, they are caught up in an infinite loop of hype and improvement.

They wanted to deliver the best product they can. They wanted to keep some features a surprise. The hype builds up, they believed what they had wasn't enough in regards of what people expected, so they took some time to improve again. Beeing as secretive as they were, they didn't say anything, so the hype kept building up, and they kept feeling like what they did to improve was not enough in regards to the new level of hype and expectation, etc...

I really believe something like that happens. Sorry if I'm not clear enough, my english level is still pretty low.

I think that's a reasonable conclusion on the available facts, and I hope it's the correct one. They don't have a publisher or parent company breathing down their neck, and we don't know how generous the Government subsidies are (presumably it is enough to have a generous development cycle). Nothing wrong with having high standards and if that is the case would be a quite refreshing attitude.

 

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Well Mount&Blade is certainly is good franchise, and one that is (I think) heading down the Rockstar Games route.
 
  Let me explain myself: we all know Rockstar, the studio developing  GTA, Red Dead Redemption and other games I apologize for being ignorant of. The point is, they release once in a butter jar-shaped rainbow moon a game that usually have extreme longevity and replayability that are awesome in their own right without even the DLCs (usually fairly large and rightly priced for this type of game) and free expansions or taking modding into account: that is exactly the kind of game Warband was I hope Bannerlord will be.

 

[578]

Well Mount&Blade is certainly is good franchise, and one that is (I think) heading down the Rockstar Games route.
 
  Let me explain myself: we all know Rockstar, the studio developing  GTA, Red Dead Redemption and other games I apologize for being ignorant of. The point is, they release once in a butter jar-shaped rainbow moon a game that usually have extreme longevity and replayability that are awesome in their own right without even the DLCs (usually fairly large and rightly priced for this type of game) and free expansions or taking modding into account: that is exactly the kind of game Warband was I hope Bannerlord will be.

Warband certainly is a great game. But after 2-3 years of playing for a few hours nearly every day, the charm is getting lost at some point and even the slightest bug annoys you, especially if you play multiplayer. And warband has many of these clunky nonsense moments. I have come to the point of playing the game like 2-3 hours every 2 days or so just for the sake of it because there are not other good games out at the moment that appeal to me. I hope bannerlord fixes annoying **** that made no sense in warband. Steam servers are a hope that I have. With Warband players dropping a lot lately, there are not many good servers to play on and it's getting annoying. The good thing is that I am sure Bannerlord will be a huge hit in the market when it comes out. But that 'when' is also **** annoying considering TW is acting like a teenager with acne and introvert issues.

 

[Icey]

Well Mount&Blade is certainly is good franchise, and one that is (I think) heading down the Rockstar Games route.
 
  Let me explain myself: we all know Rockstar, the studio developing  GTA, Red Dead Redemption and other games I apologize for being ignorant of. The point is, they release once in a butter jar-shaped rainbow moon a game that usually have extreme longevity and replayability that are awesome in their own right without even the DLCs (usually fairly large and rightly priced for this type of game) and free expansions or taking modding into account: that is exactly the kind of game Warband was I hope Bannerlord will be.

Except Rockstar decided to prefer the console business instead of PC gamers.. (with GTA 4)

 

[Plovercrest]

... Honestly can anyone name me a good game that's been 6+ years in development ?

Dragon Age: Origins took 7. That game is one of the best I've ever played. Unlike the garbage POS sequel that took a year to make. If Bannerlord has the depth and content of DA:O, I'll be very impressed.

 

[TheGreatGold]

... Honestly can anyone name me a good game that's been 6+ years in development ?

Dragon Age: Origins took 7. That game is one of the best I've ever played. Unlike the garbage POS sequel that took a year to make. If Bannerlord has the depth and content of DA:O, I'll be very impressed.

Bannerlord is the king of kings.

 

[Antonis]

... Honestly can anyone name me a good game that's been 6+ years in development ?

Dragon Age: Origins took 7. That game is one of the best I've ever played. Unlike the garbage POS sequel that took a year to make. If Bannerlord has the depth and content of DA:O, I'll be very impressed.

True enough, but the problem here is that Bannerlord isn't developed by Bioware, a company that developed Baldur's Gate, KotOR and Neverwinter Nights prior to Dragon Age Origins. No offense to TW, I really wish them to be even more successful than Bioware and avoid being bought by EA( ), but yeah, they're not a big company, supported by other big companies. If, say, a programmer leaves Bioware, eh, big deal, they have scores of others. If one leaves TW, though, it's a different matter, eh? 

 

[578]

... Honestly can anyone name me a good game that's been 6+ years in development ?

Dragon Age: Origins took 7. That game is one of the best I've ever played. Unlike the garbage POS sequel that took a year to make. If Bannerlord has the depth and content of DA:O, I'll be very impressed.

True enough, but the problem here is that Bannerlord isn't developed by Bioware, a company that developed Baldur's Gate, KotOR and Neverwinter Nights prior to Dragon Age Origins. No offense to TW, I really wish them to be even more successful than Bioware and avoid being bought by EA( ), but yeah, they're not a big company, supported by other big companies. If, say, a programmer leaves Bioware, eh, big deal, they have scores of others. If one leaves TW, though, it's a different matter, eh? 

Everything you mention is correct, and I agree that TW should never join EA but it's not only the fact that they're a small indie company, their location also plays a big role. Turkey is not the best place to be and many would decline to join them because of only that. Although I believe that TW is on a successful road towards building a big company. I am pretty sure Bannerlord WILL give them a lot of cash. This thought reminds me of how Bethesda blew up after releasing Morrowind and then Oblivion. I really hope TW reaches that level of success in their business. Minus the selling out and dumbing down games part of bethesda.

 

[Antonis]

I agree.