Multiplayer mods can't be made until 2024 unless we find an alternative

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Maroon

Grandmaster Knight
custom server when?
It takes the time it takes because we have a limited amount of people working on MP. We aren't a huge AAA studio that can throw 100 people at MP development and pump content out. We are doing the best we can with the rescources we have, and a lot of the time we have to prioritise work which we deem to be more important. But, at the end of the day, the game is still in early access and we were quite clear to people that the game was in an unfinished state and that they should hold off until the full release if they wanted a complete game.
So you all probably don't need reminders why the lack of custom servers is majorly holding multiplayer back. We're currently limited to a handful of game modes that only cater to a small section of the playerbase. The rest of us are waiting for battle mode (RIP), duel mode, and mods like cRPG, Kingdoms, and Full Invasion. These mods are massive, and takes years to make and perfect. I should know, I worked on FI2 for 5 years.
However, we can't do anything until we have access to custom servers. Just look at any of the threads above: these mods are dead in the water until we get access to the custom servers to start experimenting and modding.
Mods are the only reason Warband survives (even still now), and the same goes for Warband multiplayer. The same is vital for Bannerlord; its multiplayer cannot stand on its own without mod support. Even if Native Bannerlord MP were the best it could be (which it's not), it still can't cater to every player the way that good mod support can.

Now, I'm aware that TW has (finally) communicated their reasons why MP development is slow and custom servers aren't here: the multiplayer team is limited in size, and currently has other priorities than custom servers. That is... mildly infuriating, but better than radio silence.

Therefore, I have two questions for the developers:
  1. Are you aware that multiplayer mods cannot be created without custom servers?
  2. Is there any option at all where us multiplayer modders don't have to sit and wait for 2 more years?
To clarify my second question: I may not like it, but I understand why custom servers won't be coming for quite some time. Therefore, I would like to know if we could work out some sort of alternative to allow us multiplayer modders to work on the projects we love, without breaking the workflow TW has.


TL;DR: with the game's current trajectory (which became even slower since I first posted this), multiplayer mods can't be made until 2022 2023, won't start appearing until 2023 late 2023/early 2024, and won't be fleshed out until a year after that. I think that's stupid, and I want to see if we can find alternatives. Spoiler alert: TW couldn't.

Edit January 2022: So even my (what I thought to be) realistic take of 16 months ago was too optimistic. We're still no centimeter closer to custom servers or multiplayer mods, at least not officially. I updated the title to reflect that.
 
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Why not release the current state of custom servers for usage on local machines only? That way we could at least start development on our mods...

mildly infuriating
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As a programmer myself (not game dev) I think we won't get private servers until following happens:
  • TW implements all the mp systems they have in plans: badges system based on in game actions, final form of this leveling thing, proper ranked mode, all multiplayer modes, etc.
  • Then they decide to what extent each of the systems is moddable. For example, should player levels be for vanilla only, or can they provide out of the box leveling system for custom mods.
  • They implement modding capabilities they decided on.
  • We get private servers.
There may be more things that need to happen, but looking from actual coding perspective it would be very dangerous to allow modding the mp in current state.
 
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As a programmer myself (not game dev) I think we won't get private servers until following happens:
  • TW implements all the mp systems they have in plans: badges system based on in game actions, final form of this leveling thing, proper ranked mode, all multiplayer modes, etc.
  • Then they decide to what extent each of the systems is moddable. For example, should player levels be for vanilla only, or can they provide out of the box leveling system for custom mods.
  • They implement modding capabilities they decided on.
  • We get private servers.
There may be more things that need to happen, but looking from actual coding perspective it would be very dangerous to allow modding the mp in current state.
In the meantime the multiplayer is losing not days, not weeks, not months, but years of delay. The mods mentioned in the OP are not some brand new mods with developers that just started, we're talking about mods - developers that have sunk thousands of hours into Taleworlds games to make the game better, giving their free time in exchange of making the game better.

I don't know what you believe, but those same developers who were willing to expanded the game essentially for free, should at least be able to not have to wait years for something so simple.

The release of modding tools is as big and essential as the custom servers for the multiplayer. I would even say more essential.
 
As a programmer myself (not game dev) I think we won't get private servers until following happens:
  • TW implements all the mp systems they have in plans: badges system based on in game actions, final form of this leveling thing, proper ranked mode, all multiplayer modes, etc.
  • Then they decide to what extent each of the systems is moddable. For example, should player levels be for vanilla only, or can they provide out of the box leveling system for custom mods.
  • They implement modding capabilities they decided on.
  • We get private servers.
There may be more things that need to happen, but looking from actual coding perspective it would be very dangerous to allow modding the mp in current state.
By that reasoning, we shouldn't have gotten the singleplayer modding tools either. The only thing we can't do right now is test with servers; we can already see the code with the tools we have anyway.

Being able to build a server build that can be hostd locally only, like Bridge Troll said, would be a great solution imo.
 
Can we make a poll:
Who believes that EA will end on march 2021?
Some dev just recently stated that they are still aiming to end EA on march....
no, maybe march 2022
 
By that reasoning, we shouldn't have gotten the singleplayer modding tools either. The only thing we can't do right now is test with servers; we can already see the code with the tools we have anyway.

Being able to build a server build that can be hostd locally only, like Bridge Troll said, would be a great solution imo.

I don't know how feature complete single player is, but in regards to mp the TW guy recently stated that there are still core systems to be implemented. In other words, the game is not in a state that it's now only a matter of balancing and adding content, but there are still some mechanics to be built.

If they release modding api now, for a game that is not feature complete (still talking mp module only) they right away put on themselves extra costs of maintaining such modding api which will have to be redesigned as they add remaining planned features. It's simply easier and cheaper to get all the gears in place first and then let people tinker with them.
 
I don't know how feature complete single player is, but in regards to mp the TW guy recently stated that there are still core systems to be implemented. In other words, the game is not in a state that it's now only a matter of balancing and adding content, but there are still some mechanics to be built.

If they release modding api now, for a game that is not feature complete (still talking mp module only) they right away put on themselves extra costs of maintaining such modding api which will have to be redesigned as they add remaining planned features. It's simply easier and cheaper to get all the gears in place first and then let people tinker with them.
There is no doubt it is easier to get everything right and then release it. But time is exactly the thing we're discussing.

Developers for multiplayer would be more then happy for simple a local server as suggested. It doesn't matter to what extend it is feature ready, it's more a question of mods that can make a rough idea what is possible on the server side.
 
Can we make a poll:
Who believes that EA will end on march 2021?
Some dev just recently stated that they are still aiming to end EA on march....
no, maybe march 2022

I'm hoping that they will delay the full release. If they release the game in a to bad state it will probably die out again. EA is one thing, you can be forgiving and understandning (Most people can) but when it comes to a full release the **** storm will be the greatest one seen by human eyes.
 
Private servers are the lifeblood of Mount & Blade multiplayer. Server owners offer a service to the community which brings players together and allows them to enjoy the game in a way in which we as a company are simply unable to. Community events, tournaments, new game modes and custom maps are just some of the ways in which people benefit from the generosity, dedication and hard work of these valued community members, and without them, the multiplayer side of the game would be a lesser experience.
 
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