Polearms : wtf ?

[Gamemako]

Why, you wield them in a duel, of course!

 

[ARM02]

Braced spears in native expansion put a stop to this

 

[tommylaw]

i think counched lance should be made more 'wobbly', so you have to keep moving the mouse to keep it straight, or something like that to make counched lance less godly

 

[mouthnhoof]

I don't think a human being is capable of lifting several people with one arm.

Knights used to impale up to 10 people with one lance, with dual wielding lances the best knights got around 20 people.

Also, duel wielding lances would be very cool and realistic as knights used to do that all the time, plus some of their lances were coated with gold and I really want a gold lance and a black one to match the black armor. Dual wielding gold lances that are 15 feet long and can impale up to 10 people would be just like medieval times which M&B is supposed to be like so I think this is a very good idea.

They were also carrier attached to the back. When the knight went into action he would draw both lances over his shoulders and be ready for action. In the heat of battle there was no time to remove the bodies impaled on the lance, so it was not uncommon to see a knight with two lances on his back while a few bodies were still hanging from them.

 

[Berpol]

i think counched lance should be made more 'wobbly', so you have to keep moving the mouse to keep it straight, or something like that to make counched lance less godly

Let me guess, you are a fan of "Defender of the Crown"
Given that you are aiming at a whole person (in war you are allowed to hit more than the shield) I doubt that making the lance more wobbly would change much - especially as in my opinion troops with lance couch it not often enough and you still are only one knight on the battle field.

 

[Timofmars]

Combat lances didn't break after a few hits. If they did they would be useless.  Jousting lances did, but they were designed to shatter on impact.

I don't think jousting lances were designed to shatter. Those are just today's theatrical jousting lances, so nobody gets hurt and to make it more spectacular.

I think jousting lances back then were quite solid and sometimes deadly.

 

[Night Ninja]

It's not a good idea to kill off your best fighters during practice, so dedicated jousting lances would have been made to break. There's even dedicated tips designed to prevent armour penetration and transmit more force instead.

 

[Timofmars]

It's not a good idea to kill off your best fighters during practice, so dedicated jousting lances would have been made to break. There's even dedicated tips designed to prevent armour penetration and transmit more force instead.

I'm not so sure they would practice on each other... Rather, they'd just hit targets I'd suppose.

But for jousting at a tournament, the goal was to knock the opponent off his horse. Something that is made to break won't accomplish that.

From wikipedia:

In modern times, jousting is often done for show or demonstration purposes, and the lances used are usually made of light wood and prepared so that they break easily. Lances were often decorated with stripes or the colors of a knight's coat of arms. In a real joust, the lances were of solid oak and a significant strike was needed to shatter them. However, the (blunt) lances would not usually penetrate the steel. The harnesses worn by the knights were lined on the inside with plenty of cloth to soften the blow from the lance.

Solid Oak... ouch

Jousting was added to tournaments several centuries after their inauguration. The joust permitted a better display of individual skill and, although dangerous, offered large sums of prize money. Many knights made their fortune in these events, whilst many lost their fortune or even life. For example, Henry II of France died when his opponent's lance went through his visor and shattered into fragments, blinding his right eye and penetrating his right orbit and temple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jousting

 

[Berpol]

I would guess while a lance wouldn't shatter on impact there always was a chance that you would loose it because you can't get it out of your last victim fast enough. But then in real life the knight always had the option to go back and get a new lance and about 100% of knights in battle had more weapons on them (a dagger and at least a sword, axe, mace or hammer).

 

[mbchudno]

If you are not happy with couching delay, then don't use couching.  Switch to shorter/faster polearms and use thrust.  MUCH faster kills.  I find that after playing for a while with Awlpike/Strong Bow/2bags of arrows, i almost never use couching.  Only when when i see that enemies are far apart.

 

[FrisianDude]

Not too short polearms, though. Can't kill **** with a shortened spear from horseback.

 

[AWdeV]

Yeah, you can. It's a tad tricky, or you're just incompetent.