Hello there.
I've been trying a new playthrough recently, Southern Empire. Usually sparring with Khuzait and Western Empire.
That gave me plenty of time to see what kind of improvements have been made and what's still sorely lacking. I could (and I probably will) write down a list of what I believe is needed and what I think is completely broken at a certain point, but one thing above all made me lose my patience enough times that I probably need some kind of blood pressure medication (just kidding, but still.)
The "Command Interface."
I gave Warband a pass for this because, let's be honest, it was basically an indie game made with breadcrumbs, hope and some talent. Maybe duct tape too, a la MacGyver. Loved that game to death, especially when modded. Still, the core was that of a 1998 action game crammed into a slightly more modern engine, with 2050 ambitions in it. And that kinda worked and had its charm, I will not deny it. That's why we're here... most of us, at least.
Now, Bannerlord. Imagine this. There's a king who directs his troops by screaming order at them, basically. He's well aware he's about to charge a huge numbers of horse archers with his cataphracts, he's done it hundreds of times. So he has his shield up, his spear ready. He's positioning his troops before ordering a charge.
He begins drooling uncontrollably, drops his shield arm and is stuck gazing at the abyss for five or six seconds before he can process the order he has to relay, that is: "CHARGE."
In the meantime he gets a frigging arrow in the head, since he couldn't SHOUT AND LIFT HIS LEFT ARM AT THE SAME TIME.
The army charges stupidly, wins, but with 25 times the losses it would have had with decent leadership.
Now... where am I going with this. The command interface is atrocious, it's a joke, it's a vestigial remnant of a system that was obsolete in the FIRST Mount and Blade already. What was that, 2010? It was something out of the late nineties at best. It's begging to be replaced by a far superior system.
Who the hell came up with the idea of using this system again? Not only does your character spazz out for the time it takes you to give the orders (with paths that are absurd, pressing F2 F3 F1 F4 F2 F1 like a madman while trying to control your horse as most of your controls are basically gone until you're done is infuriating) but the whole navigating the inner "menus" is unnecessarily convoluted.
My suggestion? A pause system. Give me a TW-like perspective and let me issue clear orders and waypoints while the game is frozen. Maybe add a fancy UI for that menu, with small painted or drawn icons. You have superb artists, use them. If that's not something you wouldn't want to implement, then at least let me pause and give orders without the constant risk of being mauled, stabbed, slashed, pierced, ran over to death because my character is apparently a drooling moron who can't shout and use his hands at the same time. Seriously, it's infuriating beyond belief.
Cordially, someone who can chew bubblegum and use a keyboard at the same time.
I've been trying a new playthrough recently, Southern Empire. Usually sparring with Khuzait and Western Empire.
That gave me plenty of time to see what kind of improvements have been made and what's still sorely lacking. I could (and I probably will) write down a list of what I believe is needed and what I think is completely broken at a certain point, but one thing above all made me lose my patience enough times that I probably need some kind of blood pressure medication (just kidding, but still.)
The "Command Interface."
I gave Warband a pass for this because, let's be honest, it was basically an indie game made with breadcrumbs, hope and some talent. Maybe duct tape too, a la MacGyver. Loved that game to death, especially when modded. Still, the core was that of a 1998 action game crammed into a slightly more modern engine, with 2050 ambitions in it. And that kinda worked and had its charm, I will not deny it. That's why we're here... most of us, at least.
Now, Bannerlord. Imagine this. There's a king who directs his troops by screaming order at them, basically. He's well aware he's about to charge a huge numbers of horse archers with his cataphracts, he's done it hundreds of times. So he has his shield up, his spear ready. He's positioning his troops before ordering a charge.
He begins drooling uncontrollably, drops his shield arm and is stuck gazing at the abyss for five or six seconds before he can process the order he has to relay, that is: "CHARGE."
In the meantime he gets a frigging arrow in the head, since he couldn't SHOUT AND LIFT HIS LEFT ARM AT THE SAME TIME.
The army charges stupidly, wins, but with 25 times the losses it would have had with decent leadership.
Now... where am I going with this. The command interface is atrocious, it's a joke, it's a vestigial remnant of a system that was obsolete in the FIRST Mount and Blade already. What was that, 2010? It was something out of the late nineties at best. It's begging to be replaced by a far superior system.
Who the hell came up with the idea of using this system again? Not only does your character spazz out for the time it takes you to give the orders (with paths that are absurd, pressing F2 F3 F1 F4 F2 F1 like a madman while trying to control your horse as most of your controls are basically gone until you're done is infuriating) but the whole navigating the inner "menus" is unnecessarily convoluted.
My suggestion? A pause system. Give me a TW-like perspective and let me issue clear orders and waypoints while the game is frozen. Maybe add a fancy UI for that menu, with small painted or drawn icons. You have superb artists, use them. If that's not something you wouldn't want to implement, then at least let me pause and give orders without the constant risk of being mauled, stabbed, slashed, pierced, ran over to death because my character is apparently a drooling moron who can't shout and use his hands at the same time. Seriously, it's infuriating beyond belief.
Cordially, someone who can chew bubblegum and use a keyboard at the same time.
