I am shocked by the lack of battle and duel. It took me a while to realize they were gone. What the actual ****. Why? Battles were the core gamemode alongside sieges.
I can't have Bannerlord without special events with 200+ people and one life gamemodes. It is heresy. This should be simple to add.
While besides this I absolutely love everything bannerlord IS, I have to agree so much with what a step down removing the part of MP that allowed you to gear up for money. Here are the reasons why:
- All classes can be obtained with the very minimum of effort, making better ones feel less rewarding. Warband used to have armors "locked out" and available only to those very best who succeeded. Sporting those armors would make you feel rewarded, special, and stronger. It rewarded doing well and created the dynamic of essentially having a new class tier/gameplay style for those who could afford better weapons and armor. It would further be rewarding psychologically, because you sported an armor someone who hasn't performed so well didn't, and you could feel special and cool because of it.
- The gear system added variety was a HUGE factor for replayability. You could mix and match tons of armors and weapons, and if one combination got a little old, you let it rest for a while and experimented with something else. There were always weird weapons like maces, hammers, weird voulges and sickles that played differently and were unpopular. Playing with any one of these added a fresh experience. Let us not forget a very important factor, being that everyone looked unique. Everyone had their own preferred style, combination and kit, and you could always run into people who had something new. It almost felt like a little contained MMORPG in that sense. Yes, the nakeds were a problem, but this could easily be avoided by simply enforcing minimum armor. People could also choose not to have a helmet, so that their unique or freakish face would stand out. Its how legends were made and known.
- All of this added novelty and longevity, as well as a contained sense of progression. You could always measure your progress in money, and then buy whatever you want within a class. That made the system unique and what's more, it made it more balanced. A counter could always be picked for anything.
But what this ultimately achieves is people retaining interest for a much longer time, because there is always something new to try and see. Much less so with the current system we have.
Please TaleWorlds, this is what set you apart from generic class based multiplayer games. Do not forsake your roots.