It's been almost 9 months into the EA of Bannerlord. A lot of players have expressed their concerns, disappointments or even anger towards not only the current sate but also the prospects of the game as well as Taleworlds, the developer. I hope this thread will help people understand the situation and adjust their expectations. Important to notice though that this is just my opinions or conclusions that are not necessarily reflecting the truths.
Conclusion ahead: stop hoping that Bannerlord will turn out to be even close to your dream game, wait for mods and be prepared to pay for some of the better ones.
So I think a lot of people have already realized that there might be a discrepancy in the visions of devs and those of the players as to what this game should grow into. I would argue that this is due to TW's (kind of) unique business model, which, using terms of economics, relies heavily on positive externalities.
TW has created a unique and enjoyable mounted combat experience which, throughout the years, has developed into a fully-fledged sandbox game. However, a lot of we probably noticed that although the combat experience is quite good and unique, the sandbox part is very much in the lacking. This is perhaps because of TW's specialization and business model. Essentially, the community consists of two kinds of players: those who prefer the combat and those who prefer the sandbox/rpg experience. (Of course, there would be overlappings, but this dichotomy is important for marketing and developing strategies and thus for our discussion) TW is good at delivering first-class mounted combat experience but significantly less so, especially when compared to other developers, at delivering the other one. Fortunately for them, their game created huge possibilities and room for mods a majority of which have enhanced the sandbox department.
I think we can all agree with the previous section, as it's kind of obvious to veteran players. What's interesting is the implication of that. These mods are translated into positive externalities to the M&B games as they added great values to the product without the devs paying extra costs. Therefore, TW as a business is left with a very clear and viable strategy: focusing on the combat while trying to create a good sandbox base for modders. In lieu of the boring functions, just think like this: better engine and base -> better mods -> attract more players -> sell more copies/base; and better combat -> more players -> more copies sold. This is most likely the reason why TW intentionally wants Bannerlord to mainly be an action game (yes, that's most likely their vision for the game). Because they can leave half the work to modders, most of whom work for free, for free positive externalities, and better serve the players who prefer combat, and in the meantime try to appeal the wider audience (more action-based and fast-paced gameplay tends to accomplish that). In the business model, I would argue both the players and TW are the winners whereas the only losers, economically, are the modders before they start to charge for their mods or work out some agreements with TW.
Therefore, the best strategy for players would be: stop asking and expecting TW to deliver a better RPG/sandbox/strategic/etc. experience and waiting for mods while accepting the fact that the M&B franchise will turn into even more action-based and fast-paced games. And it would only be a matter of time before the mods stop being free, either through adding a price tag themselves or being incorporated into the TW business system and thus increasing the price of the base games.
Unfortunately, this thread might be nothing new to especially the veteran players (a lot of us already realized it and either give up the hopes or refuse to accept). Nonetheless, if it can help some members of the community be less disappointed and angry, and lead a more comfortable life, I will be a very happy man. I used to be that guy who cares too much thus concerns too much, now that I realize and accept it, I still care but am having a much easier time.
Conclusion ahead: stop hoping that Bannerlord will turn out to be even close to your dream game, wait for mods and be prepared to pay for some of the better ones.
So I think a lot of people have already realized that there might be a discrepancy in the visions of devs and those of the players as to what this game should grow into. I would argue that this is due to TW's (kind of) unique business model, which, using terms of economics, relies heavily on positive externalities.
TW has created a unique and enjoyable mounted combat experience which, throughout the years, has developed into a fully-fledged sandbox game. However, a lot of we probably noticed that although the combat experience is quite good and unique, the sandbox part is very much in the lacking. This is perhaps because of TW's specialization and business model. Essentially, the community consists of two kinds of players: those who prefer the combat and those who prefer the sandbox/rpg experience. (Of course, there would be overlappings, but this dichotomy is important for marketing and developing strategies and thus for our discussion) TW is good at delivering first-class mounted combat experience but significantly less so, especially when compared to other developers, at delivering the other one. Fortunately for them, their game created huge possibilities and room for mods a majority of which have enhanced the sandbox department.
I think we can all agree with the previous section, as it's kind of obvious to veteran players. What's interesting is the implication of that. These mods are translated into positive externalities to the M&B games as they added great values to the product without the devs paying extra costs. Therefore, TW as a business is left with a very clear and viable strategy: focusing on the combat while trying to create a good sandbox base for modders. In lieu of the boring functions, just think like this: better engine and base -> better mods -> attract more players -> sell more copies/base; and better combat -> more players -> more copies sold. This is most likely the reason why TW intentionally wants Bannerlord to mainly be an action game (yes, that's most likely their vision for the game). Because they can leave half the work to modders, most of whom work for free, for free positive externalities, and better serve the players who prefer combat, and in the meantime try to appeal the wider audience (more action-based and fast-paced gameplay tends to accomplish that). In the business model, I would argue both the players and TW are the winners whereas the only losers, economically, are the modders before they start to charge for their mods or work out some agreements with TW.
Therefore, the best strategy for players would be: stop asking and expecting TW to deliver a better RPG/sandbox/strategic/etc. experience and waiting for mods while accepting the fact that the M&B franchise will turn into even more action-based and fast-paced games. And it would only be a matter of time before the mods stop being free, either through adding a price tag themselves or being incorporated into the TW business system and thus increasing the price of the base games.
Unfortunately, this thread might be nothing new to especially the veteran players (a lot of us already realized it and either give up the hopes or refuse to accept). Nonetheless, if it can help some members of the community be less disappointed and angry, and lead a more comfortable life, I will be a very happy man. I used to be that guy who cares too much thus concerns too much, now that I realize and accept it, I still care but am having a much easier time.