MP Unpopular Opinion: Captain's Mode is Awesome

[Grendelfromdc]

Apologies in advance for bad formatting. I don't know how it works and I don't care to learn. I hope I never have to write another forum post again.

In these forums TaleWorlds gets a lot of hate about the state of many things. Incessant and misinformed threads about how things are wrong with the game at every level, combat, balance, game systems, UI. You name it, people complain. My particular area of interest, Captains mode is no exception. In fact, many for many posters in the forums the game is broken at a fundamental level. This is wrong. Captain's mode is GREAT. Since release I have logged 680 hours, probably 500 of them have been spent on Cap Mode. I have NEVER EVER been more excited and intrigued by a game in my entire life. I love every small nuance.

I like peeling archer aggro with a shield unit and having my AI take part in a melee. I like going Rambo with heavy cavalry and calling your AI to you at the exact moment the fight starts to keep them out of trouble until they are needed. I like trying to make sure my Guards throw all of their javelins before a melee so they are not trying to stab horses during the enemies cavalry charge. I like the ballerina like movements I need to make during a melee to avoid and deal damage. I like kiting a stack of shields with my archers so friendly archers or cavalry can whittle them down. I like defending a flag when my team has low morale and making sure I stick as close to the pole as possible. I like trying to get to the B flag at 7:11 so I might have a 50% chance of allowing my army the luxury of remaining at C for the rest of the round. I like ALL flag shenanigans for that matter, especially leaving certain flags neutral to get a better outcome. I love this game.

On the fundamentals it's perfect. Its wonderful and I love it. TW have done an amazing thing with this mode and as crazy as it sounds its already given me my monies worth.

 

[vonbalt]

Captain mode is unpopular now? i'm mostly a singleplayer guy but captain mode is the most fun i've ever had in M&B multiplayer since the Calradic campaign.

 

[dirtshrimp]

Agreed. I think alot of people dont see captain mode as competitive compared to skirmish but thats just because they haven't actually played at a competitive LEVEL. From my experience with the tourneys i've played, the strategic depth, both when commanding your troops and fighting AI, is far greater than skirmish. Captain mode is the future of competitive mount and blade, nay the future of competitive gaming!

 

[WhiteEyedSh4rk]

Captain mode is really awesome! I had so exciting games there, some really unlikely wins, great team work with random people, risky tactics that payed off, rabbel rushes (y'all know what that is) and so on, its a fantastic game mode. I complain about a lot of things, but I don't get people who dislike this mode, I think the flags add a great dynamic to the games, make them way more exciting and make unlikely wins possible (but only if the enemy isn't paying attention, which they should do anyways). Definitely my favourite game mode

 

[Younes]

The commands given in it are primitive. It could be a really great but when you are faced with situations like not being able to target an archer unit shooting you because some other enemy is nearby, it becomes annoying

 

[rektasaurus]

The commands given in it are primitive. It could be a really great but when you are faced with situations like not being able to target an archer unit shooting you because some other enemy is nearby, it becomes annoying

Not to detract from the point of OP but, yes, managing archers or inf with thrown weapons is like herding cats sometimes and I wish there was a way to select targets. It’s easier to deal with by telling your units first to hold fire, positioning them correctly, and then having them face direction to prevent wheeling at the wrong time. I agree, I do hope tw spends some time making more orders available.

 

[KSHMR]

Its quite fun but I cant stick to it for more than 2 or 3 games, it gets boring for me.

 

[Yukmouth++]

How is this an unpopular opinion ?

 

[AxiosXiphos]

It could use improvements but it's a very fun game mode. Not sure I approve of your Rambo comment though - haha.

Indeed the only game mode which is similar but might be better is....

 

[Sundeki]

In these forums TaleWorlds gets a lot of hate about the state of many things. Incessant and misinformed threads about how things are wrong with the game at every level, combat, balance, game systems, UI. You name it, people complain. My particular area of interest, Captains mode is no exception. In fact, many for many posters in the forums the game is broken at a fundamental level. This is wrong. Captain's mode is GREAT.

I'm not trying to be rude, but what are you even talking about? Just about the only thing in multiplayer that isn't total garbage is Captain's Mode. The poorly designed combat mechanics are less of a problem in a gamemode with AI fighting AI, and the awful premade classes system that ruins the rest of multiplayer works fine for Captain's mode, because individual choice, individual playstyle, individual item experimentation and meta, and player identity don't mean as much. Captain's Mode might be the single thing in multiplayer Bannerlord that I haven't seen a mass uprising against, so I have no idea what you're getting at, honestly.

The rest of Multiplayer is broken on a fundamental level specifically for the reason that it and it's systems are shackled to Captain's Mode, which is the centerpiece design of multiplayer. What works for Captain's Mode doesn't work for everything else, and it shouldn't because they're fundamentally different. Captain's Mode should've been designed and balanced completely separately from the rest of Multiplayer, but it wasn't. And the outrage on the forums you probably read before you made this post are almost entirely whinging about the rest of multiplayer, not Captain's Mode. I am not saying that Captain's Mode doesn't have problems, it does of course it's early access, but Captain's Mode isn't crippled from a design perspective like everything else, just a few quality of life mechanics and general problems/bugs.

 

[Lord Bryggan]

Captain Mode is currently the best mode, but it still sucks due to two problems.

First is communication. I hate trying to guess what my fellow commanders are doing. I usually guess wrong. If you see an opportunity you don't have time for typing, plus the odds are they won't see the text. Taleworlds did say they were going to add voice chat though.

The second is that melee happens too fast. AI doesn't block it seems. When you engage the fighting is over in 3 seconds. No time to manoeuvre or reinforce.

People have adapted and learned what works, but now it's harder for new players who base their movements on common sense.

BUT.... I still have hope.