AlexanderTournier
I have recently written some 3 dozen ideas in a post(s). After some time, I noticed that pretty much all of them were related to notables in the game, especially Lords. Than, all of a sudden it hit me, backbone of this game (and other M&B games) are the lords! Let me explain.
The main draw of Mount and Blade games has always been the big AI battles, no one can dispute that. Just like how the battle AI has a big impact on the relative fun one can gain from those battles, the lead up to those battles are equally important, if not more so. Context matters, the "stories" that people play through before the battles are crucial for the long lasting and extensive appeal of this game. I have watched many people play and discuss Bannerlord at it's launch to Early Access. They would make-up wild stories about their play throughs, their imaginations filling the blanks of the half working and shallow features. Sure, they enjoyed the big battles but the lead up to those battles were the real gem, and that's exactly where the lords come into play.
World of Bannerlord is populated and brought to life by these lords, they are the ones creating the intrigue. There is no Bannerlord without interesting lords, and there are no interesting lords without attention from the devs. That's why special attention should be given to bringing these lords to life, to make them complex and relatable. Making their decision making AIs as interesting and varied as possible, taking into account as many factors as a reasonable development time would allow. Making their personalities play of off each other and the players, that's where the "real" game is at.
Combat surely matters, the feel of it, the spectacle, but the tactics the AI employs are equally crucial. More varied the AI is, more interesting the big battles get. That's why each lords personalities should also effect their combat AI in subtle but impactful and noticeable ways. Complex AI is the solution for the mid to late games stagnated slugfest combat. Variety is the name of the game in sandbox games, Bannerlord is no exception. Fix your bugs, optimize your engine but a Bannerlord without complex lord personalities and combat AI is not a Bannerlord worth playing.
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Authored by Grumpy Barbie
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The main draw of Mount and Blade games has always been the big AI battles, no one can dispute that. Just like how the battle AI has a big impact on the relative fun one can gain from those battles, the lead up to those battles are equally important, if not more so. Context matters, the "stories" that people play through before the battles are crucial for the long lasting and extensive appeal of this game. I have watched many people play and discuss Bannerlord at it's launch to Early Access. They would make-up wild stories about their play throughs, their imaginations filling the blanks of the half working and shallow features. Sure, they enjoyed the big battles but the lead up to those battles were the real gem, and that's exactly where the lords come into play.
World of Bannerlord is populated and brought to life by these lords, they are the ones creating the intrigue. There is no Bannerlord without interesting lords, and there are no interesting lords without attention from the devs. That's why special attention should be given to bringing these lords to life, to make them complex and relatable. Making their decision making AIs as interesting and varied as possible, taking into account as many factors as a reasonable development time would allow. Making their personalities play of off each other and the players, that's where the "real" game is at.
Combat surely matters, the feel of it, the spectacle, but the tactics the AI employs are equally crucial. More varied the AI is, more interesting the big battles get. That's why each lords personalities should also effect their combat AI in subtle but impactful and noticeable ways. Complex AI is the solution for the mid to late games stagnated slugfest combat. Variety is the name of the game in sandbox games, Bannerlord is no exception. Fix your bugs, optimize your engine but a Bannerlord without complex lord personalities and combat AI is not a Bannerlord worth playing.
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Authored by Grumpy Barbie
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