What kind of new faction(s) would you like to see added to the game in the future?

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

There was a lot of bling even in the 'Dark Ages'.

I think this is the main reason the lack of historicity bugs me. One of the 3d artists in the interview says "I just LOVE making stuff dark and muddy and depressing". That's basically verbatim. I have nothing against them personally, but the result of all this artistic freedom is that you get screenshots like this where you cant tell what tf goin on fr fr no cap

Overuse of dark leather, overuse of straps, overuse of furs, underuse of clean tunics, all things that are extremely rare on armour from any period, and the result is a visually indistinguishable game. The shield (shape + heraldry) is usually the only way I can distinguish different troops even up close, and if they're looking away then its a crapshoot, often literally.

 

[Piconi]

Most armors look just fine to me, even a 400+/- years anachronism isn't such a big of a deal, they have made so many bad design choices, that giving some of the more eccentric panoply (not fantasy) is still ok.
Ok, we all know Fiann's armor is a straight 1:1 copy of LOTR dwarfs armor and helmet, and a couple of others as well, but not too many.

I can attest that they (2D and 3D team) aren't creating whatever they feel like, and that there are a couple of filters, stop points and greenlight system at the highest level before concepts move onto 3D, completely normal and expected.

Wether their wanted design is aligning completely with each of us, that is a different matter, here in this thread alone there aren't even two of the exact same opinions towards the armor aesthetics, let alone the whole playerbase.
Also there are very noticable differences in the armor designs as years went by, and artists changed, it started as being stretches, with obvious fantasy mixed in, then going too out of the timeline, then making eccentric and flashy (yet still accurate) armor, worn by simple foot soldiers by the thousands, when in reality there was only a single piece or a couple of those made (like klivanion of st nestor), and in the end we only started getting some normal, accurate armors, very few and very slow in the making obviously.

Not even remotely bothering me as much as the monocolor banner design and the settlement nameplate design tied to it.
Not to mention Sargot not being in the north.

As far as i recall, there was an interview years ago where Armagan basically confirmed a Naval DLC would be in the making as soon as game releases fully, so i would expect it to come with proto-Nords.
Then after that Elephant DLC leak i hope we get some Indian faction.

Speculations, though not unfounded, but after first 2 factions added (if any lol) i think that is more than enough for a world like Calradia.

 

[HalfMetalJacket]

I think this is the main reason the lack of historicity bugs me. One of the 3d artists in the interview says "I just LOVE making stuff dark and muddy and depressing". That's basically verbatim. I have nothing against them personally, but the result of all this artistic freedom is that you get screenshots like this where you cant tell what tf goin on fr fr no cap

Overuse of dark leather, overuse of straps, overuse of furs, underuse of clean tunics, all things that are extremely rare on armour from any period, and the result is a visually indistinguishable game. The shield (shape + heraldry) is usually the only way I can distinguish different troops even up close, and if they're looking away then its a crapshoot, often literally.

Exactly that. Never mind historical accuracy- I just find greater appeal in sh*t I've never seen before.

The screenshot there really is just Dothraki ass sh*t. But I guess no one is ready for fabulous nomads. Like in INJ2.

Who said the Dark Ages had to be monotone?

 

[JunKeteer]

Like Kentucky said, part of the marketing for BL was on being historically inspired.

Hitting the realm of semantics at this point but I think they are still true about being 'inspired' historically. The very fact that some of us can draw and find the comparisons to RL and at the same time, nitpick the anachronistic aspects about it speaks to that. Besides that Battanian armour, fair to say it's not well liked and is the closest example to being 'fantasy-like' Skyrim.

I would not say this is close to Skyrim (Battanian armour aside), but rather it looks more like Assassin's Creed or For Honor. Triple AAA titles ostensibly based on historical stuff... but not doing a great job of portraying it.

Most people don't really play these sorts of games. People that do generally like the historicity of it, even if somewhat loose in places. Warband stretched things to a degree, but not in the way Bannerlord has.

At the same time, I don't think TW ever had the intention to 'portray' history, just grabbing that timeframe as a setting for their game and their 3D guys. Games like AC (with its own inaccuracies) had the budget and somewhat intention to mimic historical towns/buildings as it was quite a heavy part of the game's design.

 

[Great love Immortal]

As far as i recall, there was an interview years ago where Armagan basically confirmed a Naval DLC would be in the making as soon as game releases fully, so i would expect it to come with proto-Nords.
Then after that Elephant DLC leak i hope we get some Indian faction.

Speculations, though not unfounded, but after first 2 factions added (if any lol) i think that is more than enough for a world like Calradia.

Maybe they could put the nordic faction on an Island continent north of Sturgia, and an Indian one south-west of the Aserai in a mountainous jungle area

 

[Ningauble]

Exactly that. Never mind historical accuracy- I just find greater appeal in sh*t I've never seen before.

The screenshot there really is just Dothraki ass sh*t. But I guess no one is ready for fabulous nomads. Like in INJ2.

Who said the Dark Ages had to be monotone?

Years ago, in the VC forum, someone coined ( bemoaning the lack of therein ) " Dark Age sparkle". Nice, if we can ever get it.

 

[five bucks]

Alright granted not many people. But honestly, existing anachronisms are bad enough that Aztecs might as well be fine imo. More interesting anyway.

BL is not historical anymore and I honestly don't know what to tell you if you can't see it for yourself. There is a good thousand years span of stuff in this game, enough said.

I think BL is early medieval looking a good 75% of the time in actual gameplay, and that if you want to add DLC factions there are plenty of reasonably interesting options that can be added in a way that makes sense with the Europe/MENA area, there's no reason to ruin it for those of us who still have some immersion.

Also, what do you think general public reaction would be to an Aztec expansion?

 

[Vasileus]

I think BL is early medieval looking a good 75% of the time in actual gameplay, and that if you want to add DLC factions there are plenty of reasonably interesting options that can be added in a way that makes sense with the Europe/MENA area, there's no reason to ruin it for those of us who still have some immersion.

Also, what do you think general public reaction would be to an Aztec expansion?

Most likely to be highly negative. Even if most players are working off of a pop culture understanding of medieval armor, there’s still lines that can’t be crossed. The Aztecs are always seen in a completely different context from the Middle Ages, and once you add them in then you might as well start handing out muskets and cannons. It’s also worth mentioning that the Sunset Invasion DLC for Crusader Kings was negatively received and has the lowest rating of any CK2 DLC out there.

Personally I’d be pissed as hell since it would’ve been a giant waste of resources and time that could’ve been spent fleshing out minor factions that actually have a lore presence (like Darshi or the Nords). I’d buy a Darshi, Nord, or Vakken DLC but wouldn’t bother with an Aztec one.

That being said, if it was a total overhaul like Viking Conquest except set in the Age of Exploration (with gunpowder weapons and conquistadors), I’d absolutely buy it.

 

[HalfMetalJacket]

I think BL is early medieval looking a good 75% of the time in actual gameplay, and that if you want to add DLC factions there are plenty of reasonably interesting options that can be added in a way that makes sense with the Europe/MENA area, there's no reason to ruin it for those of us who still have some immersion.

Also, what do you think general public reaction would be to an Aztec expansion?

I'm not suggesting the Aztec addition because I think people would love it. They'd hate it, just about as much as I hate to see plate shoulders on Vlandians.

I would love it just for laughs.

 

[JunKeteer]

I'm not suggesting the Aztec addition because I think people would love it. They'd hate it, just about as much as I hate to see plate shoulders on Vlandians.

But there is a more 'commonly' known difference with adding something like Aztecs than something like plate shoulders on Vlandians (or whatever medieval equivalent they are supposed to represent)

I would love it just for laughs.

Would be funny if it was like AoE II.

 

[Piconi]

I knew there was a great older post about this somewhere, and of course it was @Terco_Viejo

A few days ago in another thread I was commenting with others about a hypothetical road and emplacement layout for these to form strategic points. As a result of all this, I made a map where I talked about biomes, suggesting a slight modification in the map. Bannerlord has a long way to go but undoubtedly many dream of a future expansion where the mechanics of navigation and naval battle is implemented.

Many want to see the Nords in a Nord Invasion dlc; however I said to myself, what the hell... why don't we get the Lore back and be more ambitious?

This time, I bring you a Tercosketch of how I imagine the archetypes for each faction in my dreamed DLC

The Warband lore tell us:

Geroia: Beyond the Khergit lands.
Balion: Beyond the western ocean
Lotki: Beyond the western ocean
Jumne: Beyond the north sea, also known as Nordland
Charnye Vaegir Homeland : East of Vaegir territory
Siri: Beyond the territory of the Sarranids, south of Calradia

Nords: Some of the essence is in Sturgia; I would mix vendel periods with Anglo-Saxon influences. Medieval Norwey architecture (Stavkirke essence)

Balion: According to Konrad, we find an aspect that is very similar to what Swadia/Vlandia is. I've run away from that archetype. I imagine a Balion where influences of the Song, Heian and Goryeo period are mixed together. Its architecture would also drink from imperial Asian sources.

Lotki: For closeness to Balion; I imagine it in a mixture of Champa, khemer, etc... pure Angkor wat, pure Southeast Asia. Call me crazy, but I would also endow it with slight hints of Mayan-Toltec influences in its panoply and architecture (Angkor Wat + Chichen Itza).

Geroia: Based on the Ghaznavid empire with a lot of mughal influence (allow me the anachronism); with a lot of character and Indo-Asian aesthetics. Rajasthan style architecture.

Siri: Based on the Carthaginian Empire (allow me the anachronism); Hellenistic aesthetics with African touches. In that region of the map I show you, a natural bay appears; it is there where I imagine a city in the Carthaginian style with its circular harbor.

Zendar: Being a "neutral" faction, it doesn't make sense to have a troop tree. On an architectural level, I imagine it in a very Italian eclectic (classic) style, as if it wanted to be the small Vatican state.

Charnye: It doesn't have a troop tree either, it's just a region.

Considering that CaLrAdIa iS A fAnTaSy PlAce , how do you imagine these regions, how do you imagine their inhabitants?

 

[five bucks]

I knew there was a great older post about this somewhere, and of course it was @Terco_Viejo

His art is fantastic, as usual. On the choices made though, to nitpick: I don't remember hearing it mentioned that Lokti is "beyond the western ocean". Lokti's only mentioned in the description for Argo Sendnar, and from a quick Google, the word's origin is from India.

In the only mention of Siri, it is described as "a small village in the southern deserts of Calradia". Carthage already has an equivalent in Bannerlord's town descriptions, for Quyaz iirc, where it says a mercantile republic once was there that fought and lost a war with the Empire long ago.

The characters from Geroia in Warband (Lezalit, Artimenner, Marnid) all seem very similar to Europeans. Marnid said he was travelling with his caravan from Geroia through Khergit territory to reach Nord lands (which could mean he was travelling northwest); Lezalit is the son of a Count. Artimenner references the old Calradian style of building. Based on this information and the name, I think of Geroia as possibly inspired by the Genoa Republic, or else Georgia. All three have very similar names.

 

[Totalgarbage]

His art is fantastic, as usual. On the choices made though, to nitpick: I don't remember hearing it mentioned that Lokti is "beyond the western ocean". Lokti's only mentioned in the description for Argo Sendnar, and from a quick Google, the word's origin is from India.

In the only mention of Siri, it is described as "a small village in the southern deserts of Calradia". Carthage already has an equivalent in Bannerlord's town descriptions, for Quyaz iirc, where it says a mercantile republic once was there that fought and lost a war with the Empire long ago.

The characters from Geroia in Warband (Lezalit, Artimenner, Marnid) all seem very similar to Europeans. Marnid said he was travelling with his caravan from Geroia through Khergit territory to reach Nord lands (which could mean he was travelling northwest); Lezalit is the son of a Count. Artimenner references the old Calradian style of building. Based on this information and the name, I think of Geroia as possibly inspired by the Genoa Republic, or else Georgia. All three have very similar names.

Also let's not forget that Balion is an anagram for Albion, which is an alternative name of Great Britain.

 

[Piconi]

Yes, Terco knew all those stuff in the time of making these concepts ( somewhere it is mentioned that Vlandians actually came from wester sea as mercenaries to the Empire, so basically what they say is they came from Balion), but he didn't want to give lore it's credit no more than Taleworlds does, with so many holes and even blatant discrepancies of their own, that any lore goes out the window.
So having a bit of fun and more extreme diversity to me sounds ok.
That is, until and if they decide to at the very least move Sargot back north for start. Then we could start talking about the other stuff.

 

[Ningauble]

Apparently we will have, sooner or later, Darshi ( " Ghaznavids ", with elephants ), Vakken ( " Lithuanians " ? ), and Nords ( " Norse " ).
These would be great.
( Given the whole game works as intended, Vision etc, eventually)

As a wish - list faction, I would really like to see an " Axumite ( Abyssinian ) " far southern empire, a bit more Dark Ages - fitting here than Middle Ages Mali, as has been suggested above, but either way, a similar presence. It would be especially interesting if " Axum " could foster some special, if tenuous, relationship with the Imperial culture, simulating the remote Christian Kingdom / Prester John thing, re Abyssinia.

 

[Big_Guy_4_U]

Apparently we will have, sooner or later, Darshi ( " Ghaznavids ", with elephants ), Vakken ( " Lithuanians " ? ), and Nords ( " Norse " ).
These would be great.
( Given the whole game works as intended, Vision etc, eventually)

As a wish - list faction, I would really like to see an " Axumite ( Abyssinian ) " far southern empire, a bit more Dark Ages - fitting here than Middle Ages Mali, as has been suggested above, but either way, a similar presence. It would be especially interesting if " Axum " could foster some special, if tenuous, relationship with the Imperial culture, simulating the remote Christian Kingdom / Prester John thing, re Abyssinia.

The Vakken are representing Finno-Urgic peoples of Northern Medieval Russia, such as the Chuds.

 

[peenerz]

Of the known cultures, the Darshi would probably be the most interesting since a Persian-style culture east of the Khuzaits could transform the strategic picture of the region and add a culture I'm not terribly familiar with its IRL counterpart.

Otherwise, I most want to see a culture inspired by the Chinese with all the advancements they had by 11th century standards; this'd include an early form of firearm, repeating crossbows, Chinese glaives, halberds, and lots fo cool costumes and armors. City walls a hundred feet thick and grid-like urban arrangements and probably new trade goods as well. The only issue is not making them OP since they'd likely overpower most of the Calradian factions if not seriously handicapped, like having terrible to no cavalry and horrid defense to compensate for strong offensive potential and a likely far-eastern setting that's highly defensible. They could be split into several kingdoms like the Empire to have both local competition and delay snowballing.

Then there's the common favorite of a not-Japan civilization, which, at this time, would still be carrying shields as well as wearing shields on their shoulders and their curved swords would be rare in comparison to naginatas and other polearms. If a not-China's addded, a not-Japan would likely be beside it. If it were an island country, some kind of naval mechanic would be ideal and that'd likely change the strategic and economic face of Calradia as a whole...

A whole new continent east of Calradia's Duzeg Steppe could be added to fit these Asian-themed cultures, and the visible but unreachable corners northeast of Sturgia and southeast of the Khuzaits could be where cultures in-lore would be added into, like the Nords and Darshi.

If a China based faction is ever added I think it should be defense oriented, an army specializing in crossbows and pikes with okay swordsmen and mediocre cavalry. China wasn’t known for its super offensive diplomatic stance, for most of history it remained content with nations around it giving them tribute rather than conquer them straight out

But yeah I would love to see the Darshi and Nords, maybe Taleworlds will stop Norsifying the Sturgians with the later

 

[Apocal]

If a China based faction is ever added I think it should be defense oriented, an army specializing in crossbows and pikes with okay swordsmen and mediocre cavalry. China wasn’t known for its super offensive diplomatic stance, for most of history it remained content with nations around it giving them tribute rather than conquer them straight out

China didn't get to be that big becaue tehy were content to leave people around them alone and paying tribute. They did at times and in certain places but that's just a feature of every large empire. China had a huge amount of resources to bring to bear however they weren't limitless, so sometimes tribute was enough.

Anyway, in BL, we already have a crossbow and pike faction with mediocre cavalry -- the Vlandians.

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

At least during the ming dynasty tribute was more like a kind of regulated trade that often benefited the tributary more than china itself. Confucian scholars were always afraid of traders and merchants making too much money from international commodity exchange, and that's one of the reasons I've heard for why they burned their fleets in the 1400s.

Again this is something I've never seen modelled in a game. Trade is always mutually beneficial in strategy games, despite it being something governments have intensely regulated for all of history. Say food prices go up in some ruined province, you would probably want to ban food exports so it doesn't affect you too. Or If some useless consumable commodity like tea or wine keeps getting sold to your citizens by foreign merchants, you would want to put a tariff on it so they don't suck all the money out of your kingdom.

Off topic but is also why the gang stuff makes no sense. There is fukuyamaist free trade, unless two countries are at war you can sell everything and the kitchen sink without even a single percent of tax. As a result there is no contraband smuggling market for gangs to be involved in. In reality circumventing tariffs and prohibitions is the whole reason gangs exist.

If they add some faraway fake china ripoff it would be cool if they are reluctant to trade despite having a load of money and resources. Then one of the endgame scenarios is the sudden global influx of wealth if they decide to start trading. Like you suddenly see hundreds of caravans on one route and cities along the way become insanely rich.

 

[Forest-Bandit]

J

Of course, before even talking about new factions, the game needs many changes, fixes and tweaks to its late game grind and diplomacy. But setting aside what needs changing, which factions would you like seeing added to the game?

The game already has 3 extra cultures listed in the encyclopedia called Darshi, Nord and Vakken that are (from what I understand) based on (indo- ?) Iranians, Scandinavians and Finns+Sámi (I'm not fully sure about this one though) respectively. And out of these three, I would like to see the Darshi added to the game most (especially if they have war elephant troops).

Sounds awsome elephant troops!! Here’s hoping also I just want to see some bounty hunters