Sweet Realistic Medieval Combat (Mount and Blade)

[Togakure]

Tarkahn Armor? Lance couching no longer automatic? Interesting. Another patch must have been released after the last one I installed; not heard of these. Guess I'll have to upgrade and check this out when I have some time.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Tarkahn Armor? Lance couching no longer automatic? Interesting. Another patch must have been released after the last one I installed; not heard of these. Guess I'll have to upgrade and check this out when I have some time.

The first is the native expansion mod. The 2nd is the warband beta thing (according to khaan).

The khergits are a lot tougher in native expansion.

Wiped out another 230 of them today, lol. Ransomed back the great khaan for 12,000, only because the faction leaders have a chance at dropping a unique item, which I'd like to get.

[ICantSpellDawg]

new couching system sucks.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

That native expansion mod is nuts. I'm rolling in ducats and I've got a big mob of assorted crossbowmen following me around blasting giant mobs of bandits. I almost don't want to join a faction cuz that'll be a lot harder...

[Prussian to the Iron]

yeah, but blasting bandits gets old eventually.

[johnhughthom]

If you buy Warband now you can play the beta singleplayer campaign. Steam has it with 10% off. I was going to buy it direct from the Taleworlds website, but they aren't letting you buy now for some reason.

[al Roumi]

If you buy Warband now you can play the beta singleplayer campaign. Steam has it with 10% off. I was going to buy it direct from the Taleworlds website, but they aren't letting you buy now for some reason.

I got on the SP beta last week, think they let in a bunch more testers at once seeing as it's getting near d-day.

Will look to get warband asap but I'm a bit old-fashioned and like to have a hard-copy...

[johnhughthom]

What do you thinkof it alh_p? Personally I'm slightly disappointed in the single player, not that different from the original and most of the additions are merely cosmetic.

[al Roumi]

What do you thinkof it alh_p? Personally I'm slightly disappointed in the single player, not that different from the original and most of the additions are merely cosmetic.

um, bearing in mind I've only been playing it for 1 week and the core attraction was always the game play and combat that much is still good. I agre that some of what has been added is cosmetic, but that's no bad thing considering where the team were working up from :) the bump-mapped textures look much better (if still a good light year behind any contemporary releases), depth of field & HDR also add to the graphics albeit more subtley than perhaps had they been designed in at an earlier stage.

IMO, most of the work on SP seems to have gone into adding detail: more quests and making the game world more credible and coherent. For my part, I think the efforts made are excellent. Not sure how much of the new stuff I should really mention tbh (status of the beta closed/open is ambiguous at best). You do still have to do a fair bit of reading -although thankfully less than DA:O!

This is most definitley an expansion, but i'm confident in saying that M&B warband will provide a much richer experience that M&B 1.0.

Do I get a badge for that from taleworlds? :grin:

[Vuk]

Now that the Beta is open I think I can say (from playing what is open to the public now) that I am rather disappointed. Let me explain. First of all, the are many great additions to the game. Great options in SP, there is MP, etc, etc. Despite the kewl new changes though (which by themselves would make the game excellent), the game is ruined for me by the horrible new combat animation and system, and by the ridiculous rebalanced (the balance in the first was bad enough).
That said though, while I am very disappointed with Vanilla Warband how it is to this point, I am still going to buy it. I think the fact that it is open to modding makes it definately worth buying for any M&B fans. Gamebalance and (hopefully) combat animations should be easy to fix once the game is released. I can then remake my mod with all the kewl new options. :D

[al Roumi]

Now that the Beta is open I think I can say (from playing what is open to the public now) that I am rather disappointed. Let me explain. First of all, the are many great additions to the game. Great options in SP, there is MP, etc, etc. Despite the kewl new changes though (which by themselves would make the game excellent), the game is ruined for me by the horrible new combat animation and system, and by the ridiculous rebalanced (the balance in the first was bad enough).
That said though, while I am very disappointed with Vanilla Warband how it is to this point, I am still going to buy it. I think the fact that it is open to modding makes it definately worth buying for any M&B fans. Gamebalance and (hopefully) combat animations should be easy to fix once the game is released. I can then remake my mod with all the kewl new options. :D

Is that animations and balance then? What's so wrong with the balance? Especially if it wasn't great to start with... :shrug:

Don't get me wrong, i'm crap at multiplayer but I recognise that it's mostly a question of skill/training, albeit with a significant amount of weird game physics (spin attacks). SP doesn't seem so horrendous so far to me...

I share your hopes for the modding possibilities though, I hope models are a bit easier to change in Warband...

[Vuk]

Is that animations and balance then? What's so wrong with the balance? Especially if it wasn't great to start with... :shrug:

Don't get me wrong, i'm crap at multiplayer but I recognise that it's mostly a question of skill/training, albeit with a significant amount of weird game physics (spin attacks). SP doesn't seem so horrendous so far to me...

I share your hopes for the modding possibilities though, I hope models are a bit easier to change in Warband...
It is not just the animations, but the combat that results from them that is just plain silly. Also, the balance (esp concerning horses and archers) is highly unrealistic and also IMHO, very silly. Like I say though, hopefully that can easily be modded. Other than that, I really have no big complaints with the game.

[Madoushi]

Personally, I just hope it adds more depth to the SP campaign

[johnhughthom]

Personally, I just hope it adds more depth to the SP campaign

From what I have played it doesn't really. Though I did get into a bar fight which was pretty cool.

[rajpoot]

Why have they changed the animations anyway....the old ones were realistic enough.

[Madoushi]

I thought it also let you play as your own faction. I know there are mods that do that, but I haven't played any mods for M&B.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Warbands is out. (http://www.taleworlds.com/main.aspx)

An unofficial (and totally legal) torrent (http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,102806.0.html) for downloading the game (since the servers are a bit overloaded right now) - the serial can be purchased at the Taleworlds site or you can buy a physical copy.

CR

[Madoushi]

Still on the fence...
I was really excited for this, but the more I hear about it, the more wary I feel. I guess I'll check out some reviews before I decide.

[Crazed Rabbit]

If you wanted more SP campaign depth, Warband definitely has it. There's a nice starting quest, the ability to woo ladies*, meeting them in feasts after you've done well in a tournament, and marry them, or try to elope if their fathers don't approve, and internal realm politics between lords. There's bandit hideouts you can attack with a few men and wipe out resistance to gain the loot they've stolen.

There's a much bigger single player campaign map that at the same time feels more filled out.

*Different ladies have different temperaments, so different poems will appeal to them.

I'm not sure if this has the same try-before-you-buy as M&B (I think it does), if it does you can always DL and play a bit to see if you want to buy.

CR

[Mailman653]

SP with an actual storyline more or less? Now thats a big change. Is WB an expansion or is it a stand alone?

[Crazed Rabbit]

It's stand alone.

I wouldn't go quite so far to say there's a long story line, but it's possible to become ruler of all Calradia and that's hinted to in the first quest. So that serves as a sort of long running goal, whereas before it was just to ride around, kill people and break things.

CR

[Major Robert Dump]

It looks like they kept a bunch of features from the original native expansion and added a few more perks. Too bad it's standalone, though, as I would much rather copy/paste one of my other characters into the new campaign because I don't fancy starting from scratch.

that being said, how do you pick your guy for MP? Are there cookie-cutter versions, do you get X amount of SP, do you use your guy from the single player campaign? Looks like I may have a week to try this game out so I am thinking of picking it up in hopes it will be fixed when I get back stateside

[Crazed Rabbit]

You choose from character skill presets in multiplayer battles, usually either archer, infantry or cavalry. You can't customize skills, sadly. You can customize what equipment you choose beyond the starting equipment, provided you have enough money - the default starting money is 1000 denars. Equipment varies between the different factions. Killing people gets you more money to spend the next time you die.

You can customize your MP character's face (and have multiple MP characters), but I don't think you can import characters.

CR

[Major Robert Dump]

Servers are way too laggy for me. I thought I had a decent connection on base here, but apparently not, I can't do MP it is too slow

[Beskar]

What is Single Player like? Any major changes?

[al Roumi]

What is Single Player like? Any major changes?


If you wanted more SP campaign depth, Warband definitely has it. There's a nice starting quest, the ability to woo ladies*, meeting them in feasts after you've done well in a tournament, and marry them, or try to elope if their fathers don't approve, and internal realm politics between lords. There's bandit hideouts you can attack with a few men and wipe out resistance to gain the loot they've stolen.

There's a much bigger single player campaign map that at the same time feels more filled out.

*Different ladies have different temperaments, so different poems will appeal to them.

I'm not sure if this has the same try-before-you-buy as M&B (I think it does), if it does you can always DL and play a bit to see if you want to buy.

CR

There's also a whole new faction... The Sarranids. You can now make your NPC party members vassals (give them land) if you are king/ruler, campaign AI has apparently been improved (wasn't in the SP beta long enough to really comment from experience). There are also numerous smaller/more detailed improvements that make the SP game feel richer than it did before.

[rajpoot]

Right been playing it for a while now, and I have a serious problem with the animations. I hope the modding community finds some way to restore them back to the ones in the original game. The present ones, specially the ones on horseback with a two handed sword, have totally ruined the fun of cutting down bandits.
Aside from that it still retains the original M&B feel, which is a definite plus. I haven't found any of the younger ladies of the court as yet.....I think there's some sort of prerequisite before one can actually 'see' them in the cities/castles?
And I think this has been asked before, but, what's the deal with the lance? I can't seem to couch it....some special key combination or something?

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I think you press 'x' (and can only have it couched for a limited time). I think this was done to balance multiplayer.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Right been playing it for a while now, and I have a serious problem with the animations. I hope the modding community finds some way to restore them back to the ones in the original game. The present ones, specially the ones on horseback with a two handed sword, have totally ruined the fun of cutting down bandits.
Aside from that it still retains the original M&B feel, which is a definite plus. I haven't found any of the younger ladies of the court as yet.....I think there's some sort of prerequisite before one can actually 'see' them in the cities/castles?
And I think this has been asked before, but, what's the deal with the lance? I can't seem to couch it....some special key combination or something?

Apparently you have to go to feasts (held specially, like tournaments) to be able to meet them. And not just any lowly commoner can attend a feast.

And yes, the horseback swinging animations are not good. It doesn't swing at where you aim.

CR

[Major Robert Dump]

Okay got a good server tonight and had fun, but the FFA thing gets old fast, especially if you dont get in the game early. Joining late and fighting people with uber gear suxxor. Have yet to play a team match, but I would imagine some capture and holds would be pretty fun

[Mailman653]

I think you press 'x' (and can only have it couched for a limited time). I think this was done to balance multiplayer.

Lances aren't as fun anymore. It would of been nice if they kept the old style for SP and the new style for MP. I just bought a lance to try out vs some deserters, I couldn't hit one man.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Okay got a good server tonight and had fun, but the FFA thing gets old fast, especially if you dont get in the game early. Joining late and fighting people with uber gear suxxor. Have yet to play a team match, but I would imagine some capture and holds would be pretty fun

Yeah, deathmatch is really only good for practicing. Probably the least involving.

Don't worry about the high quality armor; it's not that worthwhile. It'll stop several more one handed sword cuts than the free armor, but you can still die in one swing from a big axe.

If anyone wants to play some MP with me, shoot me a message on steam (same user name).

CR

[rajpoot]

So, by the way, does anyone know what's happened to the Last Days mod? Their preview thread started by the mod's long lost chief dev was closed in December......anyone know if the mod's still going to be released or what?

[Prussian to the Iron]

just downloaded the demo. playing for the Sarrasids (sp?), its pretty cool. definitely more intricate than the first, though i have some trouble with the commands admittedly. probably going to buy the serial.

[Mailman653]

So, by the way, does anyone know what's happened to the Last Days mod? Their preview thread started by the mod's long lost chief dev was closed in December......anyone know if the mod's still going to be released or what?

:speechless:

[rajpoot]

What? What did I say?



Edit:
Err....you do know about the Last Days right? Lord of the Rings mod for M&B....?

[Beskar]

One thing that sort of bothered me about Mount and Blade makes it return in this one.

Where can I get a matching set of good quality armour/weapons/horses to outfit my champions with? I am a stickler for these, and it sort has always eaten at me how you couldn't even order black smiths to produce sets for you or anything either.

[Mailman653]

What? What did I say?
Edit:
Err....you do know about the Last Days right? Lord of the Rings mod for M&B....?

Of course I know what TLD is, :laugh4: you said nothing wrong. I'm just shocked that if TLD stopped development or something; it would be a terrible loss, it's one of the most fun mods for MB.

[Prussian to the Iron]

reached level limit (unsatisfyingly) tonight. total bull, especially since i was about to join the Sarrasids after beating a Rhodok army of about the same size.

[snip: we don't allow that kind of talk here. froggy]

[Beskar]

What is the level limit, Prussian Iron?

Also, is anyone here know lots about the game? I got a ton of questions, and there is no wiki or anything anywhere for the game.

Anyway, I am currently Stefan vi Britiannia of the Holy Britiannian Empire. I ended up in a large war with the Nord's while assisting Swadia (as I originally wanted to join Swadia who was at war with them) and did a long and bloody war with them, which ultimately resulted in the death of the Nord faction (since they refused Peace with me constantly and Swadia finished them off). I ended up getting Swadia to recognise my rule, but later the King asked for me to become his vassal, which I declined, which meant "lulz now I am at war at you", as it was frustrating enough that I had to kill the Nords, and now Swadia wants a long bloody war when I don't want a war at all. etc etc etc

[Veho Nex]

I know a little I might be able to help with, I've been asking questions all over the net the past few days.

[Beskar]

For example, I ended up working for the claimment for Swadia. They are now the ruler, etc etc.. why do I still have the quest? Also when I finished it, why did it come up with "NO STRINGS!" for the text?

Why does my character keep going green/blue/etc while inside buildings?

Ok, those were just part of the big bunch of bugs I have come across.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Beskar, the limit on the trial is either 7 or 8.

anyway, got the full version. amazing. I am currently playing Sassanids, who are only at war with the Rhodoks. because of this, I think I will switch from an all-infantry force to a more cavalry oriented force, the only weakness being the rhodok spear reliance.......


anyone have any strategies to beat Rhodok spear and crossbow as Sassanids (yes i know its Sarassids, i just remember Sassanids better)?


my guy is looooooaaaddeeeeeeddd with cash from pillaging Rhodoks. basically, I kept trying and getting caught by huge armies, so I waited. when the Rhodoks nearly drained their entire armed forces into the invasion of our lands, I swept in, crippling every village I found, and only occassionally running into someone I need to run from.

meanwhile, the Rhodoks are gang-banging all of our lords just east of Shariz, while our king does nothing. starting to get annoying trying to run the gauntlet over there. once I get some more experience to get more leadership skill, you better believe I'll be hanging "The Sassanids Want YOU" posters all over the villages east of the invasion force.

[Kekvit Irae]

The way I see it, Warband is an insult. 30 dollars for a patch. A FREAKIN' PATCH. And there are STILL a crapload of bugs in the game!

[Crazed Rabbit]

Surely you jest.

Warband has Multiplayer.

It has a greatly expanded single player campaign, both in breadth and depth.

It is no mere patch.

Bugs it has, sadly. But the devs have released three patches already.

CR

[Vuk]

The way I see it, Warband is an insult. 30 dollars for a patch. A FREAKIN' PATCH. And there are STILL a crapload of bugs in the game!

I disagree Kekvit. While yes, I don't think that it is enough new stuff to warrant $30 (I think $20 would have been more appropriate), it is certainly more than a patch. There has actually been a ton of stuff added that really does make it an expansion pack. As long as they release modding tools with it, I will not be disappointed.

[Prussian to the Iron]

The way I see it, Warband is an insult. 30 dollars for a patch. A FREAKIN' PATCH. And there are STILL a crapload of bugs in the game!

i disagree. even though $30 is outrageous, and should be reduced to maybe $10, it is not a patch. it is a expansion, adding Multiplayer, a whole new faction, new unit trees, new equipment, a greatly expanded map, more locations, more people, etc. i could go on, but the point is that it is not a patch.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

$10? Taleworlds isn't a charity

[Veho Nex]

I wouldnt mind 20$, 'cause that would bring it down to an affordable level for a poor man like me.

[al Roumi]

I guess it depends on how much you paid for the original, but for me, the £25 to get Warband from gamersgate is well worth it.

After a short bandit killing and tourney career, I joined the Nords -who are the only faction to not have been at war with anyone since the game started. That, however, hasn't actually frustrated my ambitions as I singlehandedly (well, with about 20 Huscarls & 30 odd Nord veterans...) stormed & captured the nearest Vaegir castle (Ismiraila) to my village fief (Fearichen), and thanks to some careful renown timing (circa 400), was granted the castle and nearby village by 'ole King Ragnar -which was nice of him i thought. Especially as he then berated me (-2 relationship !) for provoking people he wasn't at war with... pansy.

My wife, who i'd romanced and been granted approval to wed by her Nord father, joined me in the castle. To celebrate my ascent to power, we held a feast to which all Nord nobles were invited, and for which I had to gather all manner of exotic ingredients from throughout the land (dodging the odd vaegir lord's party of course...). Now i'm trying to build on the favour I gained with lrds for holding the feast, to learn their dirty secrets and play the political game. Ragnar might not initialy like it much but a good war with the Vaegirs will do wonders for the Nords' power -and mine, of course...

[rajpoot]

Blame the price on Paradox. And the bugs. I mean these were the people who gave us Mount and Blade......the only game ever, far as I know, which had gamers suggesting how it should me made right since the early stages when walking inside a city was a big new thing....If there are bugs, the only explanation is that they're there because the devs had to hurry to meet publisher deadlines.
And one has to give them credit. hardly a week after the game was released they released a patch to fix one of the biggest gripes people were having with the game, couching of the lance.

[Kekvit Irae]

And one has to give them credit. hardly a week after the game was released they released a patch to fix one of the biggest gripes people were having with the game, couching of the lance.

I checked the 1.104 and 1.103 changelog (I'm using 1.1), and the option to have an automatic couched lance will DEFINITELY make the game much more enjoyable for me (I use an all-cavalry army, and personally use a lance as my primary weapon). Making lances couch manually is fine by me in multiplayer, but since I have absolutely NO interest in multiplayer, it's an insult to me that they would even think of putting in a multiplayer balance issue in the single-player game prior to this patch. If I want to be cheap in SP, that's my own right.

Still, the bugs present in 1.104 (specifically the kill logs in battles) is enough to make me avoid the patch until they fix it. I quit and reload a save whenever one of my Sword Sisters dies, and if I don't know who is dying then I'll stick with a more stable version (I'm trying hard not to laugh) in the meantime.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying the game for what it's worth. My collected thoughts:
Besieging castles is a lot harder than what I remember from M&B Vanilla 0.951 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aX-Cfxr5kw). I cant put my finger on the problem. My paltry 55 troops can barely kill half of the usual 150 troops stationed inside before my troops die.
Rhodoks still suck because of the lack of cavalry, which always makes them a favorite to run down in a field battle. The Khanate is still a major annoyance to my all-cavalry army, but at least my Sword Sisters are equipped with Spirited Corsairs which allows them to run down the slower Khergit horses (the same cant be said about my 20+ Swadian Knights).
Even with Persuasion at 6, massive amounts of renown (thanks to running down hordes of Rhodoks), and the available number of eligible bachelors, my girl is still unmarried.
What does Hono(u)r do? I've been releasing all captured lords for reputation, but I still haven't figured out what Hono(u)r does.
I recruit companions simply to send them off on Right of Rule missions. I keep three in reserve for their skills, though. Speaking of Right of Rule, I find it odd I gain that whenever Swadia (my current nation) declares peace.
You know what I would like to see? More variety in siege weapons. Catapults, trebuchets, boiling oil, ballistas, battering rams... Or maybe I've just been playing Dark Age of Camelot a bit too much. The title of this thread is Sweet Realistic Medieval Combat... but there's nothing sweet nor realistic about attacking a heavily fortified castle without supporting siege weapons.

[rajpoot]

:D Modding tools will be out soon. You can bet that they release some siege mods within the month.

Honour basically (AFAIK) makes the 'good' lords like you more. When you gain honour there's a general increase in the approval rating of all the good npcs. For instance, in my game, many times I met a lord whom I'd never met before or done any missions for, who had an approval rating of 15+ for my character. This means more 'friendly' lords.
As far as right to rule is concerned I can't make the head or tail of it. I've been sitting at 3 since ages, and can't think of a way to increase it. Am not recruiting companions right now, since I believe they still have this system where they'll quarrel amongst themselves and leave the party for good. Don't want that. Not so early in the game.
Did get married though. Turns out it's not as much fun as one might imagine it to be. All you get to do, is throw parties to increase your renown (I threw a party and got +72 renown when it ended) and the wife suggests what can be done from time to time, to increase standing in the realm, which takes form of a quest.

What's not working out is, that they still seem to have the random system for the persuasion game? I invested in persuasion and charisma both, yet, many times, my character has '0' effect on the person in front....? Does not make sense.

[al Roumi]

What does Hono(u)r do? I've been releasing all captured lords for reputation, but I still haven't figured out what Hono(u)r does.

I think it is more an indication of your character's RPG esque alignment (good/evil). As a factor, this is meant to affect your relationship with NPC lords', based on the comparison of each, e.g. some lords will tell you they dislike someone because of their chivalry (+honour) or recklessness (-honour?). But I'm only guessing.

[al Roumi]

Did get married though. Turns out it's not as much fun as one might imagine it to be. All you get to do, is throw parties to increase your renown (I threw a party and got +72 renown when it ended) and the wife suggests what can be done from time to time, to increase standing in the realm, which takes form of a quest.

LOL, I never knew M&B was a sim. Joking aside, I found that courtship is more fun in the game than the married phase. Anyway, I'm glad we haven't had to endure an M&B "Hot Coffee" mod yet :laugh:

[Prussian to the Iron]

I checked the 1.104 and 1.103 changelog (I'm using 1.1), and the option to have an automatic couched lance will DEFINITELY make the game much more enjoyable for me (I use an all-cavalry army, and personally use a lance as my primary weapon). Making lances couch manually is fine by me in multiplayer, but since I have absolutely NO interest in multiplayer, it's an insult to me that they would even think of putting in a multiplayer balance issue in the single-player game prior to this patch. If I want to be cheap in SP, that's my own right.

Still, the bugs present in 1.104 (specifically the kill logs in battles) is enough to make me avoid the patch until they fix it. I quit and reload a save whenever one of my Sword Sisters dies, and if I don't know who is dying then I'll stick with a more stable version (I'm trying hard not to laugh) in the meantime.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying the game for what it's worth. My collected thoughts:
Besieging castles is a lot harder than what I remember from M&B Vanilla 0.951 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aX-Cfxr5kw). I cant put my finger on the problem. My paltry 55 troops can barely kill half of the usual 150 troops stationed inside before my troops die.
Rhodoks still suck because of the lack of cavalry, which always makes them a favorite to run down in a field battle. The Khanate is still a major annoyance to my all-cavalry army, but at least my Sword Sisters are equipped with Spirited Corsairs which allows them to run down the slower Khergit horses (the same cant be said about my 20+ Swadian Knights).
Even with Persuasion at 6, massive amounts of renown (thanks to running down hordes of Rhodoks), and the available number of eligible bachelors, my girl is still unmarried.
What does Hono(u)r do? I've been releasing all captured lords for reputation, but I still haven't figured out what Hono(u)r does.
I recruit companions simply to send them off on Right of Rule missions. I keep three in reserve for their skills, though. Speaking of Right of Rule, I find it odd I gain that whenever Swadia (my current nation) declares peace.
You know what I would like to see? More variety in siege weapons. Catapults, trebuchets, boiling oil, ballistas, battering rams... Or maybe I've just been playing Dark Age of Camelot a bit too much. The title of this thread is Sweet Realistic Medieval Combat... but there's nothing sweet nor realistic about attacking a heavily fortified castle without supporting siege weapons.


oh yeah...the couching. one of the worst ideas to ever happen in M&B. I dont play MP, so i hate that its on campaign as well. most of the time, I start to couch just a split second late, and then it un-couches right before i make contact. recharge time is stupid too, as well as the fact that half the time, even when I make full contact on an un-shielded enemy, with the lance fully couched, at full speed, it often does no damage, doesnt break shields if they have it, and just stops my horse when I run into them, bogging me down.

not done any siege battles yet.....i hope to capture a Vaegir castle soon. filled with arches though, so i'm not sure if i should try.


Kekvit, how do you deal with the Rhodok Sergeants? it seems like the first 2 tiers for Rhodoks are old hat, easy to sweep away with even recruits. after that though, the Veteran Spearmen and Sergeants just destroy my guys, and the spears make cavalry attacks difficult.

[Kekvit Irae]

Anyway, I'm glad we haven't had to endure an M&B "Hot Coffee" mod yet :laugh:

With the internet, you never know...

[johnhughthom]

oh yeah...the couching. one of the worst ideas to ever happen in M&B. I dont play MP, so i hate that its on campaign as well. most of the time, I start to couch just a split second late, and then it un-couches right before i make contact. recharge time is stupid too, as well as the fact that half the time, even when I make full contact on an un-shielded enemy, with the lance fully couched, at full speed, it often does no damage, doesnt break shields if they have it, and just stops my horse when I run into them, bogging me down.

Sounds like you want a kill button. The game is too generous with couching as it is, if you start to go up or down a steep hill you will uncouch. I have never failed to damage an enemy I am aiming at properly, couching is harder than in the original but it was ludicrously powerful then. As for the cooldown, couch, switch to sword, kill with your sword, switch back to lance. Easy.


how do you deal with the Rhodok Sergeants? it seems like the first 2 tiers for Rhodoks are old hat, easy to sweep away with even recruits. after that though, the Veteran Spearmen and Sergeants just destroy my guys, and the spears make cavalry attacks difficult.

What cavalry are you using? I'm using myself, nine companions on horses, 7 Sarranid Mamlukes and 3 Sword Sisters and just run over 3 50+ Rhodok armies in quick succession.

[Kekvit Irae]

Kekvit, how do you deal with the Rhodok Sergeants? it seems like the first 2 tiers for Rhodoks are old hat, easy to sweep away with even recruits. after that though, the Veteran Spearmen and Sergeants just destroy my guys, and the spears make cavalry attacks difficult.

I just use my Swadian Knights to run them down. If the cavalry charge is halted by a group of Rhodoks, my knights are dead. I issue a Follow Me order to prevent this. Archers are virtually worthless against Rhodoks, since even the lowest scum have board shields.

[al Roumi]

I have one answer for Rhodock infantry, and it comes in many sizes of axe. Nord melee infantry! As for their weakness to Cavalry charges, that's where a nice mix of Rhodock spears and Nord sociopaths comes into its own. Lezalit ain't wrong at all...

[White_eyes:D]

I just use my Swadian Knights to run them down. If the cavalry charge is halted by a group of Rhodoks, my knights are dead. I issue a Follow Me order to prevent this. Archers are virtually worthless against Rhodoks, since even the lowest scum have board shields.Try facing the Rhodocks in a castle and you will see why, Rhodocks is a strong faction.(If your the defenseive type:yes:)

Example:I just finished being in a war with the Khergit faction and won some pretty big battles....of course, I never used any of own men unless, I had to by telling them to "hold position" at the edge of the map.(The other Lords used there men for the grinder:bounce:)

After peace was declared....I went nuts waiting for another war.:furious3: Finally, Swadia declared war on Rhodocks and we marched on one of there castles....it was a Slaughter.:embarassed: 700 vs. 95 Rhodocks didn't seem like much....but on that one battle alone,
(before I was wounded) so many arrows hit us from all directions that we lost over 50 guys before they even reached the ladder:jawdrop:

Fighting them in the field is simple...taking there castles is HARD.:brood:

[Kekvit Irae]

Try facing the Rhodocks in a castle and you will see why, Rhodocks is a strong faction.(If your the defenseive type:yes:)

I have. One castle siege and 75% of my troops dead, I decided it wasn't worth it. If there's one thing that Rhodoks are good at, it's castle defense. Just as Khergits can tear you a new one on the field, but have such pathetic armor and infantry that they fall easily in siege defense.

[Madoushi]

Well, I finally caved and bought the game, and am in the terrible starting phase where even common Looters can be hard to run down.

I tried the MP, and it was pretty neat, although I got discouraged pretty fast when I had 1 kill to 45 deaths. Without a horse, you're just in big trouble, and it wouldn't let me buy a horse, so yeah.

The new map, faction and merchant quests are pretty neat. As I'm still just starting, and basically just running around with a dozen Vaegir Recruits, I can't speak on any of the other new plot features like marriage or feasts.

Before I knew how to couch my lance in M&B, I found combat a nightmare. Not even that it was hard, but more that it took forever, since the enemy could rarely hit me, and I could rarely hit them. Countless times I'd thrust with my lance, watch the tip pass right through a head or shoulder or torso, but deal no damage because it didn't hit the hitbox.
I don't mind things like auto-couch or a wider mounter sword radius, because for me they make up for the fact I have to play using a 2D monitor. If they wanted to balance combat, formations would have gone a longer way, IMO.

I'm sure I'll enjoy the game more when I have a few months worth of game-time under my belt. I really hate the starting phases, though, so for now I'm just trying to grind it out.

[Kekvit Irae]

Well, I finally caved and bought the game, and am in the terrible starting phase where even common Looters can be hard to run down.

I tried the MP, and it was pretty neat, although I got discouraged pretty fast when I had 1 kill to 45 deaths. Without a horse, you're just in big trouble, and it wouldn't let me buy a horse, so yeah.

The new map, faction and merchant quests are pretty neat. As I'm still just starting, and basically just running around with a dozen Vaegir Recruits, I can't speak on any of the other new plot features like marriage or feasts.

Before I knew how to couch my lance in M&B, I found combat a nightmare. Not even that it was hard, but more that it took forever, since the enemy could rarely hit me, and I could rarely hit them. Countless times I'd thrust with my lance, watch the tip pass right through a head or shoulder or torso, but deal no damage because it didn't hit the hitbox.
I don't mind things like auto-couch or a wider mounter sword radius, because for me they make up for the fact I have to play using a 2D monitor. If they wanted to balance combat, formations would have gone a longer way, IMO.

I'm sure I'll enjoy the game more when I have a few months worth of game-time under my belt. I really hate the starting phases, though, so for now I'm just trying to grind it out.

You'll eventually get used to manually thrusting with a lance. I find it's easier to charge a little to the left of a target. If you charge head on, then more than likely your horse will hit the enemy before your lance does. The game does calculate the momentum of a thrust, which is nice, so hitting an enemy mid-thrust will do more damage then having your lance fully extended. Another tip I can offer is to aim low. Aiming straight on will result in a miss 95% of the time, whereas aiming for center mass will net you good results.

And the early part does suck, but that's what Recruits are there for. Recruit a good number of Recruits, charge headlong into a group of enemies, distract them until the Recruits can catch up, then lance the enemies in the back while they are busy fighting someone else. If a Recruit dies, no biggy, just hire more. And a maxing out your Surgery goes a LONG way in preserving your troops. I find it's easier to increase STR and CHA to about 9 or 12, then pumping everything into INT. Not only do you get an extra skill point per INT point, but your Surgery maximum increases every 3 INT. I'm currently at 6 Surgery which helps greatly if things go badly.

[Major Robert Dump]

I like to play on hard setting. But I hate starting a new character. So here is what I do:

Put diff on easy. Buy about 15 recruits. Go from village to village forcing them to give you supplies that you will immediately sell as you go from town to town, because you are going from town to town checking the tavern for the book merchant. Buy every book that adds a skill (not the +1 while in inventory crap). Logic is most important, as it gives u an intelligence point which gives u an extra skill point. Trade, weapons master, tactics, engineer are good, too, but the secondmost important is the life of alexander because it adds to leadership...which means you can control better parties without having to necessarily dump points in charisma early on.

If you want hit some tournaments up too for weapons xp and a few levels, but this takes longer than stealing from villages and doesnt pay as well.

By the time you find the book merchant, go camp somewhere in a secluded corner....read all your books semi-afk.....then go sell them and sell everything else you have.

Export character.

Start new game, import character.

Wash rinse repeat, I suggest at least 5 times.

Now start your real game of the hardest setting, with some skill points banked and a couple levels ahead of the curve. Much more fun, imo, especially if you play no-save realistic.

[Crandaeolon]

I prefer to just edit the exported character file or, heaven forbid, use cheats! :laugh4: To be honest, M&B campaign mode is rather grindy. Doing it once should be enough.

[Vuk]

I prefer to just edit the exported character file or, heaven forbid, use cheats! :laugh4: To be honest, M&B campaign mode is rather grindy. Doing it once should be enough.

Or you can play the VFGR mod and it will take you a few months to conquer the campaign, and doing it again will be fun all over again. ~;)

[miotas]

oh yeah...the couching. one of the worst ideas to ever happen in M&B. I dont play MP, so i hate that its on campaign as well. most of the time, I start to couch just a split second late, and then it un-couches right before i make contact. recharge time is stupid too, as well as the fact that half the time, even when I make full contact on an un-shielded enemy, with the lance fully couched, at full speed, it often does no damage, doesnt break shields if they have it, and just stops my horse when I run into them, bogging me down.

That sounds pretty good actually. When playing Mount and Blade I prefer to use a spear rather than a lance because I find the unbreakable-super-lances-of-death to be unrealistic and boring. One of the best things about Mount and Blade is that the it isn't just about stats, your skill as a player is quite important as well. Point and kill, how's that fun? I'll have to look in to getting Warband when my finances permit.

[al Roumi]

I can't deny that starting a completely new character is a complete grind, where you are made to feel your weakness and vulnerability rather ruthlessly. Anyone actualy played a new character without the ability to save? Man, I would find that frustrating.

IMO, the sweet spot is when your char has 12 in Str and agility. You are good enough to be prominent in a melee, but you also have to be careful (not having massive army). The thing is, i find the proficiencies ratchet up quite fast too so it means most of my time playing SP is not with the same skill set as in Multiplayer. Which is then quite hard to adjust to e.g. horse archery in multiplayer isn't as accurate as i'm used to playing in SP...

[Prussian to the Iron]

am i the only one that thinks the early game is easy? I find that massing 20 or so recruits in the first day and attacking deserters helps, especially since you can then recruit the deserters.


does anyone consider it cheating using the Ctrl + F9 cheat (Slow-motion)? I find it sometimes necessary, since the hit boxes are so crappy sometimes, I need to slow it down to aim perfectly. I am proud to say, however, that I only do like 2 or 3 cheats including that one, the other 2 being leveling up my companions to 5 or 6 early on, and teleporting away if some massive army of foot troops is somehow out-running my army of maybe 1/4 the size and a mix of cavalry and foot.

[al Roumi]

does anyone consider it cheating using the Ctrl + F9 cheat (Slow-motion)? I find it sometimes necessary, since the hit boxes are so crappy sometimes, I need to slow it down to aim perfectly. I am proud to say, however, that I only do like 2 or 3 cheats including that one, the other 2 being leveling up my companions to 5 or 6 early on, and teleporting away if some massive army of foot troops is somehow out-running my army of maybe 1/4 the size and a mix of cavalry and foot.

yeah, then i can see how it might be easy.

[Crazed Rabbit]

am i the only one that thinks the early game is easy?...
I only do like 2 or 3 cheats...I need to slow it down to aim perfectly... leveling up my companions to 5 or 6 early on, and teleporting away if some massive army of foot troops is somehow out-running my army of maybe 1/4 the size and a mix of cavalry and foot.

Easy, you say? I wonder why?
:rolleyes:

CR

[rajpoot]

By the way is it just me or is everyone's poleaxe no longer couching neither manually nor automatically?

[Kekvit Irae]

By the way is it just me or is everyone's poleaxe no longer couching neither manually nor automatically?

Nothing couches anymore except lances. :furious3:
This annoys me to no end since I loved using a couched quarterstaff when running down peasant women.

[miotas]

am i the only one that thinks the early game is easy? I find that massing 20 or so recruits in the first day and attacking deserters helps, especially since you can then recruit the deserters.

Depends on how you play, starting as a swordsman can be quite hard whereas starting as a horse archer is quite easy. I also enjoy the early game and find the late game can get rather tedious, although Warband sounds as if it may have addressed this somewhat. I also don't cheat either, you can't die so what's the point?

[Beskar]

They should keep couching manual, but improve how it actually works. They should make it so if you couch, you find it difficult to steer (for obvious reasons) and just you pretty much destroy anything in your path.

What bothers me more is the thrust bug as I generally use two-handed or one-handed swords. Thrust basically doesn't work and just makes your character animation spasm around. Have to use swords with swing only or keep side-stepping and hope and pray the sword swings. They could make it easier by assigning swing and thrust to two different buttons.


Easy, you say? I wonder why?

CR

:laugh4: , reminds me of Rome:Total War and M2TW with the console cheats. I bet he abused them too.

If you want hard though, try setting up an independent empire. It is very frustrating, on mine my main save, I own about half the map with around 30-ish vassals, but it is annoying how the NPC's basically don't do anything, and you are constantly running backwards and forwards to attack and defend. Seige towers are the bane of my campaign. I constantly have to stop building them to defend, and in one instance, I had to stop trying to capture a city over 20 odd times, just because I had to go to defend.

Then I learnt that there really is a big advantage in capturing nobles as prisoners (orginally just released them) as they would return with like 50 men in a couple of days to attack you.



Lastest Frustration: Do not garrison units in a city you captured unless you are willing to lose them. I put my very experienced army in a city, along with 3 noble prisoners I captured in a battle, thinking I would get the city, I didn't. I lost my 120 man army and my prisoners. Curse you Khaaannn!!!!!!

[Major Robert Dump]

I can't deny that starting a completely new character is a complete grind, where you are made to feel your weakness and vulnerability rather ruthlessly. Anyone actualy played a new character without the ability to save? Man, I would find that frustrating.

IMO, the sweet spot is when your char has 12 in Str and agility. You are good enough to be prominent in a melee, but you also have to be careful (not having massive army). The thing is, i find the proficiencies ratchet up quite fast too so it means most of my time playing SP is not with the same skill set as in Multiplayer. Which is then quite hard to adjust to e.g. horse archery in multiplayer isn't as accurate as i'm used to playing in SP...


I have played multiple new campaigns on no save and I guess that is why I don't care to start oer anymore. Once you get a character up to a high enough level, specialties really become generalized and auxiliarry skills can actually be utilized. I also like to start my own empirt and make vassels and hero armies since having 8 unkillable in your army is kind of gay.

How do you modify the export char file and what is this VFGR mod Vuk is talking about? I need to stock up on single player content to keep me occupied in the dcoming months.

[Vuk]

I have played multiple new campaigns on no save and I guess that is why I don't care to start oer anymore. Once you get a character up to a high enough level, specialties really become generalized and auxiliarry skills can actually be utilized. I also like to start my own empirt and make vassels and hero armies since having 8 unkillable in your army is kind of gay.

How do you modify the export char file and what is this VFGR mod Vuk is talking about? I need to stock up on single player content to keep me occupied in the dcoming months.

Tada! (http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,54137.45.html) ~;)

[Beskar]

Tada! (http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,54137.45.html) ~;)

Hey Vuk, since you are a modder, if I list you a couple of things which I personally think would improve the game. Would you able to point me in the right direction so I can do them myself, or even like those ideas enough to implement them yourself? :wink:

For pure example, I would like each faction only able to supply that factions armour/weapons. So go to a Rhodok town, you buy Rhodok stuff, go to a Swadian town, you can by Swadian stuff. Also, in generating this content, allow multiple different sets, for some reason, I like equipping my companions in similar looking gear, so in my Sarrinaid game, majority of my party are all look like Mamuluks. You won't believe this, but all the Sarrinaid towns all had Vaegir helmets, Nord swords, Khergit bows.... where on earth was the Sarrinaid Stuff? :p

[Major Robert Dump]

Thanks Vuk

[Vuk]

Thanks Vuk

No problem. ~;) Enjoy! :)


Hey Vuk, since you are a modder, if I list you a couple of things which I personally think would improve the game. Would you able to point me in the right direction so I can do them myself, or even like those ideas enough to implement them yourself? :wink:

For pure example, I would like each faction only able to supply that factions armour/weapons. So go to a Rhodok town, you buy Rhodok stuff, go to a Swadian town, you can by Swadian stuff. Also, in generating this content, allow multiple different sets, for some reason, I like equipping my companions in similar looking gear, so in my Sarrinaid game, majority of my party are all look like Mamuluks. You won't believe this, but all the Sarrinaid towns all had Vaegir helmets, Nord swords, Khergit bows.... where on earth was the Sarrinaid Stuff? :p

I would be happy to give you advice if I know it (or possibly to make changes for you if I can). Unfortunately, I do not know if it is even possible to make faction gear available for purchase only in a city of that faction. You could ask in the Taleworlds modding forum, but I am pretty sure that that cannot be done. Why don't you PM me with your other questions and I will do my best to answer them (hopefully better than this one :P).

[Madoushi]

So I was in a tournament, thought I'd be an easy way to make some cash like in M&B.
Last round is me on a horse with a lance against a Sword Sister with a two handed sword.. and she destroyed me.
I couldn't land a single hit, neither by thrusting nor couching. Heavily disappointing.

[Beskar]

So I was in a tournament, thought I'd be an easy way to make some cash like in M&B.
Last round is me on a horse with a lance against a Sword Sister with a two handed sword.. and she destroyed me.
I couldn't land a single hit, neither by thrusting nor couching. Heavily disappointing.

Yeah, you have to time lances hits like 3 seconds before they actually hit. Really annoying. One way of getting around it, is to dismount, and just keep ramming your lance in their horse (the horses seem to wall hump a lot), once the sword sister drops to the ground, keep kicking her ('e') and ta-da, you won.


I would be happy to give you advice if I know it (or possibly to make changes for you if I can). Unfortunately, I do not know if it is even possible to make faction gear available for purchase only in a city of that faction. You could ask in the Taleworlds modding forum, but I am pretty sure that that cannot be done. Why don't you PM me with your other questions and I will do my best to answer them (hopefully better than this one :P).

Hah, I would change it to only certain cities could do 'x' gear, or however the game engine sorts out the shops. (I don't even know that)

I will get all my whirms into a list, I sort of come up with ideas "as and when", as it were. Such as "Why can't I build a school, mill and watch tower at the same time?".

[Madoushi]

She was on foot, I was mounted.
I even tried manually thrusting the lance into her, but I couldn't get it to hit, and each hit from her sword did massive damage, even when I was blocking.
I had no idea you could kick, though

[Prussian to the Iron]

Easy, you say? I wonder why?
:rolleyes:

CR

okay, but when you think about it, it makes no sense that a far larger force be going faster, I should be able to hide out smoewhere in the woods or mountains, and I cannot rely on bridges across rivers to give me a bottle-neck like in Total War. I usually use Slo-Mo only with couching, since it is overly difficult with the crappy hitboxes and removal of auto-couching. and the companions....well lets just say they play a mainly non-combat role sine they get knocked out every battle. usually use them to reduce build time on improvements and help me track enemies, which isnt bad.


They should keep couching manual, but improve how it actually works. They should make it so if you couch, you find it difficult to steer (for obvious reasons) and just you pretty much destroy anything in your path.

What bothers me more is the thrust bug as I generally use two-handed or one-handed swords. Thrust basically doesn't work and just makes your character animation spasm around. Have to use swords with swing only or keep side-stepping and hope and pray the sword swings. They could make it easier by assigning swing and thrust to two different buttons.



:laugh4: , reminds me of Rome:Total War and M2TW with the console cheats. I bet he abused them too.


yeah, i hated thrusting, so i decided to use Sabres and Scimitars, which fits for my Sarranid character.

and yes, I abused console cheats :blush:

[pevergreen]

ignore this post, fixed it meself.

[Major Robert Dump]

Any idea if playing no-save vs save + more lag?

I messed around with warban for a few days exploring, practicing, learning new mechanics on save mode. Imported my guy in for my "official" game on no-save with normal/normal damage......and my battles lag. Even the tiny ones. Me confuse, as that never happened when I was practicing

[Beskar]

yeah, i hated thrusting, so i decided to use Sabres and Scimitars, which fits for my Sarranid character.

Yes, my latest creation is a Sarranid too. Female and Commoner too, since it is more difficult. One thing I have noticed, is that Kergit Khan's provinces are very arabic styled, which redeems the fact I won't be owning Shariz any time soon.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

I remember "sound variation" in the configure/audio options at startup causing lag in my game. Sometimes the music does too (can be turned off). If there's lag even in small battles that might be it.

[Raz]

I love Vuk's faction and gameplay rework mod!! :D :2thumbsup:

Thanks Vuk, it's what vanilla M&B should have been.

[Prussian to the Iron]

look at this guy, talking about M&B not warband!

[Vuk]

I love Vuk's faction and gameplay rework mod!! :D :2thumbsup:

Thanks Vuk, it's what vanilla M&B should have been.

Thanks much, I am glad that you like it. ~;) It was supposed to be the last release until Warband, but I have made some very awesome changes and will be releasing a new version in the near future. I have done it all now, but add spear bracing. I am working on that now.


look at this guy, talking about M&B not warband!

Come on, VFGR mod is better than Warband. ~;)

[Kekvit Irae]

Mental note: Never try to start your own kingdom.

I got into a war with the Vaegirs and the Nords (the Nords because of a random chance for some reason). I couldn't take on the Vaegir army, so I started attacking the Nords. I captured one castle, and then their army showed up. Even with my newly-gained vassal with 100 troops, I was outnumbered 150 to 800. I sat inside the castle waiting for the Nords to assault, and eventually I whittled them down after a few assaults to 500 (with only a few casualties on my side). I figured I could win this by attrition... until their second army showed up and boosted the Nord numbers to 1700. With a Battle Advantage of -27, all my troops were dead within a minute.

[rajpoot]

I got into a war with the Vaegirs and the Nords (the Nords because of a random chance for some reason). I couldn't take on the Vaegir army, so I started attacking the Nords. I captured one castle, and then their army showed up. Even with my newly-gained vassal with 100 troops, I was outnumbered 150 to 800. I sat inside the castle waiting for the Nords to assault, and eventually I whittled them down after a few assaults to 500 (with only a few casualties on my side). I figured I could win this by attrition... until their second army showed up and boosted the Nord numbers to 1700. With a Battle Advantage of -27, all my troops were dead within a minute.

This is one thing I like about Mount and Blade, tide turns so quickly, almost like real life.
As for your battle, all you need now is a bard to write a poem about it :grin:

[Madoushi]

I need to make a mental note to save more often.
The AI seems a lot cannier in this game. I had my army wiped out trying to scout a castle at night, because any time I'd start to get close enough to scout it, Jarl Olaf would sortie and I'd have to run. One time he caught me and I had to start sacrificing recruits to get away. I ran out of recruits before I could get back to Curaw and got taken prisoner, costing me all my trade goods, my horse and failing me six missions. That was no good. :nod:

So I restarted, things were going great untill I accepted a mission to rescue some Lordling from Tihr. Needless to say I never got CLOSE to Tihr as Lords rode out from all over to intercept me. Once again, can't retreat, taken prisoner, held for days, lose most of my stuff...

It's hard to get a break in this game. :smile:
Maybe I should learn some of those console commands.. and maybe some Total War console commands, while I'm at it.

[Major Robert Dump]

Yeah anyway my problem was AV scans and Windows updates coming unexpected.


Anyway....running game on full battle size is a new twist.....no more initial army steamrolls + gank at reinforcement points....

And i especially love the way castels work on full battle size....the whoile team shows up for assault and defense, not 30-40 at a tme, which could be exploited on assault and defensnse

so far my most efective army has been 80% missleds with 20% cav to break any enemy who gets close enough. This fails plenty, but is better than the altnernatives that i have tried. Fulll cav armies are too expensive until i get a castle. In previous game, i would assault castels with all ranged and wear them down.....but with the big battles that is not nearly as effective

[rajpoot]

Full cavalry armies with high tier troops are good against moderate odds. But against very high odds, and when fighting against totally infantry based armies, like Nords or Rodhoks, I've noticed that they tend to get mired down amongst the enemy and then get hacked to bits. I wish the AI had been slightly better in this case and attacked at the edges of the enemy formation insted of running right into them (after the the infantry is cleverer now...I was pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of sea raiders form up into a sort of tight group and move all together, when my cavalry closed in).
Anyhow, against high odds, IMO infantry, with a bit of ranged support is the best option. Make the units stand ground, with the inf a bit forward and slightly lower than the ranged. Always works. If not due to tactical soundness, then due to AI weakness. But works, nonetheless.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Question: Do you have to have a STEAM account to play the game? Saw the disk in a shop today, and it said it required a STEAM account, but the (slightly more expensive) online download seems to run direct throught Tale Worlds.

Anyone have an answer?

[Crazed Rabbit]

No, you don't need Steam.

I have steam, but I DL'd it from Taleworlds and played online without my steam account on.

CR

[Madoushi]

I still feel that due to mobility, cavalry is better than infantry.
Obviously, there are situations where this isn't so, but most of those can be avoided through tactics, especially if it's cavalry with ranged weapons

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

No, you don't need Steam.

I have steam, but I DL'd it from Taleworlds and played online without my steam account on.

CR

Thanks CR, I bought it this evening.

Man, those Swadians are tough. My small-ish warband tried to flank an (outnumbered) force, only to be cut down by about 15 of thier nights, followed by a few infantry, whilst their main line repelled the warbands of two Jarls. we only won that one by force of numbers.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Thanks CR, I bought it this evening.

Man, those Swadians are tough. My small-ish warband tried to flank an (outnumbered) force, only to be cut down by about 15 of thier nights, followed by a few infantry, whilst their main line repelled the warbands of two Jarls. we only won that one by force of numbers.

the problem with flanking is that you:

1. cannot command them to turn anywhere other than right at the enemy
2. the a.i. goes instantly for the nearest enemy forces, meaning your flanking party will be attacked first.
3. unless using "follow me", your troops will simply fight the closest guy, and not try to flank.

[Major Robert Dump]

As far as cav getting mired up in hordes of infantry: try no to let them charge head on.

Instead, I like to issue them a "follow me" command, then head to the flank and have them either wait or continue to follow me. Typically as infantry gets hit from missle fire and nears your main line, the infantry will pull ahead of the archers and other units that are occupied, giving your cavalry a wider range of targets that are more spread out and less centralized. The downside to this is your horses ten to get killed by your archers from a flank charge, which leaves your cavalrymen on foot fighting for their lives. I prefer to keep them on follow and run through the line, so the cav follws me and gets their hits in as they pass. The obvious downside to this is if I get KO'd this plan kind of goes balls up

The head on cavalry charge is indeed bad AI as they all seem to go for the same 3 targets and end up mobbing up and losing momentum

[rajpoot]

Does anyone know some quick way to increase 'right to rule'....? It increases by 3 everytime a war ends, or when a companion does a mission. Very slow....anyone know how to do something to make it rise faster?

[Beskar]

Does anyone know some quick way to increase 'right to rule'....? It increases by 3 everytime a war ends, or when a companion does a mission. Very slow....anyone know how to do something to make it rise faster?

You get 10 points when they accept peace with your independent kingdom. 3 points per companion mission. 10 points if you recieve written acceptence of you as a monarch (ask nations who are at war with the nation you are at war with), gaining vassals (once my right to rule hit 50, it basically jumped to the cap of 99, due to the amount of vassals I got)

[rajpoot]

So basically one needs to defect and form a small kingdom before one can really gain right to rule.....tough.

[Beskar]

So basically one needs to defect and form a small kingdom before one can really gain right to rule.....tough.

Yeah, the "before" period is mainly to build up relations and marry into a good family. This makes defects and other things easier.

If you want a quick way to start your own kingdom, build up a decent sized army then take over a remote outpost like Nelag castle as this would be easy to defend, especially if they are at war at Khergit Kharnate.

[rajpoot]

Right, so at present I hold over 15 villages, 5 castles, and two cities, on day number 133. The king of Swadia and the other nobles like me enough that they simply give me whichever fief I want, and I've run out of ideas as to how to leave the vassalage and still keep my fiefs. I mean if I go and end it peacefully, face to face, the option to keep the lands is not given at all. And the other option, where you can leave the kingdom because you weren't granted a fief....well that just isn't happening. They keep giving me everything I ask for! :dizzy2:

On another note, I was trying see the other other what's the farthest an arrow can be shot, and was trying different bows, but couldn't make it out. So do arrows fly further with the longbow than the khergit bow? Or is just the damage and shooting speed difference?

[Prussian to the Iron]

i think, dont quote me, but i think that every projectile in its class of projectiles goes the same distance. so at any given angle, any bow shot at the exact same draw-time (holding down mouse button) will hit around the same distance.

i mean, not that it really makes a difference. they have enough range to shoot fairly far anyway; you dont really need them to shoot across the whole battlefield.

[rajpoot]

The word projectile brings back memories from Physics lectures at school :grin:
I actually used to tilde key to see if the arrow angle looked optimum for maximum distance......couldn't find the arrow afterward though.

[Prussian to the Iron]

tilde? what does that do?

[rajpoot]

The tilde pans the camera so as to give the player a more detached view of their character from a bit of distance.

By the way, I've been feeling the lack of blood in the game since the past few days. I remember in most mods for M&B there used to be this animation where blood would spray out when chopped or slashed someone....looked quiet neat and satisfying (:grin: that's the point of slashing isn't it). Anyway I was wondering if there is any such mod for Warband....or any way to make the blood spurt and spray?

[al Roumi]

By the way, I've been feeling the lack of blood in the game since the past few days. I remember in most mods for M&B there used to be this animation where blood would spray out when chopped or slashed someone....looked quiet neat and satisfying (:grin: that's the point of slashing isn't it). Anyway I was wondering if there is any such mod for Warband....or any way to make the blood spurt and spray?

Isn't there an option to turn it on/off? If it's on you should see you sword etc get stained with use.

[rajpoot]

There is an option to hide/show blood. That option is on. Still, the animation wasn't bloody enough. Anyway, I found a way tweak the animation on the official forums. One can change the magnitude of 'blood spurt' and the time it stays on screen by editing the particle_systems.txt file in the Native folder. Works only in SP.

[Beskar]

There is an option to hide/show blood. That option is on. Still, the animation wasn't bloody enough. Anyway, I found a way tweak the animation on the official forums. One can change the magnitude of 'blood spurt' and the time it stays on screen by editing the particle_systems.txt file in the Native folder. Works only in SP.

True, my character just randomly turns into a red smurf.

[Prussian to the Iron]

There is an option to hide/show blood. That option is on. Still, the animation wasn't bloody enough. Anyway, I found a way tweak the animation on the official forums. One can change the magnitude of 'blood spurt' and the time it stays on screen by editing the particle_systems.txt file in the Native folder. Works only in SP.

what line and stuff do you edit? link?

[Crazed Rabbit]

I'm sure you've all played M&B Warband and thought,
"Well this is nice, but I really want to play in a western setting with authentic weapons on cool maps with neat new game modes."

And now you can!

The 1866: Western mod MP beta has been released (http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,120647.0.html) and there will be a server up at 8 pm GMT TODAY to play with other people.

You can download it here. (http://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?id=2021)

I give this special mention because I made one map for the 1866 Mod, and you'll be able to play it today:
https://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7162/palouse1.jpg

So download and join so we can have fun shooting each other!

CR

[Prussian to the Iron]

looks great, might give it a DL

[Crazed Rabbit]

Well it appears the mod is very popular. There's about four servers up; two European, two American, to play on. Last night when I played all were populated.

So you can still download the mod and play online!

EDIT: Version 2 is out! http://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?id=2021

CR

[Prussian to the Iron]

does anyone know how courtship works?

I've been courting a lady for a very long while now, and her relation with me is 30. she wants to marry me, but her brother wont allow me. how can i get him to reverse his opinion, or get him out of the way without eloping?


obviously Warband.

[rajpoot]

How's your relation just 30? Everytime I've played the relation with the lady jumps right upto 100 the moment you start courting her.
Anyhow, do quests for her when she gives them to you. Meet her once a week. And as far as unwilling family is concerned, the only way to change that is to gain reputation with her brother, and become more renowned.
Also some like dedication of arena victories....all depends on the kind of lady really.

By the way, what background character did you choose.....I've never tried, but maybe it's harder to court if the character is not from a noble background.

[Mailman653]

Warband is on sale on Steam till tomorrow, $14.99 down from $29.99.

[Beskar]

does anyone know how courtship works?

I've been courting a lady for a very long while now, and her relation with me is 30. she wants to marry me, but her brother wont allow me. how can i get him to reverse his opinion, or get him out of the way without eloping?


obviously Warband.

Improve your relation with him.

[Prussian to the Iron]

i tried to play the 1886 mod MP, but i keep getting texture errors when i try. really making me mad.

anyway i dumped that chick. now im courting another girl whos dad pre-approved me. still her disposition is only like 20, and only goes up once when she gives the quest to visit her and i do. she doenst give me any other quests....

[Beskar]

i tried to play the 1886 mod MP, but i keep getting texture errors when i try. really making me mad.

anyway i dumped that chick. now im courting another girl whos dad pre-approved me. still her disposition is only like 20, and only goes up once when she gives the quest to visit her and i do. she doenst give me any other quests....

Sing poems to her.

[Prussian to the Iron]

nobody sells me any new poems! they always say i have the ones they are "best euqipped to teach", and its still only 20 after reading all of my poems to her.

[Mailman653]

nobody sells me any new poems! they always say i have the ones they are "best euqipped to teach", and its still only 20 after reading all of my poems to her.

Maybe it's not meant to be?:laugh4:

[Beskar]

The good brides are hard to get. Not simply because of the poor models used in the game either.

I am curious though, why none of the modders, akin to those who make "Better Body" mods for Oblivion, Fallout 3, etc haven't done one for Mount and Blade. I mean, some one could do something not to make all the women look ugly except the only one deemed not ugly are those with the tanned dark hair look.

[Mailman653]

I've d/l the Diplomacy mod but I don't know if this question is related to that mod.

For the daughters of lords and such, what does "Controversy" mean? The girl I have my eye on has a controversy of 12.

[Prussian to the Iron]

im not entirely sure, but i think it means you did something that isnt really acceptable, or you quarelled with someone. i know Eloping gets you controversy.


Anyway, I've now started my own kingdom, in response to Sultan Hakim not giving me Tulga or the castle next to it. Now the Northern Mameluke Empire(might change to Confederacy; anyone have any good ideas?) is conquering all the old Khergit lands, and hopefully starting a conquest back into Sarranid lands. However, I made a peace agreement with the Sultan on accident (even when you say "On second thought...", it still counts it as a peace agreement), so I have to wait until I can re-take Tulga, which has no garrison. any way to negate a peace agreement?

[rajpoot]

For the daughters of lords and such, what does "Controversy" mean? The girl I have my eye on has a controversy of 12.

Means they've been on the third page of Calradia Gazette for all the wrong reasons. :clown:

[Mailman653]

I've never seen this but I thought id ask anyway. Is there an editor or mod some where that changes the apperance of NPC's? Like for example I'd like to give a lady or a lord different hair or clothing.

[Crazed Rabbit]

As it happens, there is.

You can download the module tools from taleworlds. I suggest checking out one of the guides in the modding section; they'll show you how to set up the module.

Once you do that, it's pretty straightforward to go into module_troops.py and change the target different clothing or a new facial code. There's more tutorials to explain that as well.

CR

[Beskar]

For a new module, you basically copy and paste the native folder. There was an unofficial troop editor which you could easily change the armour/looks/etc of NPC's, even change their titles.

Though, they might have released the officially tools for Warband, assuming from CR's comment. Finally time, if so.

[Mailman653]

I found that unofficial troop editor, I haven't tested it out yet but it looks cool although I can see trying to make new faces will take a while and a lot of trial and error. Too bad there isn't a sort of face model viewer. Make a face, copy the code and paste without having to start the game every time.

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Now (rhetorically ~;p) that Warband is out, have they discontinued upgrading vanilla?
.

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
I'm asking here because the official sites aren't informative and, they being infested by trolloids, presumably mostly my beloved fellow countrymen, I wouldn't ask at the official fora.

Anybody? Anything?
.

[miotas]

Yeah, vanilla isn't being updated any more. I think that Warband is basically considered the updated version, the retail version of vanilla was Mount and Blade 1.011, and the current Warband update is Mount and Blade 1.127.

[Beskar]

Generally that is the case. Companies don't bother expanding on the old, due to the cost/profit benefit is near zero, plus they want you to buy their new toys.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Generally that is the case. Companies don't bother expanding on the old, due to the cost/profit benefit is near zero, plus they want you to buy their new toys.

To be fair to Taleworlds, they aren't a large company. I don't think they have the resources to keep updating Warband, as they are, and keep updating M&B.

CR

[Beskar]

To be fair to Taleworlds, they aren't a large company. I don't think they have the resources to keep updating Warband, as they are, and keep updating M&B.

CR

Not having ago at Taleworlds. If anything they are very good. They don't release a different branded M&B every year forcing you to constantly upgrade.

How long was M&B 1 around for? Something like 4 years, constantly updated. That is dedication.

[al Roumi]

Yeah, vanilla isn't being updated any more. I think that Warband is basically considered the updated version, the retail version of vanilla was Mount and Blade 1.011, and the current Warband update is Mount and Blade 1.127.

[shameless fanboy plug] Plus, Warband adds so much to the game that once the mods catch up, it will be a much fuller game than Warband 1.011 +mods [/shameless fanboy plug]

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
As a matter of fact, they recently posted an unpublished update with the same version number, which removes the troop type limit and probably fixes some other minor glitches. Good for them. :yes: Just download 1.011 again and install it on top of everything. Your mods and saved games will work.

Further question: Do they offer a discount on Warband for the existing M&B customers or beta testers? There's no info confirming or denying on the website. (As another committed fanboy I have to say that the website/forum ain't their best job.)
.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Further question: Do they offer a discount on Warband for the existing M&B customers or beta testers? There's no info confirming or denying on the website. (As another committed fanboy I have to say that the website/forum ain't their best job.)


I do not think so; I have never seen anything to indicate they are.

CR

[al Roumi]

.
Further question: Do they offer a discount on Warband for the existing M&B customers or beta testers? There's no info confirming or denying on the website. (As another committed fanboy I have to say that the website/forum ain't their best job.)
.

No, not that I know of.

[Prussian to the Iron]

i seem to remember there being something (though may have been limited time) that gave you Warband for $5 instead of $30 if you have an M&B serial key or something.

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Thanks all. I'll ask them if I decide to buy Warband.
.

[naut]

Warband is on sale on Steam till tomorrow, $14.99 down from $29.99.
Damn. I'd break my Steam boycott for that.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Warband is only $10.20 over the weekend on Steam!

CR

[Quirinus]

Maybe I'm slow, but I just figured out how to effectively time a swing from horseback. :idea2: After maybe a thousand game days and a dozen mods. :sweatdrop: Before this I had been mostly a lancer, but then I lost my lance. So far this game has been a series of Eureka moments - the moment I learned how to couch, the moment I learned how to accelerate a swing, the moment I figured out the difference between cutting and piercing....

Now I realise I can never go back to couching. Swinging a morningstar in some hapless Khergit's face is just too damn fun.

(still playing 1.011, sadly.)

[rajpoot]

Couching the lance is good for what...like the first charge of the battle.....IMO playing as a pure lancer in M&B or Warband is just not feasible....switching to the sword is a must. Get a Sword of War....great reach. And decent damage. Or if there's trouble with mouse movement, then get a two handed saber...I remember when Warband was released I couldn't manage the subtle difference between a thrust and a slash...so I got a saber, which cannot be used for thrust....it's satisfying, the sound of the enemy being chopped in two.

[Quirinus]

I can't speak for others, but for me lancing is waay easier than any of the other styles. You only need to steer your horse, as opposed to other styles where you need to steer your horse and swing/aim your weapon. Combined with the fact that the AI almost never couches, it's possible to become a killer of armies from lvl 1 with a good (fast) horse and a lance with good reach. That's why for the longest time my basic equipment build was lance + morningstar-and-javelin as backup weapons (in case my horse dies).

Don't know about Warband though, since I read that there's a time limit for couching in WB.

[Togakure]

I'm still playing MnB 1.011 as well. I like lancing because it doesn't need a high weapon proficiency and Power Strike skill points to be effective. Hence, it's a good companion weapon for a horse archer, which requires high Riding and Horse Archery skills in addition to a high Archery rating.

As far as being good for only the initial charge--hmm, I don't have this problem. I charge through and then circle the central cluster, picking off enemies on the outskirts one after another while maintaining speed, with lance or bow.

As far as castle assaults go, I take the bow and two quivers, and switch to a poleaxe when I'm ready to get in and hack. Works well, though I have to be careful of enemy shooters (I try to pick them all off before I run out of arrows). The poleaxe has great reach, does good damage, and is the same weapon proficiency as a lance, so I don't have to split points more than two ways.

[rajpoot]

Well I guess it depends on the play-style. I always found maneuvering the horse too problematic to be a successful lancer. Plus with a lighter horse like a courser, the horse dying and leaving you stranded in the middle of enemies is a big possibility.
I normally use a two handed sword and a charger. That way even if I do get temporarily caught between droves of footmen, I can slash through them.

[Major Robert Dump]

In the new version with damage set to normal and AI set to good, I get couched all the time, as do my heroes. Being at the front of a cavalry charge is like a crap shoot, I avoid any incoming spears like the plague or use my shield which gets disintegrated.

[Quirinus]

Got Warband last week. And yeah, I got couch lanced more times in the short time I've been playing Warband than all the time I've been playing 1.011 (not counting mods, that is). I even got my horse killed under me in a tournament. Not that I'm complaining.

Couched lancing seems completely different now, just going with a two-hander/morningstar seems to be the way to go now. Way more versatile. Also the new swing animations were a shock at first (actually I still miss my horseback swings about two-thirds of the time), but it does make the combat seem more fluid once I got used to it. In particular I like that I can switch sides without having to release the swing.

[edyzmedieval]

I played the Warband demo. Definitely not a fan of the new combat system, I hate the huge swing that you have with an axe, 90% of the time I miss the target.

For the moment I'm staying to M&B normal version, I'm level 34 and trying to capture the whole of Vaegir kingdom.

[Vuk]

I played the Warband demo. Definitely not a fan of the new combat system, I hate the huge swing that you have with an axe, 90% of the time I miss the target.

For the moment I'm staying to M&B normal version, I'm level 34 and trying to capture the whole of Vaegir kingdom.
I put out a mod that restores the original combat.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Mount and Blade: Warband, which includes the same (though improved and expanded) campaign as the original M&B, and multiplayer, is on sale for only $15 on Steam.

I paid $12 for my version five years ago and that was still a great deal. Now, it's even more fantastic.

This is a game unlike any other; an open world, realistic medieval fighting game that also includes trade, politics, war, and intrigue.

Beyond the vanilla game are the huge variety of excellent mods:

Floris Mod Pack:
https://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3355/rhodok02.jpg
https://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9839/sarranid02.jpg

Age of False Innocence:
https://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1773/mb23yc.jpg

Brytenwalda:
https://img52.imageshack.us/img52/3082/jelbeginorwic3.jpg
https://img714.imageshack.us/img714/2/clashofsteel.jpg

Persistant World:
https://img80.imageshack.us/img80/7337/mb3a.jpg

cRPG:
https://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7076/mb21.jpg
https://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3660/mb13.jpg

Pirates and Fishmod:
https://img577.imageshack.us/img577/6408/preview5k.png
https://img704.imageshack.us/img704/3449/preview12.png

Mount&Gladius:
https://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5436/mb5q.jpg

Everything except Pirates and Fishmod is an already released mod for Warband.

That's right, what you see above is just a sample of mods that have already been released for Warband. There's more yet in development for Warband.

And Warband includes multiplayer, and a number of multiplayer mods!

For the price of two or three meals at a fast food restaurant you can buy this excellent game.

Do it. DO IT NOW.

CR

[Husar]

:laugh4:

I'm totally with CR here.

Go buy it NOW!

And by the way, some of these mods look excellent.

Only problem is that the screenies partly use post effects which don't work with AntiAliasing enabled last I tried, guess they'd have to move on to DirectX 10 for that.

[tibilicus]

Got M & B as part of the paradox pack and have to say, I'm really enjoying it! Does anyone know the best way to go about seizing a castle however? I'm already a vassal so have my own village, it keeps getting looted however and thus I can't raise any taxes. Capturing the enemy castle near by would do much to stop the warbands from looting I imagine..

[Beskar]

Best way to stop people raiding your village is to defend it. Build a messenger post there, so at least you have some warning.

Also CR, are there any character creator mods yet? One of my issues was the game is how ugly everyone is, especially the females.

[edyzmedieval]

I bought Warband before the whole pack was available, and I am loving it! I'm level 9 and have around 40 men under my command and I'm still having problems even on easy.

Can't wait to capture my first castle.

[naut]

Best way to stop people raiding your village is to defend it. Build a messenger post there, so at least you have some warning.

Also CR, are there any character creator mods yet? One of my issues was the game is how ugly everyone is, especially the females.
:beam:

[Vuk]

And very soon the best mod ever made for Warband will be released. ~;) More details on that soon. ~;)

[Vuk]

Hey all, here (http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php?topic=153587.msg3688800#msg3688800) is a quick preview and description on my new mod. More details coming later!

[rajpoot]

Finally, after a long wait....
TLD...
Has still not been released....but I did find this intro video on Youtube...Been uploaded on 23rd Dec last year.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n4JZEtpipg

All the awesomeness of M&B wrapped in an even more awesome Tolkien designed package.

[Husar]

Mount and Blade: Fire and Sword has been announced!

It's a standalone "addon" set in the 17th century, the rest can be seen in this trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGINp5NNQoQ).

[Vuk]

If I had the money, this would be an instant buy.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Mount and Blade: Fire and Sword has been announced!

It's a standalone "addon" set in the 17th century, the rest can be seen in this trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGINp5NNQoQ).

In that trailer, it mentions Gustav Adolph. Gustavus Adolphus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavus_Adolphus)? Seems very plausible, what with Stockholm being highlighted, though if it included Germany it would make infinitely more sense.

[pevergreen]

Hey CR, I was checking out a mod some fellow players are using right now.

From the download page:

2. 'Oceania Optimized for FPS' by Crazed Rabbit added to map list

Is that you? :laugh4:

[Crazed Rabbit]

Yup. Though I just trimmed the huge number of trees in that Oceania mod, someone else actually made it.

I did make two maps for the 1866 mod - Palouse Town - and Colorado River.

CR

[pevergreen]

Thats awesome.

[Crazed Rabbit]

A video preview of M&B: With Fire & Sword, (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/tech-mount/710229?type=flv) a spin off game made by some eastern European company set in 1600-1700 (?) Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Will include MP.

Notable: the ability to equip your troops with different arms and armor between battles.

Also, a game reactor interview (http://www.gamereactor.eu/grtv/?id=10177).

Notable; includes the possibility of large story arcs you can participate in if you want.

Also, captain mode for MP. Every player commands a group of soldiers they purchase. 14v14 players all commanding soldiers. :beam:

CR

[Vuk]

A video preview of M&B: With Fire & Sword, (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/tech-mount/710229?type=flv) a spin off game made by some eastern European company set in 1600-1700 (?) Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Will include MP.

Notable: the ability to equip your troops with different arms and armor between battles.

Also, a game reactor interview (http://www.gamereactor.eu/grtv/?id=10177).

Notable; includes the possibility of large story arcs you can participate in if you want.

Also, captain mode for MP. Every player commands a group of soldiers they purchase. 14v14 players all commanding soldiers. :beam:

CR

Thank you. :bow: I have had my eye on this one.

[R'as al Ghul]

Wow, what a great game. I bought Warband for 7.99€ at Gamersgate. that's even less that what I paid for the beta of M&B.
It seems it's one of the most moddable games and the devs did so many things right.....just great.
After playing in the sand box world a while and leveling up two characters to lvl 30+ I jumped into the Multiplayer mode on the weekend.
Do any of you guys play Multiplayer?
Highly recommended. I'm dying all the time and I really suck at blocking but I'm having such a ball, it's amazing. :laugh4:
MP is totally different from SP, people fight differently and there're a lot of features in sieges that you won't see in SP. (Open the gate, push down ladders, open/smash doors, secret tunnels, etc) On the 22nd siege server up to 222 people can play. Over the weekend some 100 players where online which makes for excellent battles.

R'as

[Crazed Rabbit]

This is my 10,001 post.
:beam:

What better place than the Mount&Blade thread?

A new preview of With Fire and Sword:
http://rpg.incgamers.com/Previews/255/mount--blade-with-fire--sword-preview/1

Enjoy!

CR

[Raz]

it sounds just like a pretty and attractive but woefully inadequate mod. :/

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Hopefully it's either $5 or they're just not showing several huge features in previews.

[econ21]

That's an amusing preview, Crazed Rabbit, :laugh4: I guess I have played too much Mount and Blade in the past, but it brought it all back. Fire and Sword sounds exactly the same game as the original Mount and Blade, except in a different setting. More like a mod than a commerical product, but then M&B always did seem to be about doing one thing very well rather than trying to do many things.

[rajpoot]

I doubt it's going to be drastically different in any manner. The core gameplay will always be the same...all they can add is more window dressing, like more dialogue, larger and more detailed troop trees...some sort of story....better castles and stuff.....so yeah, it does sound like a mod. Still if it's a mod developed by the game's developers....
That aside, till about a year ago, I was under the impression that with Fire and and Sword was a mod for M&B being developed by a Polish game developer....how come it suddenly became a standalone game is beyond me.

[rajpoot]

Before there was an expansion, there was a mod....
I knew I'd seen this somewhere, just couldn't place it.
With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i Mieczem) the mod.

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,14261.0.html

Never tried it myself....just wanted to post it here.

[Mailman653]

Mount and Blade: With Fire and Sword (http://www.direct2drive.com/1/10824/product/Buy-Mount-and-Blade:-With-Fire-and-Sword-Download)
You can pre-order it for $13.45. And India is right, I remember seeing this expansion as a mod too, the name is familiar. I'm guessing if your big on Eastern European lore/history, then this expansion is for you.

I haven't played MB in ages, I bought Warband almost a year ago and I've hardly touched it since.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Before there was an expansion, there was a mod....
I knew I'd seen this somewhere, just couldn't place it.
With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i Mieczem) the mod.

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,14261.0.html

Never tried it myself....just wanted to post it here.

But the expansion was made by a professional studio, whilst the mod was just a couple guys basing something off the same book.

CR

[rajpoot]

But the expansion was made by a professional studio, whilst the mod was just a couple guys basing something off the same book.

CR

:shrug: They were the ones who had the idea first.

[Graphic]

Just got Warband on the Steam sale. Not sure how I feel about it yet. Singleplayer has potential but I fail hard at it.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Mount & Blade Complete Pack - featuring the original M&B, Warband, and With Fire & Sword (releasing May 3) - is on sale at Steam for $19.99.

If you don't yet have any of the M&B games, you should get this pack.

CR

[seireikhaan]

Hmm. I'd put off getting Warband forever. For six bucks, I think I'll bite. Not really feeling this new one, though.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Does M&B need Pixel Shader 3.0? Recently, every game I have bought need it! :sad:

[johnhughthom]

I very much doubt it I-K, whatever else M&B is it certainly isn't a system hog.

[Graphic]

Anyone have any tips for what to do early on? I don't know how to join a faction. So basically all I keep doing is first, rescue the merchant's whatever, then wander around fighting bandits, losing in the arena, or occasionally doing a quest for a town elder. This goes on until eventually I lose all my men and get taken prisoner 10 times in 3 minutes and quit.

I need to know how to get on my feet.

[johnhughthom]

You should be looking for looters, they are the easiest class of bandit to kill. Don't get much loot or experience, but they give you practice before moving on to the better enemies. Also, stay away from Sarranid and Khergit lands early on, the steppe and desert bandits are fast and will chase you down.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Looters are the ones you want to attack early on. Recruit some peasants in villages and fight looters to level them up. Also, fighting in the arena lets you practice fighting without the risk of getting taken prisoner.


Does M&B need Pixel Shader 3.0? Recently, every game I have bought need it!

The original? I don't think so.

Warband - again, I don't think so.

Probably not for With Fire & Sword either.

CR

[Graphic]

Just realized that the gameplay is basically Sid Meier's Pirates! but with deeper (and ground) combat and no end goal.

Not saying that to put it down, its just interesting.

[Veho Nex]

Just realized that the gameplay is basically Sid Meier's Pirates! but with deeper (and ground) combat and no end goal.

Not saying that to put it down, its just interesting.

How so? Ive played both a lot and the only thing i can see they have in common is the basic RPG elements.

[rajpoot]

Just realized that the gameplay is basically Sid Meier's Pirates! but with deeper (and ground) combat and no end goal.

Not saying that to put it down, its just interesting.

That is just exactly what I'd thought when I'd first picked up the game. Sid Meier's Pirates, but on land and more fleshed out 'encounters' with simpler world map.
The game even has a closing screen like Pirates had, where your stats through out the game and their outcomes are displayed.

Edit:
Infact I have a query from everyone who has tried retiring. Has anyone been able to get an epilogue with a better rank than a 'powerful noble'? I mean I tried with a game where I had my own kingdom and my right to rule was 98 or something, and still I got the 'powerful noble' rank.

[Graphic]

How so? Ive played both a lot and the only thing i can see they have in common is the basic RPG elements.

Maybe you're thinking of the original Pirates! I've only played the recent remake. As for how so, I don't even know where to start. They're actually nearly identical in most respects.

Go to towns to hire volunteers
Defeat navies/armies to gain loot and experience
Select from a short list of things to do while in that town including visiting the market, speaking to the local leader, etc. These screens are nearly identical in both games.
Pledge your services to a nation
The armies/navies wandering around the campaign map fighting eachother, capturing towns, etc. including pirates/bandits

Actually the only huge difference I've found is the more complex M&B battles being on land and Pirates! minigames. If there were more games like this they would form their own specific sub genre. They're as close as GTA and Saints Row/Just Cause/Mercenaries etc.

[edyzmedieval]

Just bought Fire and Sword for 10% off on Steam, pre purchase. Anyone else getting it?

[Graphic]

I'm going to wait and see if Warband keeps my interest.

[johnhughthom]

Just bought Fire and Sword for 10% off on Steam, pre purchase. Anyone else getting it?

Pre purchased it myself, not expecting anything massively different but happy enough to pay £9 to see what it's like. If I get a tenth of the gameplay I got, and am still getting, from Warband it will be a steal.

[Greyblades]

It'll be interesting to see how the creators handle the reload animations for rifles, the mods have always had them be realy awkward.

[edyzmedieval]

It'll be interesting to see how the creators handle the reload animations for rifles, the mods have always had them be realy awkward.

The Mount & Blade trailer shows that the reload and shoot animations look natural, so I guess it's a good starting point. ~:)

Get Fire and Sword off 10% on Steam until tomorrow, pre purchase and you get 2 TF2 hats as well.

[Graphic]

I think what I needed to get into it was a mod set IRL. I was just wandering around aimlessly in native and Prophecy of Pendor. King Burglekutt, Jerkhick Steppe Warriors, etc. Just a bunch of randomness I have no connection to. Hundred Years War mod fixed that. Now I'm addicted.

I hope the Honor rating doesnt count for much, because Ive spent pretty much my whole game killing English peasants and pillaging English villages.

Also its nice to finally start getting some cool gear for the first time.

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/596936567706426455/19370F8D80FA506B1B6E2DA05AAD31B0FABCC007/

[rajpoot]

I hope the Honor rating doesnt count for much, because Ive spent pretty much my whole game killing English peasants and pillaging English villages.

I haven't tried the latest version of that mod so I don't know, but in Native, honour counts when you're attacked by a lord and want to get off without a fight.
What it basically does is that it increases your relation with the 'good' lords automatically. The more honour you have the higher it will go. So, if one of them assaults you in a war you can simply ask them to let you off that once.

[johnhughthom]

Yes, I always have very high honour as I never raid villages, always let Lords I defeat go free (unless they've annoyed me or I have a capture a Lord quest) and don't accept a reward when kicking bandits out of villages or completing a bounty questy. I always end up with a huge string of Lords as friends, even though I've never actually met half of them.

[rajpoot]

I haven't bought With Fire and Sword yet, and I've seen that it's been getting some pretty negative scores for a M&B game on other forums. Will someone here who's already bought it care to post a review so that the everyone can have some insight?

[johnhughthom]

I haven't played a lot myself, but I'll give my impressions. The firearms are lethal but very innacurate as we were told, they are a bit odd to use though, they seem to have the same mechanics as archery so you can't fire to your left. I've only used a pistol, rifles may be different. The early game seems much more difficult than Warband, especially as the bandit groups seem to have modern rifles, rather than the innacurate things the player has, well they seem to be able to kill your troops from across the map anyway. The towns are much larger, though they seem to have fewer people in them so seem very empty. I haven't tried any quests yet, though they are pretty buggy from whats being said on the forums. Recruitment has been changed, you can't recruit from villages unless you own them, now there are merc camps. These mercs cannot be upgraded, though that seems to be a bug, rather than design. You can't create your own Kingdom, only a rebel branch of an existing Kingdom. The big change that seems to be causing a lot of angst is that you can no longer play as a woman...

I would advise anybody looking to buy to check out the Taleworlds (http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/board,214.0.html) forum to see how the differences are likely to effect the game for you. Personally I just found it a bit meh, not a period of time I'm hugely interested in and not very different from Warband. I've already started playing Warband again, as I'm sure a lot of others have.

[Greyblades]

Am I the only one finding the background in the inventory screens and others utterly repulsive?

[johnhughthom]

Am I the only one finding the background in the inventory screens and others utterly repulsive?

No, no you are not.

[Graphic]

Am I the only one finding the background in the inventory screens and others utterly repulsive?

Mount & Blade is cool but I keep wishing to myself that a bigger developer would buy Tale Worlds (perhaps Valve). I'm not a graphics whore by any means, but with M&B...just, damn. As far as polish goes, its like an amateurish mod for some other game instead of a full retail game. I can't believe I used to kind of say the same thing about Bethesda games, which look like Mass Effect 2 in comparison.

There's so much potential for a truly immersive and epic experience if it had some A-list shine. Its addictive and worth playing because the combat is great and the desire to get better armor and upgrade your troops is strong. Pretty much every other aspect of the game is lacking severely, though.

[edyzmedieval]

There's a lot of flak for the game, very unusual for a M&B release. The main problem is that the game is very bugged, tons of glitches, bugs, quests that aren't that logical, upgrading of existing units. So it's a bit of a turn off for many players.

I love the era, Eastern European warfare, combination of old and new, but this is not really helping the case. Game is too bugged for me to enjoy. :no:

I can't wait for a patch. Seriously, I can't wait to see it polished and properly reworked. :yes:

[johnhughthom]

Mount & Blade is cool but I keep wishing to myself that a bigger developer would buy Tale Worlds (perhaps Valve). I'm not a graphics whore by any means, but with M&B...just, damn. As far as polish goes, its like an amateurish mod for some other game instead of a full retail game. I can't believe I used to kind of say the same thing about Bethesda games, which look like Mass Effect 2 in comparison.

There's so much potential for a truly immersive and epic experience if it had some A-list shine. Its addictive and worth playing because the combat is great and the desire to get better armor and upgrade your troops is strong. Pretty much every other aspect of the game is lacking severely, though.

Indeed, I generally give up my campaigns due to frustration with game mechanics rather than getting bored with it. The poor graphics don't bother me at all though. I'd happily accept worse graphics for improved AI on the campaign map and from your allies in battle.

[Graphic]

Indeed, I generally give up my campaigns due to frustration with game mechanics rather than getting bored with it. The poor graphics don't bother me at all though. I'd happily accept worse graphics for improved AI on the campaign map and from your allies in battle.

Maybe I came off over emphasizing graphics. Better graphics would be nice, but it just needs polish in general. Bugs, features, some voice acting, music that's not just an endless loop of tracks that plays through all menus and locations, etc. but that could also include making the game look more detailed and interesting graphically without changing the engine or system reqs.

[Who am i?]

Hello.

Do not buy it.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Maybe I came off over emphasizing graphics. Better graphics would be nice, but it just needs polish in general. Bugs, features, some voice acting, music that's not just an endless loop of tracks that plays through all menus and locations, etc. but that could also include making the game look more detailed and interesting graphically without changing the engine or system reqs.

I think M&B 2 will be much more polished. The original started as a husband and wife team where they built their own engine. I recall Armagan saying he plans to license an engine for the next game. With that and actually having a multi-disciplined team at the beginning of the project I think the polish will be up there with A list games.

CR

[Graphic]

I think M&B 2 will be much more polished. The original started as a husband and wife team where they built their own engine. I recall Armagan saying he plans to license an engine for the next game. With that and actually having a multi-disciplined team at the beginning of the project I think the polish will be up there with A list games.

CR

I didn't know that was already announced. Sounds good. I can see how it would kinda stay within the original framework of the amateur project even when they eventually got a development studio, so I think what you say will be the case.

[Crazed Rabbit]

I don't think it's been officially announced, yet, actually. :sad:

CR

[Beskar]

I dislike how they removed some features of Warband I liked, like setting up your Kingdom.

I wanted to recreate Prussia in koningsburg.

[Centurion1]

bump I dont want to see my new favorite game diminished to the second page.

Also it does my heart good to see you playing it again or now panzer :tongue: However, everytime i see you are playing I have to play...................

okay so the actual substance to my post is based around this. Prophesy of Pendor is the best mod i have ever played. It is the greatest mod ever made for warband. Trust me i have tried every single one. Brytenwalda? Buggy as hell i had to quit though i love the setting. 1250? buggy as hell was a little too grand with too little polish. TEATRC? Good but buggy as hell was doing some wacky stuff. Hundred Years War? no interest. Blood and steel? Troop lines suck it pisses me off..... guess what i like troop trees. also too big and excessive. (note: would probably like blood and steel but THE TROOP LINES ARE ANNOYING). Other mods that are half finished and betas or outdated........ not worth the mention.

POP is perfect. Call me goldilocks but this is the porridge i want. EVERYONE GO DOWNLOAD IT NOW

Note: Diplomacy is excellent if you simply want an altered native gameplay experience.

[naut]

Prophesy of Pendor? Haven't tried it. I do like Floris Expanded Mod-pack, simply because it draws the best mods around into one package and lets you go from there. Sure, its just a dolled up native, but is still good. However, I always find I get to about level 25-30, I have 3 or so fiefs and I cannot find the will to play any-more, I just lose interest and focus. I have a decent amount of troops, money and fighting ability -> I could continue trying to make my own faction or defect and support a claimant, or become a bandit (lol, nope, that'd be stupid). I just cannot find the will to go any further.

[Centurion1]

Try POP its much much better at holder your attention. Plus it is much much harder. I have nearly 200 top of the line troops in a single castle paying nearly 10k a week for them and I am terrified of the big bad world. There are 100 man armies out there and they have even bigger and badder troops......

[Samurai Waki]

PoP is fun, I've also been playing Blood and Steel, there is a pretty large departure from native in that class actually matters. The whole skill set has been changed, and balanced. Lots of interesting ways to gain money, prestige, and power as well.

[Centurion1]

blood and steel was a little bit too grand for me. and i abslutely hated the troop lines i like troop trees.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Just tried blood and steel. It's suffering from way too much inflation. Also, what's up with the megadeath-stacks of undead skeletons? I can handle the first 500, but around the 600 mark I'm out of troops and the archers get me.

[Samurai Waki]

Which setting are you playing on? Sounds like Mommy. I don't like the addition of the undead anyways. Neither am I a fan of the troop tree. The inflation is justified, it makes being a merchant a bit more exciting and lucrative than native.... price adjustment for equipment is probably necessary. Blood and Steel isn't supposed to play like native, Being a Ruler is a lot more central to the mod than going out and slave hunting.

[Centurion1]

No don't get me wrong I love the troops themselves absolutely adore them. But I hate the recruitment and training method. I wish it were a TREE rather than the lines.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I'm on normal, with the condotierre(sp?) starting class. I don't see how I can even try to become a lord because I'm mobbed by undead every 2-3 days.

[Greyblades]

They have a forum,
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/board,185.0.html
You should get afew answers there.

[Centurion1]

get faster so you can run away nothing is making you fight them

[Hooahguy]

Ok so while I wait for my new computer Im going to read up on Warband stuff.

So question- whats the best background to be? At first I was a veteran warrior, but about 50 days in I havent really gotten anywhere, except for a party of 63 people and an alliance with the Rhodoks.

Im thinking that a noble is the best way to go.

[Samurai Waki]

Noble is the quickest route to really getting into the guts of the game. Other backgrounds can be fun, but more for RP purposes... in some mods though your background choices will fundamentally change the game.

[Hooahguy]

So whenever I go to pledge my sword to a king, he always refuses since I dont have distinction. Does this mean that if Im a noble kings will accept me?

[Samurai Waki]

Not right at first, you need to raise your prestige sufficiently enough, which is considerably easier as a Noble since you start out with an already high value... winning a few tournaments, and killing bandits is the quickest way.

[Hooahguy]

Oh, that makes sense. I was wondering why I was staying a mercenary as a veteran warrior instead of moving up the ranks.

[Centurion1]

you need 150 renown to be a vassal.

[johnhughthom]

A good way to bump up renown (and loot) quickly is going to Nord lands and soloing groups of Sea Raiders. You should be able to do small bands, up to 10 or so, and bigger when you get more skilled at the game.

[Centurion1]

aye i never ever buy ewquipment i first get decent gear from sea raiders and then i take what i get form lords.

sea raiders are laughably easy with a lance and a horse. or even a 2h axe.

btw who else hates thrust it sucks so bad.

[johnhughthom]

btw who else hates thrust it sucks so bad.

Yup, they could at least make it do more damage to make it less useless. Personally I always get a sabre or scimitar as soon as possible so I don't have to worry about doing it accidently.

[Centurion1]

axe of some sort.

[seireikhaan]

aye i never ever buy ewquipment i first get decent gear from sea raiders and then i take what i get form lords.

sea raiders are laughably easy with a lance and a horse. or even a 2h axe.

btw who else hates thrust it sucks so bad.
Depends. Lots of times, yes, it sorta flubs about and does nothing. But I've found that certain weapons, like claymores, can be very useful for thrusting with against heavy armor. Since thrusting weapons pretty much always get blunt or piercing, they can do quite good damage against armor if used correctly(eg not right in their face).

[Centurion1]

if you have an axe or even better a morningstar (most op weapon in the game) you cut through heavy armor like butter

[seireikhaan]

if you have an axe or even better a morningstar (most op weapon in the game) you cut through heavy armor like butter
Well, most axes do cutting damage, neh? Sure, some of them do just have a high enough raw damage that they do alright, but greatswords are just more versatile, imo, and usually have better reach to boot. As for morningstar, I personally dislike it. Really short range, which means whiffing on horseback a lot if you're not in ideal couching circumstances, and in sieges generally means exposing yourself to a lot of unnecessary swords. And incredibly slow. Not my thing.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I prefer 2H swords myself, but axes I think do a bit more cutting damage (at the cost of range) and can usually break through blocks, right? Plus they'll do extra damage against shields...

[Hooahguy]

Personally I like having a shield since when you are charging ranged units it feels nice to have something in between you and those arrows/stones/whatever they throw.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Bastard swords are where it's at - you get the shield for facing ranged units but when it's time to mix it up with infantry you have a fast 2Her.

[rajpoot]

Thrusting is not useless. It might seem so perhaps because it is one of the trickiest attacks in the game, but correctly 'carried out' it causes massive damage against armoured foes..... You need to be moving forward, you need to make sure you aim correctly, and you also need to be sure that you hit from the optimum distance. So yeah, it is very hard to do everything correct, specially when being mobbed by enemies but not useless....specially not, if the enemy is running towards you.
Personally I carry a 2H sword (I think the best one is the 'Sword of War') when I'm on horseback....it has the longest reach for any non pole-arm weapon, and the horse grants the required power for a successful attack.
On foot, more specifically during sieges, I carry a Bastard Sword/Mornigstar (Again depending on the enemy type) + Shield combination with bow and arrows.

Axes do more cutting damage but the reach is comparatively very small...it's like a more one-on-one weapon. I never use them.

[Hooahguy]

Im thinking the best way to make cash is early in the game go to a region that you dont want to be a vassal of, get close enough to the king to have him ask you to collect taxes, and when you get all the taxes, run away, and dont come back unless you have a sizable force.
Rinse and repeat.

[Centurion1]

money is mad eoff of trade route, tournaments, and raiding villages.

if you slaughter the cattle as well a single village will net you about 15k. tournaments around 20k and trade routes depends on the good but a solid say iron round is about 6k.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Thrusting is not useless. It might seem so perhaps because it is one of the trickiest attacks in the game, but correctly 'carried out' it causes massive damage against armoured foes..... You need to be moving forward, you need to make sure you aim correctly, and you also need to be sure that you hit from the optimum distance. So yeah, it is very hard to do everything correct,

The first time I read this, I took it the way it was meant to be taken. Now, however, i thought of it in a sexual light. Hilarity will ensue.

[Hooahguy]

money is mad eoff of trade route, tournaments, and raiding villages.

if you slaughter the cattle as well a single village will net you about 15k. tournaments around 20k and trade routes depends on the good but a solid say iron round is about 6k.
Really? When I raided villages I made at most like 2k. Though I didnt slaughter the cows.
And I like my method better, doesnt anger people as much.