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You can Find Borcha at Revachig or whatever its called, the town to the North west of the one you start in, to give them weapons go to the map screen and go to party by pressing 'p' then select Marnid or Borcha and click talk. Then the conversation is pretty straightforward.
Great thing to recommend guys -- I think I'm gonna go buy it, if only to see this game grow into a great project that'll take the game world by storm.
I love the combat -- it's amazing how such a seemingly simple, boring game can be so addictive due to just that one part of its experience. Although I do think there a whole lot of loose ends around, especially considering the story and the map, but this is a beta and I'm sure the end version will be much improved.
At first I had the same impression as Spino, in the sense that this was going to be the same old thing, with a bit of a spin given to it by way of the special combat system I had read about. But when my first real fight with river pirates started, I was hooked!
There is enormous promise in this game, and here's a lot of hoping that, with a fleshed out team, the game itself can be hugely fleshed out. The fact that this bare version can be so immersing gives me a lot of hope. But think of this game with the Havok 2.0 engine, with a good storyline, a(n even?) deeper combat system, and, the cherry on the oh-so-sweet pie: multiplayer! Drool...
This thing is shaping up to deliver the same shocking impact Diablo had back in the day -- certainly where my addiction is concerned! ~D
~Wiz
Got to level 6 ,and had to buy the full game.
Great find .
Best horse riding I've ever seen in a game .Nothing like slicing a sea raider through the neck as I charge past at full gallop.
Don't worry SA... I only learned about giving Marnid and Borcha equipment fairly late. Now they are quite well equiped, and they last a good while now.
It is interesting that there is a Merchant class, when it is really not that fun to trade. And I can't possibly believe that it will ever be that much fun.
By the way, if you are in a great need of money the best thing you can do is to travel to the salt mine and then back to Zendar again to sell it. It is a good and very fast way of making money. And after you have drained the mine you would have made enough money to buy yourself some nice equipment.
Of course it is better to do this very early in the game when there are no bandits.
Wow. Just fought a nice battle. About 30 vaegirs (sp) and 30 swadians were fighting it out, and since I'm a new vaegir recruit, I figured I help out my friends.
Chaos. Guys dying everywhere. Those enemy knights are tough! And me, little old me, in the thick of it! So cool.
I *will* pay the $11 for this game. :duel:
This looks very good. I will certaintly investage this when it comes out. :bow:
Can you be a horse archer? Please... please...
Wow, this game is class, I just had to buy it when I reached level 6.
I had a gang of 10 Vaegir Knights who were riding about laying down the law bt theyve lost it a bit now (on account of all being killed by dark knights) and I've resorted to mass peasent attacks again.
Still a big up to crazed rabbit for reccomending the game.
Yes, you can. ~DQuote:
Originally Posted by Steppe Merc
Played it the whole day, going to buy it ASAP(not sure about money right now).
This is almost what I always wanted. ~:cool: :charge:
True, true. I'm loving that more than anything right now. I'm loving my spirited steppe horse and scimitar. The horse runs so fast none can catch me. The speed of scimitar is great in close. I've developed into a light, fast fighter. It's been very effective for killing sea raiders. :charge:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Scourge
No other game has quite the good feeling you get at the end of battle with four throwing axes lodged in your shield, a javelin stuck in your leg, and dead sea raiders strewn across the landscape. ~D
Thanks for the advice on equipping Borcha and the other NPC (also on levelling them!). It adds another dimension when my main character is pretty much tricked out and I have them to work on.
BTW, is there any trick to using a "couched lance" attack? I've got a charger and a great lance, but my lance does pitiful damage (when I can get it to connect with anything). Is there a skill prerequisite? My polearm skill was a little below 100. I haven't practised it much, as my archery seems more useful but I'd like to get the hang of horse combat.
EDIT: Feeling dumb now, I just found the "quick and dirty" manual thread on the forum:
http://taleworlds.com/v-web/bulletin...opic.php?t=584
It sounds like the couched lance attack is rather different.
Arrrgh! This 6th level thing is ridiculous! If I didn't know it wasn't allowed, I'd ask for someone to PM me the details of skirting that annoyance.
Yeah...but is it ever bloody HARD! Horse archery is ridiculous!Quote:
Originally Posted by Steppe Merc
Oh...and don't try starting as a former priest. There is basically no way to get going without already having weapons and a horse.
The aiming for the archery reticle gets smaller the slower you go, and hunters have the highest starting archery skill (and a bow instead of crossbow).
Nevertheless, you need to pump your starting archery skill a lot to get good at horse archery.
Here's a screenie of one battle I joined (This was near the end, but there were still 10-15 people left (unfortunately all but 2, including me, on the other side)):
http://img211.echo.cx/img211/5452/mb29mt.th.jpg
Lots of bodies!
Crazed Rabbit
http://taleworlds.com/v-web/bulletin...pic.php?t=1363
Thread on using lances.
I'm playing as a merchant and loving it!!
Hell I got to Level 4 and 6000 denars without EVER swinging a sword or any other weapon for that matter.
I'm going to download this puppy today - sounds grreat.
eh - is there some way to edit/cheat? :embarassed:
Damn, this game sounds GREAT!!! I am going to download and buy but... how big is the file and is it only available online?
Played this to level 6 last night and considering it is written by a husband and wife and started as a hobby it is a very nice game and I will be paying for the full version tonight.
My impressions so far.
The class you pick at the beginning reflects the equipment you start the game with, I chose hunter and started with a horse, an axe and a bow. I believe the priest doesn't have a horse in the beginning so you would need to earn enough to buy one as they are a pretty vital bit of equipment.
After you've done the training be sure to enter the arena, if you bet on yourself and win you double your money but you can only bet a maximum of 200d a time.
I didn't bother buying weapons or armour before I left town, when you win battles you will pick these up from the battlefield though it might make your first few battles harder.
Don't leave town without some backup, you'll die. You can hire help from the tavern, which I believe is the building in front of where you start (just walk up to it and press f to enter). In here you can hire a henchman, Mendin or something like that (Could be Fu Manchu as far as I know, my memory isn't the best), he is the the first guy on the right of the 4 people you see when entering and will want a set of padded armour before he joins you (the armour can be bought from the merchant outside). You should also see the tavern keeper to hire some townsmen, he is behind the pillar just past the 4 people, these are pretty poor to begin with but they do upgrade as they gain experience so get yourself 5 or so of them.
In the other door is the merchant and as stated before you can make quite a bit of money by selling him salt form the salt mine to the north. He will also give out quests which are escorting merchant caravans, these are easy money and experience.
After this you are just about ready to leave town and this is where the game really begins. From here there are three main options, trading, quests and hunting down bands of bandits. The quests are pretty much as stated earlier, if there are different types I haven't found them yet, trading is as it sounds ou buy low in one town and sell high in another, and then there's my favourite, hunting. The map screen is similar to Pirates of the Carribean, except on land, where if you roam around the map you will see other groups of people, how far depends on your spotting skill. These groups are either neutral, friendly or aggresive, a good tip is to find a group that has been attacked by river pirates and then pitch in, this has the advantage of you having allies in the fight against the pirates and makes the fight much easier.
This is the very basics of the game, I'm at work so I can't type any more ~;) , if I get time I might go into combat later ~:cheers:
Rosacrux, it's about 35MB total, and so far as I know it's only available this way.
:sigh: Now the frog is an addict too ~:mecry:
I downloaded the game when this topic was first posted, but I only just had time to tinker with it. I've done about 20 minutes, and so far it's been a rather wild ride. I've passed the training, and got the sea raider quest. I gathered 5 peasants and off I went questing. I was hired to escort a caravan, but the will-die-when-I-find-him! merchant didn't pay me! Then I helped a patrol deal with some raiders ... and my allies turned on me and slaughtered my men, horse and beat me unconscious. So at this point I have 6 dinars left, and the starting equipment of a squire minus the horse, and a round shield.
I tried two more 'help the good guys' battles with the raiders. I got killed in one because all my allies died, and I got mobbed by about 7 angry and hairy men. The second I survived, and I got some very rubbish armour to take away. That'll give me about 600 dinars total, no men, no horse and the same rubbish equipment. That is where I am right now, at level 3.
I've tried the arena, but it has this wonderful gift for dumping me on a terrible team and with the weapons I am worst with. I have no idea how to use a lance or fight on horseback, and when it's not making me attempt to do that I'm stuck as an archer with no other weapon besides my bow. Heh, the AI can change weapons, but in the arena I can't. I did win one battle, but I got nothing for it. I presume you have to bet and win, but I don't have the cash or skill to really do that.
I like the longsword/shield comb, and the staff. The bow and crossbow seem nice, but I haven't used them much yet. I hate two-handed swords! I can't use a lance to save my life (literally).
So ... suggestions? I'm going to keep on trying to scavenge off easy battles until I can afford a horse, armour and some men.
And how do you get those merchants that pop up on the world map to pay you for escorting them?
Any tips for mounted combat? I can't hit anything, and I've had opportunity to fight with both sword and lance.
Froggy: Intrepid wannabe knight (I want full Norman style mail armour, a nasal helm, and a clipped kite shield to go with lance and a long sword. Mmmm, nice armour …), heading back to the field instead of eating lunch!
To get the merchants to be escorted you have to go into town and ask the merchant there if he has any jobs for you. Then you'll get to escort the caravan to their destination.
Also the arena takes practise but it is a nice little money earner in the early stages of the game. And good for leveling up early on, but after around level 8 its better to kill river pirates.
If you want a spirite Charger at the start of the game pick female then Court Lady. I was messing around with different classes and other things and found that out.
It's pity that the game sometimes unexpectedl freezes on my comp between places. Also theres a bug that if you have no mounted troops in your army, if you order them to mount or dismount a eroor message comes up which then causes my comp at least to automatically shut down! But being a beta this is an excellent game!
You just have not attack with lance. But try to hit your opponent with the end of the lance when it is pointed down. You need a not c**p horse to do this. If you can hit a crouched lance you can waste anybody.
For Caravan quests, you talk to them when your very close to the destination, then they will pay you.
I have about 12,000 denars and was on my way to buy perfect knight gear when I reached level six. I'll somehow have to get my dad to buy me this and then I pay him back in cash.
make sure you get a skill in trainer, then just buy as many peasants as you can. SPARE NO EXPENSE. Men equals winning battles equals money equals more men/better equitment equals more won battles.
The Constable in the starter town gives you a quest to fight river pirates. These are the easiest enemies so you can target small groups of them. (I could solo five or less at the beginning with just a bow).Quote:
Originally Posted by frogbeastegg
I would hire Marnid in the starter tavern asap. Talk to him on the campaign map and you can level him up, equip him etc. There's another one, Borcha, in Rivacheg.
At every town, visit the Merchant and ask for a job. They give decent money and experience. To escort a caravan talk to it and get it to follow you.
I have not really cracked this. Archery on foot with a sword and shield to fall back on seems better.Quote:
Any tips for mounted combat? I can't hit anything, and I've had opportunity to fight with both sword and lance.
Mounted Combat is one of the best ways to fight, first get a good fast horse, then either a two handed weapon (great axe for preference) or get a nice sword and shield combo. When you charge the enemy time your swing so that you swing down just as the enemy is knowcked over, this will allow you to get rid of their shield defence.Quote:
Originally Posted by frogbeastegg
Or you can use the mass cavalry charge.
http://img260.echo.cx/img260/6227/39wg.jpg
http://img194.echo.cx/img194/4763/28qv1.th.jpg
http://img203.echo.cx/img203/7206/17ur.th.png
Zelda12 - I'm just wondering how come you have a Kradus and (two?) Xerina's in your screenshots? IIRC, aren't they two of the characters in the starter town tavern? Can they join you at some stage?
Not really, but there is a mod to help you out.
http://taleworlds.com/v-web/bulletin...t=1446&start=0
Ok it seems a few people have some trouble...
Couched lance is about the only way to go with lances. Normally they are slow and do not do much damage. I noticed the couched lance technique in the Arena when I got speared out of my saddle on the first pass.
To do it:
Get a horse that has at least 8 in speed (and be certain that you are good enough at Riding to control it). Then speed it up to full speed, then at some point you will notice the lance drops. Now you are ready to run people over. When you have a target in your sights, make certain he will end up slightly on you right side, or else you will miss (possibly do some charge damage with the horse and knock him down if he is infantry). If he is infantry make certain that you look downwards a good deal, how you look is how the lance is positioned. Thus you can even kill a horse under a knight, but I prefer to kill him.
If you are up against lots of ranged infantry, be sure you have a shield and keep it up while you are heading for them. It will take any ranged attacked, then about 7 meters from them let go of the shield and the lance should fall into place just in time. But beware, the archers might just have time to shoot you and then you lose your concentration and will not impale him.
Also beware of slopes, there is nothing worse than charging at archers only to realize at the last instance that the lance simply won't drop down while you are getting plastered by arrows.
Horse Archery:
Get a bow, get a fast horse with good maneuverability, fight. It is that simple, but to be effective as a horse archer you need to have some skillpoints in Horse Archery. That will lower the reticule spread a bit. Of course the best way to be a horse archer is to stand still while shooting, then scoot to another great position of shooting. But you can draw enemy infantry around in circles letting your own ranged troops kill them. But be certain the enemy is on your left side, you can get the bow across the horse's neck (and it is rather hard to shoot a bow to right side of the body).
The Arena:
You get 20 denaries after each bout in the Arena, but only when you talk to the master.
Caravans:
Make sure you talk to the Caravan Master a short distance before it enters the destination.
Caravans are also great at attracting bandits and give you the added strength to beat them senseless. But the caravan won't come to your assistance if the bandits think you are a better target, so make sure it is the caravan they want before you head for them.
Btw, I have now reached level 26, have a full panoply of Black Armour (give me a white tree and I will be a gondorian knight from the films, but not as whimpy). I have a balanced longsword, a thick steel shield (though it is quite ugly round it gives me 846 points of protection enough to soak up all the ranged attacks you can imagine), a great lance and a sniper crossbow with two large bags of bolts. I'm a walking talking killingmachine.
I find, starting out as a squire, that I can usually take groups of four or five river pirates by myself. Also, it is good to go to the trainer and practice in the arena in Zendar.
A few tips for on foot combat:
When you are on foot with a group of enemies coming towards you, walk backwards while swinging. If you have any missiles, preferably some throwing items, use them.
While walking backwards, swing at your enemies. After a bit of practice you can get the timing down to kill them. Hopefully you'll be able to kill them off one by one. What you do not want to do is stop, because then you'll be swamped. If your horse gets dropped in a swarm of men, raise your shield and back out.
In one on one, keep on attacking after you hit the guy. Don't let up, and you'll usually get him. Also, slashing attacks have a wider range than the downward slashes.
For horse combat, hitting people with a sword is rather simple. Just ride towards the side of a person, then look to whatever side they are on (to make your attack go to that side) and swing. Be wary of getting your horse injured, though, as it could become lame (and much slower).
My current character is level 8, and has a good steppe horse, a fighting axe, nordic sword and throwing axes. I got that sweet loot from a battle between manhunters and sea raiders I joined.
One time, it was my and faithful Borcha against some 8 river pirates. WHle Borcha charged and got himself knocked out, I rode around throwing axes at them. With only 7 axes, I managed to get 3 or 4 headshots. After that, I rode amoung them, slashing with my sword. After a while, I noticed my horse was damaged, so I rode off a bit and dismounted, and finished the remaining foes on foot.
And Zelda, how do you take screenshots?
Crazed Rabbit
F11 will generate a screenshot.
Or you can use...Fraps!
Well, after my terrible start I managed to recover and work my way up to level 6.
I spent a while working the arena for 20 denars a time, not daring to place bets even when I finally scraped the cash to do so. I found the fights entirely too unpredictable, and often too unfair. I was most often dumped in as a foot archer, despite only having about 28 points in bows ... That meant I couldn't hit a thing, and having no other weapon I just got killed the instant anyone got close to me. Also the arena horse is just too bad to fight on; it has the turning circle of a dead whale. I suspect that's the main reason I was having trouble; I spent ages running about trying to get lined up for an attack, and probably still ended up slightly out of line anyway, or not looking down far enough to hit infantry. I do wonder why they bothered putting mounted combat in with such useless horses; they should have dished out average mounts, to match the average armour you get loaned.
My break came when I gave up on the noble arts of war and decided to cheese it as a salt merchant for a bit. I soon earned a pile of cash taking salt from the mine to the nearest village. I got myself a decent saddlehorse and 10 peasants, and then did some very cautious battling against the 10 man strong groups of forest bandits. That led to nice equipment and better horses, and slaves and booty to sell, and from there things picked up quite decently. I found I did far better by giving up on horse riding and sticking to a sword/shield combo for melee, and using my crossbow like a madfrog at every opportunity.
Properly equipped, backed up, and not stuffed in the arena it turns out I'm quite a good shot with a crossbow, and rather mean with my sword. :gring: I didn’t risk any more mounted combat; I hadn’t got to the point where I could afford to risk losing a horse.
I'm going to start a second game with another character, and build up to much better cash and equipment without levelling up. I want to try out reasonable skill level/good mount combat, and a few other things, before I consider buying or not. The equivalent of £6 might not be much for a game, but it’s the price of a good book, and a frog always has at least ten books she wants to buy at all times.
I found I couldn’t do that successfully; I was always being stabbed repeatedly without even chance to get in an attack of any sort. My enemies seemed a bit faster than me. It was most noticeable in the arena, during all this confounded bouts where I was dumped in as a foot archer.Quote:
When you are on foot with a group of enemies coming towards you, walk backwards while swinging. If you have any missiles, preferably some throwing items, use them.