Mount&Blade 2: Bannerlord Confirmed [Interview with dev. Singil page 20]

[Kip]

My issue with gunpowder is that it's a technology that transcends cultures. Basing a faction entirely on a technology is bonkers - it would be like giving exclusive access to crossbows to Rhodoks. Rhodoks are the best crossbowmen, but it certainly doesn't mean Swadians can't run around with crossbows. It doesn't make any sense that a technology that effective wouldn't seep out to the rest of the world, especially given how small Calradia is. If one faction has gunpowder, all of the factions would have gunpowder, and that doesn't fit the vibe they've built in Mount&Blade at all.

[Hattori]

My issue with gunpowder is that it's a technology that transcends cultures. Basing a faction entirely on a technology is bonkers - it would be like giving exclusive access to crossbows to Rhodoks. Rhodoks are the best crossbowmen, but it certainly doesn't mean Swadians can't run around with crossbows. It doesn't make any sense that a technology that effective wouldn't seep out to the rest of the world, especially given how small Calradia is. If one faction has gunpowder, all of the factions would have gunpowder, and that doesn't fit the vibe they've built in Mount&Blade at all.

Totally agree, although we could look at the very early gunpowder era historically for a model of balance between melee and range but it would still disrupt the medieval feel of the game.

[Bolkonsky]

Mount and Blade is all about the low fantasy setting, a created world but still based heavily on real historic factions and weaponry. if you start adding too much fantasy elements like magic and other races the gritty feel of the game will dissipate.

There actually was stuff like the undead and magic, but the developers removed it because they decided that what made the game awesome was the realism of the combat and such. Humans fighting humans.

[Phier]

There actually was stuff like the undead and magic, but the developers removed it because they decided that what made the game awesome was the realism of the combat and such. Humans fighting humans.

Seeing how well M&B works for combat, especially mounted combat, it makes me that much madder that a big company like Bethesda still can't figure out how to do it.

[Kawee]

I know what you mean Phier. With their big budget, they outperform everyone in the RPG genre, but they can't put together a combat mechanic half as good as the one developed by M&B.

[MrExpendable]

Would be great if they could improve sieges, like bombarding the castle with catapults and trebuchets with nice physics and stuff..

Also, improving the faction themes to improve the atmosphere of the game would be great. Look at Skyrim's Nords for example.

I sincerely hope that this company would one day have the budget and manpower Bethesda has. They deserve it for coming up with such a great gaming concept.

[Inhuman One]

Here's what I am hoping for:

-More immersive campaign map.
Game looks fine in combat but the campaign map just looks awfull. It does not invite exploration so to speak. I want to see roads, unique cities, harbours, farms and such on it, and some more activities.

-Improved banners.
I want to see banners appear properly on tunics this time, with the symbol not centered on the crotch but on the middle of the chest.
Aside from appearing on various surcoats and shields, I also want to see horse barding that applies the banner pattern on it.
Each banner should pretty much have their own set of appearances, always appearing properly on every flag, shield, surcoat or horse barding.

-Limited voice acting.
Dialogue does not need to be voiced for me, but characters at least saying a greeting, goodbyes, troops giving the occasional warcry dependant of their faction and stuff like that would really add to immersion, and help make each lord and companion a bit more memorable.

-Possible alliances between factions.
Right now its at war or not at war, I want to see factions allying againt common enemies and the possibility to put allies against each other and tear the alliance apart.

-More factions.
Six factions might still not really capture the feeling of medieval warfare, ten factions might be enough.
Suggestions to base them on would be: Scotland/Ireland, Moors, Byzantium and Spain.

-AI keeping a bit more distance.
Right now they really like to get really close to you, I want them to keep a distance appropriate to their weapon. With a dagger they can jump in your face yes, but with a spear or longsword they could keep a reasonable distance.

-Improved customisation.
Seeing how this also affects NPC characters I really think the pool of faces and hairstyles need to be increased by quite a lot. I'd like an obvious split in possible styles as well, with each nationality being chosen like a race in many fantasy games.
This will ensure all NPC's will look like they are actually from their own nation. Nords could get some exclusive beard models and more braided hair models, and no dark skintones. The Sarranids could be limited to darker skintones.
Your starting nationality will also give a small boost to relations with that faction and can determine some starting traits. Like Nords starting with a few extra points for two handed and one handed weaponry.
Scars could also be added to customisation, as well as eye colors.

-Different tournament categories.
Right now its all thrown on the same pile and you can't really know what to expect which does not make much sense.
I'd say each nationality should have their own tournament with its own name and rules. And of that tournament there could be standard battles open to all with standard issue gear, and champion battles where you show your own heraldry and do not fight in a team.
Swadia could have jousting tournaments in the official medieval sense as their championship tournaments.
The Nords could have melee brawls with swords, axes and shields, exclusively on foot.
Kergits could be exclusively on horseback in their tournaments, with javelins, bows and swords.

[Shaio]

Id like occasional tourney where i could fight in own armour, against other reallly well equipt people.

[Captain Arrrgh!]

Orignal Mount and Blade was best, Warband was okay. Fire and Sword is just boring for me and I can't get into the exotic slavic uniforms. Fire and Sword was far too regionocentric.

[Inhuman One]

It's interesting that Eastern europe is used for fire and sword since it rarely appears in games, but they could have at least included the Ottoman Turks and the Holy Roman Empire. Not their full countries but just a part of it.

[SLN445]

I love the Eastern setting, though im horribly bias because the cossacks attempt at independence is a favorite area of history of mine after playing Cossacks European wars.

In terms of missing countries Prussia is the one i think is missing, should have been an option at least to help them retake their lands from the Swedes, would've been awesome

[Inhuman One]

Best would have been having the Netherlands there and it being set around the eighty years war with spain.. I'd have loved to fight for my country's independence.

[SLN445]

Best would have been having the Netherlands there and it being set around the eighty years war with spain.. I'd have loved to fight for my country's independence.

Would be good as a separate game but you would have to include western Europe which forces you to include too many varied nations or have people about them being to similar.

[Cahoma]

Orignal Mount and Blade was best, Warband was okay. Fire and Sword is just boring for me and I can't get into the exotic slavic uniforms. Fire and Sword was far too regionocentric.

How was the original Mount and Blade better than Warband?

[shikaka]

How was the original Mount and Blade better than Warband?

- no memory leak
- no crap attack animations on horseback
- no useless lancing
- no 'magical force-field style shield block' against arrows

[Veliky Kaiser Theos]

- no memory leak
- no crap attack animations on horseback
- no useless lancing
- no 'magical force-field style shield block' against arrows

But the original has no ctrl+space!

[Shaio]

- no memory leak
- no crap attack animations on horseback
- no useless lancing
- no 'magical force-field style shield block' against arrows

Huh?

Pretty sure there was a memory leak in both, although I've never noticed it in warband.

Have no idea what you mean by magic forcefeild sheilds, ive seen arrows take people in the face while practically skimming the edge of the sheild.

and you can turn on normal(skillless) lancing in opitions, its just never enabled in multiplayer. (light spears used to stab normally is way more fun and kicks way more ass anyway thou so.)

[HeroSK]

Have no idea what you mean by magic forcefeild sheilds, ive seen arrows take people in the face while practically skimming the edge of the sheild.

I have seen many many times that magic shield thingy. Whenever I try to shoot an unaware people who runs somewhere else with a shield, arrow gets attracted by shield as if shield has a magnetic power. Some time it is not possible to shoot someone even from back. It is so frustrating.

[thespaniard]

I have seen many many times that magic shield thingy. Whenever I try to shoot an unaware people who runs somewhere else with a shield, arrow gets attracted by shield as if shield has a magnetic power. Some time it is not possible to shoot someone even from back. It is so frustrating.

how far away are you what type of shield was it and was this on multyplayer

[Wulfburk]

Since its "unaware people" it probably is multiplayer, hence the problem is actually cause of lag, since more lag more the shield will be in a slightly different position