MANOR LORDS- by Slavic Magic; What do you think?

[Hazbones]

I have not played a TW game since Rome II (no need to go into reasons here) and it is in my own opinion that if CA wants to stay in business, they need to get back to making a great EPIC historical game.

I think RTS games are going in the direction of Mount and Blade- Bannerlord, Ghost of Tsushima, Kingdom Come Deliverance, etc. with open worlds that can be manipulated like gathering resources, open-building, crafting items, hunting, and such. Another such game I wanted to point to was this one: MANOR LORDS- by Slavic Magic

You can watch the game review on Youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2mW8fmakKA

They have some videos on Youtube and also a Steam page:
https://manorlords.com/
(sorry CA, no Epic option for you )

Anyway, as I see it, if CA wants to get back to glory and bring back some of us old timers that have played every CA game up to the most recent downturn, they need to start considering dropping the current engine and going in the direction these other RTS games are heading or else get left in the dust. This is just my own opinion on the direction CA is going but that is not the purpose of this thread.

Just think if CA put their minds (and wallets) to it, can you imagine how awesome Medieval III or an Empire II could be if they incorporated all of the aspects of this new game! CA already has the RTS know-how, the military (Navy, Army, sieges), now all they need to do is mix their knowledge with city-building and warband-building as this game Manor Lords is attempting to do. I remember one of the CA top-brass saying that they wanted each CA title to be more EPIC with each release. Well, this would certainly be that.

> Open World <check>
> Aspects of several games like Bannerlord and Ghost of Tsushima (warband building), Banished or Ostriv (city building), and Kingdom Come Deliverance (detailed units and buildings based on real-life locations) all in one game <check>
> Resource gathering and crafting (something to do rather than just smash and grab over and over) <check>
> Manors being the basic land ownership and building block of the game (vs CA's province-level and failed attempt at using Fiefs in ToB) <check>

What really caught my attention in the video review was when he said, "...being able to craft the weapons and armor that your troops use on the field" sounds awesome! Instead of just constructing a spear workshop and upgrading it to level III giving all your troops X-uber bonus, the level of quality is based on YOU and the skill you used to craft them! An option could be to assign armorers and their skill level determines the quality. There are all sorts of potential here! What if you could equip each military unit type, spear, bow, gun, etc. (ala Kingdom Come Deliverance) instead of having the game determining the clothing and equipment worn by the units! Just as the game uses the pack files to set the 3 or 4 combinations of gear to choose from, YOU get to do that using the gear available in your manor! EPIC.

CA is hung up on making these larger-than-life commanders and heroes but what if you could manipulate your cities and manors by training some lowly peasants in the art of trade then band them together into Guilds and then start placing those highly skilled merchants in a market you built yourself from lumber and materials YOU gathered! EPIC.

What if instead of just having the AI spawn an army out of nowhere, you have to build a manor (ala city-builder), place a manor lord there (ala warband-builder) and provide him with villages (and villagers) to get the soldiers needed to fight? EPIC.

What do you guys think of the new title MANOR LORDS!? How could CA learn from this game to improve and bring back their own base?

[Vladyvid]

Im at work so i didnt really watch the whole review, but it looks interesting. I always liked the games where you can build and expand. This game looks like a blend of several game types, so im not sure how it really plays if its that enjoyable. Would be interesting to see how it works tho, if some elements can be automated or you just have to design every single sword and helmet or how it really works.

[Hazbones]

True, there are only limited reviews right now and the video of the game that you can see is from the developers. It will be good to see someone actually playing it to see how it all plays together. I am excited to see it though. I might have a new game to hold me over until CA makes a good historical game again.