Mount&Blade

[Cyclotron]

Fans of the game are awaiting the new patch, version 0.730, but already there is an "unstable" test patch that reveals some of what is in store for Mount&Blade. Most notably, the towns are fleshed out in impressive detail, and the map now includes two castles that you can take by storm - now, there are opportunities for battle with walls and battlements instead of just natural terrain. It's hinted out that vastly improved siege warfare will be coming.

The AI has been improved, as far as I can tell, tremendously since my last post - spearmen and pikemen are really quite good at stopping even mounted lancers dead in their tracks when approached with a frontal assault. You can also now order your units to do certain things based on unit type - have your archers follow you to a nearby hill, while you tell your infantry and sergeants to charge, while keeping your knights back as a reserve to sweep down upon the enemy when he's occupied with the infantry!

The shield and blocking systems are much improved, as well. Those of you who really want a challenge can choose "directional blocking," which means you have to carefully match your block to the enemy's strike to avoid getting brutalized. Combat appears to be much more deadly - and thus, realistic - in the new patch, with a sabre slice from a galloping steed nearly always fatal. Shields can now be circumvented if you've got good aim, by shooting below them (it's harder than it sounds when firing from a speeding horse).

Good news from the forums is that the original team, composed initially of only a guy and his wife, has been augmented by the hiring of two artists. For those of you who love modding, and I know you exist, M&B already has numerous full mods, if you want to live the Crusades or the 100 Years' War in true M&B style.

Check it out!

[Cyclotron]

Mount and Blade v.751 is out! This update focuses mainly on sound and detail - a major graphics overhaul, adding better texture to faces, much better movement to horses, and some really cool looking towns.

Speaking is now in - soldiers yell as they attack, and bandits threaten you when confronted. Your men - if you have any left at the end of the battle - cheer and shout "Victory!"

Horses are now much more "lifelike," and will spook and run crazily around the battlefield without a rider, instead of just standing around like before. Their galloping and neighing sounds are all new, and you can hear that plate barding go "ka-chink" when you're at top speed. It's a solid update, and a must for those of you interested in this game. It's still in house, an independent project without a big developer, and still only $14 for the full verson.

And no, I'm not getting paid for this.

[DrSpike]

Is the playerbase for this game Cyclotron?

[Traianvs]

I have not heard of this before. Seeing it's only 50 MB (My cable provider sucks so I have to be careful how much I am downloading ) I'll consider giving it a go one of these days!

[RGBVideo]

Like I presumed last summer when I first read this thread - it'll be in a "beta"-stage forever.

How many ctd-bugs are there? What are the system requirements?

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Is the playerbase for this game Cyclotron?

Only if you don't count the extensive online community, which happens to support far more languages than Apolyton...

Like I presumed last summer when I first read this thread - it'll be in a "beta"-stage forever.

How many ctd-bugs are there? What are the system requirements?

It's a great deal more fun right now than a lot of retail games that would have you shell out $50. Progress appears to be quite steady, and it isn't likely the project will be abandoned into endless beta-dom; the licenses so far have made enough money that the developers have left their jobs, so it wouldn't be good to stop now, I should think.

CTD bugs vary on version, but in the last month I've had 2-3. System requirements should be readily available on their site.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by VJ
Like I presumed last summer when I first read this thread - it'll be in a "beta"-stage forever.

In the same sense that most MMORGPs are in a "beta"-stage forever. The game is playable now, new content keeps getting added, the downside is...

[Tuberski]

I'm off to get the update. As soon as I find out what version I have now.

ACK!

[DrSpike]

I was just glancing through the forums, and people are talking about MP being 'added'. I didn't actually realise that the game was SP only. That would probably make it some way from release, if it was.

[Cyclotron]

The official word is that MP will not be added; the exact quote was something like "maybe for M&B 2." The recurring forum posts on this are just people expressing their pipe dreams, as so far there is no indication that the designers have reconsidered MP.

Tuberski, the latest update made the previous versions somewhat obsolete, so you need to download the whole program again and install it "over the top" of your old M&B. The update only works if the version you have is .750, which I don't think you do as it came out less than a week ago.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
The official word is that MP will not be added; the exact quote was something like "maybe for M&B 2." The recurring forum posts on this are just people expressing their pipe dreams, as so far there is no indication that the designers have reconsidered MP.

Tuberski, the latest update made the previous versions somewhat obsolete, so you need to download the whole program again and install it "over the top" of your old M&B. The update only works if the version you have is .750, which I don't think you do as it came out less than a week ago.

I had 7.10 or .11. I like the improvements I see so far.

Actual towns.

ACK!

[Skanky Burns]

Wait until you attack actual castles.

[RGBVideo]

Zomfg, this game rules.

I drool at the thought of multiplayer in the form of 5-50 player battles. Some screenshots (I halved the size and reduced colours to 256 before uploading them) :

A nameless victory near the city gates:



Pirates ambushed me while I was traveling inlands towards a hill and cut off my retreat route -- I guess I should boost up either my tactical- or tracking skill a bit:



I teamed up with a group of wounded, mounted manhunters to track down fleeing river bandits one late afternoon. Too bad we underestimated their strength -- we ended up getting trapped right next to the river we couldn't cross against more than a dozen bandits, three of whom had stolen courier horses. What was supposed to be as simple as butchering sleeping cattle turned out to be a long, bloody battle from a bad defending position in the middle of the night. I was the lone survivor (as seen here), and looted both the bandits and the manhunters. That arrow is on my shield, I'm on horseback on shallow water; you'd see both things if MS Paint wouldn't have aten the lower part of the file.



A small group of hill bandits decided that a lone target with a silly hat like I had would be an easy target for them to rob. Guess again, punks. I quickly rode forward to meet them at the small river, hopped of horseback and hailed the lot by some blades with featherbacks whilst they slowly advanced:


Here I'm doing a tactical retreat, riding back towards my traveling sack containing my supplies, to scrap my bow and fetch my 2-handed sword:


Here's what their brilliant ambush looked like after I had charged couple of times using my two-handed sword:

OWNED, punks. Next time, try creating a formation so I can't hit three of ya with a single horseback charge (before turning back to do another, that is - none of them even tried to block my charges so they cold stop me and hammer for a while). I left the last one alive so I could sell him for a lifetime of slavery -- perhaps he'll tell future bandits not to use short-swords and stones against a man on the white horse, no matter how douchy his cap is.

[Tuberski]

I just can't get the hang of horseback combat. I always use blunt weapons on the river pirates also. I like selling them off.

Otherwise getting money is fairly tough.

ACK!

[RGBVideo]

I just can't get the hang of horseback combat. I always use blunt weapons on the river pirates also. I like selling them off.

I generally take no prisoners, they slow me down. The horse pictured is my current favourite, heavy courier. It's speed is 11 m/s which I can boost with my riding skill to (iirc) 13,6.

If you're a fast rider and boost up your inventory and trading skills, you can get $$$ pretty quickly by trading. You don't really need riding skill and expensive horses to earn money quicker (the difference between say 11 and 9 is marginal, even in the long run), but to run away from bandits, army deserters and the like.

Horseback combat gets tricky with swords if you're facing many enemies and they know how to use shields. I've been thinking about buying a pole weapon some day, the guy in the tavern of the first town said that you can bypass shield defence with them if you hit with them correctly enough.

[Skanky Burns]

Prisoners are fine, so long as they are also on horseback. Also, if you grab heroes, fill their inventory (apart from weapons/armour they use) with horses. Any party horses reduces the slow-down from heavy loads, and since they are carrying the horses it also frees up your inventory space for sellable items.

[Cyclotron]

Prisoners are the best way to get income in the early game; over time they become less and less good. An excellent starting strategy is to get a good blunt weapon (a winged mace is ideal) and stick around Zendar, capturing and selling those groups of 5-6 river pirates as slaves.

A saddle horse will serve you well for a long time, though when you have the money, upgrade to a hunter. If you're a horse archer who values really high speed in battles, get a courser, but otherwise stick with the hunter until you can upgrade to a decent warhorse or (preferably) charger.

There are a few ways to bypass an enemy with shields:

- Couched lance. The lance will rip right through people, even with shields, when couched. It's almost always a one hit kill if your polearm skill is decent.
- The "double tap." You'll notice that when you hit someone with your horse, they're stunned briefly; their attack fails and they momentarily drop their shield. If you tap a person with your horse to throw them off balance and then swing as you go by, you can reliably bypass shields. Of course, you have to make sure you don't hit them head on, or else your horse will probably stop cold. It's best to have horses with a good charge rating for this tactic.
- Trampling. Once you get a warhorse or charger, you can often deal 10-25 damage with a head on trample, which can take people out quite quickly. Trample damage combined with the double tap will ensure victory over most ground forces.

The real problem is pikemen. Guys with long spears will often be able to hit you before you can use the couched lance, or stop your horse. Either hit them while they're occupied with someone else, or hit them with missile weapons.

[Skanky Burns]

Since shields no-longer protect the entire body, you can also shoot someone even with their shield raised. Just aim for their legs or top of the head. Shoot them in the back. Shoot them when they are attacking someone else (and hence have their shield down). Shoot them when there is a melee fighter between you and them (and hence have their shield down).

Did I mention I liked bows?

[Traianvs]

spoken like a true thief

[Cyclotron]

Well, it's that time again! No, not random thread necromancy time - Mount&Blade update time from your local unofficial M&B spokesman, Cyclotron.



It's been awhile since the last update, but the new .8 series of patches is well worth the wait. A whole new interface, vastly improved AI, and a whole host of graphics changes are all present and accounted for. Tactically, there's some interesting changes - weather now greatly affects movement and the accuracy of bows, and you can now sling shields on your back to protect yourself from those pesky Swadian Crossbowmen.

And yes, they are pesky.



Of course, sometimes it's advisable to stick to melee...



For those of you who enjoy tinkering with characters, the face system is a whole lot better, allowing you to make a caricature of just about anyone and get said caricature riddled with arrows.



Some of the most impressive work done with M&B recently has actually been from the fan base. M&B has proven itself to be quite mod-friendly, allowing you to have as many mods as you like that you can load up whenever you play, in the same vein as Civ4. One of the most impressive ones is "The Last Days," a particularly ambitious Lord of the Rings modification in which you can try your hand at slaying (and playing as) the orcish hordes of the Enemy. Cue the LotR soundtrack (I know you have it, you nerds ) and lead the cavalry of Rohan on a glorious charge to victory.

The price is still quite low at $18 - and we all know you'll have more fun blowing $18 bucks on awesome medieval mayhem than on presents for your bratty cousins this holiday season. If you're not convinced, download it and give it a try - you can play up to level 6 for free, just like always.

[DrSpike]

So is it finished now?

[Cyclotron]

No, it's still in Beta. I'm not sure whether the price is a good measure of "done-ness" or not, but they developers claim the price for the full version will increase as the game nears completion to the final price of $29. The game is currently $18.

[DrSpike]

So it's less than 2/3 done? Bump this thread when it's $27.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by DrSpike
So it's less than 2/3 done? Bump this thread when it's $27.

Well, as I said, that's if the price is a good measure.

This is the other games forum, and as one of the best games I've played in a long time (and continue to play), I feel like it's worthy to re-mention it every few months. It may be in Beta, but it's ready to play now, is more stable than most finished games I have, and has more user-created content than a lot of games out there already.

Part of the reason I promote it is because it's in development. Because only a handful of people are working on it - people that post regularly at their forums - there's a tremendous opportunity for players to give suggestions and affect the game's development. Furthermore, I'm a supporter of independent producers and of innovation in gaming (something this has in spades). I really suggest trying it out - you can do that for free.

[El_Cid]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
........
I really suggest trying it out - you can do that for free.

You cant get fairer than that imho

I never tried this before as untill i built my Oblivion PC my 3D gaming was pretty low tech(PIII533+32MB Geforce MX). Now i have the hardware i'm rushing over to try the demo/beta thing - It's always sounded like a great game in the making, and i also rely more and more on indie developers as the big guns get worse.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Cyclotron


Well, as I said, that's if the price is a good measure.

This is the other games forum, and as one of the best games I've played in a long time (and continue to play), I feel like it's worthy to re-mention it every few months. It may be in Beta, but it's ready to play now, is more stable than most finished games I have, and has more user-created content than a lot of games out there already.

Part of the reason I promote it is because it's in development. Because only a handful of people are working on it - people that post regularly at their forums - there's a tremendous opportunity for players to give suggestions and affect the game's development. Furthermore, I'm a supporter of independent producers and of innovation in gaming (something this has in spades). I really suggest trying it out - you can do that for free.

Fair enough. I think I am mad because it looks quite cool and every time you bump it I think it must be done.

[Skanky Burns]

Have you actually tried the game (for free) yet? If not, they you are mad.

[DrSpike]

[Tuberski]

I agree with Skanky.

DrSpike is mad.

Looks like I'll have to go update, I bought the game for $12.

ACK!

[Tuberski]

I don't see anything about .8 updates on the website.

Oh, have to go to the forum for updates, nevermind.

ACK!