[Game] Mount and Blade 2

[Chadwiick]

That's right! Tale Worlds has announced they are developing Mount and Blade 2!
http://n4g.com/news/861332/mount-and-blade-2-announced
Mount & Blade 2 Announced! - YouTube

It is an honor to myself to be able to start a thread of such importance (to myself at least). I can't wait to see what improvements they are making! I love this game so much. (Warband) 478 hours clocked on Steam for Warband... maybe I'll finish a mod for M&B2 this time! I wonder how many hours M&B2 will give me... I'll shoot for 800.

 

[Nenjin]

Someone is going to hate me for this, but seriously, they're going to have to do actually do something different to make me pay. I bought M&B back when it was still only available through their website. Years later, I see Warband come out and I go "hrm, wow, what must an expansion be like after all this time?"

And I was kind of underwhelmed. It was like a polished, fully content filled Mount and Blade, but it was effectively still the exact same game.

So while I like Taleworlds, things are going to have to leap forward for me to care. Mount & Blade with a next generation reskin and a large budget does make me curious....but I have a slight worry that they're going to do what they've done before....literally. And that's just not going to work for me. I didn't buy Fire & Sword because guns weren't that important to me. And I've honestly put more hours into Mount & Blade than Warband, because most of the game you'll play is contained there.

 

[Crusher]

Well you're right about it, M&B and warband were pretty much the same, I prefered Warband because it was more polished and more features but most of all because of the mods. If I play warband it's because I found and interesting mod. I tried with fire and sword but I wasn't impressed, Warband was better imo even if it was just a polished m&b.

 

[Chadwiick]

Well, we can only hope though now that I think about it WF&S got some bad rep. Hopefully #2 will be better. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

What kind of changes would you like to see?

 

[Nenjin]

I feel like the map system, which is the glue that keeps the combat and everything else together, is and has been far too simplistic. It would be easy to mass generate a random map, add more terrain features and make the world map more than basically a test of movement speed optimization between armies. There need to be way more sites that aren't cities or castles. It's like playing on a giant RISK map, that's basically featureless for all intents and purposes.

Secondly I'd like to see more of what they did in Warband, the developing of your own kingdom. The ability to found towns (and wipe them off the map completely.) I want the ability to own a piece of the world ala TES games, without having to start a war to do so.

The character system could use new skills. So many of them are niche skills that you feel wasteful spending points on. The conflict between avatar combat development and leadership abilities could be made a lot more interesting from the avatar side. Because your reasons for investing in your HP, power strike, that stuff, go away as your army starts to do the bulk of combat for you.

Mercantilism could also be taken a little more seriously. From what I've messed with it, there's no real depth to it. Merchant quest lines, setting up shops, trading partner or merchant co-ops. Those would make it a viable game play path versus mercenary/lord/king.

Lastly, some actual plot would be nice. Letting the AI beat up on itself in an endless cycle doesn't give the world any personality. Sure some lieges have some traits, but you can't really distinguish the Swadian King from the Vaegir King. Plot lines between kingdoms, that actually drive the cycle of warfare, would be great. Even if after 20 hours you see it for what it is, it's more than "Welp, time to go to war, because that's what we do!" The Usurper Quests are there in Warband....but there more like in points for you to start a war without being responsible for it. Everyone has a Usurper so it's not like the quests are unique. And they're not top notch writing either.

 

[Bluehawk]

Can't wait for 1257 AD 2.

 

[Murphy]

There need to be way more sites that aren't cities or castles.

Yes! and environmental factors should matter a lot more. As it is at the moment not even roads and streets matter!

And get rid of the rolling-hill syndrome too!

The character system could use new skills.

Yes. And there needs to be a reason to go for different skill sets! As it is now there is one way to make a good character. Every deviation from that means you're a role-player, role-playing an imperfect character. Which is ok, if you're into it, but it's not how it should work. Different builds should be viable (and they should actually be different!).

Right now the only actual choice you have is what you spend your weapon points on and even there some are useless compared to others.

Mercantilism could also be taken a little more seriously.

Meh, I hope Mount and Blade 2 is set in medieval times again. 17th century could make for an interesting game too, but it would have to be very, very different.

Lastly, some actual plot would be nice.

Yes. As it is currently, even WARS are meaningless. There needs to be a story and at least some constants to put things into a meaningful context.

I'd like to add that the combat system needs a complete overhaul.

 

[Chadwiick]

I can't disagree with you guys. On my top improvements would be siege. I would love to see multiple points of attack and the ability to station troops, X Archers in that Tower, X infantry on that segment of wall and so on.

I would love to see the ability to incorporate more tactics and formations instead of, hold there, hold there, charge charge charge! I would prefer to be able to group units into platoons, companies, etc. Set what their jobs are in the battlefield and all that good stuff.

Don't let me forget I would love a better management and more defined system for controlling town, villages, etc.