Mount and Blade

[Galloglaich]

I've been playing Mount and Blade a bit finally, took the time to try to figure out the basic idea and get through the learning curve. I really like it! It's given me a lot of ideas on Cavalry warfare I'm thinking about implementing in the Codex. Anyone else here play it? So far I've only used the basic version I haven't tried warbands or with fire and sword or any other add ons or mods.

G

[Arkon]

I just got Mount and Blade. It's discounted on GOG. I played it a bit and enjoy the power of a mounted knight a lot. What do you think about representation of weapons and armour in this game?

[Galloglaich]

I just got Mount and Blade. It's discounted on GOG. I played it a bit and enjoy the power of a mounted knight a lot. What do you think about representation of weapons and armour in this game?

It's not spot on accurate, especially in the sense that all the armor is pretty limited and it's still basically about hit points... but I think on the 'meta' level it works really nicely. You really see the value of different types of weapons systems: spears, axes, the couched lance, the javelin and other thrown weapons (even rocks), the mounted archer ... I think I've learned a lot more about the difference between cavalry warfare and individual combat.

The different nations have different things they are good at - the Swadians have good heavy cavalry, the Kergits have the excellent Mongol style horse archers (and pretty good heavy cavalry too) the Rhodoks have good defensive infantry and superb crossbow archers, and the Nords have the really good offensive heavy infantry. It gives you a cool sense of the interplay between these different types of weapons, and even though it's kind of a crude abstraction, it's a quantum leap past anything else I've played with in that sense.

In particular I love how their simple, intuitive, but difficult to master system brings some of the weapons to light: I like how you can line up your target with a bow as you aim, and it helps a lot for a second, then gets worse as you hold the weapon too long - but the crossbow doesn't have this problem. I like how you can use the lance couched or ride around and try to stab, how you can try to cut from your horse but your horse is vulnerable and infantry can crowd around you. I love how effective the shields are (though it can be annoying when you are trying to get somebody!)

They could take it further but I think it's a 'great leap' past every other online type video game I've played, and beyond most tabletop RPG's. It kind of renewed my interest in game design, I think there will be some new things coming out in the codex as a result.

Get Warband by the way, it's a bit better than the original one, more social elements, more interesting combat, and you get a 5th country to deal with.

G

[Galloglaich]

I also notice they take into consideration reach as well as speed, there seems to be some defensive value to weapons (if you as a player have the skill to block, which I barely do) and there are different attack types. Certain weapons (axes) have bonus against shields and I think bludgeon weapons work better against armor though I'm not certain of that yet.

One of the things I noticed early on - before I figured out how to do couched-lance attacks (which I LOVE now) is that you really needed the extra reach of a spear or a polearm to get people in cavalry warfare because it was harder to get close enough to attack with a sword

[Arkon]

It's not spot on accurate, especially in the sense that all the armor is pretty limited and it's still basically about hit points... but I think on the 'meta' level it works really nicely. You really see the value of different types of weapons systems: spears, axes, the couched lance, the javelin and other thrown weapons (even rocks), the mounted archer ... I think I've learned a lot more about the difference between cavalry warfare and individual combat.

The different nations have different things they are good at - the Swadians have good heavy cavalry, the Kergits have the excellent Mongol style horse archers (and pretty good heavy cavalry too) the Rhodoks have good defensive infantry and superb crossbow archers, and the Nords have the really good offensive heavy infantry. It gives you a cool sense of the interplay between these different types of weapons, and even though it's kind of a crude abstraction, it's a quantum leap past anything else I've played with in that sense.

In particular I love how their simple, intuitive, but difficult to master system brings some of the weapons to light: I like how you can line up your target with a bow as you aim, and it helps a lot for a second, then gets worse as you hold the weapon too long - but the crossbow doesn't have this problem. I like how you can use the lance couched or ride around and try to stab, how you can try to cut from your horse but your horse is vulnerable and infantry can crowd around you. I love how effective the shields are (though it can be annoying when you are trying to get somebody!)

They could take it further but I think it's a 'great leap' past every other online type video game I've played, and beyond most tabletop RPG's. It kind of renewed my interest in game design, I think there will be some new things coming out in the codex as a result.

Get Warband by the way, it's a bit better than the original one, more social elements, more interesting combat, and you get a 5th country to deal with.

I have Warband. Forgot to write it. I wonder if it would be possible to make a mod to make it more realistic.

I love creating a battle where I play an armoured horseman with lance accompanied with up to 10 riders and archers/crossbowmen and attack a force of about 50-60 outlaws. There's something wonderful about charging enemies with lance when armoured from head to toes.

How does one use couched lance?

[Galloglaich]

You just arm yourself with your lance (I think it has to be a lance and not a spear or anything, though I'm not sure), leave the mouse alone, and as you reach speed it will drop forward "on it's own", then try to point mainly with the movement controls (the keyboard: ASD etc.) as long as your lance point is near the enemy when you hit you'll see a message which says 'couched lance damage' which is usually devastating, typically an instant kill. That becomes addictive though it's dangerous; I'm always using my lance now and then I get caught up in mobs of enemy infantry and get myself knocked out. Once you are KO your guys fight much worse for some reason. So I try to pick off a guy toward the end of the enmy line (especially when fighting the Rhodoks guys or the Nord)

The lance charge is hard to do if you are in rough terrain because it's hard to get going fast enough, but easy in open-terrain, basically all you have to do is reach a decent speed, keep your hand off the mouse but have the lance pointing in the right area. Stabbing with the lance intentionally (i.e. NOT using the couched lance) is hard because you have to time it just right though that can also be effective. But nowhere near as fun as couched lance.

Also in the options you can adjust the lethality to yourself and your allies, which makes everything more challenging.

Have you been involved in a siege yet? I think those are the most fun aside from cavalry warfare...

I think there are a lot of mods for M&B but I haven't tried them yet. There is also the With Fire and Sword version which I love the idea of though it got mixed reviews. I think M&B is coming out with a major new version pretty soon.

G

[Galloglaich]

These two look interesting:

http://www.nexusmods.com/mbwarband/mods/5860/?

http://www.nexusmods.com/mbwarband/mods/1746/?

G

[Arkon]

I played 1257 the factions are quite interesting.

You just arm yourself with your lance (I think it has to be a lance and not a spear or anything, though I'm not sure), leave the mouse alone, and as you reach speed it will drop forward "on it's own", then try to point mainly with the movement controls (the keyboard: ASD etc.) as long as your lance point is near the enemy when you hit you'll see a message which says 'couched lance damage' which is usually devastating, typically an instant kill. That becomes addictive though it's dangerous; I'm always using my lance now and then I get caught up in mobs of enemy infantry and get myself knocked out. Once you are KO your guys fight much worse for some reason. So I try to pick off a guy toward the end of the enmy line (especially when fighting the Rhodoks guys or the Nord)

The lance charge is hard to do if you are in rough terrain because it's hard to get going fast enough, but easy in open-terrain, basically all you have to do is reach a decent speed, keep your hand off the mouse but have the lance pointing in the right area. Stabbing with the lance intentionally (i.e. NOT using the couched lance) is hard because you have to time it just right though that can also be effective. But nowhere near as fun as couched lance.

It started working for me only after I pressed the alternate attack mode key. Yeah it's a lot of fun. Sometimes I can kill over 10 enemies that way. Which probably isn't very realistic because the lance can't break.

Have you been involved in a siege yet? I think those are the most fun aside from cavalry warfare...

Yes.

I think there are a lot of mods for M&B but I haven't tried them yet. There is also the With Fire and Sword version which I love the idea of though it got mixed reviews. I think M&B is coming out with a major new version pretty soon.

G

I doubled armour values for the native. Now it's hard to get killed with any cut through mail. Though I don't know if it isn't too much. I barely get damage from arrows and crossbow bolts.

I wonder what's the story with With Fire and Sword add on. Apparently it was made by some external team.

[Arkon]

One thing I don't like about Mount and Blade Warband is that enemies don't have survival instinct. They are extremely aggressive and constantly rush (when not ranged).

[Galloglaich]

I think there is a setting for the AI though I haven't tried it yet, i think the default is 'average'

I'm going to try the 1468 mod tonight, I'll let you know how it goes.

G