Mount & Blade Bannerlord's Improvements Over Warband
- KingOfPacific
- Apr 13, 2020
- 3 min read
Spoiler: It's all about giving players more options
In the previous post, I talked about things Mount & Blade Bannerlord can improve on, but despite the imperfections, Bannerlord is truly a great game.
Many people complain that Bannerlord didn't improvise compared to the previous title Warband. However, there are new fun elements and mechanics Bannerlord implemented, these are the things that Bannerlord can do that Warband can't.
Improved Diplomacy
Diplomacy is rather simple in Warband, using marriage to form an alliance, support a specific lord and declare war is pretty much all.
I do like the old title claimant mechanism from Warband, and I do hope Tales Worlds can bring that to Bannerlord, but that doesn't necessarily count as a diplomacy mechanism, so we don't go too deep into that.
On the other hand, Bannerlord offers a lot more when it comes to diplomacy. Players can vote for lists of policies within the kingdom. Some policies give power to stronger clans, while some help the weaker clans out.
For every policy change or fiefs transaction (giving a castle or a city to another lord), all the lords need to decide by voting.
Most of the time, not everyone will be pleased by your vote, which may lower your relation with them. This makes the game a lot more realistic and dynamic. And of course, there are still policies to centralize your power if players decide to be a dictator.
The new "creating army" function is also fantastic, it's a part of the diplomacy system, which allows players to call other lords in arms, ask their crews to join yours and form an army for a limited time.
This makes the game a lot quicker, especially when sieging a city.
Improved Siege Battle
Siege battle is another big improvement, even though it can be glitchy from time to time.
The old siege battle from Warband is very straight forward, especially when you are the one attack. Building a ladder and a siege tower is pretty much all you can do, then look at your troops climb on one single ladder and pile up.
Bannerlord introduces a more strategic sieging mechanic. Players can build sieging equipment and singing weapons like rams, catapult, for both attack and defence. Players also get to choose how and where to deploy them along with your troops.
Soldiers are also a lot more intelligent on the battlefield. They will push with the siege tower and ram (if you have them built) and advance from one cover to the next.
During a siege, catapults are firing, archers are raining arrows down, rams and sieging towers are slowing advancing, soldiers are swarming the castle from different directions. Tales Worlds truly bring the Medieval battlefield into this video game.
Clan System
The clan system is something new Bannerlord has implemented. Each lord now has his/her own clan, with heroes (companions), spouse and children as clan members. It tightens the bonds between the player and all the followers.
The rise and the fall of a clan affect everyone in the clan, so getting a good standing in the realm and levelling up your clan is very important. Since there are various buffs that come with higher clan tier.
Now players won't feel like they are fighting alone in Calradia. This time, instead, they have their followers and spouse to back them up, and when your in-game character dies, your son/daughter will carry on your will and become the next playable character. ( if enable death setting is toggled)
Smithing
This is a controversial topic because many players think the smithing system in Bannerlord is their nightmare.
In my previous post, I also talked about why many players are unhappy with the smithing system, it's not because it's a bad idea to customize your weapon, but rather a balancing issue.
I like the idea of customizing and creating my own weapon, I found myself spending quite a bit of time in the Smithy. With the smithing system, you can create a traditional European two-handed sword or a long sabre. you can even craft a big wooden hammer to knock people off of their horse if you prefer capturing them.
If the smithing system is a bit less grindy, with some balancing patches, it can be really really fun. After all, being creative is always fun, and if you don't want Tales Worlds to balance it, there is the smithing stamina mod that can help you craft your ultimate weapon today.
About Us:
We are Oddball Gravity, an internet-based independent gaming media group.
Comentários