Mount & Blade: Warband - First Impressions

[Antmeister]

Wow. Ended up getting the game through Impulse (http://www.impulsedriven.com/mbwarband). There are definitely some good changes to this game after playing for about an hour and I haven't even bothered touching the multiplayer since I enjoy single player immensely.

The tutorials are far and away a lot better for the newbie since it starts on some training grounds and you can decide what to focus on. You can definitely tell that the graphics and combat animation has improved with just a couple of swings.

But once you get into the game, the character creation is similar. The one difference is that you choose a faction to start out with. And from here, you can tell that there was a lot more attention spent in the quests. There is more dialouge and story behind the quests. And my first quest came after I was attacked when I freaking arrived in the city. On top of that, I ended up fighting in some gully and not the usual open field I was used to for that mission.

It's also nice that you can see your horse's health bar for once. That used to drive me crazy in the previous version because I never knew how many more hits it would take before I would go tumbling off my horse when the enemy delivered that fatal blow.

It's still early, but so far, I am liking what I am seeing. I am sure there are many other things I failed to add, but I am curious to know of other people's first impressions.

[MrBug708]

I should have bought it from soemwhere other then the official site. The dl time is bad and then they deleted it from the server

[gi]

Downloading from Steam now

[Groundhog]

I played the heck out of the multiplayer demo until FBCB and FM10 stole all my time away.

Is the map and the factions the same? I know there were new factions in the multiplayer demo, so I imagine they've been introduced into the single player game too.

[Antmeister]

I should have bought it from soemwhere other then the official site. The dl time is bad and then they deleted it from the server


They have made torrents available if you want to get it faster:
Mount&Blade: Warband 1.101, unofficial torrent (http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,102806.0.html)

[Antmeister]

I played the heck out of the multiplayer demo until FBCB and FM10 stole all my time away.

Is the map and the factions the same? I know there were new factions in the multiplayer demo, so I imagine they've been introduced into the single player game too.

I believe the map is larger, but it is hard to tell since I am on a limited part of the map. The factions are definitely different since they added some new ones.

Oh and when night approaches, you are way more likely to camp now since it is pitch black. You have limited visibility and can accidentally run into an enemy if you don't camp or spend the night in a city.

[Antmeister]

Downloading from Steam now

Yeah, I was heavily considering getting it on Steam, but I couldn't wait since the retail version is available tomorrow.

[Calis]

Oh I had completely not been paying attention to this expansion because I thought it was multiplayer only.

Sounds like it is has some nice SP features though, so time for some research. I haven't played in well over a year maybe longer, so probably have some nice mods to dive into even before Warband.

[Antmeister]

Okay, let me first state that I am starting out on the easy level on both damage for myself and for my friends. Plus I am playing an Average AI and the slowest combat pace. I used these settings in the previous game as well.

Combat:
Wow! You soon begin to realize how much was changed in terms of AI attacks and weapon differences.

In terms of AI attacks, the opponents not only added a lot more feints to their attacks, but when they are in a group, they tend to try to find way to get in your blind spots to whack you. In the previous version, if I were to fight in any arena battles, I would try to move away from certain opponents so that they could fight one another and then come in to whack one or both of them during their combat. In this version, that method is no longer effective and you have to move around a lot more in combat to prevent the newer enemies from getting into those blind spots....especially archers. And now that they have included a more fluid way of swinging your weapon as well as adding a kick to your arsenal (to stun your opponents), you have to more creative ways to get out of a potential mob attack.

In terms of weapon differences, they have a lot of newer weapons to choose from that have certain swing speeds as well as damage based on the type of weapon it is. Plus you can also switch your weapon mode (eg. for spears, you can switch between a throwing mode or piercing with it).

Leveling and Morale:
Another difference I see is that it seems a bit easier to level yourself and your companions. Heck, you can even take a peasant male and female and make them deadly warriors. However, you can actually go for long stretches of land without encountering any deserters or looters, so luckily the guild masters, villagers, kings and vassals provide a lot of good quests/missions/tasks. And if you go to a tavern, you can get a long list of people looking for help.

But it does appear that boosting morale is much harder to come by in battle. So far the most I way able to come away with is 2 points. Depending on the size of the battle and the number of losses, you won't see much of an increase there. And if you end up losing the battle, you do take a huge hit if you are able to not be taken prisoner.

Bounty hunting and those wretched hideouts:
While you had to hunt people down in the previous version, I like the way they implement this now. If it is a single person, it works similar to before where you would have to find the guy in the village and end up fighting him. However, there can be consequences as you then take a hit to how the village feels about you.

If you are tasked to hunt a group, you basically have to look around the location they were last seen and talk to any travellers to give you hints on where they currently are. This can take a while, but when you finally find them and take them out, you are rewarded heavily. In one of my forays, I lost 20 men to a bandit group that had a bounty on their heads as well as my horse (most of the men lost became their prisoners). Since it was a 60 day mission, I was down to just 15 days to bring them down, so I used all of my money to organize a group of 35 inexperienced companions to take them out and just barely won. The gamble paid off and I gained 2000 experience points which knocked me up 2 levels as well as 2000 denars, which would enable me to pay off their weekly wage for a while.

Now for the least favorite.....hideouts. While the first time I encountered this was positive, the next few hideouts were horrid. For one, you are limited in the amount of people to take with you when taking one out. On top of that, you don't even get to choose who to take with you. But what gets really irritating is that you fight the enemies in waves and there is no telling when how many you would need to fight. It's realistic when you think about it, but for the simple fact that you don't get to choose who to take with you, you can end up with a very week team that goes down quickly leaving you to fend for yourself.

[Antmeister]

Using a Lance:
While there are many that hate the changes that have been made to this form of combat, I am really liking it. The way it works now is that if you using a lance in combat, you now have a limited time in which you can couch (slowly lower) your lance. After that, there is a resting period before you can couch it again. To me, this is much more realistic than it was before and it is very cool to actually figure out ways to get the correct timing against specific opponents, but when you are successful, wow, you deal a bunch of damage and can even tear through multiple opponents.

So far I already won two tournaments in Praven since they focused on mounted lance combat.

Now in order to couch your lance, you would have to change the weapon mode by pressing the X key. Because this is often difficult for me to do while controlling my horse, I mapped the Left Control key instead.


Combat Terrain:
Really, really digging the variable terrain you get for each combat. In one particular battle, we stood atop a huge cliff and it was neat to set up archers on one side of the cliff to rain arrows down and a group of bandits who were having a tough time getting up the face of the cliff. Then as that was going on, we snuck around with a small calvary to clean up the rest. While this was possible in the previous version, the size and variation of some of the terrain appear to be drastically improved. One of these times, I have to figure out a way to record the combat and post it up here. It's simply awesome.


Morale (changes):
With the previous patches, this has already changed. The compared sizes of units as well as the total size of the battle seem to determine how much morale you can game which seems to range from 1 to 8 points now.


Companions:
At any given tavern, you may bump into a person who is looking for a group to take them. They differ from other hired help because they have a name over their head and not a Mercenary, Watchout, etc. You can equip them with weapons, armor and a horse and they don't die in combat.

What's cool about them is they all seem to have their own backstory and when you come across an area they are familiar with, they go in detail about that area. At first glance, I just thought this was a filler to make the world seem more real, but you learn that you can use them later to gather information about enemy and ally forces. They also have their own code of ethics that will determine whether or not they stay with you if you stray away from theirs.

When having more than one companion, it can be a bit more interesting because they can have conflicts with one another that you will have to deal with and if not dealt with properly, one of them will leave.

[Antmeister]

By the way, they are already at patch 1.105 which was just released today.

[gstelmack]

Companions:
At any given tavern, you may bump into a person who is looking for a group to take them. They differ from other hired help because they have a name over their head and not a Mercenary, Watchout, etc. You can equip them with weapons, armor and a horse and they don't die in combat.

What's cool about them is they all seem to have their own backstory and when you come across an area they are familiar with, they go in detail about that area. At first glance, I just thought this was a filler to make the world seem more real, but you learn that you can use them later to gather information about enemy and ally forces. They also have their own code of ethics that will determine whether or not they stay with you if you stray away from theirs.

When having more than one companion, it can be a bit more interesting because they can have conflicts with one another that you will have to deal with and if not dealt with properly, one of them will leave.

This is not new, it was in the original Mount & Blade with everything you described above.

[Antmeister]

This is not new, it was in the original Mount & Blade with everything you described above.

Yeah, companions were in the previous one, but I thought they added a bit more in terms of their backstory and bickering. However, I must readily admit that I had started getting into Mount and Blade (the original) after they had that sale on Steam. I had played the demo a long time ago (I think four years ago).

Anyways, in the original version, I had no more than 2 companions on that one and I don't seem to remember them recalling instances of their past when you encountered a new town they had once belonged to and it is quite possible I got two people who never bickered. So if this is basically the same, it's useless info for the vets, but still good info for those that never played it (at least that's how I will justify my error. :D )

[Greyroofoo]

They have M&B Warband for $10.20 on Steam and the original for $7.50.

Is there any point in getting the original if you have Warband?

[Antmeister]

They have M&B Warband for $10.20 on Steam and the original for $7.50.

Is there any point in getting the original if you have Warband?

Nope....there is no point in getting the first one. The second one is basically a souped up version of the first with a good multiplayer mode. And good timing, they released their latest patch at 1.130.

[Groundhog]

Guess it's finally time to buy Warband.

[Groundhog]

I squeezed in a "quick" 9 hours or so of Warband thanks to the sale yesterday... hey, it was a quiet day. :D

The multiplayer mode is just as great as it was back when I played the beta, except now I suck. I'm starting to get my bow skills back, but as soon as I get in close, I'm dead meat. There are a couple of nice new maps too, and it appears that cavalry have been toned down a bit since the last version I played, which was definitely needed.

Single player is surprisingly better, because I wasn't expecting much to have changed here. The game world is better scripted and more "gamey" rather than just "sandboxy", and there have definitely been some minor tweaks to the AI that have made it more challenging. I'm yet to win a tournament thanks to these tweaks, while in the last version it was rare that I didn't win (usually thanks to being stuck with javelins as a weapon!).

[Greyroofoo]

I hate the javelins, I'm looking to pick up another weapon as soon I can when that happens.

[Groundhog]

I hate the javelins, I'm looking to pick up another weapon as soon I can when that happens.

Yup! I feel like a vulture, riding around the arena and preying on the weapons of fallen combatants... :D

[RomaGoth]

I still like vanilla Mount & Blade more than Warband at this point. I had constant problems with Warband CTD, especially during dialogue with NPC's. It COULD be a much better game if the devs took the time to iron out the kinks prior to releasing it. Instead, they rushed it in my opinion, hence all of the patches since release.

I am waiting for a stable version before I start playing it again. Anyone else have problems with it?

[JPhillips]

I haven't had a single CTD in @30 hours of gameplay.

[sabotai]

No CTDs for me either.

[Groundhog]

Same here.

[RomaGoth]

Hmmm...interesting. It seems to be a major problem on their message board. Have any of you installed the patches as they came out, or did you install the latest from scratch?

[JPhillips]

I have it on Steam, so it auto updates.

[Groundhog]

Yeah ditto. I've put in a solid 10 hours (at least) of single player since buying, and haven't had a single issue with any aspect of the game.

[MikeVic]

So I bought this because of the Steam sale. How do I get morale up? Smaller group? More fights? I have dried meat in my inventory that says it'll boost morale but I don't know how to use it haha.

[JPhillips]

They eat automatically. Morale is tied to a few things, but mostly winning fights and getting plunder.

[Groundhog]

So I bought this because of the Steam sale. How do I get morale up? Smaller group? More fights? I have dried meat in my inventory that says it'll boost morale but I don't know how to use it haha.

You don't need to use it, just keep a supply in your inventory and your party automatically uses it. Best way to keep up morale is have a variety of food in your inventory, a high leadership rating (I think it was called leadership... one of the ratings affects morale - my memory is a little foggy) and win lots of battles. Taking on bandits and other easy mobs and having success does wonders.

[Groundhog]

Also having "mixed" soldiers affects morale too IIRC - I mostly play with Mods though, so this may not be true in vanilla Warband.

I personally think the best force to go with is Vaegirs solely because their archers are so deadly. Once you are defending castles with those guys firing away from the walls, you can hold against far larger numbers - especially if you are an archer-type yourself and pop the guys climbing the ladders in the head as they are attacking. They aren't as useful when storming castles and in field battles, but I'm usually able to make up for that with my character.

[MikeVic]

Ah ok, good for the food then...

Where do I get books to read while camping (and does it do anything)? Do I really have to drag each item I wanna loot and sell, or is there a shortcut like "transfer all from one side to the other?"

[Groundhog]

Books can be bought from book merchants in Inns. They are pricey though. Right clicking on an item sells/buys it too.

[JPhillips]

I think Crtl+click sells without having to drag.

If that doesn't work try shift+click.

[Groundhog]

Ah yup, sorry. Been awhile since I fired it up although this thread is giving me the itch to do so...

[MikeVic]

Thanks guys. It's been a fun game so far (about 4 hours playtime). I only got Warband from the Steam sale though.

I'm sure I'm not even playing it correctly, but I don't care, it's fun!

[MikeVic]

Ok so I was finally allowed to join in a battle being fought my other stinky noblemen, and ended up with a Count as a prisoner. What exactly can I do with him?

[MrBug708]

Release him to gain favor with that guy or ransom him for money when they offer to pay

[RomaGoth]

Release him to gain favor with that guy or ransom him for money when they offer to pay

You can also throw him into a prison forever. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[MrBug708]

They usually escape eventually

[RomaGoth]

They usually escape eventually

Meh, sometimes. I found that a prison tower definitely reduces those chances significantly.

[Qrusher14242]

i just started playing this the other day and a Count Deligan wants me to collect taxes from Rduna, but the town is looted. Can i complete this quest still?

[Groundhog]

Just have to wait for the town to no longer be "looted".

[Qrusher14242]

ah ok though it was glitched....still trying to figure out this game lol i seem to be just running to different cities to see if anyone has a job for me. I like the combat though, very cool.

[dubb93]

I've been enjoying this game so far. Hit the 10 hour mark today according to Steam. That said I do have some questions/issues.

1. Is there any way to keep my damn army from eating my trade goods?

The most recent example of this would have been olives. I had been feeding my army grain and bread when I found a really good deal on Olives. If I purchased them in one two and sold them in another in another country I could make nearly 80g per in profit! Of course my stupid army ate enough that by the time I got there I sold them at a loss.

2. Escorting caravans is impossible?

Recently I got a quest to escort a caravan to another city. Despite my best efforts the damn caravan just wouldn't go to the city. They followed me. I went to the city. They just wouldn't go there. Would always stop just shy of it. I even tried waiting in the city. They just wouldn't show up.

[gstelmack]

1. Is there any way to keep my damn army from eating my trade goods?

The most recent example of this would have been olives. I had been feeding my army grain and bread when I found a really good deal on Olives. If I purchased them in one two and sold them in another in another country I could make nearly 80g per in profit! Of course my stupid army ate enough that by the time I got there I sold them at a loss.


I'm not sure specifically, but make sure that you have lots of other food to slow down the consumption of that one, and make sure you have more than 1 of them as they should only eat 1 set at a time. So buy 1 for the army, and the others to sell.

[Qrusher14242]

if i get a bigger army, will that slow us down? I already have to sell just about everything or else i can never catch any bandits

[MikeVic]

I came across a pleasant surprise... I got caught looting a village and the lord destroyed me. All of my unique followers left me, and I've now built up my army again and got other unique followers. However, on one of my tavern stops, I came across two of the followers I initially lost!! They recognized me when I talked to them and said they'd gladly rejoin, that they were separated from me in the lost battle, etc. That was kinda cool!

How do I make my world map traveling faster? I got a faster horse but that seemed to do nothing... do I increase my Riding skill, or sell off everything in my inventory and wear super-light armor? Same question as Qrusher I guess.

[MrBug708]

Bigger army can slow you down, yes. You can cheat IIRC correctly, where you can click anywhere on the map to be teleported there

[MrBug708]

Dubb - Try putting them down at the bottom of your inventory and have other food items at the top

[gstelmack]

How do I make my world map traveling faster? I got a faster horse but that seemed to do nothing... do I increase my Riding skill, or sell off everything in my inventory and wear super-light armor? Same question as Qrusher I guess.

Mounted troops help (troops factor into this, not just you), but one of the skills you can improve is pathfinding (I think), it increases your speed on the world map.

[Groundhog]

Yup, pathfinding, mounted, and morale are the factors that affect speed. I can't remember if pathfinding is a leader skill, I don't think it is. Always worth skilling up one follower as a tracker (I think that's its name - the one that increases visibility on the map)/pathfinder.

[dubb93]

Any campaign leading advice?

The character I am playing was recently appointed to the head of the Swadian army. So far it seems we take a castle and then it gets zergged by 1000+ Nord troops and taken back again. This goes against my predessessor who conquered and held two castles and a city from the Kingdom of Rhodoks(including my home castle).