Mount&Blade - Expansion Impressions @ Gamespot

magerette

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Gamespot gives their brief impressions on the proposed multiplayer expansion for Taleworld's Mount & Blade in this article:
As well as the major[graphics and multiplayer capability] improvements, there will be plenty of tweaks to the Mount & Blade engine. The developers promise improved AI, enhanced combat, and easier modding tools for those who want to adapt the game. It's still early days for the Mount & Blade expansion, and there are plenty of questions yet to be answered, but we're promised a closed beta of the game in the next three months.
More information.
 
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This statement aggravated me:

Perhaps most surprisingly, the developer is going to consciously defy some of the criticism it has faced from fans. The sandbox elements of the original got mixed reviews, with some people wanting a more structured storyline.

I'm biased, but I'd call that sticking to the design. You could criticize Oblivion or Dwarf Fortress for not having enough story, but that's kind of missing the point. Story is not what those games are about.

Some people like sandboxes, some people like structure. To me this seems like criticizing an FPS for playing like Quake rather than Battlefield.
 
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It's Gamespot. ;)

I agree though. Too much 'responsiveness' to criticisms results oftentimes in a muddly and poorer game. (I'm thinking of some of the nerfing by Nival on HoMMV after complaints that the game was 'insanely hard.'.)
 
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Did mount and blade ever get a retail release or is it download only?
 
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While I have no interest in multiplayer in M&B, I hope implementing it earns TaleWorlds some more dough. It was certainly asked for enough on their forums. I'm glad they didn't put it in the original as, for me, that was just time better spent on improving the single-player experience.

Graphical overhaul is nice, but there are modders doing superb work to accomplish that goal so it seems like wasted effort (better to bring those modders into the fold...unless that's what they did).

I do like to hear "improved AI, enhanced combat, and easier modding tools" though. I hope those are focuses for the expansion and not just fluff.
 
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