Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

[coopasonic]

Full release coming 10/25/2022.

Nothing particularly new that I noticed in the announcement video, but 'll admit I wasn't paying much attention...

[hepcat]

I need to go back and fire this up. But I may wait for full release in case there’s something big coming up for that. It definitely has changed quite a bit, if that video is any indication.

[LordMortis]

Man, do I need to upgrade my rig. That looks so detailed.

Can an uncoordinated moron like me still single handedly take on a 200 person army after building his skills and equipment to a decent level, like in the original?

I did really like how M&B made me feel like I could still play video games that weren't slow/turn based.

I really should check the system requirements for this...

RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit only)
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-9600K / AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600X
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 3GB / AMD Radeon™ RX 580
Storage: 60 GB available space
Additional Notes: These estimates may change during final release.

... Surprisingly light... though still too much for my old system.

[The Meal]

It's got a different level up method than Warband, so getting to the point where your character is uber takes some time. That said, there are enough sliders and options that a non-action gamer (with some sense of timing) can still have a good time with things. Mouse-and-keyboard forever!

[gbasden]

Mouse-and-keyboard forever!

Amen, brother!

[hepcat]

I want to Amen that, but when my old man back hits the couch for some Xbox gaming, I can’t find it in myself to go back to my PC for a while.

[coopasonic]

Full release coming 10/25/2022.

The day has come. I need to finish up Gotham Knights, but I assume I'll be checking this out by this weekend (on top of the 59 hours I have previously spent checking it out).

[Max Peck]

Huh. I bought this when it first went into Early Access, then somehow completely forgot I owned it. I have yet to fire it up.

[The Meal]

You’re probably fine to keep waiting. It’s hard to distinguish the dividing line between EA and release in terms of features and polish. Or should I say ostensible features and polish?

[LordMortis]

What was the final verdict on this? A worthy successor to the original? It's on sale and very pretty. Trying to figure out if I can warrant it or not. If I'll play it, then I can. I don't see many of my Steam friends picked it up and of them only one actually spent any time in game.

[Blackhawk]

I'm curious about the answer as well. I played it about a year and a half ago and disliked it... but I don't know why, as I didn't have the sense to leave myself a note in OneNote (which I normally do - I have a whole section for why I've walked away from certain games.) I do know that it was toward the end of early access, though, so there's hope.

[Baroquen]

Steam says I have over 10 hrs played but I don't remember much. I'm pretty sure it was fine, but just not particularly compelling. I think I wandered away rather than being uphappy with it. Might be up for another campaign if I get bored. See if things have changed much in the last year.

[Blackhawk]

That's about how much I played.

[coopasonic]

I played over 90 hours. Most of that was on the initial early access release with maybe 30-ish hours after it exited early access. I *really* enjoy the game until it turns into a kingdom management sim. I am not good enough in managing the larger battles to succeed and I am not satisfied with being a 4th rate duke or whatever. I haven't tried it in a good bit. I know siege warfare has been changed quite a bit but as I recall it was mostly to make it more challenging which is not what I wanted. It feels a lot more overwhelming than the original. I never really got into Warband.

[LordMortis]

I was never able to manage large battles in the original but I did eventually level and equip myself well enough to kill them all by myself, which was a hell of a lot easier than trying to level and keep a legion alive. Maybe I'll have to watch some let's plays to see how the management works or something or maybe I'll just go back to Warband.

[LordMortis]

Decided to just play Warband, which I guess has been since 2015 when I last played. We'll see how the game and I have aged. Looks like I got two free DLC. Not sure how. I don't really remember the game at all, so I'm sure it's off figure it out again but not today.

[Hyena]

I played quite a bit (not near steam for the hours), and I really enjoyed it. Leveled up my personal army (mostly horse archers) with a couple units of crossbowmen and knights on horseback and with about 150 guys I'd roam around and have enemies of over 250-300 run from me.

I actually really like the progression of archery and got to where, after my skill level was up, I could lead a guy on horseback from way out, and could single-handedly clear the walls during a seige of enemy archers and crossbows.

Eventually I made enough of a name for myself that I was gifted two of the major cities and all their subsequent holdings and took over another two by myself.