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As recently seen in a BBC Board meeting...

Part 5 is up!

Yes, I feel I would be much better than Chris Evans.

But then, so would a Rice Krispy square...

Part 4 is up!

Wasteland survival - As narrated by David Attenborough!!

I was raised on British Pathé, all right?

Part 3 is now up!

One thing I did just realise... All the cars are right-hand drive.

I am not a smart man.

Still, part 2 is now up on the OP!

Good Day, chaps!

In order to fill up my free time, I decided some time ago to create a YouTube channel, focusing on gaming (Me and a thousand other people, I know!). I had originally intended to simply work my way up through word-of-mouth, and not advertise my channel anywhere. However, none of my videos at the moment have triple-digit view counts, and I have a paltry number of subscribers, so I have decided to make Exilian the home of my YouTube work. At least you will all now get to hear what I sound like! 

My first offering to you, is the recently-released Mad Max!

Episode #1:

Spoiler

Episode #2:

Spoiler

Episode #3:

Spoiler

Episode #4:

Spoiler

Episode #5:

Spoiler

Episode #6:

Spoiler

Indeed. Modding was one of the most important parts of the original game (It's what kept me coming back, in all honesty!).

The developers mentioned in their first video (Blog 8, I believe) that they would release all their modding tools for free when the game (Beta, maybe??) is released. They do seem to at least have some moddability in mind, if perhaps not as much as M&B I; I believe this is simply so that people don't break it. This game is a lot more complex in terms of scripts and calculations. I don't know what they scripting language is for Bannerlord, but I would assume it probably wouldn't be as simple as M&B I.

We'll have to wait until they release a Beta, and people get their hands on the tools.

EDIT: Found some B-Roll footage from Gamescon showing character creation, among other things.

Hi everyone!

As Colossus has already shown, the M&B II: Bannerlord team were at Gamescon in Cologne, Germany, where they demonstrated some new gameplay footage, which is here if you want to see it:

There is a lot of context missing from the video as-is, hence the new blog. There are a lot of things demonstrated in the trailer, some of which are more obvious than others.

https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/13

Siege Engines - Hooray! Not only are there new Siege Engines (With at least a battering ram and catapult to add on to the returning siege tower and ladders), but the engines themselves are fully player-interactable, meaning that the player can push them in to position and 'use' them. What is also not seen in the video is that all Siege Engines can be placed manually during deployment, and aren't simply static objects with set paths like in M&B I. You can also climb ladders!

Combat - The animations are a lot more fluid and look to be a lot more varied and dynamic. Whereas before, hitting someone in a specific attack direction caused a specific death animation to play, the death animation played in M&B II seems to be based on the attack direction, weapon used, relative positioning and point of contact (Possibly some others as well). The characters also ragdoll a lot earlier in the animation, and do so more logically (Based on momentum and gravity) and more realistically (No stiff corpses). Heavy and large weapons can now also hit multiple targets with one attack! Wounds also look to appear more logically (Appearing where the weapon strikes the flesh, rather than all over the body). Animations in general, both combat and non-combat, also look to have been improved.

Character screen - Massive changes to the UI, which seem to make it look a lot smoother and better looking. Mouse-over on equip-able items brings up a comparison tooltip to allow for easier decision-making for whether to change out your sword for that new one you just picked up.

Seasons - Snow isn't just for the Vaegirs any more! As the game progresses, the changing of the seasons changes both how the game looks and how you need to play it! Waging war in winter is now a strategic decision, as morale is lost quicker, and the soldiers demand more food and fuel for their fires! All scenes change dynamically based upon the season (And presumably, overarching weather conditions) as well as on the World Map. Adds a little bit more immersion and a sense that time is passing.

The new World Map looks gorgeous, by the way, doesn't it?

Villages, Castles and Towns - The various settlements around Calradia are now more than just static objects with an interior scene and lots of menus. The management of settlements is a lot broader than M&B I and the interactions with them and the poeple within them are much more realistic. The settlements themselves can have upgrades built, which will confer various bonuses, but building one upgrade could be at the expense of another (For example, building a village outside a castle would make the village easier to defend, but you could have built a salt or iron mine there). The time taken on projects can also be varied by increasing the number of workers tasked to build, though this could impact the number of fighting men that are trained up in that settlement. Taxes can also be fine-tuned (With obvious morale effects). AI Lords will also undertake management of their settlements, so the face of Calradia will likely change over time.

Game-ception - In the unlikely event that you get bored, or just need some more money, some taverns contain a game host, who will offer you a challenge in a board game based upon the culture of that town. The games can also be played with ladies (Perhaps some enjoy more it than others? Another layer of interaction to woo the lady of your choice?) and other NPCs for role-playing or even diplomatic purposes.

Crafting! - Outgrown your current sword? Don't want to trek across Calradia to try and find a Merchant that actually has something better? Make your own! You can craft a custom sword, axe or polearm, changing various parts on each type of weapon. You can even name your new creation, too! This isn't just a cosmetic feature, either, as each part changes the weight and centre of mass of the weapon, changing the 'feel' of the weapon, the speed of attack and how far it reaches. There is also the very real chance of losing your prized weapon and seeing it among the wares of a Merchant!

Replays - For those of us (Like me) that walk the hallowed halls of YouTube brandishing gaming videos, this is a feature that will come in handy for anyone that goes beyond simple reviews or let's-plays. All battles (Single and Multi-player) are saved and can be watched back from any angle, with several adjustable environmental settings.

That was quite something. I need to rest now...

Enjoy.

Damn it! Beat me to it.

Still, new blog up on the forums, so new topic on that as well.

Enjoy

Hello everyone!

Taleworlds seem to be stepping up the pace with their blogs (Even if only slightly), and they have now released number 10, which covers interactions with NPCs.

https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/12

In the previous games, interaction between player and non-player characters was pretty lacklustre and predictable. Every item had an assigned base value, which only really changed based on it's quality, and the player party's Trading skill. Under a new "Bartering" system, each item (Including Gold) carries a certain bargaining weight to it, dependent on factors such as the the player's relation to the NPC and the individual needs of that NPC, as well as traditional skill scoring.

In my ideal world, this would lend credence to encounters with NPCs whereby they would be desperate for a particular item (Such as food), and would be willing to trade something disproportionately valuable for it (I once paid £5 for a slice of pizza, because I was hungry ).

The system will also govern your interactions with Lords of other factions, as well as the interactions between the Lords themselves. Lords defecting to a particular faction will now have some logic behind it, and defections will be based upon a specific interaction between a King and a Lord, rather than the algorithmic randomness we saw in Warband. It's logical to assume that the same system will also manage friendships, rivalries and marriages.

See you guys soon!

Hi Guys!

Taleworlds have come out with a new blog, brought to us courtesy of Finn Seliger of Periscope Studio, a German audio design company that will be behind all the lovely, authentic music that will grace our ears as we become aroused by the level of detail in Bannerlord.

The blog goes fairly in depth in describing the types of music they wanted to create, and the instruments they are using to achieve this. It even gives us a little taster (Come on, this is Taleworlds!) of what the music will end up being like.

One of the things that Warband REALLY lacked was a reasonable variety of good music. Many mods did, of course, add music in to the game, but to me it never sounded quite right.

Linky Link
https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/11

So, what do we think? Does the sample they give show a promising future? Are we hoping for any particular styles for the factions?

Oh god, my brain hurts from that!!

CG?

Some of us have to work within very sensitive parameters!

CG: LOL

MoD: Not from this Millennium, I'm afraid!

Trouble is, my mic is more for regular speaking than singing. Maybe if I get a better one, I shall serenade you...

Well, my voice is on my YouTube channel.

I would say that I have a reasonable, albeit quite low, singing voice (Think Tom Jones).

Yay!

Khan.