Greetings warriors of Calradia!

Medieval warfare was as brutal and terrifying as you might imagine. Soldiers fought for their lives in ferocious hand-to-hand combat using a variety of different weapons to protect themselves and defeat their opponents. Polearms, swords, maces and axes were used to devastating effect and anyone unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of a blow from one of these vicious weapons of war would certainly know about it.

For those already familiar with Mount & Blade games, you will already know what kinds of weapons you can expect to see on the battlefields of Calradia. But for those that are new to the series, we thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce you to the selection of melee weapons which you will have at your disposal in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.

Before we move on, it would probably be helpful for us to explain the different types of damage you can inflict in Bannerlord. We use three different types of damage for melee weapons: blunt, pierce and cut. A single weapon can perform a different type of damage depending on which attack you use. So, if we take swords as an example, a thrust attack would cause piercing damage, whereas as slash would perform cutting damage.

The different types of damage are affected by the type of armour they come into contact with. Cutting damage is more effective against lighter armour, piercing damage is more effective against heavy armour, and blunt damage falls somewhere in between the two, giving a more consistent result across the board.




Daggers are one of the most common weapons throughout the history of warfare. They are small, fast and lethal, making them a great tool for fighting in close quarters. In medieval combat they were traditionally used for exploiting gaps in armour (such as the armpits or the slit of a visor), or for finishing off a seriously wounded foe. To reflect this, we decided that daggers shouldn’t be able to block incoming attacks, so players should make use of good movement and precise timing to use them effectively.




Swords are one of the most iconic images that come to mind when we think of medieval combat. They come in many different shapes and sizes: from arming swords through to the intimidating longswords of the late medieval era. In Bannerlord we have a huge selection of swords for player’s to choose between (as well as the ability to craft your own!). They are generally faster than other weapons and can be used to bully and harass lesser skilled opponents.




Just like swords, axes come in many shapes and sizes! Historically, they were quite cheap to make and required a limited amount of skill to use, but they were still effective nevertheless. In Bannerlord, two-handed axes actually require quite a bit of player skill to use effectively. You need to control the space between you and your opponent in order to successfully land hits with the head of the axe.




As the arms race between weapons and armour really began to pick up pace during the medieval era, blunt weapons really came to the fore as a direct response to the more advanced techniques used in armour crafting. Even if an attack would fail to penetrate the armour, the full impact could be carried through the armour and into the body, causing severe damage. In Bannerlord blunt weapons act as a kind of jack-of-all-trades, and can be used to good effect against all types of armour, however they never really excel against a particular armour type in the same way that cutting or piercing weapons and attacks can.





The clue is very much in the name when it comes to polearms (a catchall term for a wide variety of weapons which are attached to a pole!). The main advantage of polearms was their reach, and in the case of weapons such as spears, their versatility and ease of use, (spears could be used in dense formations against infantry and cavalry alike, and they could be thrusted or thrown). In Bannerlord we have many different types of polearms, including: spears, lances, pikes and bardiches. They are strong against cavalry and extremely good in group fights, but are outmatched more often than not in 1v1 scenarios. Another thing to note about polearms is if they are too large, such as with pikes, then they will be dropped to the ground if you switch to your sidearm.




Finally, we have a selection of tools which wouldn’t have been the go to choice for any professional soldier, but is all that some people might have had access to. You shouldn’t expect too much in terms of battlefield performance from these, but we don’t think that the game would have felt complete without them. After all, it's almost harvesting season!


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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

If you have been following these weekly updates for some time now, you will know that our aim for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord isn’t just to provide players with bigger, more epic battles, but also to refine existing mechanics from the series and add small details to the game to make it feel more believable and immersive. In this week’s blog, we want to show you another example of how we try to pay close attention to small details by introducing you to a feature which probably won’t catch your eye immediately while playing, but is something which we feel adds to the overall visual fidelity of the game. (And before you read on, we want to make it clear that this isn’t anything big or hugely exciting, it is more of just a curious sneak peek to one of the many small features which come together to make Bannerlord a more visually impressive and immersive experience.)

For those of you familiar with Mount & Blade games, you will know that characters have 4 item slots which can be used for equipping weapons and shields. However, in previous games in the series, items equipped in these slots don’t always show on your character. This is because those games have a limited number of visual slots for items, which means that, at times, items conflict with each other and only one of them is displayed. So, for example, if you are carrying a one-handed sword and a one-handed mace, they would both occupy the same visual slot and, in the end, only the sword scabbard would be shown on your character. In singleplayer, this only goes to break immersion a little but overall it doesn’t present any gameplay issues. However, in multiplayer this simplistic system causes a slight issue. With a skill-based game that is as up close and personal as ours, it is important to be able to weigh up your opponent and assess any potential threats before you engage. We thought about this and decided that the best solution is to visually display each weapon type that is being carried on your character.



This means that if you are carrying a sword, an axe and a club, as can be seen in the screenshot above, they would all be displayed on your character. But, if you were carrying 4 swords (for some strange reason!) then not all of them would be shown. (Oh, and before anyone comments on the two-handed sword being carried on the back, we are fully aware that this isn’t entirely historically accurate, but we think it looks cool nevertheless!)

In a previous blog, we looked at how we use inverse kinematics (IK) with shields to make blows look and feel more impactful. Our new physically based scabbard system borrows elements from the IK system to set rotation and twist limits to scabbards and combines it with spring physics to achieve a natural looking jiggle. This helps us to do away with the static character attachments of Mount & Blade: Warband and allows us to make the scabbard react to the movement of your character (which ultimately help to make your character feel more alive as you are running around the battlefields of Calradia).



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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

Castles are perhaps one of the most iconic images that come to mind when people think of the medieval era. These large and seemingly impregnable structures dominated the landscape in which they stood and projected an image of power and authority that aimed to impress both a lord’s subjects and peers. In last week’s blog we looked at some of the tools of warfare that were used to overcome the defences of these magnificent medieval behemoths and talked about the different ways that players can approach sieges in Bannerlord. In this week’s blog we would like to discuss the thought process that goes into designing castles for the game, from the historical influences we use through to the gameplay related decisions we make, and show you how this all comes together to make a castle for the game.

In our faction overview blogs, we talked about the cultures and peoples that influenced the design of each of the factions of Calradia, and how this provided us with a solid base to build on and create our own take on this period of history. Using real-world cultures in this way gives us the advantage of having a wealth of historical sources and knowledge to take inspiration from and allows us to cherry-pick the parts which we find interesting and exciting to include in the game. This kind of readily available information is extremely useful when it comes to designing architecture for the game, and in particular, castles. (There really isn’t much room for experimentation or running wild with your imagination when your life is on the line, and poorly designed or unnecessary features could end up costing you a lot more than just the gold in your chest!)

For most of our factions, this process is quite straightforward. After all, there are many medieval castles that are still standing and in use to this day. However, when it comes to a faction like Battania, which draws its inspiration from the native tribes of the British Isles, things start to get a little more complicated.

The British Isles were subject to many waves of invaders and settlers over the years, each bringing their own advancements in architecture and warfare with them. The arrival of these various cultures with their different building methods slowly superseded the traditional earthwork and wooden defensive structures of the Celts and the Picts. This presented us with a choice: do we closely follow the design of the original structures? Or, do we take inspiration from the designs which followed?

In the end, we decided to make use of the beautiful extensive hill forts and massive earthwork ramparts of Iron Age Britain, while trying to stay away from the Norman influence on castle building (which we use for Vlandia). We include features like multiple rows of ditches and earthwork defences, while trying to keep the circular forms of the original earthwork with each upgrade level of the castle.

This thought process carries over to all of our factions. We try to stay true to original designs to make each castle believable enough as to not break the immersion of the player, but still leave enough room for us to inject some of our own ideas and style into each castle!

The castle upgrade system in Bannerlord allows us to have greater variety in our castle designs. Apart from the additional depth to the campaign that this system brings, we try to use it to create different experiences for the player when attacking or defending a castle.

The system is quite simple: castles start at level 1 and can be upgraded twice to reach their maximum level. In the example castle below, with each upgrade the castle gets taller, more dominant towers; better positions to deploy defensive machines; deeper walls at critical points for larger troop formations; greater coverage over its gatehouse; and the opportunity to deploy a layered defence.



While it may be acceptable (or even preferable in some instances) to assault the gatehouse of a level 1 castle with just a battering ram, as the castle is upgraded this kind of simplistic approach becomes less viable, and by level 3 you will need a well-coordinated attack to be able to breach the defences.

However, with that being said, this might not necessarily be the case in every instance. A castle placed on a hilltop or on a plain might grow stronger in more than one way with each upgrade, while one that incorporates some form of natural defence, such as a lake, won’t have the room to expand and will only receive the benefit of taller towers and walls with each upgrade.

As far as playing styles go, Mount & Blade games offer players a number of different ways to approach battles. In sieges we can simplify this a little and look at it as two main styles: commanding your army to its maximum potential from the rear; or fighting on the front lines and creating opportunities for your troops to exploit. In Bannerlord we want players to be able to experiment and choose their own way to approach sieges, and this is something we take into consideration when designing castles.

No matter how large or complex our castles are, we always try to give commanding positions for both the attackers and defenders. A small hill near your siege camp, or the tallest tower in your castle might not be the best position to utilise your character’s combat potential, but it would give you a great vantage point to oversee the battle from and make it easier to command your troops. Meanwhile, shortcuts between battlements and multiple chokepoints built into the map give you the opportunity to move to where you are needed to hold back an attack or break through a defence.



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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

Castles are perhaps one of the most iconic images that come to mind when people think of the medieval era. These large and seemingly impregnable structures dominated the landscape in which they stood and projected an image of power and authority that aimed to impress both a lord’s subjects and peers. In last week’s blog we looked at some of the tools of warfare that were used to overcome the defences of these magnificent medieval behemoths and talked about the different ways that players can approach sieges in Bannerlord. In this week’s blog we would like to discuss the thought process that goes into designing castles for the game, from the historical influences we use through to the gameplay related decisions we make, and show you how this all comes together to make a castle for the game.

In our faction overview blogs, we talked about the cultures and peoples that influenced the design of each of the factions of Calradia, and how this provided us with a solid base to build on and create our own take on this period of history. Using real-world cultures in this way gives us the advantage of having a wealth of historical sources and knowledge to take inspiration from and allows us to cherry-pick the parts which we find interesting and exciting to include in the game. This kind of readily available information is extremely useful when it comes to designing architecture for the game, and in particular, castles. (There really isn’t much room for experimentation or running wild with your imagination when your life is on the line, and poorly designed or unnecessary features could end up costing you a lot more than just the gold in your chest!)

For most of our factions, this process is quite straightforward. After all, there are many medieval castles that are still standing and in use to this day. However, when it comes to a faction like Battania, which draws its inspiration from the native tribes of the British Isles, things start to get a little more complicated.

The British Isles were subject to many waves of invaders and settlers over the years, each bringing their own advancements in architecture and warfare with them. The arrival of these various cultures with their different building methods slowly superseded the traditional earthwork and wooden defensive structures of the Celts and the Picts. This presented us with a choice: do we closely follow the design of the original structures? Or, do we take inspiration from the designs which followed?

In the end, we decided to make use of the beautiful extensive hill forts and massive earthwork ramparts of Iron Age Britain, while trying to stay away from the Norman influence on castle building (which we use for Vlandia). We include features like multiple rows of ditches and earthwork defences, while trying to keep the circular forms of the original earthwork with each upgrade level of the castle.

This thought process carries over to all of our factions. We try to stay true to original designs to make each castle believable enough as to not break the immersion of the player, but still leave enough room for us to inject some of our own ideas and style into each castle!

The castle upgrade system in Bannerlord allows us to have greater variety in our castle designs. Apart from the additional depth to the campaign that this system brings, we try to use it to create different experiences for the player when attacking or defending a castle.

The system is quite simple: castles start at level 1 and can be upgraded twice to reach their maximum level. In the example castle below, with each upgrade the castle gets taller, more dominant towers; better positions to deploy defensive machines; deeper walls at critical points for larger troop formations; greater coverage over its gatehouse; and the opportunity to deploy a layered defence.



While it may be acceptable (or even preferable in some instances) to assault the gatehouse of a level 1 castle with just a battering ram, as the castle is upgraded this kind of simplistic approach becomes less viable, and by level 3 you will need a well-coordinated attack to be able to breach the defences.

However, with that being said, this might not necessarily be the case in every instance. A castle placed on a hilltop or on a plain might grow stronger in more than one way with each upgrade, while one that incorporates some form of natural defence, such as a lake, won’t have the room to expand and will only receive the benefit of taller towers and walls with each upgrade.

As far as playing styles go, Mount & Blade games offer players a number of different ways to approach battles. In sieges we can simplify this a little and look at it as two main styles: commanding your army to its maximum potential from the rear; or fighting on the front lines and creating opportunities for your troops to exploit. In Bannerlord we want players to be able to experiment and choose their own way to approach sieges, and this is something we take into consideration when designing castles.

No matter how large or complex our castles are, we always try to give commanding positions for both the attackers and defenders. A small hill near your siege camp, or the tallest tower in your castle might not be the best position to utilise your character’s combat potential, but it would give you a great vantage point to oversee the battle from and make it easier to command your troops. Meanwhile, shortcuts between battlements and multiple chokepoints built into the map give you the opportunity to move to where you are needed to hold back an attack or break through a defence.



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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

Built in strategic and highly defensible locations, castles enabled lords to exert power over the surrounding populace and protect their lands against any would-be invaders. Towering parapets gave the defenders vantage points from which to rain down a hail of missiles on anyone foolish enough to try a direct assault, and thick, sturdy walls provided ample protection for those within.

But, castles were not invulnerable to attack. As with any sort of arms race, for every type of defence developed, an equally ingenious counter was conceived. In this week’s blog, we take a look at some of the impressive tools of warfare that were used to overcome a castle’s defences and discuss the role that siege engines will play in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.

Siege ladders offered the simplest form of assault to a besieging army: escalade. Naturally, this kind of direct assault put the defending forces at a great advantage, with the top of each ladder acting as a choke point. The purpose of this kind of assault might not have necessarily have been to overrun the defenders, but perhaps to capture a vital strategic point, such as a gatehouse, which would allow the main assault to commence.

In Bannerlord, they are used in much the same way. Siege ladders act as a way for troops to scale the wall, spread the defending troops thinly and exploit weaknesses in the defence. However, units are completely exposed when deploying ladders and ultimately that risk could be all for naught as ladders can be pushed away from the wall by the defenders.



Siege towers worked on a similar principle to siege ladders in that they allowed attackers to negate a wall by climbing over it. Siege towers offered one distinct advantage over ladders though; their partially enclosed design offered some level of protection to attacking troops and would allow a greater number of warriors to assault a wall at the same time.

In Bannerlord, siege towers work in exactly the same way. They provide protection to troops as they make their way towards a wall before lowering a drawbridge for the attackers to rush across. However, siege towers can be destroyed by the defending force, so players should make sure to suppress any defensive siege weapons before committing a tower to an assault.



Battering rams allowed attacking armies to take a more direct approach when assaulting a castle and worked through a mix of momentum and good old-fashioned brute force. The idea was fairly simple: attach a metal head to a tree trunk, then swing it repeatedly at a door, gate or wall until it gave way.

In Bannerlord, battering rams are only effective against the outer gates of a castle and, like siege towers, they can be destroyed. They have a roof to protect against light missile fire from above, however, defensive siege weapons can destroy this cover, exposing the troops within.



Ballistae worked like a kind of giant crossbow by using torsion to launch a spear sized arrow or bolt at such a high velocity that it would pierce any type of armour and decimate anyone unlucky enough to be standing in its way.

In Bannerlord both attacking and defending armies in sieges will have access to ballistae. They provide a way for attackers to pick away at the defending troops before committing to a full-scale assault, or to help open any choke points that might develop as the battle progresses. Likewise, defending troops may wish to use ballistae to dwindle the numbers of the approaching enemy, or they could turn their attention towards enemy siege engines to prevent them from reaching the walls. Ballistae also have a fire projectile variant, which takes longer to build and has less ammunition than the standard kind, but is much more powerful against enemy siege engines.



Another type of catapult used in siege warfare was the mangonel. The main aim of the mangonel was to create a breach in the castle walls by launching large projectiles from a bucket placed at the end of an arm. They were also used to hurl carcasses and excrement over walls in an attempt to spread fear and disease among enemy troops.

As with ballistae, both attacking and defending armies will have access to mangonels in Bannerlord. Players can build a standard version which can be used to target and destroy merlons during sieges, exposing enemy troops stationed on the wall. There is also a fire variant which deals more damage to enemy siege engines and has an area of effect type of damage against troops.



Trebuchets were perhaps the most powerful type of siege engine used in ancient and medieval warfare. They used a pivoted arm to throw projectiles over great distances and came in two different designs: Traction, which was powered by people, and Counterpoise, which used a weight at the short end of the arm.

In Bannerlord you can expect to see the counterpoise trebuchet being used by besieging armies. They can be used to devastate defending troops from a relatively safe distance and destroy merlons and mantlets with ease. Trebuchets can also be built as a fire variant, which has an area of effect type of damage that is extremely effective against enemy troops.



So how do sieges actually work in the game? When laying siege, an army surrounds a castle and cuts off the defender’s supply from the outside world. Prices of goods significantly rise as materials begin to run low, and eventually, the defenders can be starved into submission. This, of course, takes some time to happen, so it can be rather costly for an attacking force not to press its advantage when it has the chance (after all, wages still need to be paid and soldiers still need to eat!).

Assuming that the besieging army doesn’t want to starve their opponent out, they can choose to build siege weapons to be used in an assault, with each siege engine taking a set amount of time to build (depending on the type and level). As soon as an engine is built, it can be used to bombard the castle on the campaign map or launch an assault in the battle map. Attacking on the campaign map can create breaches in the wall which will make the final assault easier, however, this will result in casualties for both of the armies involved, so players should weigh up the positives of creating a breach with the cost involved (in terms of time and manpower).

Defenders also have a trick or two up their sleeve. They can sally out to meet the attackers at any time or wait for a relief force to arrive to break the siege. In the battle map, they have a well-protected position to hold with an endless supply of ammunition and murder holes from which they can throw projectiles and burning jars down onto the troops below.

In the end, sieges are bloody and costly affairs for all parties involved. They are chaotic and brutal… But they sure are a lot of fun.

Discuss this blog post HERE



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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

Built in strategic and highly defensible locations, castles enabled lords to exert power over the surrounding populace and protect their lands against any would-be invaders. Towering parapets gave the defenders vantage points from which to rain down a hail of missiles on anyone foolish enough to try a direct assault, and thick, sturdy walls provided ample protection for those within.

But, castles were not invulnerable to attack. As with any sort of arms race, for every type of defence developed, an equally ingenious counter was conceived. In this week’s blog, we take a look at some of the impressive tools of warfare that were used to overcome a castle’s defences and discuss the role that siege engines will play in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.

Siege ladders offered the simplest form of assault to a besieging army: escalade. Naturally, this kind of direct assault put the defending forces at a great advantage, with the top of each ladder acting as a choke point. The purpose of this kind of assault might not have necessarily have been to overrun the defenders, but perhaps to capture a vital strategic point, such as a gatehouse, which would allow the main assault to commence.

In Bannerlord, they are used in much the same way. Siege ladders act as a way for troops to scale the wall, spread the defending troops thinly and exploit weaknesses in the defence. However, units are completely exposed when deploying ladders and ultimately that risk could be all for naught as ladders can be pushed away from the wall by the defenders.



Siege towers worked on a similar principle to siege ladders in that they allowed attackers to negate a wall by climbing over it. Siege towers offered one distinct advantage over ladders though; their partially enclosed design offered some level of protection to attacking troops and would allow a greater number of warriors to assault a wall at the same time.

In Bannerlord, siege towers work in exactly the same way. They provide protection to troops as they make their way towards a wall before lowering a drawbridge for the attackers to rush across. However, siege towers can be destroyed by the defending force, so players should make sure to suppress any defensive siege weapons before committing a tower to an assault.



Battering rams allowed attacking armies to take a more direct approach when assaulting a castle and worked through a mix of momentum and good old-fashioned brute force. The idea was fairly simple: attach a metal head to a tree trunk, then swing it repeatedly at a door, gate or wall until it gave way.

In Bannerlord, battering rams are only effective against the outer gates of a castle and, like siege towers, they can be destroyed. They have a roof to protect against light missile fire from above, however, defensive siege weapons can destroy this cover, exposing the troops within.



Ballistae worked like a kind of giant crossbow by using torsion to launch a spear sized arrow or bolt at such a high velocity that it would pierce any type of armour and decimate anyone unlucky enough to be standing in its way.

In Bannerlord both attacking and defending armies in sieges will have access to ballistae. They provide a way for attackers to pick away at the defending troops before committing to a full-scale assault, or to help open any choke points that might develop as the battle progresses. Likewise, defending troops may wish to use ballistae to dwindle the numbers of the approaching enemy, or they could turn their attention towards enemy siege engines to prevent them from reaching the walls. Ballistae also have a fire projectile variant, which takes longer to build and has less ammunition than the standard kind, but is much more powerful against enemy siege engines.



Another type of catapult used in siege warfare was the mangonel. The main aim of the mangonel was to create a breach in the castle walls by launching large projectiles from a bucket placed at the end of an arm. They were also used to hurl carcasses and excrement over walls in an attempt to spread fear and disease among enemy troops.

As with ballistae, both attacking and defending armies will have access to mangonels in Bannerlord. Players can build a standard version which can be used to target and destroy merlons during sieges, exposing enemy troops stationed on the wall. There is also a fire variant which deals more damage to enemy siege engines and has an area of effect type of damage against troops.



Trebuchets were perhaps the most powerful type of siege engine used in ancient and medieval warfare. They used a pivoted arm to throw projectiles over great distances and came in two different designs: Traction, which was powered by people, and Counterpoise, which used a weight at the short end of the arm.

In Bannerlord you can expect to see the counterpoise trebuchet being used by besieging armies. They can be used to devastate defending troops from a relatively safe distance and destroy merlons and mantlets with ease. Trebuchets can also be built as a fire variant, which has an area of effect type of damage that is extremely effective against enemy troops.



So how do sieges actually work in the game? When laying siege, an army surrounds a castle and cuts off the defender’s supply from the outside world. Prices of goods significantly rise as materials begin to run low, and eventually, the defenders can be starved into submission. This, of course, takes some time to happen, so it can be rather costly for an attacking force not to press its advantage when it has the chance (after all, wages still need to be paid and soldiers still need to eat!).

Assuming that the besieging army doesn’t want to starve their opponent out, they can choose to build siege weapons to be used in an assault, with each siege engine taking a set amount of time to build (depending on the type and level). As soon as an engine is built, it can be used to bombard the castle on the campaign map or launch an assault in the battle map. Attacking on the campaign map can create breaches in the wall which will make the final assault easier, however, this will result in casualties for both of the armies involved, so players should weigh up the positives of creating a breach with the cost involved (in terms of time and manpower).

Defenders also have a trick or two up their sleeve. They can sally out to meet the attackers at any time or wait for a relief force to arrive to break the siege. In the battle map, they have a well-protected position to hold with an endless supply of ammunition and murder holes from which they can throw projectiles and burning jars down onto the troops below.

In the end, sieges are bloody and costly affairs for all parties involved. They are chaotic and brutal… But they sure are a lot of fun.

Discuss this blog post HERE



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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

In our efforts to make Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord a visceral experience, we are constantly looking at different types of systems which will elicit an emotive response from players. By aiming for a certain level of realism, it becomes easier to make a game more relatable and immersive for players. However, striking the balance between realism and gameplay is a tricky subject, and we are firm believers that gameplay should always trump realism. Thankfully, there are other methods that we can use to draw players into the game and offer players a more realistic experience, without detracting from the gameplay. In this week’s blog, we would like to show you how we make use of inverse kinematics to make strikes in combat feel a bit more immersive.

What happens when you block an attack or an arrow with your shield? In real life, you get the obvious positive result of not having your arm chopped or a lung pierced, but you would still feel the force of the impact. Previously, we would show this through a standard animation which would play, regardless of where your shield was hit. This provided some visual feedback to players when they blocked an attack, but ultimately it wasn’t to the level of immersion that we are trying to achieve for combat in Bannerlord.


Old System

To improve on this, we implemented an inverse kinematics system for shields so that they react differently depending on the direction of the impact. For instance, if your shield gets hit on the left side by a weapon or an arrow, both the shield and arm will absorb the impact and bounce back on that side. The system takes into consideration the force of the impact, meaning that the visual feedback from a cleaner strike or a heavier weapon will be more prominent.


New System

When combined with the stagger animation of the body, this new system provides a greater level of feedback to players and helps to make combat feel more immersive and engaging. And while minor details like this may not exactly be game-changing, it helps to add to the overall feeling of realism in our game, which is important to us because our combat system isn’t simply about mashing buttons. So watch your shield, because losing that nice head you have on your shoulders will surely ruin your day.

Discuss this blog post HERE



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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

In our efforts to make Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord a visceral experience, we are constantly looking at different types of systems which will elicit an emotive response from players. By aiming for a certain level of realism, it becomes easier to make a game more relatable and immersive for players. However, striking the balance between realism and gameplay is a tricky subject, and we are firm believers that gameplay should always trump realism. Thankfully, there are other methods that we can use to draw players into the game and offer players a more realistic experience, without detracting from the gameplay. In this week’s blog, we would like to show you how we make use of inverse kinematics to make strikes in combat feel a bit more immersive.

What happens when you block an attack or an arrow with your shield? In real life, you get the obvious positive result of not having your arm chopped or a lung pierced, but you would still feel the force of the impact. Previously, we would show this through a standard animation which would play, regardless of where your shield was hit. This provided some visual feedback to players when they blocked an attack, but ultimately it wasn’t to the level of immersion that we are trying to achieve for combat in Bannerlord.


Old System

To improve on this, we implemented an inverse kinematics system for shields so that they react differently depending on the direction of the impact. For instance, if your shield gets hit on the left side by a weapon or an arrow, both the shield and arm will absorb the impact and bounce back on that side. The system takes into consideration the force of the impact, meaning that the visual feedback from a cleaner strike or a heavier weapon will be more prominent.


New System

When combined with the stagger animation of the body, this new system provides a greater level of feedback to players and helps to make combat feel more immersive and engaging. And while minor details like this may not exactly be game-changing, it helps to add to the overall feeling of realism in our game, which is important to us because our combat system isn’t simply about mashing buttons. So watch your shield, because losing that nice head you have on your shoulders will surely ruin your day.

Discuss this blog post HERE



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Greetings warriors of Calradia!

For many people, Mount & Blade: Warband is a singleplayer experience which lets them rise from the rank of a commoner up to the ruler of an entire kingdom, developing their character and fighting in epic sieges along the way.

For others, it is an opportunity to run around naked with a two-handed sword and test their combat skills against players from all around the world. In this week’s blog, we talk with the person responsible for making these equally epic (and sometimes silly) experiences a reality in Bannerlord: Korneel Guns.


Korneel Guns

East-Flanders, Belgium

2014

Digital Arts and Entertainment (DAE), Howest

Gameplay Programmer

“Most of the time I work on multiplayer features, optimisations and bug fixes. What I actually do varies from day to day, depending on what we're trying to achieve that week. Lately, I don't get to write much code at all and instead most of my time is spent preparing our internal playtests, monitoring the sessions, gathering feedback from the participants and planning for the next test.”

“There are many things…

Sometimes, I just open a custom battle, put the troop count into the many hundreds, give command over my troops to the AI, and just watch as the armies clash. There's something very special about seeing this many troops doing their thing.

Lately, I've also been trying my hands on the scene editor and I'm just blown away by how easily I can make something that looks pretty nice. I believe we're going to have a lot of mods with an amazing visual quality.”


“Look: If I can make this, anyone can make something nice.”

“But I have to say that I’m mostly excited for the multiplayer part of the game. Before joining TaleWorlds, I spent a lot of time playing Napoleonic Wars and I regularly attended line-battles. It was always such a thrill to be a part of these huge organised battles, with disciplined regiments moving around in formation (only to be struck down by a single cannonball), the smoke from the musket fire, the surprise cavalry charges… It was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to see what the modding scene comes up with for Bannerlord as the possibilities are much greater than they ever were for Warband.”

“One of the hardest moments was definitely when we were starting out with serious, regular playtests to check both the game modes and combat. At the time, we didn't have any of the automated tests we have now, so the game broke pretty regularly (and in many different ways).

Since I was organizing these playtests, I felt very responsible for the failure or success of these tests. We would get a dozen people to stop working and help us playtest, only to find out that the game wasn't playable anymore and it was a waste of everyone's time.

We've improved the stability a lot since then, with the help of the QA team in combination with automated testing. Soon after, I could finally hear the cries of people getting killed in-game throughout the office, which certainly made me feel a lot better.”


Skirmish Playtest

“I'm currently writing some extra tools that allow us to better monitor server network usage. We're aiming to have a potential maximum player limit that is well above Warband's, so it helps to be able to visualise data with real-time graphs and stats to find out about possible bottlenecks. We already have a very efficient networking system because of some great programmers on the team. I'm just making sure they can do their job even better!”

“I struggle to choose between Battania and Vlandia.

The Empire may be in decline and crumbling, but Battania has long lost its glory. Its castles and towns are old and ruinous and each visit to a settlement tells a story of a faction just desperately trying to stay relevant. I find it fun to become part of such a faction and help it to rise up. I guess my Belgian roots may have something to do with that.

And Vlandia, because it's just a classic done well: majestic and dominating castles, chivalric knights and, of course, the crossbowmen! Fighting at range is by far my favourite thing to do. Both Battania and Vlandia excel at this, but the crossbow is definitely the coolest.”

“We have a full Steam integration, so you'll easily be able to join friends' games, or invite them to your party.”

“We will still have the server list, just like we have in Warband. It will contain both official and unofficial (community-run) servers. On top of that, there is also a matchmaking system which ties in nicely with our more competitive game modes (see question below).”

“Siege has received a full overhaul. It is still all about attacking and defending an entire castle, but now with a full range of different kinds of siege weapons (ballistae, catapults, siege towers and battering rams).

Then, there are some game modes that are entirely new, such as Captain Battle: a team-based mode where each player gets command over a regiment of AI troops (just like in singleplayer). You win by either eliminating the other team, or by controlling the battlefield.

There is also Skirmish Battle, a more competitive game mode that is designed to be played 6 vs 6. You have multiple lives per round, but each troop has a different cost, which means you have to make a choice between fielding a greater number of poorly equipped troops or fewer more specialised ones. Good communication and managing your lives are key in this mode.

We also have a Duel Mode for those who want to test their skills in a more controlled environment.”

“The solutions to prevent camping are different for many games. For us, we realized it's a serious issue and we have designed our new game modes so that they make camping a bad choice: for Skirmish and Captain Battles, you have to be active and either fight the enemy, or move to different locations on the battlefield to control them. It's also not enough to just move to one location and hold it: you will constantly be encouraged to move and adapt until the very end of each round. We have noticed in our internal playtests that this is working out very well.”



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