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Mount & Blade Expansion Impressions

By Guy Cocker, GameSpot UKPosted Feb 10, 2009 3:05 am PT

The first expansion to Mount & Blade has been unveiled and aims to improve the graphics and add online multiplayer to the action role-playing game.

Mount & Blade was only released at the end of last year, but already developer TaleWorlds is well into development on the expansion. At a recent event in Sweden, the team told us about its main objectives for the project: to update the graphical look of the game with the latest technology and to add online multiplayer. We got to see a new demo of the game to find out how well these promises are being delivered on.

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. However, the open-style gameplay will remain exactly the same in the expansion, but this shouldn't be too much of a problem for the people who enjoyed its combat system and overall realistic approach.

In terms of upgrades, the graphics have been given a major technical overhaul. They'll now feature high dynamic range lighting and bloom effects, as well as dynamic contrast and bump-mapping on the soldiers' armour. As for the multiplayer, the game will now support up to 32 players online, which TaleWorlds promises will keep the lag to what it deems acceptable at 100 milliseconds. The online code is in the early stages of development, so it has not yet been fully tested, but the developers have incorporated test systems to replicate online latency across their own local area network. There will be new multiplayer challenges to take part in, while modders can create customisable rules so that combat can take place only on foot or while mounted.

As well as the major 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. We'll do our darnedest to get in on the beta and bring you more impressions of the expansion soon.

102 Comments

  • dodow1234

    Posted Dec 7, 2009 8:15 am PT

    Dont just improve the game on combat system and all, also improve the city, village and fortress. They look like lifeless and mundane to me. There is no point walking around the city as its not worth looking, perhaps add a couple quest inside the city so at least its worth to explore. Right now people just walking around do nothing. It almost remind me to elder scroll 3 morrowind.

  • jorgepimp321

    Posted Dec 4, 2009 10:35 pm PT

    now if only I can become a king, easier tax managment(as in the damn upkeep wont kill me if I dont collect my taxes from my fiefs) and a bit easier quest, which I really dont care to do AT ALL, than this game would be 11/10, sadly its 10/10
    I will admit, I did activate the cheat code, and make half of the map mine,lol
    and lvl 48 in a freaking day, but thats a;right,lol
    this is a great game, always fun in fights, this game might actually be comparable and better in some ways to oblivion, fact you can command armies, I wonder if the trade will change, I did see they added a HUGE enviorment, trade, arenas, villages, armies, the fighting, and above all, the cavalry charge and the cavalry fighting, I hoped for a pike formation from the rhodoks though haha, I wonder if I can mod stuff, and how to mod stuff myself

  • FrostDM

    Posted Nov 3, 2009 4:10 am PT

    I soooooo enjoy this game, and the funny thing is it has far less bugs than commercial games. If they could somehow make it MMO i would just piss my self!

  • tiggerlu

    Posted May 27, 2009 11:34 pm PT

    Yep totally agree, gamespot's review is well off. This game is a sleeper hit, but has so many pluses and so much re playability it's silly, add multilayer to this game and it'll rock even more.

  • PsychiKleftis

    Posted May 16, 2009 9:56 pm PT

    The user score is always infinitely more accurate than any Game Spot score. I wonder if that's because the users actually, well, use the game...

  • Natuo

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 2:03 pm PT

    Multiplayer is something the long time fans was hoping for, not the linear storyline.

    @Mick95
    If I'm not mistaken, you can be a king/queen in the expansion. But currently we already have a mod for that. Kingdom management (also integrated with several big mods such as Sword of Damocles, etc) you can find it at Taleworlds forum.

  • Mick95

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 1:03 pm PT

    WOOP WOOP! Ive always loved Mount and Blade and am so glad theres nothing fantasy related in it, for Im tired of all these mad magic RPG's with mad impossible weapons and all. The realism of it is amazing and Im so glad that they are going to improve the graphics . As long as I can still play it though as my PC isnt very good. 1 Question: Does anyone know if the new expansion will let the player become a King in the game?

    Thats the only thing that dissapointed me, for I was hoping that when I made my own Faction Id become a King of the faction and elect new Lords and a Marshall and all for my Kingdom, or even replace one of the Kings somehow but its not possible . Does anyone know if the new expansion will let you become a King/Queen of a Kingdom?

  • 6Dark6Avatar6

    Posted Apr 14, 2009 10:44 pm PT

    Wow! my faith in Gamespot's review integrity is wearing very thin indeed and biased narrow-minded reviews like this one ain't helping. I mean come on, did the reviewer even play this game for more than 10 minutes. Cause it sounds like (to me at least) that he jumped into the game, ran after the first bandit group or deserter party he could find, got his butt well and truly handed to him. Then spent the next 10 minutes (cant have taken any longer to write) venting his rage in the form of said craptastic review. I mean come on, I've just got a new gaming rig. I've got Farcry 2, Fallout 3, Stalker Clear Sky, and The Witcher installed and what game am I spending all my time on...Yip that's right Mount & Blade for the win. Deserves an 8 at least in my opinion.
    You haven't gamed until you've faced down a full cavalry charge on foot, or gone face to face, or should I say lance to lance with another knight on horseback. This games combat mechanics are unmatched by anything else currently available. If you have even the slightest interest in hitting things or medieval times, then you owe it to yourself to download and try this game. you can trial the full game until you reach lvl 7 or lvl 8.
    So what are you waiting for go download it

    Oh and @ BornGamer. OMG!!! I haven't laughed so hard in ages. That was imo, the most eloquent and truthful statement I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

  • crow33100

    Posted Apr 12, 2009 9:33 pm PT

    i've waited for this game a long long time ago.. i've wished that someday, someone will create such a game.. and now its here, M&B!! its highly addictive, a game which only exist in my imagination before ^^ To Taleworlds: please make it better, like the scripts; and make those village AI more alive or can interact better.. take a look at the villagers in Assasin's creed, ul'll get the idea ^^..... M&B fighting is good, the controls are good.. no prob at it.. i bought the game 2 weeks ago, and it was the best game i have to date ^_^

  • clembo1990

    Posted Mar 27, 2009 12:00 pm PT

    Gamespot you have failed to deliver yet again. It's actually laughable how little attention your staff pay to the industry, the games themselves and gamers in general.
    At the very least play the game before writing a slack-jawed article or a double-crappy review.

  • OROARKE

    Posted Mar 21, 2009 2:48 am PT

    I must say I was starting to move away from computer gaming until I discovered this little gem. Beware, you will become addicted!!!

  • kasuncg

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 11:20 am PT

    This is the second time Gamespot is clueless about M&B.I would rather have a smart & engaging game playable on a low end machine rather than some dumb,boring game with nothing except graphics.If you are put off by buying M&B because of this review,I strongly recommend buying this game & visiting another site for game reviews. I guess gamespot is under pressure from companies who advertise their games & expensive hardware to snub games like M&B which are bad for their business.Its clear they have filed some very unimpressive in game photos under "images" to elaborate their point of bad graphics.But if you play the game for some time you can find places with much beautiful backgrounds.

  • Sketchturner88

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 2:13 am PT

    c'mon guys this was reviewed by a guy named "Guy Cocker".... what more can you expect lol

    well looking forward to the expansion, going to be amazing.

  • Innos007666

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 4:22 am PT

    can't wait

  • LoneSnakeX

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 10:29 am PT

    Shame on you Gamespot, this game is the most innovative game in a long long time it deserves nothing less then to be at the top like Oblivion!

  • killatronX

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 4:32 pm PT

    I think if Gamespot did not have user reviews it would be a very dead site. Nobody wants to waste their time reading review after review thats so embarassingly off the mark that it makes you wonder what Gamespots motivation is.

  • mustang_rider

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 7:22 am PT

    "with some people wanting a more structured storyline" seriously who the **** cares about a ****ing storyline in this game is just that it doesnt even need one ill preffer this game as it is without a crappy storyline and as for the graphics Gamespot your missing the hole point, theyve develop this game so that everyone who has a low-end mid-end machine could play it and why im i even talking about graphics, this game isnt about graphics is about how good the gameplay really is. id rather play a game with **** graphics and a solid gameplay than a game with mind blowing graphics with **** and crappy gameplay, they dont make games like this any more, now games are more about graphics, and Gamespot's review is just pathetic, even IGN gave this game 8.0 cause the guy who review it actually played the game.

    Anyways now that ive got that away, im soo glad that theyve announced an expansion, cant wait for it, hope they add the missing things from the original and its sure they will cause this game is fan based so theyve actually care about the fans .

  • NiclasKennel

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 6:37 am PT

    Mount and blade is the best medieval game out ever
    ooh Im getting hyped about the expansion! Multiplayer battles!!!!!!

  • Apofis_SG-1

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 1:00 am PT

    great game i love it! and great news

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