TaleWorlds Entertainment has just released its second development update, informing users of what they can expect upcoming from the studio behind the long-awaited title Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord.
First, there are new animations and abilities that should help when you’re staring down a charging horse and rider with a spear brace ability, which is only going to be available in multiplayer at the moment.
The option of only being able to brace spears in multiplayer is likely centered around the idea of balancing mounts within multiplayer modes, yet in single-player would spoil the illusion of power as riders would mercilessly be thrown off on a consistent basis; players would either have to lead from the rear or embrace the idea of ranged combat.
Additionally, TaleWorlds has shown off a beefy upgrade to the intelligence of AI in formations, showing off multiple formations from wedges to encircling areas; it looks far smoother in the video than it does in-game currently, and should open up a few new strategic options for savvy commanders looking to bolster their defensive stance with some intelligent formations.
The proverbial meat and potatoes of this video, however, is the modding tools that TaleWorlds is going to be offering everyone.
The tools seem to be very close to, if not directly, the development tools used by TaleWorlds themselves, and this will open up a massive number of options in the near future as modders get their hands on a wealth of tools to change literally every aspect of the title.
From map editing, allowing players to make new scenes to fight in, to texture editing allowing players to parallax their own unique wall textures and roofing, the tools that were shown off in the video that should be dropping relatively soon are nothing short of awe-inspiring. They even have tools that allow mod users to set their own global lighting, casting appropriate shadows across the terrain.
When you consider the massive number of mods already pushed out for Bannerlord, many of them releasing in the first week that the title finally went live, the modding tools are going to place a massive number of tools into the hands of the awaiting community.
The sky isn’t even the limit here: you can change scenes and weather effects within the scenes that you build, ensuring that you can make the sky (and time of day) exactly as you see fit.
It’s a rarity that a developer embraces their modding community as TaleWorlds clearly is going to, and this bodes extremely well for the health and future of the title. Estimates currently place the arrival of the modding tools this Fall, meaning you could be cruising around in a completely new world based on the Bannerlord engine by Holiday 2020. Clear some space on the hard drives, because the community is about to go for a ride.