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Mount&Blade is a 3D, open-ended, single-player, third- or first-person, computer role-playing game in beta stage of development (currently at version .950), created and distributed by the Turkish development house TaleWorlds. Mount&Blade has a medieval setting, without any fantasy elements. Mount&Blade is notable for its emphasis on realistic cavalry combat, which was common in the era, but is largely absent in most RPG titles.

Paradox Interactive, producer known mostly for other real-time games such as Europa Universalis series, has recently signed on as producer for Mount&Blade.

Character

The player can directly control only one player character, which is created when a new game starts. A character class only serves as a template for future character development. Each “class” differs only in its starting attributes, skill points and equipment. There are no in-game restrictions on equipment or skill use based on class and gender. The maximum level of a skill and the use of certain equipment is linked to a related attribute.

The player character’s facial features are customizable, similar to the system found in The Sims 2 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The face and hair can be changed at any time, should the player wish to do so. Some users have even modified the basic face “skins”, giving themselves and the AI different options, such as warpaint. The newer versions (.800 and further) include a “randomize” button, which allows the player to instantly generate a random face. As of version .890, the player character may take sides with any one or none of the factions present in Calradia: The Swadian, Rhodok, Vaegir, Khergit, and Nord armies, or hunt down the various bandits and rogues that plague the region.

Gameplay

The gameplay is open, similar to games such as Elite or Darklands. The game currently has a skeleton plot and the player is free to do as he wishes. While combat is the main draw of the game, it is for the most part optional.

Characters can make money and gain experience by trading goods between towns. The game features a basic dynamic economy based on supply and demand.

The player’s party can be formed by recruiting unique non-player characters (NPC), known as a hero or companion, or more generic soldiers. The player can increase his maximum party size by either investing in certain skills, or earning renown by winning battles.

The player can develop the skills of his character and companions over the course of the game. Certain skills affect the party as a whole, so companions can be used to complement the skills of the player character. Skills can be improved by gaining levels or reading and holding books.

As of version .890, recruits can be hired from friendly villages. The player can also own a fief, a faction-related village given to the player by the faction leader. Mercenaries can also be obtained at a tavern, and prisoners can be rescued from enemy parties. Prisoners that the player character captures during battle can also be forced to join the player’s party, though they will often desert the player. As these generic soldiers fight, they will gain experience and can be upgraded into stronger, more specialized soldiers. Soldiers will often have multiple upgrade paths.

The player can siege enemy castles, towns, and villages. If the player wins the siege, his faction takes control of the territory. Occasionally, the faction leader will reward a captured territory to the player. In the recent version .950 the player also has the option of declaring seccesion from his liege and owning an independent state. This option comes after being refused control of a fief that the player captured.

No multi-player option exists, nor is one planned.

Factions

There are several prominent factions the player character can chose to align himself with in version .950. The player may choose to leave a faction if the faction leader refuses to reward a captured territory to the player. As of version .950, The player may also request that the King release him of his oath, thereby removing him from the faction. Also new to .950 are claimants to the throne of each faction; the player can find them by paying a traveller (Found randomly in taverns) to reveal their location. The player has the option of starting a rebellion with the claimant, if certain renown requirements are met.

Swadians

The Swadians were one of the two original NPC factions in Mount and Blade. They focus in heavy cavalry and crossbow units, as well as well-armoured infantry. Their faction leader is King Harlaus.

Vaegirs

The Vaegirs are the other original NPC faction. They use exceptional foot archers and medium and heavy cavalry with more focus on axes than lances. They are led by King Yaroglek.

Khergits

The Khergits were originally a part of the ‘bandit’ faction, like the Sea Raiders. They focus on mounted archery. All of their units are mounted, and thus they are exceptionally hard to catch by melee-armed troops. However their weakness lies in sieging. They are controlled by Sanjar Khan.

Nords

The Nord faction was a new addition in beta version .890. They are an all-infantry force, specializing in axes and heavier armour. They are a faction based on the Sea Raiders, who still exist in-game. They come from (as is suggested in the name) the Scandinavians of the Early Medieval period, and are led by King Ragnar.

Rhodoks

The Rhodok faction was another new addition to beta version .890. They are another all infantry force, comprised entirely of spear wielding troops and crossbow troops. The Rhodoks were introduced in verson .890. However it is expected that the developers will change them in the versions leading up to the full release. They are headed by King Graveth.

Combat system

The combat system comprises a mix of action and tactical elements. Combat takes place on a separate map from the world map. The battlefield features randomly-generated terrain and is influenced by nearby terrain on the world map. Random weather effects, such as fog, rain, and snow are present and affect combat. There is a maximum battle size of 72 units on field, but this limit can be increased with a community-produced battle size changer modification.

The player directly controls his character’s actions. All other party members joining the battle, if any, can only be controlled through simple commands. Unlike most other RPG titles, there are no fantasy elements such as healing potions or magic, and no on-hand inventory of items for direct access during combat. A box containing the player’s inventory is placed at the player starting point on the battlefield for player’s access but there is always a limit of 4 “weapon slots” as well as slots for head, body, hand and leg armour.

Mount&Blade places special emphasis on mounted combat. Compared to footsoldiers, mounted troops generally have higher mobility and inflict more damage. However, the horses themselves are vulnerable to enemy weapons, so a mounted soldier can be unhorsed by a skilled footman.

Another feature is the inclusion of prisoners. They can be captured when defeated enemies are knocked out instead of killed, and they can be either sold as slaves or recruited into the party.

Story and background

Even though there is no storyline implemented yet, the background is already in place. The game takes place in the land of Calradia, where war has broken out between five militarized factions: The Swadians, Rhodoks, Vaegirs, Khergits, and Nords.

From what has been revealed of Calradia, the Kingdom of Swadia was the original nation. Under circumstances not yet revealed, the nation devolved into chaos and infighting. This allowed the Nords to invade and set up their own kingdom. The Kingdom of Vaegir was, before the rebellion, part of the Kingdom of Swadia. With the break of Swadian supremecy, the Vaegirs have broken away and declared war on their former overlords. The background for the Khergit Khanate and the Kingdom of Rhodok have not yet been revealed.

The currency used in game is known as the Denar.

Developer

Mount&Blade is developed and distributed by TaleWorlds, an independent developer started by a Turkish husband-and-wife team.[1][2]

Modifications

The engine powering Mount&Blade is open to modifications and enhancements by users, and the developers have shown support for the community by building a module system into the game launcher to facilitate this. Currently a number of third-party mods are available, ranging from visual enhancements to total conversions with entirely different settings. A set of Python scripts were released to be used as development kit. More user friendly unofficial tools have been released by fans of the game as well.

An updated list of Mount&Blade mods and modding tools can be found on the Taleworlds.com forum.

Distribution

Mount&Blade is shareware, freely available from the official site. True to the traditions of shareware, trial players are given unrestricted access to a large portion of the game. In this case the entire game world and all of its features are fully accessible; other than cheat codes being disabled the only limits are that the trial ends when the player character reaches level 6 or after 30 in-game “days”. The game then exits, and the player is directed to the ordering page. If they purchase a license key they can unlock their copy and continue from where they left off. They can also, if they choose not to purchase the key, create new characters to play with the same restrictions as many times as they wish.

The cost of the game, although constantly increasing as the game nears completion, is not yet at full price. As new versions come out the price of the game increases. The current cost is approximately 80% of the final retail price.