Rock, Paper, Shotgun

This year’s GDC wasn’t all unhelpfully cryptic teaser trailers – it was also a chance for enthusiastic developers of lesser-known fare to demo their wares first hand. F’rinstance, this awkward but illuminating talk from one of the Turkish chaps behind the splendid, inventive, horse-centric RPG Mount & Blade, showing off exactly what to expect from the forthcoming expansion, Warband. Significantly enhanced graphics and siege-orientated multiplayer, primarily – both of which seem, from this video, to mean an even better game, and one that neatly papers over its more obvious cracks.

WARNING: the guy doing the presentation does have an unusual beard.
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It’s been a bubbling indie favourite over the last few years in its Beta state. Mount & Blade is arguably the greatest horse-based combat game ever, a medieval open-world game with true freedom and genuinely pretty nifty. Having finally reaching V1.0 and its commercial debut, we thought it time to talk to TaleWorld’s lead developer, Armagan Yavuz, about the long journey from inspiration to release
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If there’s one thing that RPS endorses heartily, it’s running down your enemies on horseback and slaying them with great prejudice. Such activities are routine in the excellent horse and sword game, Mount & Blade, which is why RPS also endorses this excellent product of medieval violence.
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I’ve been following this for longer than the site’s existed, but Mount & Blade is finally available in retail. You can buy in the states shops now, and in Europe tomorrow. Alternatively, you can buy it directly at Gamers Gate for thirty euros. I’ll be writing more – and hopefully reviewing it for someone – later, but if you need the game explained further, I point you at my Adventures of Violent Trevor.

News reaches us via Blues that it’s the last chance to get involved with the Beta period of long-favoured Indie-sensation Mount & Blade. You have to go to Gamespot and register to get it too. Now, not sure to make of it – because V0.96 is actually the last version which was released to the public, so it’s hardly new. It may just be American publisher Paradox trying to drum up attention prior to its September release. Or it may be a timely reminder that once Mount & Blade reaches V1.0 the Betas will somehow – er – magically disappear from the net, despite being all over the place. Maybe Paradox do have magic, so best play the bloody thing ASAP. It remains splendid.

We’ve never actually explained Mount & Blade properly, in terms of what you do. I figured the best way to actually capture the random adventuring lifestyle was to narrate the adventuring life-style. Since the demo stops at level eight, it struck me as the right sort of length for a sample. You know – with the added advantage of showing what you can get up to with just clicking on the download link. So I make my character, choosing options to make Violent Trevor a gruff nobleman character out for trouble. Click create and…

Damn. It’s hit one of the latest version bugs where you start in the wilderness, unarmed in your underwear.

I decide to find out what I can do even when the game goes wrong. And it all ends up working delightfully.
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And lo! my evening was gone. V09.5 of Mount & Blade has been released. This isn’t the fabled V1.0 yet – which will come out later in the year, with proper real-world distribution by Paradox – but apparently includes the vast majority of the content Taleworlds plan for it, with primarily polishing, bugfixing and balance-balancing ahead of them. Which means it’s a good time to start playing this Pirates-but-with-Medieval-blokes-and-Serious (fairly). I love Mount & Blade – it’s like an alternate dimension of idea of what the RPG would be like if the genre was created by people who’d only had a game of D&D described to them rather than ever playing it. Expect to read much more about it when it finally hits 1.0 – from everyone, and not just us – but it’s not too late to be ahead of the curve.

News reaches us from (er) our comments thread that TaleWorld‘s long in development Mount & Blade is going to get a proper release from Paradox Interactive. Which reminds me I’ve never mentioned it, or its perpetually available Beta on RPS before. Better sort THAT out then.

I normally describe Mount & Blade as Pirates, but in the Middle Ages. You play a knight, and you gather together a band of soldiers, setting forth to hunt down bandits, take missions from lieges and generally act like the traditional freelance. The Beta is the full game, but with your character progress locked at level six. Despite its planned real world release, Mount & Blade’s pre-order system is still in effect. By paying $25 you remove the level-lock, allowing you to play the Beta as much as you like, as well as providing a serial code for the final game when it comes out. With V1.0 apparently happening in Summer, I may wait for then before returning, but if you’ve never played before, it’s well worth doing so. As well as the intoxicating freedom, Mount & Blade features probably the greatest horse-back combat the world has ever seen.