Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword Captain Mode
[GDN] Captain Mode: With 15 AI and you in a squad does this essentially create an RTS-like atmosphere and gameplay?
It opens up multiplayer for players to conduct more thoughtful and strategic matches as well as providing ample opportunities for historical reenactment. I’ll definitely be putting in a lot of my free time into playing Captain Mode online with our fans to see how they enjoy it.
[GDN] How are squads determined in Captain mode? Is it build your own or does everyone get the same or is it completely random?
In the equipment screen you’ll purchase the type of squad you’d like to take into battle with you, the squad comes pre-equipped with everything they’ll need to mash into the other guy’s squad [smiles wickedly as if already planning some wanton destruction]
[GDN] What kind of customization can be done with the squads? Will there be RPG-like elements where squad members can level up and gain stronger abilities and weapons/armor? Will the squad members be consistent through multiple gameplay sessions or will they reset each new game?
Better squads can be purchased with money earned from each kill much akin to buying better and better gear for your own character. So yes, to be clear in Captain Mode you aren’t custom building and leveling your army like in single-player.
Siege Warfare Expansion
A lot of work went into expanding siege warfare for Mount & Blade With Fire & Sword. Here’s a quick list of updates:
Blow up a wall: Engineering & Tactics skills need to be +5 for this to work. If successful you will siege the castle through the newly created "entrance" with no need to use ladders to take the town/castle.
Poison the city’s water supply: This nasty trick has a low chance to succeed but kills 10-20% of the defending force. Riding & Tactics need to be +3 (recommended much higher) for this to work.
You can be spotted and told to leave.
You can be caught and forced to fight your way out of town.
You can be caught red-handed and hung, this will kill your character out-right! (means load your game and "haha" from the "evil Ukrainian developers"...apparently). Those are Mikail’s words, not mine... So be sure to save often is what he is trying to say.
Underground tunnels: The player can build underground tunnels for a group of soldiers to assault besiegers.
Sieges, Strategies and Taking Control in With Fire & Sword
[GDN] So, explosives, poison and bribery. How does that all work on expanding the gameplay for sieges?
Being able to do those things adds more strategical depth into the way players approach sieges and even building their own character, because using explosives, for example, requires ’tactics’ & ’engineering’ skills whereas poisoning requires different skills. Invading a castle through a destroyed wall is quite a bit easier than slowly climbing up a siege ladder!
[GDN] In regards to sieging of towns and castles, how does that work? Do you just camp out around the city and wait them out while trying to blow a hole in the wall and poisoning the well or is there some other activity you need to do?
That’s about all there is to it, unless you get caught while poisoning a well. In that case you’ll either be thrown out of town, be spotted and have to fight your way out (alone), or be caught red-handed, thrown in prison and then hung (at which point you have to reload your last save)! The last one is totally my idea [smiles evilly] actually you can blame Maxim from Sich Studios for any hanging going on in your game.
Hence the earlier reference to the evil Ukrainian developers early, that would be Sich Studios who are developing part of the game in cooperation with TaleWorlds.
UPDATE: Mikail, being the fine upstanding young man that he is, added this:
Sich Studios is the developer of the game, not just part of it. We provide them with tech support, game balance/map design ideas, engine upgrades, marketing/pr work but Sich should be credited for making the game overall.
Credit, where credit is due. We apologize for the mis-statement of their role in the game’s development.
