【杂志照片】PC Gamer杂志最新一期中骑砍2的版面内容，包括小编试玩感受

基甸.瑞索夫

本文由骑马与砍杀中文站原创，转载请注明出处

PS：英文原稿由Taleworlds 公司CEO，也就是文中受访者Armagan本人授权提供。

by muyiboy

《骑马与砍杀2：领主》这部作品已经让玩家们等待了太久，从开发商时不时透露的零星消息我们很难了解本作的开发进展。不过外媒PC Gamer的编辑近日有机会受邀试玩了《骑砍2》，并在杂志上分享了此次试玩的体验，一起来了解一下。

试玩版中这位编辑所操控的角色是一位名为Yasmin的女性，她生于强盛一时如今却濒临崩溃的南部帝国。据介绍，《骑砍2》的故事发生在《骑马与砍杀：战团》（以下简称《战团》方便区分）的200年前，《战团》中那些强盛的帝国在《骑砍2》中还仅仅处于幼年时期。尽管主角出生的南部帝国纯属虚构，但是游戏中不存在任何奇幻元素。武器、装甲、器械都是按照公元600—1100年历史上真实存在的原型设计的。

在官方提供的试玩版中，角色创建的部分直接就被跳过了。开发商TaleWorlds此前曾经展示过角色创建，但是本次试玩中他们显然还不想展示所有自定义部分的细节。毋庸置疑的是，在真实版游戏中玩家们会有很多选项可供调整，其中就包括新的人物设定，而这些内容是作为改进翻新的人物成长系统的一部分来设计的。CEO Armagan Yavuz表示：“《骑砍2》的能力系统会在《战团》的基础上设计，但是新系统会获得大幅的改进并且更有深度也更有趣。我们设计了特质、能力以及补正等元素，它们会以一种有趣而独特的方式相互作用。每种能力都能通过不同的方式获取XP从而获得提升。例如，在游戏中你就可以通过追踪那些存在更久、也更难察觉的痕迹来提升‘追踪’（Tracking）能力。”

来到附近的城市Syronaea，主角Yasmin得先找找个工作了。和《战团》中的设定相似，《骑砍2》中所有聚居地都能走到或是通过菜单里的快速旅行抵达。玩家可以自由探索每一个小镇、村庄和城堡，如果你急着赶路，你也可以选择快速旅行服务。除此之外，《骑砍2》还加入了一些更加便利的设定：重要的NPC也能直接通过菜单选项直接拜访了，玩家会被直接送到NPC的面前立刻接受任务。

　　《骑砍2》中的聚居地也是玩家们招兵买马的好地方，在《骑砍》游戏中这一直都是重要的一环。你的确可以当个独行侠，不过敌对派系和匪帮会好好地给你上一课的。最好还是集结一小队人马同行上路。

在《战团》中，玩家们可以造访村庄，集结志愿者共成大业。而在《骑砍2》中，部队都是由重要的NPC们提供的。玩家们与这些NPC关系越好，你的金币就能换来越多的战士帮助。当然，每一个重要的NPC也都有着自己的欲望和效忠对象，玩家们与其中之一结为同盟，就很可能得罪另一群人。《骑砍2》中玩家们所要做的并不仅仅是与遇见的人建立同盟关系。在大多数情况下，你所要做的事就是“站队”，你的选择不仅仅影响特定人物，而是会非常广泛地波及大批人员。

作为初出茅庐的无名之辈，Yasmin花上100金币就只能招募一位战士。尽管如此，她还是成功募集了一小支部队，并且从一个本地商人那里接受了任务。这位商人被一伙本地的走私者们困扰已久——这群不法之徒控制了整条商业街，让商人们无法开展合法的市场交易。Yasmin的任务就是击溃这群走私贩子。CEO Yavuz表示自己意图通过增加一些“会让玩家惹麻烦”的因素来给城市平添一些趣味性，城镇、乡村都有这些街道和其他一些有趣的区域，它们都是各类矛盾交汇之处。你的行动可能会改变控制该地区的派系势力，你甚至可能直接夺取该地域的控制权。

Yasmin新组建的军队并不能直接开进城镇，想要直接动手开战是不可能的了。于是Yasmin前往附近的酒馆招募了一队雇佣兵帮助她完成任务。与前作相似，这些伙伴都有名有姓，还有着不同的特长和各自的故事。Yasmin雇佣了重装骑兵Garitops theGolden和一个重装剑士Urios the Bull。不到10分钟时间，Yasmin就有了一支小队。

　　酒馆雇佣的这些伙伴们开销要比招募普通士兵要贵，但如果使用得当，这笔钱就花的值得。紧接着Yasmin就带着雇佣来的两人前往商业街找走私者谈判。瞧见她进入街道，走私者也迎了上来，双方互不相让。对于早就准备好开仗的两拨人来说，这种剑拔弩张的谈判也是我们司空见惯的了，不过在谈话间走私者声称自己是一个本地集团Oath Keepers的朋友，他们给Yasmin一个“弃暗投明”的机会——现在就背叛托付任务的商人，加入走私者的阵营。

对此CEO Yavuz表示：“我们试图让所有任务都有不止一种达成方式。”由于《骑砍2》沙盒游戏的特质，实际上本作的许多任务都是围绕着一系列模板，通过系统生成的方式来构建的。如果把这些任务从游戏的整体中割裂开来，它们都显得相当稀松平常。但是，这些任务会对整体的故事走向产生重大影响，这不仅仅是因为《骑砍2》的设计师们想要增加场景的复杂程度，而是因为这些任务其实都是外界世界各种因素相互作用的结果。听起来有点复杂，简单来说就是：只有当你所处的地区有匪患时，你才有可能接到打击盗匪的任务。

所有的因素都更加完美地与沙盒游戏的要求相契合，这一点是非常重要的，因为游戏中玩家通过模拟体验到的是完整的故事，而故事的走向会因为你的行动产生变化。游戏中也有更加传统的故事内容，不过其中大部分都存在可选项，这些“传统故事”大多都是为了让玩家们熟悉《骑砍2》的世界与游戏系统。

让我们再回到试玩上来，Yasmin没有接受走私者开出的条件，于是双方兵戎相见。《骑砍2》中的剑斗部分和前作类似——不同方向的斩击或者格挡。表面上看这个系统并不复杂，但是它的确需要玩家们细细研究。你的角色属性、武器、装甲都能派上用场，但是沙场拼杀最主要的还是要看玩家自己的水平如何。如果你能躲开敌人的刀剑，你就能有更多的机会生存下来。

在斩杀了霸占市场的走私者之后，Yasmin把商业街的控制权交付给了商人。她不仅获得了奖励，而且还有机会从死掉的匪徒身上窃取战利品并拿来卖钱。不过，保持良好的声誉显然是一笔更大的财富，玩家们现在每花上100金币能够雇佣两倍的人手了；很快Yasmin就成为了一支小型军队的领导者。

值得注意的是，重要的NPC并不仅仅只能给你带来佣金方面的收益，随着游戏进展的深入，你结交的朋友们还会给你提供更多的服务。Yavuz介绍道：“举例来说，如果你想绑架一个人，而这时你在这作城市里也有几个NPC与你关系密切，他们就能给你的‘恶作剧’铺路，让你的绑票行为完成地更加轻松。”玩家们结交的NPC种类不同，他们能够提供的收益也就会有所改变。“商人NPC会让你在交易中获益良多，而本地的帮派头目则能让你在一些‘特殊行动’中占到便宜。”

在离开这座城镇之前，Yasmin参加了一场本地的竞技比赛。《战团》中的竞技场相当有特色，而设计师们还对《骑砍2》的竞技场做了平衡——竞技的双方都只能使用同样的装备。很快，第一轮竞技比赛就打响了，Yasmin、Urios和其他两名队友一起对抗另一支四人队伍（对方队伍中也有着Yasmin之前雇佣过的Garitrops theGolden），一番交锋之后Yasmin赢得了比赛。随后Urios和Yasmin一路凯歌杀入了决赛。虽然对手把Yasmin打得鼻青脸肿，不过她最终还是赢下了比赛，并且赚了一套看起来价值不菲的铠甲。

在《骑砍2》中竞技依然只是游戏中的一个较小型分支，但是不难感受到，竞技比赛是这段传奇的一个重要部分。PC Gamer的编辑评价称：对他来说，《骑砍》是在《上古卷轴：天际》和《十字军之王2》之间找到了一个完美的中间平衡点。在《骑砍2》中我们可以看到很多前述游戏的影子：玩家的行动非常自由，从可敬的领主到恶毒盗匪，你想选择什么角色都行。但是《骑马与砍杀》并没有围绕一个固定的剧本让故事线性地展开，它的故事有更强的即时性——你的行动和其他AI角色采取的行动相互作用。玩家们能够感受到游戏宏大壮阔的背景，但是也让你依然能够专注于个人的行为和成就。

凯旋而归的Yasmin率军离开了这座城镇。打开世界地图，你就会发现这款游戏是沙盒与模拟游戏的完美结合。在地图上你可以看到商人、骑士和匪徒，三教九流都在进行着自己的人物。Yasmin在前往附近的城堡时就与其中一拨人马不期而遇，只不过这群人可不太友好——他们是一帮森林废土。在遭遇盗匪时，玩家们会触发一个对话场景，你可以选择与匪徒战斗或是投降、谈判等等。这群盗匪可不好对付，双方实力旗鼓相当。不过Yasmin并没有因此退缩，而是直接与对方开战。

玩家们在任何时候都能直接地决定人物的个性倾向，不论是和几个走私贩火并还是领导一支军队和一群匪徒开战都是如此。不过在开放世界中，玩家可以对自己的军队下令。作战系统相当简单，你可以下达简单的指令并且在指定地点设置标记。要记住这里玩的并不是《全面战争》，《骑砍2》的AI能够自行完成很多事情。不过玩家们还是可以下达一些更加“细化”的命令的，例如派遣骑兵进行侧翼包抄或者下令弓箭手移动到更加有利的位置上。

　　《骑砍2》中，军队所接到的命令可以大致分为“进攻”和“防守”两种，这两种不同的命令对敌军AI的行动产生重要的影响。一支被命令防守的部队不会一般主动对你的阵地展开冲锋，而是转移至海拔更高的位置固守。当然，情况并非总是如此，如果一支处于严防死守状态的敌军察觉他们能够轻易击溃你，他们也会果断地对你发起进攻。

开发商TaleWorlds目前尚未决定参战人数上限，可能我们会看到双方各率百名战士血战厮杀，但这也造成了游戏表现方面出现了太多的问题。体验版中的这场遭遇战仅仅投入了18名士兵，所以也没必要考虑太多战术。Yasmin很轻易就击败了匪徒。

随后就是打扫战场、收押战俘的时间里。玩家在战斗中获得的战利品和囚犯都能用来购买新装备以及食物，从而维持、壮大自己的军队。通过这场战斗，Yasmin麾下的一些士兵的等级也获得了提升，拥有一支大军当然是不错，但是刚刚招募来的新兵减员很快。不过，在本地拥有好朋友永远不会吃亏，这一次也一样。特定的NPC会帮助你招募拥有不同特长、经验也要更加丰富的新兵。完成一些NPC的任务，玩家就能获得更强大、更多样的军队。

在经历一些波折之后，Yasmin终于和Mesticaros城堡的领主Sanion会面了。在这里Yasmin接到了另一项任务：她要帮助领主训练一小支部队，具体的做法就是率领这支小队参与小规模战斗，从而获取经验。这种任务可要比从商人那接到的任务更有利可图，不过对整个沙盒游戏的进程造成更大的影响。进行这一任务也是有风险的——那就是引起另一位敌对势力领主的愤怒，从而招致致命的苦果。Yasmin利用自己敏锐的视力追踪各路匪徒，并且将领主交付的新兵投入战斗。在几场战斗之后，这一批新兵已经积攒了必要的经验，不过也有两名新兵在战斗中阵亡。实际上，新兵的生存率会很大程度上影响任务的结果。如果只造成了微不足道的伤亡，交与任务的领主就会非常满意，然而如果死亡人数太多，你和领主间的关系可就不会发展地那么顺利。

当Yasmin带队回到城堡时，她发现领主Sanion并不在城堡里。《骑砍2》游戏中，这些领主经常率领军队巡视领土，他们总是在移动的。玩家有可能通过游戏菜单得知领主们最近所处的位置，也可以和城堡内的NPC们交流获知。不过游戏时候你就必须自己想办法出门找找他们到底在哪了。正当Yasmin行经Sanion领土内的一座山丘附近时，她偶遇了一位自称叫Ilatar的人，Ilatar宣称自己为和平而来，同时也询问了Yasmin的身份。Yasmin如实相告，岂料Ilatar立刻就变了脸——他其实是Khuzait部族的一员。当你进行《骑砍2》游戏中的一些任务时，另一支势力就很可能会公开与你为敌，而Khuzait（一个拥有强大骑兵部队的国家）就是Yasmin的敌人。随后Ilatar就不由分说向Yasmin发动了攻击。Yasmin手下仅有18人，与Ilatar66人的部队人数相差悬殊。很快战斗就分出了胜负——Yasmin兵败被俘。

　　《骑砍2》的故事进展正如试玩中体现的一样充满变数。游戏模拟的情况时时刻刻都在变化，你的行动无法阻碍世界的变化。至于为什么Ilatar会出现在南部王国的领土上，这实际上没什么特别的意义——它就是为了让你偶遇一支强大的武装，摧毁你辛辛苦苦组建的军队、再让你沦为阶下囚。这么早就遇上如此强大的敌人可能会让你非常沮丧，不过这的确给了整个世界一种不确定性，也让玩家产生一种危机感。不过同样的场景并不会出现第二次，《骑砍2》制作人全力以赴就是想要增加游戏元素的多样性。

官方提供的试玩在Yasmin被俘这里就告结束，实际上，如果是此时体验的是正式版，故事还将会继续下去。被囚的Yasmin不久后就会想办法逃出生天，即便你全军覆没、一文不名，但是你在这个世界中建立的人际关系依然毫发无损。

PC Gamer的编辑认为，《骑砍2》并没有给系列带来革命性变化。但对比前作而言，《骑砍2》有了长足的进步，它更加专注于对游戏进行调整、改进。“游戏里几乎每一个方面都凝聚着我们的心血，但是在试玩版中我们还有很多新功能没办法展示：例如政治外交系统、改进后的城镇管理系统、翻新进步的角色养成，制作系统等等，我这里可是仅仅举了一个例子。”
　　至于为什么《骑砍2》做了这么久，TaleWorlds的总监Ali Erkin说道：“我们正在倾尽所能制作我们最好的游戏，不幸的是，有些时候我们还得从设计阶段返工，重新思考某些功能。”Erkin表示，目前的角色培养系统已经从头返工了三次了。“（尽管如此）当看到完工时，一个非常棒的系统呈现在我们眼前，我感到这一切时间和投入都是值得的。虽然我们错过了2016年的发售目标，不过我们有信心在今年某个时候发布它。”

（点击展开 / 收起）

iLoveFG

原谅我注意力被你的玉手吸引了。。。    主要是这大段的英文让人眼花缭乱。。学渣只能看点大概。
1.既然建了个女角色，为什么没有图。。。
2.600到1100AD历史为基础的武器装备。
3.技能的改变，技能，特质，还有perk（老滚玩家懂的）结合，不再是简单的技能点升级了，每个技能有独立的经验和不同的获取经验的方式。
4.城镇菜单直接访问NPC。
5.征兵要靠重要的NPC，关系也好兵越多（这个没怎么看懂）。
6.主角经常得选边站，而且结果不止影响当事人，还包括其他大多数人。
7.城镇和村庄变得更有趣了，里面有些角落可以搞事情。试玩的人接了一个清理市场的任务。

83548838

大神们在说说上面都写了啥呗~~！

只是个过路的

83548838 发表于 2017-3-11 14:20
大神们在说说上面都写了啥呗~~！

大意是“我们很叼，我们的新创意很叼，我们的新技术很叼，我们的新游戏很叼，但我们就是不出”

青樓白日不給錢

83548838 发表于 2017-3-11 14:20
大神们在说说上面都写了啥呗~~！

寫甚麽也不重要，重要的是有寫甚麽時候上市，可惜這個一點也沒有提及

83548838

青樓白日不給錢 发表于 2017-3-11 16:53
寫甚麽也不重要，重要的是有寫甚麽時候上市，可惜這個一點也沒有提及

·····不知道夏天能不能玩到Steam 上的联机测试

如何救个命

iLoveFG 发表于 2017-3-11 12:27
原谅我注意力被你的玉手吸引了。。。    主要是这大段的英文让人眼花缭乱。。学渣只能看点大概。
1.既然建 ...

再补充一点，作战时部队会自动占据高地防守，增强ai智商。作为英语盲，真没什么耐心看下去啊。

为主的祥助

我的大刀已饥渴难耐

janus000

这是要向巫师3看齐的节奏啊

jin23190

有股全战的既视感

丶旅荇

iLoveFG 发表于 2017-3-11 12:27
原谅我注意力被你的玉手吸引了。。。    主要是这大段的英文让人眼花缭乱。。学渣只能看点大概。
1.既然建 ...

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闭嘴，告诉我时间 价格就行

muyiboy

楼主碉堡了，这杂志在哪买的？一直想找寻这篇独家报道的内容，居然单机区里早有人发了

能否拜托楼主一个事，你拍的照片里有3处不是很清楚，能否重新拍张清楚的？

基甸.瑞索夫

muyiboy 发表于 2017-3-14 14:43
楼主碉堡了，这杂志在哪买的？一直想找寻这篇独家报道的内容，居然单机区里早有人发了

能否拜托楼主一个 ...

3天没上论坛发现大家都以为是我拍的...对不起让大家误解了Orz
其实我是在YouTube上搜2代新消息时找到的图片，当时忘记搜出处了...视频po主只发了一个imgur图库的地址，没有原Reddit帖子的链接。

原Reddit帖子的链接:
https://www.reddit.com/r/mountandblade/comments/5xlxck/pc_gamer_bannerlord_interview_transcribed/
里面有杂志文章的全部内容，希望您用的上0 0

基甸.瑞索夫

Reddit 上的杂志文章内容，非常感谢sniper24发布的杂志照片
Mount and Blade is an unlikely success story of the kind that only happens on PC. Awkward, weird, and not particularly pretty, it's nontheless a triumph of sandbox design. It mixes tactical combat, RPG progression and strategic simulation, all in a sandbox world full of possibilities. In Mount & Blade: Warband, 2010's standalone expansion and easily the best game in the series so far, the players have free rein to explore a massive, politically intriguing medieval kingdom.

Now, after years of waiting, a full sequel is on the way. TaleWorlds' sizeable, dedicated fan base has been clamouring for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord ever since it's announcement back in 2012. It's one of my most anticipated games of the year, and I'm excited to find out how it has progressed since the first footage shown at last year's PC Gamer Weekender.

TaleWorlds doesn't disappoint, and I get to watch as community manager Frank Elliott plays through an hour of a new campaign.

A new character, Yasmin, is created. She's spawned into the Southern Empire - a once mighty Imperial power, now on the brink of collapse. Bannerlord is set 200 years before Warband, and depicts the early days of some of this world's great powers. Despite the fictional nations, this is not fantasy land. Weapons, armour and architecture are all designed to resemble historical equivalents from between 600 and 1100 AD.

Character creation is skipped in the demo - TaleWorlds has previously shown off the varied creation sliders, but isn't ready to detail the full extent of customisation. Needless to say, there should be plenty of options, including new builds that are part of an improved progression system. "Bannerlord's skill system builds upon what we had in Warband," says CEO Armagan Yavuz, "but it is vastly improved and in many ways much deeper and more fun. We have traits, skills and perks that work together in an interesting and unique way. Each skill has its own kind of XP category and is exercised individually. For example, you improve the Tracking skill by finding older and more difficult to find tracks."

Entering the nearby city of Syronaea, Yasmin goes looking for a job. As in Warband, settlements can be traversed on foot, or via a menu. You're free to explore each town, village, and castle, or, if you're in a hurry, can choose to instantly access essential services. New for Bannerlord, important NPCs can be directly accesssed through the meny too, teleporting you to their location to instantly pick up a quest.

Settlements are also where you expand your army. This is an important part of Mount & Blade. You can travel alone, but you'll be at the mercy of bandits and rival factions. It's better to have at least a small band of troops.

In Warband, you could visit villages and attempt to rally volunteers to your cause. In Bannerlord, troops are provided by important NPCs. The better your relationship with that person, the more soldiers you'll receive for your gold. Of course, each major NPC has different desires and allegiances, and working with one may put you at odds with another. Bannerlord isn't just about building alliances with the people you meet. In most situations you'll be picking a side, and that will have effects both on the specific people involved and the population at large.

ALLIES AND ALLEYS

As a new character with no notoriety, Yasmin is only able to acquire a single soldier per each 100 gold she pays. She nevertheless hires a few troops, and accepts a quest from Suterios the Sutler, a local merchant. He has a problem with a local gang of smugglers, who have taken over an alley that coujld otherwise be used for legitimate market stalls. Yasmin is tasked with clearing them out. This quest ties into what Yavuz describes as a desire to make towns more interesting by adding "oppurtuniities for you to get into trouble." Towns and villages have back alleys and other areas of interest that are a point of conflict. The controlling faction can change based on your actions - it's even possible to take ownership of them yourself.

Yasmin's new troops can't enter the settlement, and so can't help clear the alley. Instead, Yasmin heads to the nearby tavern to find mercenaries for hire. These, as in Warband, are named companions with a backstory and special traits. Yasmin chooses Garitops the Golden, a heavy-set cavalryman, and Urios the Bull, a heavy-set swordsman. Less than ten minutes in, and she already has a type.

Companions are more expensive to hire than regular soldiers, but worth it if used effectively. Here, Yasmin has them follow her to the alley as backup. As she approaches, the smugglers stand up for their turf. It's the usual tough talk between the two sides who are readying for a fight, but the smugglers reveal that they are friends with the Oath Keepers - a local syndicate. They give Yasmin the option to switch sides - betraying Suterios and the merchants. "We are trying to make it so all quests have multiple ways to resolve them," Yavuz tells me.

Because of its sandbox nature, Mount & Blade's quests are procedurally generated around a number of set templates. They can have a great effect on the overall story of your campaign, but no individual quest ever felt like a compelling story by itself. Not only is Bannerlord attempting to increase the complexity of these scenarios, but their generation is now based on what's happening out in the world. That means you'll only get a quest to hunt down bandits if a settlement has a bandit problem.

Everything is tied more fully into the sandbox. That's important, because the simulation is the story. The narrative changes based around your actions. While there will be a more traditional story, it's mostly optional, and designed purely to get new players familiar with Bannerlord's world and systems. [Editors note: This part of the album was an absolute nightmare to discern and took me at least half a minute more than it should have.]

SMUGGLERS' DOOM

Yasmin stays local and attacks the bandits. As in Warband, Bannerlord's swordplay is about directional strikes and blocks. It's not a complicated system, but does require some finesse. Your character's stats have an effect, as do your weapons and armour, but most important is your own ability. No matter your experience or equipment, you've got a better chance of survival if you can avoid being hit.

With the smugglers dead, Yasmin hands over control of the alley to Suterios. Not only is she given a reward, and the chance to steal and sell the bandits' loot, but the reputation increase means Suterios will now offer more mercenaries per payment of 100 gold - doubling the basic rate. Pretty soon, Yasmin is leading a small army.

Getting to know an important NPC doesn't just confer a recruitment bonus. Later in the game, your friends will offer more services. "For example," says Yavuz, "if you need to kidnap someone, that will be much easier if you have some friendly NPC's in the town. They open up oppurtunities for mischief." The service is based on the type of NPC you befriend. "Merchant NPCs give you an advantage in trading. A gang leader can give you advantages in 'special operations'," Yavuz says.

Before leaving the town, Yasmin joins a local tournament. Arena tournaments were a feature of Warband, but here they've been rebalanced so that each side is wielding the same equipment. In the first round, Yasmin, Urios, and two other fighters are up against a team that includes Garitrops the Golden. Yasmin wins, and, partnered with Urios, progresses through to a final round where they're pitted head to head. Yasmin walks out the victor, and earns some expensive-looking armour for her efforts.

Tournaments, as in Warband, are just a small part of the bigger game, but feel important for the fantasy. For me, Mount & Blade finds a captivating midpoint between Skyrim and Crusader Kings II. The former is reflected by your freedom, and the ability to choose any role, from noble lord to fiendish bandit. But instead of a linear progression around set narratives, Mount & Blade's story is emergent - a trade-off between your actions and that of the other AI characters. It feels grand in scope, but still lets you focus in on personal achievements and actions.

Victory achieved, Yasmin and her army leave the town. It's here, on the world map, that the sandbox meets the simulation. On the map, you can see traders, knights and bandits, all scurrying around to complete their task. One such group - a band of forest bandits - intercepts Yasmin as she journeys to a nearby castle. This triggers a dialogue scene in which the player can choose to fight, surrender or negotiate. The bandits are tough, and the two sides are evenly matched. Not one to back down from a fight, Yasmin charges into battle.

You directly control your character at all times, whether fighting a handful of smugglers, or leading an army against a gang of bandits. The difference when fighting out in the world is the ability to command your troops. It's a simple system, letting you give basic orders and place markers to set positions. This is no Total War - the AI is much more autonomous - but it's still possible to set up cavalry flanking charges, or to move archers to a more advantageous position.

KING OF THE HILL

In Bannerlord, armies can be asked to attack or defend a location. This has a major effect on the behavior of the enemy AI. A defending army won't necessarily charge at your position, and may instead move to a higher ground. That won't always be the case, though. Even a defending army will hunt you down if they think they've a chance to quickly take you out. TaleWorlds hasn't yet decided on a unit cap for battles. It's possible to have hundreds of soldiers per side, but too many causes performance issues. This battle is composed of just 18 soldiers, and so there's little need for advanced tactics. The bandits are taken out with ease.

The battlefield is looted, and prisoners are captured. Both loot and prisoners acn be traded for money to buy new equipment and food to sustain the army. In addition, some of Yasmin's soldiers have levelled up. It's one thing to have a large army, but basic recruits are quickly dispatched. Here, too, there are advantages to having friends among the right locals. Certain NPC's can recruit more experienced volunteers of different specialities. Carrying out missions for the right people can lead to a more varied and effective army.

Eventually, Yasmin meets with Sanion, a lord of the house Mestricaros. She's asked to train up a small band of his troops - leading them into small skirmishes to gain experience. Such missions can be more lucrative than those undertaken for a merchant, but have a greater impact on the sandbox. The danger is in drawing the ire of a rival lord, potentially leading to a deadly confrontation. With a bolstered retinue, Yasmin tracks down more bandits to test her borrowed recruits. A few battles later, and they've gained the necessary experience - although two were killed in the process. The outcome of the quest depends on how many troops survive. Just a few casualties, and the lord should be pretty pleased. But too many deaths could sour your relationship.

Yasmin returns to Sanion's castle, but he's not there. Lords are always on the move, leading their armies on campaigns across their territory. It's possible to find the last known location of the lord through the game menu, or by talking to the NPCs in their castle, but sometimes you just have to ride out and attempt to hunt them down. As Yasmin scouts the hills within Sanion's territory, she encounters a man called Ilatar. He proclaims peace, and asks who he's talking to. Yasmin answers truthfully, and Ilatar reveals he's from a clan in Khuzait. When you start a Bannerlord campaign, one of the other world powers will be openly hostile to you. The Khuzait - a nation of skilled horse arhers, are Yasmin's enemies, and Ilatar prepares to attack. She's outnumbered; he's commanding 66 men to her 18. The battle is quick, and Yasmin is captured.

DISMOUNTED

That's how it goes in Mount & Blade. The simulation is always moving, and indifferent to your actions. Why Ilatar was in the Southern Realms doesn't matter - it led to a chance encounter that left Yasmin imprisoned and her army destroyed. It can be frustrating to run into such a powerful opponent so early, but gives the world a sense of unpredictability and danger. No two sessions are the same, and Bannerlord aims to heighten that variety.

This is where the demo ends, but, had it not, Yasmin's journey still wouldn't have been over. Prisoners will escape after a time, and, even when you're stripped of your soldiers and resources, the relationships you build remain intact.

It's clear from what I've seen that Bannerlord isn't revolutionising Mount & Blade. This is a major progression of the series, focused primarily on tweaks and improvements. "We have been working on almost all aspects of the game," says Yavuz. "There are many other new features that we couldn't show in the demo such as the political and diplomatic system, better town management, a new and revamped character development, a crafting system, to name a few." Add to that multiplayer improvements and better mod support, and it's a significant overhaul of a familiar experience.

It explains why Bannerlord has been so long in the making. "We are trying to make the best game we possibly can," says Ali Erkin, TaleWorlds' managing director, "and this unfortunately has meant going back to the design board in certain cases, rethinking certain features, or rewriting a piece of code that doesn't perform as well as it should." By way of an example, Erkin reveals that the character development system has been reworked three times from scratch. "When all is done and we see a system working really well, we feel that it was worth the extra time and effort," Erkin continues. "While we missed our 2016 target, we are confident we'll be able to get the game out in some form this year."

I hope so. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord probably won't be the most polished game released this year, but, all being well, it will be a deep, varied sandbox game that welcomes new players and satisfies existing fans. TaleWorlds has made one of PC gaming's most endearing cult favourites, and the studio seems set to improve on it in almost every way. If this extra development time pays off, Bannerlord could well prove to be one of the year's best RPGs.

BONUS

Calradic Empire - A diminished, once dominant empire, now locked in a three-way civil war. Specialises in: Armoured cataphracts and skilled archers.

Aserai - Desert people who farm at oases, springs and the shore of the great southern lake. Specialises in: Fast-moving medium cavalry with spears.

Vlandians - The best faction. Specialises in: Oh, we wouldn't want to make the rest of you feel inferior.

Battanians - Inhabitants of northwestern Calradia, holed up in the mountains after imperial expansion. Specialises in: Forest warfare, and use of longbows.

Sturgians - Natives of the northern forests, and traders and
adventurers from the far north. Specialises in: Infantry fighters in shield-wall formations.

Khuzaits - Swept out of the eastern steppes and seized a chain of frontier trading city-states for themselves. Specialises in: Deadly, fast-moving horse archers.

土耳其

感谢分享，画面看起来很美

muyiboy

帮楼主编辑了一下，这个新闻确实很有价值，特别是最后一句话

黑狱魔王

终于，好感动啊

923541733

"虽然我们错过了2016年的发售目标，不过我们有信心在今年某个时候发布它。"
诸君，不用有生之年了。

基甸.瑞索夫

923541733 发表于 2017-3-15 01:43
"虽然我们错过了2016年的发售目标，不过我们有信心在今年某个时候发布它。"
诸君，不用有生之年了。

we are confident we'll be able to get the game out in some form this year.

"some form"
感觉有可能会是beta测试版0 0...

良缘

看完这篇文章更想玩《骑砍2》了。

骑士长

好多壁纸呀。、、、

Verge

我只想知道多久才能出来  我的钱都准备好了

wubin1996

不错啊，终于又近了一步

天下风云出我辈

可以可以，又要升级电脑的节奏- -希望战团国家能更多一点，更期待将来的砍2国风MOD。

yk199810

刚好换了新配置，期待骑砍2，多样性好评

h2oMos

我受不了了，我现在就想玩！你倒是快出啊！！！！！

智是你爹

cup i7 7700准备好了

大大吃大喝

这画面。。。。好赞！！！！！  希望配置要求不要太高

lzdmimo

炸鸡看画质是不够用了啦  需要花钱的地方又太多 好纠结