Rideable mounts?

[rjshae]

Rideable mounts could make an interesting tactical addition to a click-and-move style isometric game. They weren't included in the BG or IWD series, so they would represent a step up in terms of novelty and capability. But the use of mounts would need to be fully integrated into the interface, such as with the character portraits stacked on top of their mount images and hot keys for performing mount actions like mount and dismount.

 

What do you think? Should the party be able to mount up and rampage around the map on coursers? Should knight characters charge through an orcish patrol with his lance? How about facing bandits using hit and run tactics like mongolian horde mounted archers? Moving cross country would be much more rapid with a mount, and the party could use a horse-drawn cart to haul their loot.

[Knott]

No, already fully discussed here: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60570-your-opinion-on-mounts/

[rjshae]

No, already fully discussed here: http://forums.obsidi...nion-on-mounts/

 

Thanks for the link. Clearly they would need to be made useful in combat for mounts to have value, but the fact that mounted knights were the dominant military arm in Europe during the medieval era speaks for their importance.

[teknoman2]

it doesnt fit the setting and design. i could accept however the ability to rent or buy horses, who's use will be implied for traveling. so going from point A to B will take 20h on foot or 10h on horse if you pay for it. one more thing would be to use horses like the mules in the dungeon siege games, but in a more static manner. so you go to X spot where there is a dungeon, using the horses you have bought. the horses stay out of the dungeon and can be used as storage for the loot you find and dont want to use or carry on you. and then you ride them back to the city once you are done. there are no mounted sequences or anything, you just have a few static models in a corner and cut travel time in half.

Edited September 30, 2012 by teknoman2

[Knott]

As I said in the original topic, implementing Mounted Combat will not be feasable nor cost effective, unless the game will revolve around it.

 

It would be refreshingly awsome, but if we look to Mount&Blade, they made it pretty decent in regards to mounted combat, but they kind of failed making the game interesting in the long term.

[rjshae]

it doesnt fit the setting and design. i could accept however the ability to rent or buy horses, who's use will be implied for traveling. so going from point A to B will take 20h on foot or 10h on horse if you pay for it. one more thing would be to use horses like the mules in the dungeon siege games, but in a more static manner. so you go to X spot where there is a dungeon, using the horses you have bought. the horses stay out of the dungeon and can be used as storage for the loot you find and dont want to use or carry on you. and then you ride them back to the city once you are done. there are no mounted sequences or anything, you just have a few static models in a corner and cut travel time in half.

 

Understood. Well hopefully they'll at least allow the opponents (and NPCs) to use mounts.

Edited September 30, 2012 by rjshae

[Luckmann]

No, already fully discussed here: http://forums.obsidi...nion-on-mounts/

 

Thanks for the link. Clearly they would need to be made useful in combat for mounts to have value, but the fact that mounted knights were the dominant military arm in Europe during the medieval era speaks for their importance.

Yes.

 

In an RTS.

[septembervirgin]

I love the idea of mounts! I hope it's feasible graphically. Interestingly enough, the simpler the graphics are, the more likely it will be easy to put mounted gameplay into the game.

[Volourn]

"it doesnt fit the setting and design."

 

How does it not fit the setting? Youa re telling me n cultures use mounts? Not that you'd know. You are making stuff up without facts.

 

That said, they should only add them if they have the resources so mounts cna be done justice.

[PsychoBlonde]

it doesnt fit the setting and design. i could accept however the ability to rent or buy horses, who's use will be implied for traveling. so going from point A to B will take 20h on foot or 10h on horse if you pay for it.

 

They've already done some talking about speeding up map transit via various means, so there may be rent-a-horse locations available that provide instant travel.

[rjshae]

it doesnt fit the setting and design. i could accept however the ability to rent or buy horses, who's use will be implied for traveling. so going from point A to B will take 20h on foot or 10h on horse if you pay for it.

 

They've already done some talking about speeding up map transit via various means, so there may be rent-a-horse locations available that provide instant travel.

 

The landed nobility must be horrified at the concept.

[rjshae]

it doesnt fit the setting and design. i could accept however the ability to rent or buy horses, who's use will be implied for traveling. so going from point A to B will take 20h on foot or 10h on horse if you pay for it.

 

They've already done some talking about speeding up map transit via various means, so there may be rent-a-horse locations available that provide instant travel.

 

Hmm... in contemplating this is horse rental system in a medieval society, I could see a need in certain more advanced regions for a merchant transport guild. To rent their gear perhaps you need an associate guild membership plus a suitable deposit (and bribes). After you've gone through the hoops to join and paid their relatively hefty initiation fees, you obtain a writ that allows you to lease the services of a wagon team with driver from any of their stations. But you've had to sign an agreement that prevents you from competing with the guild by lending the wagon team to others. If you carry anybody else in the wagon, the driver takes note and you have to pay an extra fee.

 

The wagon team horses are no doubt unsuitable for use as mounts. They would be strong beasts that move at their own plodding pace, although they can be made to gallop for brief periods when they are under attack by bandits. Perhaps that can be one of the hazards of the trip? Occasionally you get ambushed and must protect the wagon team, or else you'll have to walk the rest of the way (and leave some heavy gear and supplies behind). That would breath some life into the transport concept, rather than just having it be a button click.

 

Just having some fun with the idea.

['GM']

When I first saw this thread I was thinking Epona! LOL, couldn't figure out how that would work. But after reading the input here I like rjshae's idea. That'd be pretty fun, but I also like the idea of having the option to buy your own team and cart so that you could use it as storage for everything from weapons to food, even rest. Could be a place for extra party members when they're not with you on a particular quest.

 

Just some thoughts.

[Amentep]

Right now, I'm a bit biased because I've never actually enjoyed the mounts in games that have them. The ability to fight mounted is usually not well implemented (at least in the games I've played).

 

That said, if the developers had a way to do it that'd be fun - I'd have no problem with it. But certainly not a priority for me.

[Rabain]

Trying to imagine horses in an IE type game just leaves me with a sick feeling, I think they would be horrible. Rather than adding realism they would probably massively detract from the game due to either being underused, overused, poorly used or just plain ridiculous.

 

How far would you go with it? Would you have to manually dismount? Could you use a door while mounted but not bring the horse inside (for example in BG if you could have a horse there are plenty of doors you could ride right up to)? In combat, bonus or penalty while mounted in different circumstances?

 

I think it would be a big balance issue and detract from combat in general.

 

As for a travel feature, if there is a stable I'd have to go to in order to fast travel I'd be annoyed, run across town to reach a stable in order to fast travel somewhere? Or horses outside every Inn I could just jump on ride anywhere? If I can travel on one why not fight etc. The realism would be massively offset by the ridiculousness of not being 100% like real life horse travel in medieval times. Personally I'd find stable travel to just be another unnecessary hoop to jump through in order to travel somewhere.

 

We are all used to IE games structure, it works, why not just go with that, walk to the edge of a map and choose where to go to?

[rjshae]

As for a travel feature, if there is a stable I'd have to go to in order to fast travel I'd be annoyed, run across town to reach a stable in order to fast travel somewhere? Or horses outside every Inn I could just jump on ride anywhere? If I can travel on one why not fight etc. The realism would be massively offset by the ridiculousness of not being 100% like real life horse travel in medieval times. Personally I'd find stable travel to just be another unnecessary hoop to jump through in order to travel somewhere.

 

You'd be annoyed to have to travel to the stables near the town exit where you'd have to travel to anyway? Hmm... I don't have a lot of sympathy for your issue. But they could always pop up an options dialog when you exit the map that allows you to choose the rental option.

Edited October 1, 2012 by rjshae

[flarglebargle]

pointless gimicks are pointless!

[Elerond]

Only if mounts are dragons .

[Gurkog]

Mounts are beyond the scope of the game. I would rather they focus on intense, tactical party combat instead of a mounted combat simulator.

[Thulean]

A single large creature with a howdah that the whole party can ride on would be interesting.

[Ieo]

To be honest, this topic falls under the unnecessary "feature creep" request umbrella. This does not add content. This adds an entirely new and potentially overly complicated mechanic under the guise that it might open up some--minimally--related content.

 

PE's travel system, if it's modeled after the advantages of the old IE games, won't require lots of actual "riding around" to get places. Smaller discrete maps on a large map, that kind of thing. When you want to leave, walk the party to the nearest map edge and choose another map area. The travel is "understood."

 

If you really want complex riding mechanics in a setting conducive to such a thing, wait for LotRO:Riders of Rohan in a couple months.

[Lt. Lizard]

If project Eternity had infinite resources available, then I would see nothing wrong with ride-able mounts and mounted combat. However Project Eternity has very limited resources, and I think there are scores of things that are more important to the game, or will enrich the game more than this.

[rjshae]

If project Eternity had infinite resources available, then I would see nothing wrong with ride-able mounts and mounted combat. However Project Eternity has very limited resources, and I think there are scores of things that are more important to the game, or will enrich the game more than this.

 

I can't believe that adding rideable mounts would add absurd levels or resource requirements, as you seem to be implying through reductio ad absurdum. They would basically adding a set of extra graphics, animations, AI, and sounds for each of the player companions, with the distinct possibility of graphics and animation re-use for the mounts and movements. It's nearly the same set of requirements needed for implementing mounts for enemy combatants.

 

As for other priorities, well we all have different preferences; I'm quite sure that many will not get all of what they want. I'd like to see climbing, swimming, and levitation, for example, but those too would require extra graphics and animation.

Edited October 1, 2012 by rjshae

[Sarevok]

Mounts are cool in a game like Skyrim where you've only got your one character to worry about. With a group of up to six people, having that many horses (or whatever else) would just be a bit much to handle. Plus, you've got to consider how much it really adds to the game play and weigh that against the cost to implement it. It just doesn't seem like a priority. It would be neat if a fan could mod it in though.