f13.net

I've been busy lately, so I haven't checked the Taleworlds web site out.  New version is out, here are a few highlights:

First, the full .731 exe. (http://www.taleworlds.com/download/mountandblade_0731_setup.exe)

In a controversial move, there is a flintlock pistol in game for testing purposes (http://forums.taleworlds.net/viewtopic.php?t=8677).

There is a fan-created trailer (http://forums.taleworlds.net/viewtopic.php?t=8175).  A bit weak in the middle, and the titles are too slow, it does give a feel for the game, and the guy killing with daggers was kind of neat.

The mod tools continue to be expanded (http://forums.taleworlds.net/viewtopic.php?t=8264).

And the beginnings of a castle battle system (http://forums.taleworlds.net/viewtopic.php?t=8832&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) have been added.  Still buggy, with predictable pathing issues.  Hard to say where this goes.

Haven't had time to play it, maybe over the weekend.

Awesome game...
The pistol sure doesn't fit the original setting but is there to help the developement of western/napoleonic/modern/sci-fi mods.
The pirate and LoTR mods are a must play after you dabble with the original content for a while.
I wish I'd have time to keep working on the model import/export tool (I'm Lurb over there), but thankfully the M&B mod community has attracted a very bright lot that keeps moving things fast regardless.

excellent!

http://www.verticalwire.com/releases/839-paradox-interactive-announces-release-date-for-mount-blade

September 16th.

My brother and his family visited a couple of months ago. He had been teaching his 5 year son how to play Mount and Blade, so he updated my version to the (then) latest. They have added a lot of fun stuff since my initial review. The combat mechanics are still really fun. If they could somehow make it multiplayer (especially for the arena combat), it would be full of win.

I will probably drop some coin on the retail version. I figure they deserve it.

Rise!  Rise!

Version 1.0 has been released - downloading now (along with the witcher patch), so haven't had a chance to looky yet

http://forums.taleworlds.net/index.php/topic,45208.0.html

Wow, I haven't played this game in AGES.

I'll have to try it out again, I bought a license.

Last played a month or two ago. Definitely some fun to be had, especially when the King starts asking for your help capturing enemy castles and then handing them over to you for your loyalty!

As I write, a tech designer and a writer are excitedly swapping tales of their exploits in this game.

It was fun a few months ago, I'll have to update.

I burnt out on this ages ago back in beta, but I guess I'll have to give it another go now it's at 1.0.

I didn't play this before 1.0 and it's really addictive. I'm thinking about it a lot, trying to break down why it works so well as a game even given its relative minimalism. (Maybe it's because of the minimalism.) 

I can see some simple things that would make it even more addictive.

For example, I've got a couple of lords in my own faction who really, really hate me either because I've had a duel over a Lady's honor with them and won or because they were part of another faction and I ass-whupped them many times before they defected to my own faction. I love how these guys acidly insult me when I encounter them, but it would be nice if there was a quest-type that involved them trying to blacken my name with my king, maybe framing me for some crime, etc.  More one-on-one fights with highly capable opponents would also be fun, more quest types. I'd pay for an expansion pack for this game in a second, partly just to reward the guys who mades this.

It would also be nice to be able to station a small "militia" force in some villages.

The sieging needs a bit of work. I think I'm going to buff my athletics so I can always get up the ladders first--if I don't, the first three or four allies usually manage to shove me off the fucking ladder, and they're so ineffective about pushing their way into the defenders that this will inevitably cause a lot of unnecessary casualties while everyone else just dawdles and gets stuck on the ladder or tower.

There are always mods.  :awesome_for_real:

Yeah, holy shit, I didn't realize there was such a deep modding community behind this thing. I'll have to pick through them and see what I like.