Thread: Inside the Game: Mounted Combat discussion

If you've been itching to see mounted combat in-action, or learn more about the system, then you don't want to miss our latest video interview with Senior Producer Aaron "Rowan" Campbell! Click here to watch the video, and be sure to discuss what you saw below! Let us know what you thought!

Looks like it's going to be awesome. Can't wait to start tanking from horseback ^^.

I'm glad that you finally decide to show the main new feature of the next expansion.

But I expected much more of this video. Something like actual combat gameplay.
Instead, you use smallest 4:3 monitor you could probably get out of the accounting department, set the game to run in a window and make a camera focus on it from 2 meters away.
And instead of seeing a Guardian using his skills to lure enemy riders to himself, or a minstrel actually healing, or a captain doing anything meaninful, the camera zooms into the image for showing the player just riding around or healing himself, and whenever some close combat seems to be about to happen, you zoom out again to make it impossible to distinguish anything.

So far I was looking forward to the new mounted combat. But this video tells me that you are afraid to show what you actually have.

I see quickslots switch when you get dismounted. And that mounted combat seems to involve similiar to Champion style Fervour pip use. Other than that there wasn't a whole lot of detail to the video. It'd have been nice to see some longer period shots from the screen where we see some fighting and use of actual class based skills.

Originally Posted by Crell_1

I see quickslots switch when you get dismounted. And that mounted combat seems to involve similiar to Champion style Fervour pip use. Other than that there wasn't a whole lot of detail to the video. It'd have been nice to see some longer period shots from the screen where we see some fighting and use of actual class based skills.

That most likely was showing mount speed. Mount speed has a direct effect on damage output according to turbine.

You are a sassy elf.

Originally Posted by FromgalTheMinstrel

I'm glad that you finally decide to show the main new feature of the next expansion.

But I expected much more of this video. Something like actual combat gameplay.
Instead, you use smallest 4:3 monitor you could probably get out of the accounting department, set the game to run in a window and make a camera focus on it from 2 meters away.
And instead of seeing a Guardian using his skills to lure enemy riders to himself, or a minstrel actually healing, or a captain doing anything meaninful, the camera zooms into the image for showing the player just riding around or healing himself, and whenever some close combat seems to be about to happen, you zoom out again to make it impossible to distinguish anything.

So far I was looking forward to the new mounted combat. But this video tells me that you are afraid to show what you actually have.

For god sake it is only one video! I am sure we will be seeing much more down the road.

Looks great so far! Can't wait to see more.

It also looks like the main action bar at the bottom has a new look to it.

Decent teaser. I would like to see a little more gameplay. The video only really shows him attacking two mobs, one you can't really see what happens because it zooms out and the other he gets dismounted and then it cuts off. The battles look pretty cool and the plains of Rohan look very much like plains, although without the high grasses.

I like it .

BTW Aaron's screen made me chuckle .

Surprised to see something like that on a 2012 company's office .

And even more surprised ... Sapience & Aaron having to share that small room ?

I see the Horse Developer head.

Originally Posted by Louvre

I like it .

BTW Aaron's screen made me chuckle .

Surprised to see something like that on a 2012 company's office .

And even more surprised ... Sapience & Aaron having to share that small room ?

I guess it kind of explains them not experiencing much video lag with things :-P

When you have a postage stamp size screen, of course the game will be pretty responsive.

I'm more interested in what the burglar roll will be since I don't see us sneaking around and backstabbing in mounted combat.

Originally Posted by FromgalTheMinstrel

I'm glad that you finally decide to show the main new feature of the next expansion.

No they didn't.. because Mounted Combat is not an expansion feature. Everyone gets it, expansion or not. I wish people would remember this fact when talking about the expansion, as it's not part of it.. further reducing it's appeal to actually buy it.
The expansion is a quest pack and some free TP.
Not the landscape mass, epic story or mounted combat. Those are all free.

Originally Posted by Tainted_Black

No they didn't.. because Mounted Combat is not an expansion feature. ..
Those are all free.

On paper all true but in practice completely false.

Everything that´s so-called free in this expansion can only be experienced with actually buying it.
Mounted combat is Rohan questpack only.
The mobs will be so advanced that anybody wandering in is dead meat, so you need the expansion content to level up, etc.

Originally Posted by Flatfoot789

On paper all true but in practice completely false.

Everything that´s so-called free in this expansion can only be experienced with actually buying it.
Mounted combat is Rohan questpack only.
The mobs will be so advanced that anybody wandering in is dead meat, so you need the expansion content to level up, etc.

Nope. Everyone gets one tree of mounted combat, regardless of status. The other two are from buying Rohan and preordering, I believe.

And with regards to levelling, if you wait until launch to do GR, then you could probably reach around 78-80 from those quests. There's also the Epic Line, which is free to all, and skirmishes to do as well if you're determined not to buy Rohan.

Originally Posted by Nyrion

Nope. Everyone gets one tree of mounted combat, regardless of status. The other two are from buying Rohan and preordering, I believe.

I´m aware of that and it´s pretty safe to assume that the amount of free mounted combat available through the epic questline will be negligible. If it´s there at all.

Of course you will be able to grind your way up in the usual fashion. But that only works for so long till it get´s mindbogglingly boring, thus the mobs will quickly shorten your excursions on the new plains.

My point simply is that any meaningful mounted combat gameplay is only available in the new specifically designed Rohan quests and instances, so it´s DE-facto an expansion only feature.

Originally Posted by Nyrion

Nope. Everyone gets one tree of mounted combat, regardless of status. The other two are from buying Rohan and preordering, I believe.

And with regards to levelling, if you wait until launch to do GR, then you could probably reach around 78-80 from those quests. There's also the Epic Line, which is free to all, and skirmishes to do as well if you're determined not to buy Rohan.

Leveling a toon from 75 to 85 without Rohan xpac will probably take you an humongous number of playing hours, just like leveling to 60 after release of MoM and before lothlorien. If you value so litle your time, then sure...

Originally Posted by Tainted_Black

No they didn't.. because Mounted Combat is not an expansion feature. Everyone gets it, expansion or not. I wish people would remember this fact when talking about the expansion, as it's not part of it.. further reducing it's appeal to actually buy it.
The expansion is a quest pack and some free TP.
Not the landscape mass, epic story or mounted combat. Those are all free.

That's the fine line Turbine is walking between providing a good, playable experiance for 'free to play / premium' players and vips being suitably rewarded. Turbine has chosen to err on the side of less incentive to subscribe and more incentive to keep the premium players coming back. Personally I'm cool with that (lifetimer).

I really wanted to check out Vanguard F2P but with uncommon and better gear locked to subscripers only it'll no doubt be a brief look then moving on.

Some stuff I found interesting:

Horse has a dying animation
Uruks on horseback
Some sort of energy bar for the mount, using skills empties it
Larger Morale pool for mount(was ~2500 in video)
Horse has a Power bar
Skills seem to be 'set' for the next clash, noting the 'cancel skill' button.

Gonna be rewatching this a lot to see what else I can find.

Liking these sneak peek videos by the way. Great way of seeing what's to come versus walls of text.