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Meanwhile, the multiplayer combat I was shown doesn't seem to be any different than what's in the main game, where mouse movement dictates the angles and strike patterns used by player-characters. However, online battles are the only planned feature for the game, as creating an online co-op and PvP system that would work with the rest of the game is simply too large and complex an undertaking for the studio. That said, Yavuz explained that one of the big challenges TaleWorlds was facing with this advancement system was that the leveling-up could create balance issues between rival armies, particularly if one of those armies continues to defeat the other and the experience point gap continues to widen. Players will start off as basic footsoldiers in the matches, though they will gradually be able to level up over time and can customize their characters to be more powerful/specialized classes like archers, cavalry, and horse-mounted archers. At the moment, gamers will only be able to play together via online battles, almost like team deathmatches in online shooters such as Counterstrike and Team Fortress 2. Multiplayer was accessed through the main menu, as multiplayer modes aren't integrated with the core game. At GDC this year, I got to sit down with Armagan Yavuz from TaleWorlds and get a demo of Mount & Blade: Warband, the multiplayer combat system that's currently in development. The common request fans of the title have? Multiplayer. Mount & Blade is one of the few PC games on the market that focuses on realistic medieval combat, particularly with characters sitting atop horses.
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