Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Developer Blog 11 - Some Context
骑砍2开发日志11——若干背景
Hello all!
大家好！
As many of you may have noticed, we have been rather busy! Last week, we visited Cologne, Germany to attend Gamescom, the largest game conference in Europe. While there, we took appointments to demonstrate some Bannerlord gameplay to the world's media. Along with this, we released a few videos which were used as part of our presentation.
如各位所知，我们最近忙得不可开交！上周，我们参加了欧洲最大的游戏会展——德国的科隆游戏展。在那儿，我们得到的任务是向全世界展示部分骑砍2的游戏视频。与此同时，我们还发布了一些与展示有关的视频。
It has been great to see the excited response to the clips and we're very pleased that your feedback has been so positive! Of course, the game is still very much in development and so we had to make decisions about what to put in the videos and how it would be presented.
这些内容的点击量让我们非常惊喜，而且大家的反馈都十分积极！当然，游戏还在开发阶段，我们需要决定在视频里公布哪些是值得公开的内容。
Here, we have compiled some of the highlights, along with a small smattering of new footage, which we want to present to you the community, along with a little explanation about some of the features.
以下是我们集中展示的一些亮点，包括视频中的一些截图，我们想通过这篇日志将游戏的新特性向大家稍作解释。
Going through the video chronologically, we want to explain what you can see and why we have decided to include it.
以时间为序，我们将向你解释所见何物，以及我们要展示的原因。
Right at the start of the video, there is an extended segment demonstrating some of the siege weapons in the game. Actual sieges are undergoing a lot of work in development right now and we are aiming to give a full demonstration of a siege in the near future, once all of the pieces are in place. The clips here are intended to highlight the various siege engines we have created. We think it's a huge step forward for sieges in Mount & Blade to include multiple siege engines of different types. In the video, you can see the player pushing the battering ram. This hint was deliberately placed to signify that all siege weapons are fully usable by the player, as well as the AI.
在视频一开头，所展示的是一场攻城战中攻城武器的使用。实际的攻城系统还在开发当中，而我们的目标是尽可能将攻城战的特性展示出来。这一段视频的亮点是我们所创造的攻城武器，我们认为加入了多元素的攻城工具是骑砍的一大进步。在视频中，你能看到玩家在推动攻城锤前进，这暗示着所有的攻城武器都能被玩家亲自使用，也包括AI。
One thing that we didn't show in the video, though, was our deployment screen. All of the siege weapons are placed freely by the players, so there is full control over how to assault the walls. Once the siege begins, the player can also order troops to change what they're doing on the fly, throughout the battle. Of course, these weapons need to be constructed first.
其实我们还有一样东西没有在视频中亮出，就是布置界面。所有的攻城武器都能被玩家随心所欲地放置，以允许玩家完全自由地攻破堡垒。攻城开始后，玩家还能下令让士兵在战场上改变策略。当然，前提是先造出攻城武器。
After this, we see a short clip of the world map and village management. Graphically, we have made huge strides here, to improve the look and feel of Calradia. Though there are also some significant gameplay changes evident here. Castles are now fully integrated with villages, which means that settlement produces goods and has economic impact. The four sides of a village can all be made into different types of production, with the unique option of turning one into a castle.
除此以外，我们看到了一小段关于世界地图和村庄管理的片段。如图所示，我们在改善卡拉迪亚的外观和氛围上有了重大的进展，尽管实际游戏中还会有更明显的变化。城堡与村庄现在完全地融为一体，意味着村庄将真正生产货物，以及产生经济上的影响。你可以在村庄的四周进行各种建设发展，还有独特的选项允许你将其打造为一座城堡。
A village with a castle is naturally much more defensible, but the slot is sacrificed that might have been used for something valuable like a salt mine. All of these are reflected on the world map as well, as can be seen in the video.
在城堡旁边的村庄自然有更强的防卫能力，但城堡也可能被具有经济价值的盐矿所代替。正如视频所示，这些建筑的变化在大地图上都是可视化的。
What's really interesting is that AI Lords start new projects and modify their villages over time, just like the player. So during a long playthrough, the face of the map and nature of various settlements can change significantly, in ways that are fully dependent on the current economic and political situation of the NPCs and their factions.
有趣的是，AI领主会跟玩家一样，不时地开发新项目以及改造自己的领地村庄。因此，经过长时间的游戏后，大地图的外观与自然环境将显著地改变，这取决于NPC与其阵营当前的经济情况和政治条件。
By assigning the work allocation of the village, you can adjust how fast projects are completed, as well as the tax and militia levy from villages. Though all of this has an effect on morale and neglecting your peasants can lead to serious complications in the long term.
在分配村庄的建设时，你可以调整建筑的速度，还有税率以及征兵的比率。这些东西都将影响你的士气，如果你长时间地忽视自己领地居民的感受时，可能会导致严重的混乱。
Next is a clip of some combat from a small fight between the player's small party and some bandits. We have much more varied and interesting terrain for combat now, as well as much more advanced AI, that knows how to keep out the range of attacks, while moving closer to strike. Looters in the game don't pose too much of an obstacle for experienced, high level players with good equipment but by spreading out and trying to surround their opponents, it can still be dangerous to face multiple enemies at once. Though that is balanced by the power of larger, stronger weapons to hit more than one foe with a single swing!
下一段视频是关于玩家的队伍与一伙强盗的小型战斗。我们的战场地形现在将更加多样和有趣，还有更加高级的AI，知道如何保持攻击的距离，也知道如何在突击时冲锋。对于经验丰富、装备精良的玩家来说，几个强盗算不了什么，但是当他们对你进行分散包围时，你还是可能陷入险境。这一点将在武器上得到平衡，因为现在更强大的武器的一次挥击，将能击中不止一个敌人了！
The inventory screen demonstrates our improved UI, that offers the player much more intuitive and direct control. For instance, it's now much easier to switch between equipping the player and companions as all it takes is a simple click, from any place where the inventory screen is shown. Items can also be sorted and filtered really easily, which makes it much simpler to manage large numbers of items. There are also hotkey and buttons which make it simple to buy/loot/sell items with fewer clicks. Tooltips provide comparisons between equipped and selected items.
物品栏所展示的是我们改善后的界面，让玩家能够更直观地进行操作。比如，现在玩家可以非常容易地与同伴交换装备，只需要在物品栏上简单地点击一下。物品将更易被分类和过滤，对于大量的物品管理来说更加方便。还有一些热键允许玩家快捷地购买、收集、出卖道具。还有提示栏显示已装备的物品和所选物品之间的比较。
Next as the player enters the city, we have provided a glimpse of imperial culture and architecture, reflected by the style of the buildings and clothes of the citizens. The tavern seen here shows how lively and appealing scenes have become in Bannerlord, with NPCs sitting, drinking, interacting with one another and going about their business. In this tavern, there is a musician playing and a game host in the corner, with whom you can bet money on the custom board games which we have introduced. Each of the game's six cultures has their own boardgame, originally designed but inspired by real historical games. These can also be played with ladies and lords, as well as other NPCs in the game for role-playing and diplomatic purposes.
下一节，玩家进入城镇，我们让各位一瞥卡拉德帝国的文化和建筑，这可以通过建筑物的风格和市民的衣着反映出来。在骑砍2中酒馆的场景更加生动和吸引，包括NPC围坐，饮酒，各自互动，以及进行自己的事务。在这个酒馆里，有一名音乐家在演奏，还有一场棋子游戏，这是我们的原创，但也是由历史上真实的棋类游戏所激发的。你也可以跟女士们和领主们进行游戏，以及其他与角色扮演和外交策略有关的NPC。
Moving into the latter half of the video, there is a demonstration of seasons in the game. All scenes change dynamically according to the season, which is altered by a yearly cycle. This is also reflected on the world map by the advance and retreat of snow cover. The gameplay effects of this will also be felt by players who try to wage war in the winter, as troops will suffer greater losses to morale, demanding more food and fuel. One subtle but interesting benefit of the yearly cycle, which we have felt while play testing, is that it gives the player a much more innate connection to the advancement of the game world; feeling the steady flow of time as familiar places alter in appearance throughout each season.
在视频的后半部分，有段关于季节变化的展示。所有场景都会根据季节变化自然改变，遵循着一年的循环。在大地图上也能通过白雪覆盖的情景反映出来。气候对游戏的影响也能被玩家所感知，比如在冬天的粮饷会大幅增加，因为部队士气在冬天会严重下降，要求更多的食物和燃料。我们在游戏测试中所感受到的是，一年的季节循环变化是一个微妙而有趣的特色，为玩家带来在游戏世界中更高的代入感；感受时间的稳定流动，熟悉的场景在各个季节不断变化。
Beyond this, we offer a look at another new feature in weapon crafting. This fits really well into the sandbox game, by not only providing players with a huge amount of freedom in and connection to the weapon they use but giving us an engine, with which to create unique weaponry in the game world. These items are used for quests and appear variously as significant objects like family heirlooms, to which certain characters may hold special attachment.
除此以外，还有武器的打造系统。这一点对于沙盒类游戏非常契合，不仅提供玩家自由选择大量武器的机会，还能打造属于自己的独一无二的武器。这些道具是供给任务所用的，外观各不相同，比如像某一件传家宝，某些特定的角色还会持有特别的装备。
The logic of the crafting is simple in that weapons are separated into parts that can be exchanged, with any kind of combination. This also works for axes, polearms etc. One feature not shown in the video is length adjustment; it's actually possible to tweak the exact length of certain parts such as blades to get exactly the kind of weapon you want. All of these parts have physical properties, to which the power of the weapon is directly related. Some fairly serious calculations assess the centre of mass and balance of a weapon, which changes the speed and damage, as well as the timing of the animation itself. This contributes to a unique feel for each weapon, depending on the parts it uses. Naturally, we give the player freedom to name the weapon as well. One of the interesting results of this feature can actually be losing your prized sword and seeing it turn up in the possession of some bandits half way across Calradia!
打造系统的逻辑很简单，就是将武器分为几个可以变换的部分，组合千变万化。包括斧类与长杆类武器等。有一个特性在视频里没有出现，就是长度调整的设定；你可以自由地调整武器某一部分的长度，比如剑刃，以满足玩家的需要。这些武器的部分都是实体，将直接关联到武器整体的威力。你需要认真地计算武器的重量和平衡，这影响到武器的速度和伤害，还有动作动画自身的时间变化。这一点将形成每一件武器独一无二的使用体验，取决于它所组成的部分。自然而然，我们还允许玩家自主命名武器。这产生了一个有趣的结果，你将发现自己丢掉的宝剑成为强盗们的财产，在半个卡拉迪亚里到处流传！
Lastly the video demonstrates our replay system. This is one of the newest features in the game, although it is something we have planned to include for a while. As developers, we are keen to respond to changing trends in gaming as a whole and in the past few years, it has become more and more important for players to share their experience with others. Let's play videos and machinima are already a pretty huge part of community culture for our existing games, so we really just wanted to provide a tool that would support and encourage the same. Any battle, single or multiplayer is saved directly and can be re-watched from any angle as well as slowed down. Lighting and other effects such as dynamic field-of-view adjustment can also be customised. In the video, one of our developers is actually creating a simple camera path which tracks some of the action, and at the end you can see the final result as a high quality render, exported directly from the game.
视频的最后是我们的重放系统。这是游戏最新的特性之一，虽然我们已经在一段时间前就将其纳入计划了。作为开发者，我们热衷于以一个整体来改变游戏的趋势，而在近几年，对于玩家们来说，分享游戏的经验变得越来越重要。Let's play videos和Machinima对于我们这个游戏来说已经是非常巨大而成熟的分享平台了，因此我们真的需要提供一件工具来支持与激励玩家们。任何一场战斗的过程，无论是单人还是多人游戏，都将被直接保存，可以从任何视角进行回顾，还能放慢时间。光照与其他物理效果，比如动态的地形生成系统都可以被自定义。在视频中，我们的一位开发者实际上在创造一组简单的镜头路径，以追踪一系列动作，而在最终结果就是一场高质量的演示，而且这是从游戏中直接生成。
We really did reveal a lot over the past week! We hope this provides some context for the footage released. There is of course much much more of the game that we haven't talked about yet, but we're looking forward to doing so in the coming months.
我们确实在过去的一周里展示了许多内容！我们希望这篇日志能让大家了解到游戏视频的一些背景。当然，还有非常非常多的游戏内容还没有公开，我们期待着在未来几个月逐渐发布。
From all of us at TaleWorlds, thanks to everyone for all of the support and nice comments. It has been a real boost to us, after a period of very hard work! :)
我们TaleWorlds的每一位成员，都诚挚地感谢所有支持并发表好评的玩家，在一段艰辛的工作之后，这对我们来说是极大的激励！