On January 29, we are launching a siege mode test on our beta servers and would like to share the details.
The test will begin at 18:00 UTC and will be accessible to all players with active premium statuses.
We have developed a system of rooms specifically for testing sieges.
In these rooms, you can split into two teams and configure the battle settings.
Initially, creating your own rooms will be prohibited, and at 17:50 UTC, one public room will be opened for testing the first battle (on the EU server).
On other servers, the ability to create rooms will be enabled at 19:00 UTC.
After this battle, the ability to create your own rooms will be enabled on all beta servers.
Players will engage in combat together with their army, however, the total number of units in combat is limited by the room settings established by the owner.
This means that the number of units in each squad will be proportionally reduced so that the total size of the army does not exceed the limits of the sides.
For testing purposes, we reworked the map with the imperial castle from the single-player game.
The attacking team's players always appear in their camp, while the defenders appear outside the castle walls.
Siege battles are very different from regular PvE/PvP battles in Bannerlord Online:
We have increased the maximum number of players for the Siege test and now battle sizes of up to 20x20 are supported.
Fall damage is enabled.
Friendly fire is enabled (when hit by ranged weapons).
Damage from siege weapon projectiles is enabled.
There is no wave system. Instead, the ability to call for reinforcements on the battlefield has been added.
Reinforcements are summoned in groups of 30 units to one of three positions on the map.
By holding down the Q key, you can select the desired position for the squad to appear.
Players can call for reinforcements at any time if their character is alive and there is space available on the battlefield.
The total number of simultaneous units on the map is 512, and this value is divided proportionally between attackers and defenders.
The test will begin at 18:00 UTC and will be accessible to all players with active premium statuses.
We have developed a system of rooms specifically for testing sieges.
In these rooms, you can split into two teams and configure the battle settings.
Initially, creating your own rooms will be prohibited, and at 17:50 UTC, one public room will be opened for testing the first battle (on the EU server).
On other servers, the ability to create rooms will be enabled at 19:00 UTC.
After this battle, the ability to create your own rooms will be enabled on all beta servers.
Players will engage in combat together with their army, however, the total number of units in combat is limited by the room settings established by the owner.
This means that the number of units in each squad will be proportionally reduced so that the total size of the army does not exceed the limits of the sides.
For testing purposes, we reworked the map with the imperial castle from the single-player game.
The attacking team's players always appear in their camp, while the defenders appear outside the castle walls.
Siege battles are very different from regular PvE/PvP battles in Bannerlord Online:
We have increased the maximum number of players for the Siege test and now battle sizes of up to 20x20 are supported.
Fall damage is enabled.
Friendly fire is enabled (when hit by ranged weapons).
Damage from siege weapon projectiles is enabled.
There is no wave system. Instead, the ability to call for reinforcements on the battlefield has been added.
Reinforcements are summoned in groups of 30 units to one of three positions on the map.
By holding down the Q key, you can select the desired position for the squad to appear.
Players can call for reinforcements at any time if their character is alive and there is space available on the battlefield.
The total number of simultaneous units on the map is 512, and this value is divided proportionally between attackers and defenders.
Siege machines
Siege machines
We added all siege machines from the single-player game, rewriting them to work in Bannerlord Online multiplayer.
Each siege machine requires units from formations to be assigned to it.
To do this, we have expanded the original command system by adding a list of all constructed machines.
The list can be opened by pressing F8.
The exception is ladders - they must be lifted manually by players, after which units will be able to climb them onto the wall.
Removing ladders from walls is also only available to players.
Equipment selection
Another new feature is the selection of equipment for battle.
Several racks with weapons are installed near the spawn points of attackers and defenders.
A rack with shields for equipping one-handed weapons and shields.
A rack with bows for equipping bows or crossbows.
A rack with swords allows you to return standard equipment from the character's combat slots.
When changing weapons, all armor slots remain the same.
Destruction
We have synchronized all destroyable objects on the map:
Hits from any weapon on wooden structures, gates, wall battlements, and siege weapons cause damage and can destroy them.
General rules of combat
Preparation stage
The battle begins with a preparation stage, which lasts 10 minutes.
During this time, you can deploy your troops and assign them to siege weapons.
Units will not use siege weapons until the battle starts, nor will they attack enemies within their line of sight.
The map is divided into two areas, and it is impossible to enter the enemy's area before the battle starts.
Damage during the preparation stage is disabled.
Battle stage
The battle starts immediately after the preparation stage.
The total battle time is currently unlimited, and the battle can end according to the following rules:
If one of the sides does not have 30 units on the battlefield, a two-minute defeat timer starts, after which the side with the most units wins.
If the attackers and defenders have an equal number of units remaining, the defenders are considered the winners.
This should be taken into account when calling for reinforcements in a timely manner, as only units on the battlefield are counted.
Player respawn
After a player's character dies, a respawn timer starts.
The time until the next respawn depends on the number of deaths in a battle:
Each siege machine requires units from formations to be assigned to it.
To do this, we have expanded the original command system by adding a list of all constructed machines.
The list can be opened by pressing F8.
The exception is ladders - they must be lifted manually by players, after which units will be able to climb them onto the wall.
Removing ladders from walls is also only available to players.
Equipment selection
Another new feature is the selection of equipment for battle.
Several racks with weapons are installed near the spawn points of attackers and defenders.
A rack with shields for equipping one-handed weapons and shields.
A rack with bows for equipping bows or crossbows.
A rack with swords allows you to return standard equipment from the character's combat slots.
When changing weapons, all armor slots remain the same.
Destruction
We have synchronized all destroyable objects on the map:
Hits from any weapon on wooden structures, gates, wall battlements, and siege weapons cause damage and can destroy them.
General rules of combat
Preparation stage
The battle begins with a preparation stage, which lasts 10 minutes.
During this time, you can deploy your troops and assign them to siege weapons.
Units will not use siege weapons until the battle starts, nor will they attack enemies within their line of sight.
The map is divided into two areas, and it is impossible to enter the enemy's area before the battle starts.
Damage during the preparation stage is disabled.
Battle stage
The battle starts immediately after the preparation stage.
The total battle time is currently unlimited, and the battle can end according to the following rules:
If one of the sides does not have 30 units on the battlefield, a two-minute defeat timer starts, after which the side with the most units wins.
If the attackers and defenders have an equal number of units remaining, the defenders are considered the winners.
This should be taken into account when calling for reinforcements in a timely manner, as only units on the battlefield are counted.
Player respawn
After a player's character dies, a respawn timer starts.
The time until the next respawn depends on the number of deaths in a battle:
| Deaths | Respawn time (in seconds) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 00:10 |
| 2 | 00:15 |
| 3 | 00:30 |
| 4 | 01:00 |
| 5 | 01:30 |
| 6+ | 02:00 |