1257 AD - Is there more to it?

[Detective Raiho]

Hello. I've been playing the 1257 AD mod lately and it's been pretty fun. But the more I play it, the more it comes across as a historically accurate reskin of Mount and Blade enhanced. Is there more to it? Are there any features to make 1257 feel distinguishable from the vanilla M&B game?

To clarify, I'll put it side by side with Brytenwalda (or Viking Conquest). It had lots of features to make it feel like an entirely separate experience, like it was trying to emulate Dark Ages Britain. You had random events, religions, quests, mechanics (like salt mining slavery), written companions, and several other features to make it reflect the mood of the time period it was supposedly in.

The only things like that I've seen in this mod are culture (which hardly effects anything) and crusades. Your companions are unquestioning robots with little in the way of backstory.

Simply put, is there more to this mod other than a fancy paintjob, variety and improved features?

[AxeKnight]

You can upgrade villages to castles, recruit from knighthood orders, playing as a soldier after your death, better recruitment system, and loot from battlefields. it also has most things that brytenwalda and the others have, like religion (slightly simpler than brytenwalda's, but neither is really that big a thing), good formations , better in battle morale and breaking lances. As well as the most detailed and wonderful scenes I have seen in any mod, even TLD

[Chaseofhavoc]

I like the mod played quite a bit of it, however it feels how you described it to me compared to other mods. Even with the features it does have.

[Lonesome 77]

Even if it was a "historically accurate reskin," what would be wrong with that? Unless it was advertised differently?

[Detective Raiho]

Originally posted by kawagatam:

You can upgrade villages to castles, recruit from knighthood orders, playing as a soldier after your death, better recruitment system, and loot from battlefields. it also has most things that brytenwalda and the others have, like religion (slightly simpler than brytenwalda's, but neither is really that big a thing), good formations , better in battle morale and breaking lances. As well as the most detailed and wonderful scenes I have seen in any mod, even TLD

I see. The Lance recruitment system is without a doubt a favorite part of the mod as it speeds up recruitment and adds a certain chaotic element (mixed and matched troops and equipment), so if I'm looking for that "feudal" experience, that counts.

I guess I have to play it more. Thanks.

[General Sherman]

1257 adds depth to existing mechanics more than it introduces new ones. The map is far larger, there are more cities/towns and more factions.

For me, the armor and weapon models in 1257 are way better than anything I've seen in other mods or vanilla. Even Brytenwalda/VC seem limited in this respect, they have like a dozen different styles of seax but only one sword model. Plus 1 mail shirt model, 1 gambeson model with a few color options etc. Some of this limited selection may have to do with the strict interpretation of the historical setting, but whatever the reason the mod/DLC suffers for it. I also hate the He-man character models in VC.

1257 has a wide array of styles in both arms and armor, and they are all historically accurate.