The cRPG mod was a neat addition to Mount & Blade: Warband which added persistent character development and an RPG-style leveling system to the medieval open world game’s multiplayer. It was lots of fun.
Now the modding team behind it, the excellently named Donkey Crew, have opened a Kickstarter campaign for their own medieval combat game, Melee: Battlegrounds.
Though it’s obviously heavily indebted to Mount & Blade, the game’s built on a new engine that support over 200 players on one server. Combat has a 360 degree attack/block system, and uses a physics engine to ensure realistic hit detection. You can specialise your medieval avatar in a number of areas, making him a brutal axe fighter or an anti-cavalry polearm expert, for example.
As well as thwacking away at people with swords, you’ll be able to use siege engines and even construct your own fortifications and castles, and visit a ‘tavern’ area to socialise with other players.
Lots of neat-sounding ideas. Donkey Crew hopes to release the alpha version, with only the combat included, in March 2015. They’re looking for $150,000 to complete development on the project, and the campaign runs until December 20.
