Empircinization (Noun): The theory and evidence that all games eventually become an Age of Empires game. In this most recent example, we’re directed to a mod for Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, an action strategy game.
Okay, so maybe that’s not a real word. But it might as well be, given how often we see this kind of situation. If a game can be modded, there’s going to eventually be an AoE mod for it. This time, we’re looking at Age of Bannerlords, a mod by internet handle “Bloc.” As you likely had figured, this mod converts the open RPG style game into the traditional RTS experience, including base building, unit management, resource gathering, improved AI, and even multiple eras (or Ages) to progress through.
What’s most impressive, however, is the sheer speed of development. The project was started about a month ago. And while there remains quite a bit that the modder would like to include and refine, it’s amazing how much they’ve already accomplished.
Now here’s the potentially bad news: it might not be published online. Bloc has remarked on the possibility of releasing it as a dependency framework for other modders to use, but has made no solid statements as to whether it will be released as a standalone mod experience. TechRaptor had already reached out to them, and was able to confirm the following.
“He tends not to release most of his mods to the public. However, he hasn’t ruled it out just yet for Age of Bannerlords. For now, he’s continuing to focus on the development of this mod.”
Of course we would love to see this project reach its conclusion. But we also recognize that this is just a passion project from an individual. They should be free to do as they please without any pressure. As such, we’ll be sure to respect Bloc’s decision, whatever it may be.
For now, you can find Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord on PC for about $50.
