Gekokujo - Sengoku Era mod for Mount & Blade: Warband

Hello everyone, in this first article I'l talk about everything we've been working on all this time, what
innovations and special features of the mod:

New features:

• Battle of Kawanakajima and cwests
• New map
• New armors, helmets and weapons
• New outfit system not found in any other mod
• Improved type of armour from improvement when talkin to the blacksmith
• New banners
• Asystem for creating your own coat of arms or choosing from existing ones
• New music and sounds
• VC system
• Modes autumn, winter, spring and summer
• The system of religions and temples and monasteries on the map (Buddhism and Christianity)
• New scenes of towns, castles and villages
• Gekokujo Hatamoto Edition included
• New System of level of castles and towns
• Walkers on the castle
• Shops on the castles

Battle of Kawanakajima and cwests

The mod plans to create a quest line for the character from the date of appearance (1561) to the beginning of
the Edo period (1615). In the questline, the player is one of the samurai under Yamamoto Kansuke's command.
From the first frames, the player will be given the opportunity to participate in the 4th Battle of
Kawanakajima, having previously received a special quest to further develop the story.

New map

The new map is slightly larger than the map from the original gekokujo, I used the maps created by rgcotl to create my map of Japan. The country is full of mountain ranges and passes, the map has many places with narrow gorges and not much open space, also meaning you can't get past enemy castles or towns, as they stand in narrow mountain openings, you have to find another way if you don't want to besiege the fortifications that block the way. For the first version, only the Japanese islands were made and no Korean peninsula yet.

New armors, helmets and weapons

Brand new weapon models have been added. I worked on the historical accuracy and culture of samurai equipment, and I also created as many colour variations of all the currently known Japanese Sengoku-era armour types as possible. But that's not the end of the story, maybe more armour will come in the future.

Improved type of armour from improvement when talking to the blacksmith

Also one of the main aspects of gameplay will be improving your gear. Almost all clothing and armour changes its appearance depending on the level of quality, so for Haramaki Do you can add a back piece and a tare (neck protector). Also this system works for all kabuto, when you upgrade, you add a protective mask and when you upgrade it, it improves its performance and appearance.

New banners
Brand new banners and map models have been created based on historical information, respecting the historically accurate names of samurai leaders and their clan emblems.

Brand new banners and map models have been created based on historical information, respecting the historically accurate names of samurai leaders and their clan emblems.

A system for creating your own coat of arms or choosing from existing ones

Creating your own banner is present in the settings of the original game, but few mods make use of such a great feature. When I watched the Taiga series "Strategist Kanbei" it showed how Kuroda Kambei as the head of his clan and after being imprisoned in Arioka/Itami Castle in 1578 by castle ruler Araki Murashige invented a new banner and displayed it after his release. I liked the idea that the player can not choose from banners already created and used by someone, and create their own and unique coat of arms of his clan using these tools in the game.

New music and sounds

New atmospheric music has been added which changes depending on which situation the player is in. New ambient sounds have also been added, such as the sound of blows and hoof stomping. I suggest you to watch the video of the game which I made to show the new features during the siege of one of the castles:

VC system

The mod is based entirely on Viking Conquest's modular system, which features the familiar character creation system, as well as a settlement menu that shows the settlement itself rather than its background. (You can disable this feature in the settings and go back to the usual background screen saver with text). Soon, when the mod reaches the stage of the Imjin War, the famous Joseon and Ming Dynasty fleets will be added.

Modes autumn, winter, spring and summer

With the modular VC system in mind, we used the possibility of changing seasons and changing the environment. In this way, the player will increasingly notice how the year is going by and will also be able to see the scenes they are used to during a long game in new colours.

The system of religions and temples and monasteries on the map (Buddhism and Christianity)

Only two creed options have been added. At the start of the game, the player chooses who they belong to, but they can change their faith during the game.

New scenes of towns, castles and villages

A host of new scenes have been created for all types of settlements, based on the real thing as well as from films and TV series.

Gekokujo Hatamoto Edition included

filtratedbread author of ''Gekokujo Hatamoto Edition'' kindly shared his modular system with us, allowing us to incorporate his new features into the mod, which can be seen as:
- If the player is near a settlement (town, castle or village) a pre-made scene is triggered, so the player can fight near village houses, on the streets of the town, or in the rice fields while the castle defenders are watching your battle.
- Buying or selling your house or mansion in the city.
- Work in a rice field in the village for a fee.

New System of level of castles and towns

Using code created by Crysix, a system has been created in the mod to improve the appearance of castles and cities. The level of a settlement depends on the level of prosperity and the number of inhabitants. Almost all fortifications at the start of the game will be level one. Keeping in mind that the Sengoku era is the period in Japan when the samurai were switching to a new way of building their castles. All because of a new type of weapon that could easily pierce through wooden boards and fences. I was talking about the teppo gun. It was during this period that the locks that we see today began to be built. Gradually, as the player levels up, you would start to see Japan turn from a wooden castle on a hill to a country full of stone castles with white towers.

Walkers on the castle

I was always reluctant to look at empty castles, comparing them with cities full of life, the castles were somehow empty. So we added warriors walking and patrolling the castle and its walls. Be careful, because letting someone out of prison, you risk being stopped by all the patrolling guards.

Shops on the castles

We added taverns and a shop to the castles. Of course, logically, there should be a lot of variety in the store in the city, bearing in mind that all merchants from the area go there, so the assortment in the castle store is much smaller, but nevertheless you can find there what you need like some kind of food or equipment. You can also hire mercenaries in the tavern like in the town.

I advise you to join the Discord channel of the project to keep up with the latest news because it is there I put more material to show the development and share earlier news and updates, also join the YouTube channel to be the earliest to see the new developments that I will show in the video so you know what is new in the mod when you can play it yourself! I wish you all the best, see you soon