Immersive Medieval Warfare

Intro
Chivalry doesn't go beyond the name. There is nothing chivalrous about the medieval warfare that lies ahead. People don't hesitate to stab in the back, deceive, gang on, or run-away altogether. Wouldn't it be naïve to expect otherwise?

Battles are ruthless. One mistake is one too many. Swing in a wrong time, lose your head. Make a wrong step, get stabbed to death. Put shield down just for a second, enjoy an arrow in the head. These are not bookish exaggerations, but mere routines. Chivalry: Medieval Warfare has a high skill ceiling. Penetrating it will take enormous dedication. But once it's done, the doors leading to the most epic battles will fling open!


Basic Combat
Each weapon has three forms of attack: stab, swing, and over-the-shoulder slice. Swing and slice can be performed from different sides. Advanced players are able to time their attack by dragging a mouse, making their weapon strike faster or later, which is used to throw the opponent's block off.

Blocking requires precision in timing and position. The general rule is to follow the opponent's strike direction, so weapons "clang" together (it is not necessary, but, otherwise, there is a greater chance of taking a hit). Blocking too early or too late will result in being hit. Blocking right before the opponent's weapon strikes is called a "perfect block." It allows for an immediate counterattack (parry), which is a highly effective way to deal damage.

Overall, combat is arcadish but enjoyable. However, there are exploits in the system, such as reverse overhead (turning around and doing an overhead attack where the tip of a weapon hits the opponent immediately after commencing the attack, which is fast, not clearly animated, and hard to block), which may ruin the experience. "Tricks" like these are rare on a battlefield and mostly come from competitive-oriented players.


Timing and Movement
Making yourself appear at the right time and in the right place is the key to victory. Going alone, swinging a battle axe in all directions won't do the trick, even against the most inexperienced players.

Hits must be surgically precise; landed only when the opponent's guard is down. Since every attack has an exaggerated animation, it's very difficult to achieve while dueling one-on-one; face-to-face. The hard way involves complex body movements, masterful weapon handling, and mind games. The easier, and thus smarter, way is to march with comrades and engage in combat together. Even the most skilled players can block only one hit at a time. Second one is guaranteed to pass through, if landed promtly. The difference between a successful strike and a blocked one lies within seconds. All the more, shields, which are able to sustain enormous amounts of damage, can be defeated by cooperation with ease. A general rule of thumb is to avoid engaging in confrontations without numerical superiority. Larger numbers allow for more timing opportunities and are more forgiving of mistakes. As the game puts it itself, "Strenght is in numbers, STAY TOGETHER!".

However, unique gameplay mechanics are not the only trick that Chivalry has up its sleeve.


Design
Chivalry is beautiful and atmospheric. The game is powered by Unreal Engine 4 and is able to mesmerize anyone on the highest graphics settings. Models, maps, sounds, and music are top-quality.

Models of weapons, warriors, and miscellaneous items look authentic and impressive. Weapons function exactly as you'd expect from their appearance. Dagger is quick, cheeky, and malicious. Maul is slow, weighty, and devastating. A spear is a long-ranged weapon that requires precision. A longsword is for hack-and-slash action, which requires practice. The list goes on.

Models of warriors are easily distinguishable and give a certain impression about their fighting style. Heavily armored knights are slow and well-defended, leather armored men-at-arms are quick but vulnarable, chainmailed vanguards running with two-handed weapons are damage-oriented, and archers are better off far away, since they have no armor at all. If damaged badly, blood appears on the player's model, sending a message about vulnerability. The ability to easily distinguish one class from the other and judge health status based on appearance offers great room for tactical decisions regarding fighting approach, damage estimation, and split-second decisions. In general, warrior models are good-looking and fit the environment.

But where Chivaly really shines is map modeling. I cannot find enough words about how mesmerizing Chivalry's scenery and landscapes are to look at. It is truly possible to start the game with a canvas and a brush in your hand and start drawing beautiful spots and scenes. Unreal Engine 4 was utilized to its absolute best, with regard to imagery. It's a pleasure to observe complex lightning effects applied to realistic nature and grand architecture. Simply being in Chivalry is an experience in and of itself. Each map feels like a step into a masterpiece painting. Without the constant thunder of war, one is able to better see and hear all the grand work that went into each of them. Chivalry maps are able to evoke all sorts of emotions, ranging from the emerging will to engage in something brave and crazy to bittersweet nostalgia about times and places long gone. The heart cannot remain indifferent to the view of medieval castles, crystal-clear water shores, rainy forests, and the grave of a fallen warrior against the background of faraway snowy mountains.

The maps are stunning, not only visually but structurally as well. The size of each map is gigantic for a melee-oriented game; however, maps are divided into little sectors that unlock with objective progression. Spawn points are cleverly placed to prevent long, unnecessary journeys. There is always a feeling of a grand battle going on as a result of this progression. But battles wouldn't be as exciting without contextual objectives.

Every objective in Chivalry has meaning and context behind it. Naturally, objectives could be broken into typical multiplayer games objective archetypes, such as "capture the point," "push the cart," "deliver the flag," "kill NPCs," "deliver a certain amount of damage to the object," etc. However, Chivalry manages to cleverly decorate them: open the castle gates, push the cart full of decaying bodies into the enemies' water supply, start the signal fire, slaughter peasants, burn the village. It's never a matter of "standing in a circle until the bar fills up." It is always meaningful, epic, and atmospheric.

Another huge contributor to the atmosphere is sound design. It goes beyond simple weapon and armor clanking; it creates the distinct location mood. Soundtrack, world sounds, even subtle noises! On one map, there is a church door, behind which one can hear women's and children's cries. It's astonishing to find details like this on maps. Of course, the soundtrack is on point. It has a nostalgic feeling to it. Trumpets, flutes, drums, and war horns combine into an energetic call to fight or a melancholic medieval melody. My beloved example is the track "Reminder." It begins to play two minutes before a round finishes. The purpose of this track is to create a sense of urgency. It has a peculiar effect on people: after it begins to play, suddenly the attacking team turns from disorganized bloodlust barbarians into objective-focused soldiers that are able to conquer any castle in the one remaining minute, and the defending team comes up with crazy strategies, like building a wall out of shields, to stop them. Usually, the last minute is the most fun and adrenaline-inducing part of the round.

Conclusion
Chivalry was inspired by epic battles in Hollywood's medieval movies. It promised to bring this experience to gamers. Chivalry held true to its promise true. I will cherish the experiences Chivalry allowed me to have.

What else is there to say? FOOOR THE OOORDAAAAAH!

Immersive Medieval Warfare Intro Chivalry doesn't go beyond the name. There is nothing chivalrous about the medieval warfare that lies ahead. People don't hesitate to stab in the back, deceive, gang on, or run-away altogether. Wouldn't it be naïve to expect otherwise? Battles are ruthless. One mistake is one too many. Swing in a wrong time, lose your head. Make a wrong step, get stabbed to death. Put shield down just for a second, enjoy an arrow in the head. These are not bookish exaggerations, but mere routines. Chivalry: Medieval Warfare has a high skill ceiling. Penetrating it will take enormous dedication. But once it's done, the doors leading to the most epic battles will fling open! Basic Combat Each weapon has three forms of attack: stab, swing, and over-the-shoulder slice. Swing and slice can be performed from different sides. Advanced players are able to time their attack by dragging a mouse, making their weapon strike faster or later, which is used to throw the opponent's block off. Blocking requires precision in timing and position. The general rule is to follow the opponent's strike direction, so weapons "clang" together (it is not necessary, but, otherwise, there is a greater chance of taking a hit). Blocking too early or too late will result in being hit. Blocking right before the opponent's weapon strikes is called a "perfect block." It allows for an immediate counterattack (parry), which is a highly effective way to deal damage. Overall, combat is arcadish but enjoyable. However, there are exploits in the system, such as reverse overhead (turning around and doing an overhead attack where the tip of a weapon hits the opponent immediately after commencing the attack, which is fast, not clearly animated, and hard to block), which may ruin the experience. "Tricks" like these are rare on a battlefield and mostly come from competitive-oriented players. Timing and Movement Making yourself appear at the right time and in the right place is the key to victory. Going alone, swinging a battle axe in all directions won't do the trick, even against the most inexperienced players. Hits must be surgically precise; landed only when the opponent's guard is down. Since every attack has an exaggerated animation, it's very difficult to achieve while dueling one-on-one; face-to-face. The hard way involves complex body movements, masterful weapon handling, and mind games. The easier, and thus smarter, way is to march with comrades and engage in combat together. Even the most skilled players can block only one hit at a time. Second one is guaranteed to pass through, if landed promtly. The difference between a successful strike and a blocked one lies within seconds. All the more, shields, which are able to sustain enormous amounts of damage, can be defeated by cooperation with ease. A general rule of thumb is to avoid engaging in confrontations without numerical superiority. Larger numbers allow for more timing opportunities and are more forgiving of mistakes. As the game puts it itself, "Strenght is in numbers, STAY TOGETHER!". However, unique gameplay mechanics are not the only trick that Chivalry has up its sleeve. Design Chivalry is beautiful and atmospheric. The game is powered by Unreal Engine 4 and is able to mesmerize anyone on the highest graphics settings. Models, maps, sounds, and music are top-quality. Models of weapons, warriors, and miscellaneous items look authentic and impressive. Weapons function exactly as you'd expect from their appearance. Dagger is quick, cheeky, and malicious. Maul is slow, weighty, and devastating. A spear is a long-ranged weapon that requires precision. A longsword is for hack-and-slash action, which requires practice. The list goes on. Models of warriors are easily distinguishable and give a certain impression about their fighting style. Heavily armored knights are slow and well-defended, leather armored men-at-arms are quick but vulnarable, chainmailed vanguards running with two-handed weapons are damage-oriented, and archers are better off far away, since they have no armor at all. If damaged badly, blood appears on the player's model, sending a message about vulnerability. The ability to easily distinguish one class from the other and judge health status based on appearance offers great room for tactical decisions regarding fighting approach, damage estimation, and split-second decisions. In general, warrior models are good-looking and fit the environment. But where Chivaly really shines is map modeling. I cannot find enough words about how mesmerizing Chivalry's scenery and landscapes are to look at. It is truly possible to start the game with a canvas and a brush in your hand and start drawing beautiful spots and scenes. Unreal Engine 4 was utilized to its absolute best, with regard to imagery. It's a pleasure to observe complex lightning effects applied to realistic nature and grand architecture. Simply being in Chivalry is an experience in and of itself. Each map feels like a step into a masterpiece painting. Without the constant thunder of war, one is able to better see and hear all the grand work that went into each of them. Chivalry maps are able to evoke all sorts of emotions, ranging from the emerging will to engage in something brave and crazy to bittersweet nostalgia about times and places long gone. The heart cannot remain indifferent to the view of medieval castles, crystal-clear water shores, rainy forests, and the grave of a fallen warrior against the background of faraway snowy mountains. The maps are stunning, not only visually but structurally as well. The size of each map is gigantic for a melee-oriented game; however, maps are divided into little sectors that unlock with objective progression. Spawn points are cleverly placed to prevent long, unnecessary journeys. There is always a feeling of a grand battle going on as a result of this progression. But battles wouldn't be as exciting without contextual objectives. Every objective in Chivalry has meaning and context behind it. Naturally, objectives could be broken into typical multiplayer games objective archetypes, such as "capture the point," "push the cart," "deliver the flag," "kill NPCs," "deliver a certain amount of damage to the object," etc. However, Chivalry manages to cleverly decorate them: open the castle gates, push the cart full of decaying bodies into the enemies' water supply, start the signal fire, slaughter peasants, burn the village. It's never a matter of "standing in a circle until the bar fills up." It is always meaningful, epic, and atmospheric. Another huge contributor to the atmosphere is sound design. It goes beyond simple weapon and armor clanking; it creates the distinct location mood. Soundtrack, world sounds, even subtle noises! On one map, there is a church door, behind which one can hear women's and children's cries. It's astonishing to find details like this on maps. Of course, the soundtrack is on point. It has a nostalgic feeling to it. Trumpets, flutes, drums, and war horns combine into an energetic call to fight or a melancholic medieval melody. My beloved example is the track "Reminder." It begins to play two minutes before a round finishes. The purpose of this track is to create a sense of urgency. It has a peculiar effect on people: after it begins to play, suddenly the attacking team turns from disorganized bloodlust barbarians into objective-focused soldiers that are able to conquer any castle in the one remaining minute, and the defending team comes up with crazy strategies, like building a wall out of shields, to stop them. Usually, the last minute is the most fun and adrenaline-inducing part of the round. Conclusion Chivalry was inspired by epic battles in Hollywood's medieval movies. It promised to bring this experience to gamers. Chivalry held true to its promise true. I will cherish the experiences Chivalry allowed me to have. What else is there to say? FOOOR THE OOORDAAAAAH!