To mount or not to mount, that is the question...of the week!

Conan Exiles General Discussion
22

My votes:

  • certain a-mount of time
  • traversing the lands, engaging in mounted combat
  • noble fop-- I mean, noble scout saddle

I hate to be negative about mounts, because I enjoyed them so much when they came out. However, when the novelty wore off, I stopped using them often and started asking myself why that was happening. I’ve already written about my conclusions elsewhere, but since this is an official thread, I’ll try to summarize here.

I play on a PVE-C server, which has a drastic impact on the way I play and how useful I find the mounts. Maybe I have played on wrong PVE-C servers so far, but my experience is that PVE-C is 99% PVE and 1% (if that) conflict. Most of the time, the conflict is a consensual bout on prearranged ground. With that in mind, here are my uses for the horse:

  • Travel. Usually this boils down to delivering trade goods or gifts, going to gawk at someone’s build, or rushing to help someone with their Purge. But I just ride to the vicinity of the destination and leave the horse far enough away, so it won’t interfere.
  • Cathartic combat. You know when you play a stealth game like Hitman and you fail at stealth for the 3rd time in a row and you just go out guns blazing and mow everyone down (and their little dog too)? That. Sometimes I just wanna go out Thulsa Doom style and slaughter a bunch of NPCs without thinking too much.

In contrast, these are the things I spend most of my time on, where the horse doesn’t help me:

  • Farming. I farm big and I farm efficiently. My average quotas are: 40k stone per run, 20k wood per run, 8k fiber/gossamer per run. I might be able to use the horse for fiber and gossamer, but even that would be a pain, because the followers always get in the way. I still remember when I tried including a camel in my farming runs and the damn thing would always end up humping me and/or throwing me off a cliff. Would be nice if I could ride overencumbered, but from what I can tell, Alex hates the full enc build for reasons he hasn’t explained yet. :man_shrugging:
  • NPC combat. When I go to NPC camps, it’s for a combination of reasons: get any interesting T4 thrall I find and kill the rest (for miscellaneous mats and to advance the purge meter). In these cases, mounted combat is both inefficient and boring. Inefficient, because it’s hard to maneuver horses in tight spaces. Boring, because it’s just hack and slash. On foot, I can enjoy combos, dodge rolls, blocking, shield bashing and a myriad other factors. And remember how I said I’m looting corpses for miscellaneous materials? Can’t do that while mounted. Heck, half the time I can’t even see who I’m fighting, because the game refuses to show the name.
  • Grinding. I know I already said “farming”, but I differentiate farming and grinding. The former is repetitive and time-consuming, but deterministic. The latter is repetitive and time-consuming, but luck-based. And grinding always involves bosses. Since thralls are already overpowered, bosses are made with that in mind, so it becomes a self-fulfilling (and self-defeating) prophecy: you need thralls for grinding. Sure, I could use a horse instead, but it’s still slower. It gives me a pretty good damage amplifier, but I can’t sit there and hack and slash, because the horse will lose health at a higher rate than a thrall and it can’t be healed using healing arrows. Incidentally, I hate grinding regardless of whether I use a horse or a thrall. Grinding with a horse is boring, grinding with a thrall makes me feel like a sidekick. Not to mention that it’s as intellectually stimulating as playing slot machines. There are a few exceptions that I can go and fight on foot, alone, and I treasure those.
  • Purge defense. Let’s face it, Conan Exiles players might be a lot of diverse things, but we ain’t trained cavalry. Besides, this is another aspect where thralls shine, for better or for worse.

Overall, I’d say horses look like “a good start”. As others mentioned, what’s hampering them a lot is our inability to bring a thrall, but that’s only one part of the problem. Maybe mounted combat is a lot more fun in PVP, but for PVE purposes, I find it lacking. A dungeon designed for horses might be an interesting addition, too.

One final gripe: would it be possible to “fix” mounted autorun? When on foot, I often turn autorun on and then hold sprint when I need to and even write chat messages, access my inventory or glance at the map, while running. On a horse, autorun cuts out as soon as I try to steer and the horse stops if I start writing a message, open my inventory or open the map.

6 Likes
23

We need to be able to drag thralls from horseback access the map and gates doors And a reverse view so you can look behind yourself without having to spin the camera. But what I really want is holstered weapons

25

Oh and foot prints and how the sand moves on pc. And controller vibration lol

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First of all kudos to your animation team. Your horses look amazing and feel great to use. It’s just a shame that they occupy a follower slot.

They are an absolute pain in the *** when you get into a fight :sweat_smile:

I agree that horses should not be followers, but instead should be “summon-able” using a whistle or emote as mentioned before, and it would be great if we could drag knocked out thralls while on horseback as mentioned before as well.

7 Likes
29

Well, in the end I picked “Neigh, I barely use mounts.” (regretfully, but it’s true)
(I also picked “Traversing the lands” and “props for base” for favorite use, and “Poitain” for the saddle, but the main issue I want to adress is the answer to the first question).

Part of this is my own reduced playtime recently (something entirely out of Funcom’s control obviously) - when playtime is limited, a larger percentage goes to “essentials” like refreshing decay, checking my favorite Thrall spawns etc. Building is currently also on a serious backburner, and the building system has been - and remains - one of my absolute favorite parts of the game. My point being, I am not entirely sure if my answer would’ve been the same if I had more time to play - though I think it might.

So then, why don’t I spend more time on the horse? Well, perhaps - and to put it a bit bluntly - I have always been of the opinion that the game didn’t really need mounts. I said this in EA, I said this when they were initially cut, and I kept saying it all through the long period when almost everyone (me included) thought Mounts were a dead feature never to appear.

First off, I think mounts are - generally - implemented pretty brilliantly. Not perfectly, perhaps, but very well indeed. Very creditable effort all-round.

The control system is reminiscent of one of my favorite games ever, namely Mount and Blade, which has the IMO best-in-slot control scheme for mounted combat. So A+ on that one. It also feels appropriately satisfying to mow down low-level enemies with a lance or spear, or chop someone’s head off as you blaze past them (laughing maniacally is encouraged).

So mounted combat works - but outside of this, there’s just too little reason to get on the horse - too many things that become annoying or difficult (or both). And using the horse is not enough of a novelty to make up for it in the long run. The main issues I see are: not being able to ride while thralling (thralling often takes place far from home and would be an excellent use-case), having to get off the horse to interact with anything, from loot to opening a gate or door, and ultimately also the serious gimping that not being able to have a thrall with me entails. If the game were at some point to be rebalanced to place less emphasis on combat thralls and more on combat skills/stats of the player character (a welcome change to be sure, but a monumental task) this irritant would be minimized or go away.

So, the TL/DR version…

Good:

  • Control scheme
  • Combat is fun!

Bad:

  • Too many things blocked while using a horse
  • Too few reasons to actually use the thing to make up for same
  • Feels tacked-on (natural since it is), rather than a core part of gameplay

also LOL at this… a n i g g l e is something tiny and irritating, not a slur or racist word. Get over yourself forum swear filter!
image

7 Likes
30

Maybe it seems to be useless for you, but their are a lot of player not only enjoying the new mounts, they also find them useful.

https://forums.funcom.com/t/how-long-since-you-last-rode-your-horse/101342/148

2 Likes
31

I love the horses, specifically from a roleplaying standpoint they add a level of immersion that wasn’t there before. Not only that, but a few of my character’s aren’t thrilled about using magic, so they always avoided maprooms, now character-types such as this can have a faster way to get around. (This is my personal opinion as a roleplayer, but I kind of think most characters should be wary of using the maprooms. Why would you haphazardly use magic that clearly has an effect on the mind with the corruption cloud surrounding the obelisks? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:)

From a game mechanics standpoint, they gave me a reason to use pets, prior to that, I didn’t really go near the pet mechanics. I not only use them to get around the map faster, but they’re handy for gathering supplies, being able to ride them makes getting around while mining a lot faster.

That being said, I think they are in dire need of some options. All pets and thralls in general need a passive option because they go insane at the worst possible times, creating chaos during situations where they’re better off staying tied off somewhere. They also attack players during inopportune moments.

I think with some better behavior options, I’d use the other pets and thralls just as much as I’m using a horse right now. I know a lot of people who would start doing the same.

Additional Note: We need to be able to drag thralls while mounted!

2 Likes
32

From 101 votes, 83 voted for them as “meh, not interested”…

33

Did not list the saddle I use, so did not cote there.

Our main base is dead center the map. Jumping form place to place, and riding between shortened my bi-weekly walk about, and saves me about 20 minutes.

On one server, I built on the water of the river. The horse makes going anywhere faster.

Now everyone is not suck next to a obelisk.

1 Like
34

??

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35

Ah… Ok, you" see"/understand the data others as I see.

The “I use them for a CERTAIN amount of time…” is not a POSITIVE thing. Not for the time Funcom invested for that feature.
Even one DLC is kinda made around it… And then the majority of the votes DONT use them at all or barley use them.
So I didnt see the “certain amount” of time as something remotely positive.

Make such a poll with maprooms and you will see different numbers :wink:

Just ask yourself another question about games with mounts: You didnt use them a certain amount of time. You ALWAYS used them to travel.

Thats a BIG difference.

36

Never saw the point of mounts in this game in the first place. The map isn’t big enough and is too diverse to really use them as logical travel. Moving around obstacles, cliffs and more is roughly a trade off in time as climbing is fairly invaluable (and parkour is still fun).

Their implementation only further added to their disconnect with the rest of the game in the fact they do not mesh well with just about anything else you do in game.

Their one saving grace is they are fun to ride. But that’s about all they amount to. Its like having a horse riding game awkwardly stapled on to Conan like a weird 3rd prosthetic limb.

Have I captured and leveled horses, yes.
Have I leveled them up to see perks and such, yes.
Have I covered the map numerous times on the mount since they came out, yes.

The only enjoyable part of any of it was just riding around for riding sake. Leveling them is tedious and boring. This made it a side task which I didn’t really continue to pursue, rather just let the exp come when it comes. However, the uses of a horse are nearly 0, therefor, the exp gain essentially stopped as the horse became just a piece of deco in my base.

  1. Horses are bad for Thralling. They just make the process more cumbersome (horses abysmally bad at unmounted ‘following’ combat, get in the way, potentially kill the one thrall I want, high likelyhood of dying. Horses for me have gone to full to nothing much faster after I get off of them vs. when I am on them. All this makes them a liability). This all stated not even considering you can’t drag and ride at the same time.

  2. Horses are bad for combat. Sure they protect the rider. Sure things die really quick as I hack and slash with my pred blade. However: The horses Vit, even on a good Vit horse is limited enough, I have to get off and heal the horse far more then I would any thrall. So the thrall is better there. The combat is extraordinarily boring. I either hack and slash in one spot, or take running passes at the enemy and slow down combat efficiency even further yawn. Its far far far quicker to just murder things on foot with combos and full range of weapon use (not to mention more entertaining and enjoyable). Add in the fact that I have to hop off my horse for any interaction like opening chests, looting bodies (not to even mention not being able to thrall like mentioned above). Horses never have a place in combat for me other then a novelty.

  3. Horses are terrible for gathering, farming (off of bodies through combat like mentioned above, or just supplies with a tool). I can carry more with my enc spec or a bearer thrall (I make heavy use of the enc perk as being primarily a builder. Having my Enc perk negated by a horse is extremely frustrating. I like how I am stronger then my horse at carrying things. Then I got on his back and break him. Geeze.
    Probably my main irritation with horses) When I farm, I farm with purpose, as I am typically building something big. I can get out to the resource speedily with the horse, but while I farm, I have to get off and on the horse countless times, which is extremely tedious, and after I farm, the horse just becomes a useless, potential liability, tag along. Once again, it just stays at home.

  4. Perks and leveling of the horse are just plain boring. Give me Vit or line up for the chopping block. Others may have found use for the other stats, however, as I feel the horse is virtually pointless in just about every area of the game, save for actually just riding a horse, all the stats seem pointless. Vit at least may keep them alive in a precarious situation at least. But outside of that, leveling a horse is only for the stam gain.

  5. Despite the fact they are fun to ride, they still are glitchy in certain circumstances which are just irritants when you are riding. Such as the horse hitting a pebble and coming to a full on stop. I understand they shouldn’t turn on a dime. I get the momentum mechanic actually being applied to a horse. That all makes for enjoyable riding. But then I hit a pebble, or slight undulation in terrain and I come screeching to a halt. After, I have a urge to punch something as the horse slowly winds up to speed again.

I think I could keep adding to the list, (and may if something else glaring pops into my head) but to avoid too much redundancy and conclude with my point:

Horses don’t really fit in the game. As has been originally stated by many since people first requested them. It was a massive effort on Funcom’s part and a trade off (relinquish of ability in game) by players, dealing with thrall limits and other performance restrictions just to add the horses. With all the work behind them, I would really love for them to have a meaningful presence in the game.

Currently they do not. They don’t fit in with anything else I am doing in Conan, when I am doing virtually anything and everything in Conan (admittedly, I don’t PvP. Maybe they are amazing there, but I would have to admit if only PvP got any use out of this core game change, it’d be a bummer).

Thank you for making them at least enjoyable to ride. If it was overly clunky, then I wouldn’t even be arguing for a better inclusion of them into the game, just their removal as it should have never been a priority in the first place. However, they are fun to ride. Players can make some fun activities out of their use…

Now Funcom should actually provide them a purpose for their existence. Right now, they are good for only looking pretty, or if I want to partake in a horse riding game, Conan flavored.

Its just when I log into Conan, I usually do it to play Conan, not simply ride a horse. Its lame that its a choice of either or, and horse riding isn’t actually a meaningful part of the game.

3 Likes
37

You do realize that most of that thread are people discussing the problems with horses as they are here.

Its much like the momentum change. Yes some people enjoyed it. No one is discrediting their positive take, however many others are finding issues with the addition. (Unlike momentum, luckily horses didn’t really break the game, they just don’t serve much purpose, which is a let down for such a time investment and big addition to the game).

Sure there are many individuals out there that have found their own individual use for horses. And it seems like that is the majority of people that find them a great addition. But that purpose you found is specific to you.

For many of us (I’d even wager/guess, most of us, but thats a hard number to back up, so I’ll leave it at ‘significant portion of us’) they just don’t have any place in the game. Sure I can ride around, and thats fun.

However, every other activity in Conan Exiles is at odds/conflict with the horses. I don’t need to check on distant bases to refresh, so don’t need it there. I am no longer on a official server due to thrall limit, so I don’t use my horses to visit other players. I already mentioned in my post above the most glaring issues and other areas of Conan that horses do not fit with/apply too.

There just very little to no point of them, other then just enjoying the horse riding alone, as a singular/separate aspect to the game.

I don’t think anyone would argue that they arn’t fun to ride (save for stopping on a pebble bit, thats just infuriating) but outside of doing that specific activity just for the point of riding, doesn’t draw me to log into Conan just for that and when I do log into Conan, I am doing Conan stuff. I am playing the rest of the game that the horse just doesn’t mesh in well with.

Its like a lost puzzle piece from another game got thrown in with CE. I enjoy it for what it is, but it doesn’t fit anywhere with the rest of the CE puzzle.

2 Likes
38

Off topic a bit, but I agree. If they could code a thrall to some how have half the stats when they are on follow it would make the player have to engage a bit more. Briefly speaking, thrall on its own needs buff because of limited AI, but on follow it should be more the helper, not the doer, so stats should be nerfed to make the player have to strategically work with the thrall. Again, the nerf would only be for Thralls when they are on follow.

any ways, the rest of your post is very much how i feel about mounts.

39

So basically nerf for PvE :smiley: No thanks :wink:

Or lets say: As long as players dont get buffed or get own dungeon boss weapons, let the thralls at their level. I dont want to waste 10mins at a single boss…

Maybe its time for own PvE weapons with higher dmg. Or for bosses only… Which dont do any dmg against normal enemies or other players.

40

So you are okay with being the companion to your thrall?

1 Like
41

Said it before elsewhere but I’ll restate it here. Ive been so busy with the new content that I havent used them much, but thats no indicator of how I’ll use them in the future. Time will tell.

42

Thats why I want own boss killing weapons? :smiley:
You cannot pump up the dmg everywhere… Then the normal content would be too easy.

PS.: When I kill faction camps, I do most of the work… My thrall only does the majority of the work, against bosses or when he runs far off killing NPCs I didnt even see.

43

I am in favor of taking the horses out again. And instead a new map is made on which one can experience new adventures.

Conan would become more interesting again because there would be new areas to deal with for weeks.

Of course, the first thing that is important is that all errors that have existed since the first day are finally solved and that we can finally complete all travel destinations.

On the subject of travel destinations, you could also make new destinations, other types of resources, etc.

Conan still has so much potential but unfortunately it is not used properly.

3 Likes