What do you guys think about mounts? I really like mounts in games, but with the dual scale maps, mounts must have other usage than travelling through the map. I think it would be really cool to have big mounts, ie. elephants(LOTR style), in pvp sieges to knock down doors, securing casters and archers from melee damage, and striking down enemies in front of it... another usage for mounts would be for hunting fast and big animals like bulls... and they could serve as strong pets too(eg. ultima online's mare)... i love the idea of getting of the mount and it helps me killing that big mob i cound't do by myself. what other usage for mounts can you guys think of?
I could easily see them carrying items for you, like pack mules or a horse with saddlebags. They'd make transporting goods a lot faster.
@Eriador: I don't remember them saying you could do that with taming in the KS campaign. However I would like to see it. I would really like to ride a dragon. Maybe it does not fly, for it could take out some of the core game mechanics, like encountering PvP. In game could see it giving more protected against enemies, while in an instance, and still attack.
besides everything it been said here, mounts was the one of main gold source to tamers too, specially newbie tamers... i hope they make tamers relevant to the game economic.
I think that mounts will still have a use with the dual scale map... Maybe they wont be necessarily needed in Ep 1 (dont think mounts are planned for Ep 1 anyways) I could see them being very handy in the later episodes when the map is many times bigger. If the plan is to still have the land size double with each new episode, as new continents are explored beyond the sea. I think it was said that the scale of the map has changed since the prototype, and the map is many times bigger. I seem to remember Chris saying this it in one of the Dev chats with LB (I will try to find the source)
Carrier type and actual mounts should be different. I really think there should be a RIDING skill, please I beg you good people! If dragons and those types of flying monsters can be tamed and used mounts as well. A Dragon Rider should ride a dragon not a merchant who just made enough gold to finally buy one. Don't get me wrong I really want to see flying mounts, gliding mounts, fast yet not sturdy, sturdy but not fast mounts. Hundred types of mounts, I love them, I embrace them. Yet some mounts should need skill to ride and I'm not talking about "training books" you buy for 3 gold AND NOW YOU CAN RIDE A DIREWOLF! No, god no..
@PABS: I just think flying mounts should be avoided for the time being because you could run at the littlest hint of danger. I do agree for rare mounts they should not be sold, but you have to actively seek and try to tame them, this would also apply to pets as well, and please don't weaken them so much when tamed that they are comparable to just a normal pet, we worked hard to acquire them, so they should be more powerful than astaticly rare.
Mounts better not be some button you click and then BAM! you're on a horse! I'd prefer that they need stabled/dragged around with you like UO. It made more sense. They would work out fine in dual scale. Like others have said, you could just move faster across the hexes.
Yes! Yes Arkhan had a great point. They're not pokemons, they are huge creatures. And yes I think they should be Soul Bound'ed to the person who TAMED them, not who first rode them. The creature should simply refuse to bow to someone else.