Ding Dong, NI Is Dead

[BaconPancakes]

Hey, I'm sure a lot of you know me as I've left and came back to this mod probably 50 times over the past few years, but I think it has finally died because of a couple of reasons:

1. No new content... ever
  This mod is EXACTLY the same as when I first started playing, not a single thing has been added to the mod. The first time you beat the 20 waves is the same as the next 1000 times you beat it. Of course I know you'll want to say "well then let's see you come up with some good content then, bp", which is a stupid answer, but made me think. I honestly cannot think of anything good you could possibly add to this mod, and the fact that nobody else has either in several years shows that this mod was doomed to fail from the very beginning. The mod is fundamentally flawed in that it's stuck with the same basic content and will never evolve beyond that. The game will always be the same low-skill grind. You might also say "but what about all the cool new items and maps, bp". Items and maps may seem like new content, but ultimately do nothing, and I'll say why in my next points.

2. No fun allowed
  You're discouraged from doing anything that deviates from the normal way of play. Everyone gets mad or even reports you if you're not playing as efficiently and as boring as you can. If you place your cades in the "wrong" spot, reported, if you're wearing the "wrong" armor, reported, if you use the tomes at the "wrong" times, reported. I remember I was kicked from a server once because I was doing creative things with my own wall cades just to mix it up and have fun. If you run around naked or with low tier armor, people will unironically get mad at you because they think you're messing up the run.
  The times I've had the most fun in this mod is when everyone is dicking around and not just playing the same way the game is always played. I actually sometimes enjoy when some memer comes into the run and messes things up because I think it's pretty funny, and I'm not going to be the guy who flips and reports someone over it. Even when maps are changed or added, it doesn't make the game more fun because people will choose a spot and cade there every time. The maps are just a change in scenery, but the game is played the same way and there's never any options on how to play.

3. Trading is such a hassle
  It is so hard to get the items you want because people only trade with the goal of getting the items they want. When you make an offer to someone from your big pile of shitty legendaries, they don't want to sell their item because they are looking for specific items. It becomes even more tragic when only a couple of other people own that item and none of them want your stuff, and you have to sit there for hours reshuffling your items through trades to try and come up with a good offer (and likely lose money in the process). A couple of months ago I looted a very valuable legendary, but today I still find myself using mostly the same stuff, and tons of random junk I don't use, because I can't be fucked with messing around with all these trades trying to get the items I want.

4. Legendaries are all that matter
  When you get past the early game, the only way you can increase your wealth in a significant way is to loot a legendary. Once you gather a certain amount of wealth, the only real reason you still do runs is for the chance at a legendary. The fact that getting a legendary is so insanely random makes it so that you may turn up empty handed even after several years, and your gains in wealth will have been minuscule for all the time you put in compared to someone more lucky. Many will say "You get 100k per rag run so just do lots of rag runs LOL". The thing is, I haven't seen a single successful public rag run in months (maybe there's more in EU servers or something), and if you join a house they only do them a few times a week, and I honestly don't care enough to get on a specific times of the day to join events anymore.
  Crafted items have become nothing more that mini-legendaries. None of them are crafted anymore because they're ALL unprofitable to make, and gathering mats is tedious that only a small amount of players actually do. So, only a finite amount of crafted items are in the game and you can't make your own, which makes mats essentially worthless.

5. The super-rich control the market
  The end game in the mod is awful. Even when you're able to afford the highest tier equipment, you can never actually obtain them. One of the problems is the REALLY rich people that have hundreds of millions of gold. They own nearly all the desirable legendaries and trade to make a profit. When a new legendary is dropped for the first time, they are able to buy it for an insanely high amount that nobody can compete with. If you wanted that legendary then you are forced to wait months for another to drop (which will just be bought by the super-rich), because they are not going to sell it unless you pay twice what it should actually be worth. Adding new legendaries to the game is pointless because only a small amount of people will ever get to use them.

6. No purpose
  Once you get to the max level on your char, there is little reason to keep playing. Sure you can keep playing to get all the ebin legendaries, but really it hardly makes that much of a difference, and honestly most people, including me, just want them for that high fashion and bragging rights. I've joked plenty of times saying that all that matters in this game is "trick shots, sick spins, and fashion", but I've realized how true it is. Whether I have a war bow or a 100m bow that shoots laser beams will probably not change the course of the run or even keep me from getting the most kills. You just obtain legendaries so you can obtain more legendaries slightly faster. Why should I play for hundreds of hours just to get that +2 armor bonus from the next armor upgrade.

I was hoping to really play the mod again if it got remade in Bannerlord, but I don't think it'll change even then. If you see me in-game make sure to call me a faggot for still playing the game after making this really long shitpost.