Mount & Blade - v. 0.950 Available

[magerette]

The official site (http://forums.taleworlds.net/index.php/topic,35650.0.html) for Mount & Blade, the indie rpg by Taleworlds, has posted the news that the latest version, 0.950, is ready to go. Here's a snip from the forum post:
I am happy to announce that version 0.950 is finally ready.

I hope you will see for yourself that this is the most sophisticated and improved Mount&Blade version so far, and this fact owes itself to the extra-ordinary efforts of our team and community...
This is not the final version yet, but we have put in most of the features we are planning to, and after this, our job will mostly be polishing rough corners and fixing bugs and problems. To this end, I hope that you will help us, as you always do, by providing feedback, comments and bug reports. We have the basics here, but there is still a lot to do, especially in terms of long term game balance, but I am sure, together, we'll create a stable and very fun game by the time we have the final release.
You can download the current version at the site, or from GamersHell (http://www.gamershell.com/news_49544.html) or Computer.ro. (http://computergames.ro/en/downloads/viewitem/id/10757/name/mount-blade-v0950-demo.html)


More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=8843)

[Dark Savant]

list of changes

No Zendar
New skill - looting
Training camps
Many new video options
Win favor of ladies
Challenge lords
Actual tournaments in the arena!
Fight in the arena in practice melee - no teams, enemies respawn.
Constant fights in the arena
New character development at the start
Many new animations - when you kill troops, the merchants moving around and not being perfectly still
Ask the citizens how they are doing
Ambient sounds in the towns
Spears seem better now! Thank god.
MANY new options for face creation
Heraldric equipment. Smile
New heroes.
Map is bigger
MANY new towns and cities
Don't say anything bad about the Rhodoks, they have a lot more land now.

[vanedor]

I reallly like the direction this game is going. It's so promising.

[Corwin]

I wish I could find time to update my OLD version and take another look.

[Brother None]

.950 is a leap forward from .903

Still feel it misses a lot of meat, though, this game. Especially if this is (sans polish) close to the final version.

[Corwin]

I think I have about version 6.2!! or should that be .062??

[vanedor]

I think it's probably version 0.620. Much likely.

[Jabberwocky]

.950 is a leap forward from .903

Still feel it misses a lot of meat, though, this game. Especially if this is (sans polish) close to the final version.

I agree wholeheartedly. I would prefer some story attached. But I got the impression this game was always intended to be a true sand-box game with no fluff.