I followed this ox around in Manor Lords for a day to see what wisdom it could teach me
, is what we discovered. We ended up finding a considerable amount of information.
As I was testing out Manor Lords for my review, I made a mental note to observe the different paths that the villagers and animals take on a daily basis. This game has a lot of attention to detail, which makes it even more interesting since some aspects are not fully revealed, which may frustrate certain players. Therefore, I decided to spend some time observing and analyzing the movements of the animals, in particular the oxen.
I can promise you that unless Alice Bee carefully edits this article, I will most likely write ox as ‘Ox’ as if it were a proper noun. This is because my childish brain has a tendency to think of them as “Ox big, Ox important” when I’m not being careful. However, I stand by this instinct because oxen are indeed significant, particularly in Manor Lords. Meet Thomas.
The game has given the name Thomas to an ox which fits him perfectly. He has a habit of snorting often. The person guiding him is not very intelligent and keeps shouting phrases like "come on lad" or "come along laddie" even when Thomas is walking at an appropriate pace. I had initially intended to follow this person around for the day, but I quickly became bored with the incessant noises. I made a mental note to load this saved game later when privy cleaning jobs are added to the game. I sat back and watched as Tom the ox went about his daily routine, hoping to gain insight into myself.
As the sun shines down, Tom makes his way through the village. Every so often, the music fades out and the background noise of the town can be heard, with the high-pitched laughter of children and the deep voices of adults rising above the bustle of chatter, tools, and carts along the dirt paths. Sometimes, Tom and his guide manage to magically pass through a fence. I can't really blame the game for that, though. Only a foolish writer with a constant need for content would spend so much time zoomed in that close. However, there are occasions where they end up passing straight through houses, which could potentially be a problem. It might be worth investigating how to add ox-induced destruction as a hazardous game mechanic. Maybe they could become intoxicated from eating fermented apples, much like deer do.
Tom was soon taken to a trading post where he met his new guide, Grethlein. Grethlein parked her ox, Jacob, and brought Tom along as they headed to the woods to gather timber. This experience taught me something interesting: woodcutters do not typically carry all the timber they cut down. Instead, a different family who guides a separate ox is responsible for transporting the wood. This level of detail is quite granular.
As they cut down the trees, I figured it would be a good idea to bring back a cherished RPS custom that has not been used lately. I am talking about OxFacts™, without a doubt.
Okay, that's enough for now. It's time to get back to work.
As the log is dragged across the ground, small clouds of dirt rise up into the air. It was not necessary to include these details, Greg Manorlords, but I am grateful for your attention to detail. Soon, melancholy music starts to play with a mix of eerie vocals and somber strings. At this point, I can't help but feel Tom deserves a break and a treat. Sadly, it's the 14th century, and nobody knows how to make chocolate stick to biscuits like Hobnobs, so he will have to settle for hay and some superstition juice. Despite the questionable diet, Tom appears to be in great shape with well-defined muscles and shiny textures. Much like the dirt effects, the model work for Tom is exceptionally impressive, exceeding what was likely necessary for this project.
Take a look at the number of oxen presented in the picture. Thus far, I haven't witnessed a single ox unintentionally overlapping with another. This indicates to me that, to some extent, the oxen are cognizant of one another. It's pretty neat to see how they are code mates! Earlier on, I saw two horses penetrate through each other, but the oxen, who are an advanced species, do not. I believe the reasoning for this is that the oxen have names and are therefore seen as distinguished entities, unlike horses without names who are viewed as part of the scenery. In terms of coding, I imagine this is what is meant by "putting respect on the oxen's names."
One more thing to note is that when villagers pushing carts and oxen walking are heading towards each other, they tend to obstruct each other's movement and decrease their own speed. To achieve maximum efficiency in your village, you may want to consider creating a large system of unpaved roads that reduces these encounters. However, this may not be as exciting as watching oxen.
Once Thomas has dropped off the log at the sawpit, he heads off to take a break. I happen to see Jacob, the ox, following behind him, also winding down - maybe all the oxen take a break at the same hour? I searched high and low for my third ox to confirm, but he seems to be absent, possibly off chasing after some bears. Despite it being a peaceful and cool time for the oxen to rest, when Thomas reaches his designated area, I observe something awful. Instead of his status changing to 'resting', it switches to 'waiting'.
Is this ox so influenced by the strict beliefs of always working taught by the puritans that he can no longer recognize the concept of free time? The sorrow in his eyes says it all, and fortunately for me, he can't talk. This is what I think the true wisdom of the ox of Manor Lords is: Don't just sit and wait for work to come around again, but live freely like an ox without a heavy burden. Thank you, Thomas. May your socks made from cotton and ox fur be blessed.
