In context: Modding has come a long way. By now, most of us are aware of mods that add completely new mechanics and systems as well as community-created assets and even DLC-like content to games. However, it's not every day we see two games being merged into one through modding.
If you've played Crusader Kings III, you know it focuses on delivering a political and social simulation through complex systems without paying much attention to the visual side of things. On the other hand, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord tries to be the most visual and realistic medieval-warfare simulator possible, putting massive armies against one another with all the chaos, visceral combat and bodies that result from it.
Imagine picking the best of each game to create a new one, and you'll have Crusader Battle. However, this isn't a game. It's a mod that uses Mount & Blade II's impressive mechanics to generate a battle for Crusader Kings III. The battle's outcome is then transferred to Crusader Kings III, where you can continue playing as per usual.
The mod's creator explained that when passing the Crusader Kings III data to Bannerlord, the mod calculates the size ratio between the armies and limits the battle to a maximum of 1,000 soldiers distributed by both sides. The mod is also responsible for trying to select the best-suited Bannerlord units based on the Crusader Kings III's armies.
In the future, the Crusader Blade creator plans to introduce more units and mechanics, including siege, duels, inventory and equipment systems, and then some.
To install the mod, you'll need to own both Crusader Kings III and Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. After launching the mod, you'll be asked to specify the paths to Bannerlord.exe and CK3.exe, and select language and "maximum battle size" for Mount & Blade II.
To find the paths for the .exe files, go to your Steam Library, right-click on one of the titles and select "Manage" and "Browse Local Files." In the newly-opened window, search for the "bin/Win64_Shipping_Client" folder in the Mount & Blade II installation directory or the "binaries" folder in the Crusader Kings III directory. There you'll find their respective .exe files.
The first public version of the mod is now available to download through its page on itch.io.
https://www.techspot.com/news/92042-crusader-blade-mod-uses-mount-blade-ii-fight.html
