ALEXANDER EB

[julianus heraclius]

Hi Guys,

I'm converting my late roman mod "Imperium Julianorum" for the ALEX.exe.

I'm having similiar problems as with Metallus had. My shortcut includes the noalexander at the end of the shortcut as stipulated. I can only access the main campaign via the provincial one. It also wont help me play custom battles, nor load my actual provincial game.

I am using a nocd exe file as I downloaded Alexander from the TotaWar website.

Can anyone enlighten me on any of the above.

Thanks

[maksimus]

@Metallus -- fixed the issue... still, I can say this.
1- It might be the problem with the vanilla default data install path. check it
2- It might be the problem of the use of ALX.exe (*exe only) prob. check it
3- It might be the patches issue - I had some tries to use ALX.exe without any patch and it worked for me but then again I only tried if the Custom battel works!

I hope it helps a bit..
You post if your prob is not solved I might help if you give some ''detailed'' prob description


.)

[AngryTitusPullo]

Hi Guys,

I'm converting my late roman mod "Imperium Julianorum" for the ALEX.exe.

I'm having similiar problems as with Metallus had. My shortcut includes the noalexander at the end of the shortcut as stipulated. I can only access the main campaign via the provincial one. It also wont help me play custom battles, nor load my actual provincial game.

I am using a nocd exe file as I downloaded Alexander from the TotaWar website.

Can anyone enlighten me on any of the above.

Thanks

You mod was originally made for BI right ? The it's possible the descr_strat file still have bi options written there like this (I took example from TIC)

; TIC 1.0.0

campaign		iberia_campaign
options  bi
playable
	spain
	carthage
end
unlockable
end
nonplayable
	britons
	counter_faction
	mini_faction
	gauls
	slave
end

start_date	-238 summer
end_date	-218 winter

rebelling_characters_active
gladiator_uprising_disabled
night_battles_enabled
brigand_spawn_value 80
pirate_spawn_value 70

I changed to options bi words to be like in alex strat file to play with alex.exe

; TIC 1.0.0

campaign		iberia_campaign
options +defeat_movie_bi_style
playable
	spain
	carthage
end
unlockable
end
nonplayable
	britons
	counter_faction
	mini_faction
	gauls
	slave
end

start_date	-238 summer
end_date	-218 winter

rebelling_characters_active
gladiator_uprising_disabled
night_battles_enabled
brigand_spawn_value 80
pirate_spawn_value 70

Just make sure there's no hording faction since alex.exe don't support hording feature

[maksimus]

If I may add, the right ''descr_start.txt'' tweak is the following (assuming you want night battles enabled)

(example)
campaign imperial_campaign
options +prebattle_night_battle_tickbox
playable
seleucid
pontus
scythia
parthia
numidia
romans_julii
egypt
gauls
germans
britons
greek_cities
macedon
carthage
romans_scipii
dacia
armenia
spain
thrace
romans_brutii
saba
slave
nd
unlockable
end
nonplayable

end


start_date -272 summer
end_date 14 summer

night_battles_enabled
brigand_spawn_value 50
pirate_spawn_value 95

[julianus heraclius]

Thanks guys,

I tried your suggestions, maksimus, I changed the file path to match the vanilla; no change, LestaT, I altered the strat_descr>txt file as you suggested; no change.

I think that it may be the nocd ALX.exe file. I will hunt down a CD version and see if that fixes things.

And yes IJ is a mod of BIV1.6.

I my limited experience using the ALX.exe I have noticed better battles, the Sassanids actually try to outflank you, which is something a cavalry based army should do. Great.

Cheers

[chenkai11]

I my limited experience using the ALX.exe I have noticed better battles, the Sassanids actually try to outflank you, which is something a cavalry based army should do. Great.

Cheers

First time I encounter AI trying to outflank you, I was a little stunned. It felt like you are used to fight enemy almost in the same manner everytime, and suddenly the enemy came up with a new brilliant general and changed their stradegy and formation, and I was caught in a critical moment in the middle of the battle.

[maksimus]

Something like this
This is a classical example of AI Battle use - when you run at him he will spread and flank you

[chenkai11]

err maksimus..... what are those units being flanked?

[maksimus]

its a classic AI flank maneuver in ALX - I have tested it on custom and at the time I was charged - the whole AI army was in group - but then those two flank units dissolved on the side's and closed mine (offcourse I did it just for the test - in RTW this would hardly ever happen)

[chenkai11]

I mean the unit card

[maksimus]

Oh.. It is tested on ALX EB beta 2 mod that I will hopefully upload tonight..

It is a China unit recruited only in Sulek as mercenary.. and there are China rebels there..

[Admetos]

Um... Wow? Chinese rebels...

[maksimus]

They are from ''China mod'' - they are recruatable as mercenaries (in Sulek only), they spawn as rebels (in Sulek only), and they have benefit prices verses some other hellenic unit but with less armor (but +1 skill for example etc..)..(oh.. and they come in great numbers! )

I will upload the beta 2 mod hopefully tonight ..

[chenkai11]

Great! can't wait.

*I always dream of Ancient China against Ancient Europe*

[maksimus]

BETA 2 is up!


note: this is a release candidate

[Dominatrixx]

Hi mates . I've tried Alexander Extended Mod today and it all looks great to me except units system . I've played EB 1 before just usind Alex.exe and all options needed + "Various tweaks patch" (that one which makes different building costs, income, 0 turn recruitment and other useful stuff). Campaigns were absolutely great (except usually overpowered Ptolemaios, but as i know everyone has that problem in EB 1). But it became boring to start campaign again and know what will happen in next 20-30 turns (i'm playing for Romans only) ans then i saw that Alex mod BETA 2 is released. I've installed it and most of the stuff looks great (new units, new building effects and buildtime, at last big rebels armies roaming the map and guarding rebel cities and e.t.c.) but then i got the same feeling like i had in original EB - money go to minus right from the start, units upkeep is HUGE, and 1 turn recruiment... I can play with this options ok, but AI factions become much more passive and weak. Now if one AI faction get kicked by another 1-2 times seriously it can't hit back like in EB 1 with those tweaks (because now factions have little money + 1 unit in city per turn only). SO for example macedons kicked greeks from Athens and Sparta in about 10-12 turns and grees had only Rhodos left 9with small army in city). In EB 1 with tweaks this wasn't possible - Epeiros, macedons and greeks warred all the time but noone could take a clear win because all of them had huge armies and quie a lot of money. The same situation was with Rome vs. Carthagio - taking of isles were relatively easy but in Africa it was very hard to kick Carthagio because they had eough money to create few units stack every turn to defend thir territory from my raids.
So, the question is - is it possible to return those 0 turn recruitment and lower upkeeps for this mod (because i really like it and except those few bad things it feels much better than just EB 1 with Alex.exe)?
P.S. I cam make it myself usind descr_units.txt for example but i fear that i cam create some disbalance because this mod ovewrites almost all EB files, not only those for buildings and units...

[maksimus]

Hi mates . I've tried Alexander Extended Mod today and it all looks great to me except units system . I've played EB 1 before just usind Alex.exe and all options needed + "Various tweaks patch" (that one which makes different building costs, income, 0 turn recruitment and other useful stuff). Campaigns were absolutely great (except usually overpowered Ptolemaios, but as i know everyone has that problem in EB 1). But it became boring to start campaign again and know what will happen in next 20-30 turns (i'm playing for Romans only) ans then i saw that Alex mod BETA 2 is released. I've installed it and most of the stuff looks great (new units, new building effects and buildtime, at last big rebels armies roaming the map and guarding rebel cities and e.t.c.) but then i got the same feeling like i had in original EB - money go to minus right from the start, units upkeep is HUGE, and 1 turn recruiment... I can play with this options ok, but AI factions become much more passive and weak. Now if one AI faction get kicked by another 1-2 times seriously it can't hit back like in EB 1 with those tweaks (because now factions have little money + 1 unit in city per turn only). SO for example macedons kicked greeks from Athens and Sparta in about 10-12 turns and grees had only Rhodos left 9with small army in city). In EB 1 with tweaks this wasn't possible - Epeiros, macedons and greeks warred all the time but noone could take a clear win because all of them had huge armies and quie a lot of money. The same situation was with Rome vs. Carthagio - taking of isles were relatively easy but in Africa it was very hard to kick Carthagio because they had eough money to create few units stack every turn to defend thir territory from my raids.
So, the question is - is it possible to return those 0 turn recruitment and lower upkeeps for this mod (because i really like it and except those few bad things it feels much better than just EB 1 with Alex.exe)?
P.S. I cam make it myself usind descr_units.txt for example but i fear that i cam create some disbalance because this mod ovewrites almost all EB files, not only those for buildings and units...

Well, I can say that I wanted to make lower upkeep and more money in general for Human and AI.. but it was a call of the other ALXEB members.. can you post screenshots of progression in your EB beta 2 campaign even if you only test..?! :hmmm:

And I havent had the time to test much (which I did for beta 1)

I hope that overpowered Ptolemaios are solved in this beta2 - please post screens and try to play on VERY HARD CAMPAIGN AND MEDIUM BATTLES

But let me tell you - this is beta still so it is possible to make more money in.. and lower upkeep cost - its just that we must wait some others to backup your suggestion

[Dominatrixx]

Well, I can say that I wanted to make lower upkeep and more money in general for Human and AI.. but it was a call of the other ALXEB members.. can you post screenshots of progression in your EB beta 2 campaign even if you only test..?! :hmmm:

And I havent had the time to test much (which I did for beta 1)

I hope that overpowered Ptolemaios are solved in this beta2 - please post screens and try to play on VERY HARD CAMPAIGN AND MEDIUM BATTLES

But let me tell you - this is beta still so it is possible to make more money in.. and lower upkeep cost - its just that we must wait some others to backup your suggestion

I don't like to play campaigns on VERY HARD because diplomacy becomes useless and AI cheats hard with money
I don't have any screens because i've deleted saves already but what did i saw to the year 265 B.C. :

1 - AS and Ptolemaios fighting with each other as usually but this time AS won a pair of battles and as a result took 1 Ptolemaios city without losing any. They have 2 full stack armies near Antiochea and in range sight of my spies i saw only 1 full stack Ptolemaios army not far from Damascos (territory around Alexandrea is almost empty of any Ptolemaios units).
2 - Pontos already took Galatia and continue expanding.
3 - Pahlava took 1 province from AS aready.
4 - Macedons almost owned greeks - they took Sparta and Athenai and have 3 full stack armies. Greeks have only a half-stack at Rhodos so it seems game almost ended for them (at 265 B.C.!!!).Epeiros won't hold for long too i think. Looks like Macedonia is going to own all like in RTR Platinum.
5 - Carthagio is passive.
No info about other factions (didn't send spies). I've played at H/H.
And one funny thing about syracusian free roaming army under command of Hiero - they camped near Syracusai but when i've besieged Rhegion with my 2/3 stack army they made a run and attacked (!!!) me near Rhegion. I've run away but they followed (!!!) me almost until Capua, totally pwned me in battle (3 units of elephants at H level is pwnage) and then went back to Sicilia and stand near Messiana. When i've tried to besiege Rhegion once again in few turns (with full stak army this time) he attacked me again and pwned once again!!! This looks so stupid - it means that if u want to take Rhegion u need to fight great syracousai army at the same time...
So, what will u suggest to me? Wait for next version? Or try to make .txt configs myself (with a chance of creating some disbalance to the mod)? Or make something different?

[Dominatrixx]

Btw, Maksimus, i've checked unit_descr in Alex mod an "tweaks mod" and saw that all units which are in both mode have absolutely the same price and upkeep. The only difference is that in Alex mod there is no more 0 turn recruitment. So as i understand the problem with money is not in units - it's only because cities generate less income. So i've got an idea - what will be if i'll leave ur mod settings like they're but only set 0 turn recruitment and edit descr_buildings somehow to get something like i had with "tweaks"? Won't it cause any disbalance or bugs? Because i'm gonna leave all except descr_units and descr_buildings as it was set by you (too many files to understand what you've done ). Plz give me idea how to make it
P.S. IMHO 0 turn recruitment with some more money for all factions brings much more fun and realism to the game (bigger armies, interesting AI vs. AI fights, longer campaigns with beating AI harder and e.t.c.) without making it like Roma Surrectum massacre. because anyway units cost a lot and money are not limitless, but those money are enough for historical & roleplay gameplay stuff

[maksimus]

I need that faction progression info very much! Thanks!

But...

To tell you the truth, I am not the one that is in charge of EBBS tweaks, so you will have to wait for LGK..

And I am not sure I understand what you mean with ''0 turn recruitment''

There is one very simple solution that you can use and balance the income - just raise the values of resources in ''descr_sm_resources.txt'' (like + 100% to all reasources)

And about the 'VERY HARD' campaign difficulties, I am not sure diplomaci is passive, but one thing is for sure - on 'VERY HARD' campaign difficulty Koinon Hellenon are shiping army from Rhodos all the time and AI is buying more mercenaries (in the case of greece Macedonian armies dont have space to recruit mercenaries - so that is KH job - they accumulate more and ALL mercenaries from Greece so they fight Macedonia after that):hmmm:

Also, Epeiros is very strong with Pyrrhos, many times did he took Pella in my tests..

Anyway, I can tweak some files if you know what you want and upload them for you and others...