SCGavins' Ideas for Mods

[SCGavin]

I list some ideas that I had or which I found here and thought to be very good, so that modders might integrate them in their mods if they wish. I'll add entries on this list from time to time. If you are a modder and like to integrate one of this ideas, you don't need to ask me, but please inform me, so that I can play it . Please be free to comment on my ideas or add you're two pence to them.

Features

• Embassies: (Use: embassies affect the host nations opinion in favour of the nation with the embassy) In another strategy game that dealt with the time ("Imperial Glory") nations could build embassies in other nations capitals. If a nation built and embassy in a capital, the host country would gradually become more friendly towards the nation owning the capital. If the nation with the embassy declared war on the host country the other nations opinion would of course drop rapidly - regardless of an embassy.
  
  • Alternatively Ambassadors: Idea by Johan217. Might be easier to implement than embassies. (Details: Post 6)
    
  
  

• Peaceful annexation: (Use: Annexation of countries by peaceful and diplomatic ways, similar to rebellions, only in a "good way") The aforementioned embassies would (in "Imperial Glory") furthermore help to annex the country they are build in. "Imperial Glory" featured more buildings that could be build in other minor nations capitals and affect their opinion favourably. Additionally presents could be make, so that at some point the host nation would become annexed, due to their friendship or love for the other country. While Empire already features rebellions, I'd like to have the opposite: not regions being lost due to unhappiness, but regions won due to extreme happiness.[/spoiler]

• Coalitions: (Use: Alliances with several nations that are all allied to each other) Another feature of "Imperial Glory" that I liked was the option to enter into a coalition with several other countries. In ETW it bothered me sometimes that my allies declared war on each other and forced me to chose a side. I think it would be much better if I could ally my nation with e.g. Austria and the United Provinces, but have them enter an alliance to each other as well, so that in the end all three nations are allied with each other.

• Morale: (Use: Units or individuals desert when suffering heavy losses and/or receiving little payment. This could be countered by more pay. This idea was influenced or originates in a similiar idea by PaulKingtiger) While units in ETW desert after being routed, it would make more sense that they would desert not on the battlefield, but on the campaign map. Historically many units routed but later returned to fight (in the same or another battle). Routing has been implemented in Empire, but deserting like it could be experienced in Medieval 2 has not. Units or rather individuals would desert, when their pay was to low, their losses to great, their distance from home to far etc. An English exploditianary army in e.g. India that is badly paid and suffered heavy losses and numerous lost battles, might desert in it's entirety, because it's in enemy territory (or near forrests / mountains), where no English policing forces could reach them. To counter that desire to desert units payments could be raised.

• Newspapers / Gazettes: (Use: In ETW we write our own history - but where do we read about it? In newspapers one could read about his or her achievements, about won battles, conquered regions, slain heroes and more.) Some generals or admirals in ETW have a trait that says they are mentioned in newspapers. This reminded me of the "FIFA Football (or Soccer) Manager", where one could read about his/her achievments in a newspaper. I believe a newspaper that automatically generates articles about battles, declarations of war etc. might be a bit futuristic for ETW, but I think it'd be a great addition. Furthermore I believe that in the times the game deals with, a promotion would be gazetted (meaning it would be mentioned in a newspaper) to be official. All promotions of Captains (or Colonels - could be that I mix up MTW2 and ETW) could be mentioned in the newspaper.

Units

• Connought Rangers: Irish Regiment fighting for the English. Known for their fierceness.

Fixes / smaller things

• The general direction of enemy forces (North, East etc.) should be displayed in the pre-battle deployment time, so that one is able to deploy according to the position of the enemy army. By espionage and scouts the general direction or position of the enemy forces would be known.

• In all ETW versions (vanilla and mods) that I played so far, the general was always the first unit of a reinforcing army that entered the battlefield. That often led to my general being killed because he was the only unit on the field at that place and time (the other army would be somewhere else and the other reinforcements would not yet have arrived). Therefore I'd like the general to arrive not as the first reinforcing unit. Historically and army and I believe every organized body of soldiers would have a vanguard and a rearguard and probably scouts, so the general would realistically not be the first unit on a battlefield.

[Die_and_Walk]

Imperial Glory?

[Göteborgare]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Glory

[SCGavin]

Imperial Glory?

Yeah. That game was quite nice as it is similar to the Total War games and depicts the times of Napoleon Bonaparte, which made it and interesting game for me. Graphics and gameplay weren't as good as previous Total War games or as good as Empire, but some of the aforementioned features would be a good addition to Empire.

[TheWorldEngland]

<_<

Imperial Glory wasn't a good game. Stupid game mechanics and how units would always charge with no control of them during the melee sucked the gameplay out of me. I'm glad I broke my disk with my two bare hands.

[PhallosMaximus]

<_<

Imperial Glory wasn't a good game. Stupid game mechanics and how units would always charge with no control of them during the melee sucked the gameplay out of me. I'm glad I broke my disk with my two bare hands.

Yes, you're right,- my copy is collecting dust somewhere. Only good thing was the naval combat,- I became pretty good at them, but ETW is a superior game in every aspect.

Cheers,

[Johan217]

Overall, Imperial Glory was indeed a failure
Units moving at incredible speed, melee fights to the death without any possibility to withdraw.

But it did some things right, especially in campaign mode. Multinational armies, peaceful annexations, embassies, victory objectives on the battlefield...

I find the Embassy idea especially interesting. ETW won't allow building anything in another nation's territory however. But there may be aworkaround using character traits and agents. For example, have a trait "Ambassador" for gentlemen, so when you put him in another nation's capital it increases their opinion of you. As a bonus, this would make these agents actually useful (though I doubt the AI will be able to take advantage of this).

As for multinational armies... I refer to The Rights of Man mod for ETW (shameless plug )

[SCGavin]

Overall, Imperial Glory was indeed a failure
Units moving at incredible speed, melee fights to the death without any possibility to withdraw.

But it did some things right, especially in campaign mode. Multinational armies, peaceful annexations, embassies, victory objectives on the battlefield...

I find the Embassy idea especially interesting. ETW won't allow building anything in another nation's territory however. But there may be aworkaround using character traits and agents. For example, have a trait "Ambassador" for gentlemen, so when you put him in another nation's capital it increases their opinion of you. As a bonus, this would make these agents actually useful (though I doubt the AI will be able to take advantage of this).

As for multinational armies... I refer to The Rights of Man mod for ETW (shameless plug )

I like the idea with the ambassador. I'd think that such a feature could be integrated into the game much easier than for example embassies.

[KozCDVI]

That Coalition idea is certainly worth waiting to see what happens for...

[Greggo]

very good ideas SCGavin
Its would be a beginning to make TW more a strategy game.
At this point TW is only a mixture of chess and a virtual museum for Units....