Eagle Standard Volume VII Issue VII

**B. Ward** · August 02, 2009, 04:17 AM

Letter from the Editor
A day late, but never a dollar short. We here at the Eagle Standard are honored to be able to bring you another issue. From community members, for community members. First a foremost, I want to thank Empress Meg for all of her guidance, support, and hard work with all things content. She was a driving force in making sure that things were always smooth, organized, and as friendly and inviting as they could be. She was an inspiration of genuine leadership and exemplary character. May she be embraced as one of the all time greats. She will always have a special place in the heart of the ES and I'm sure with all of the site's publications. Thank you for all you've done your highness. Although we have lost Empress Meg as our content manager, remember, someone has to fill in those shoes. So I want to also extend my congratulations and never ending support to one of content staff's very own, jimkatalanos. A very deserving and knowledgeable selection if I do say so myself, and I am. He has the full support of the Eagle Standard on maintaining the high standards put forth by those before us and to be a beacon inspiration for those to come after. Once again congrats and may your experience and personality help you to be as incredible as we all know you will be.
As with the midsummer, many members have come and gone, but the ES lives on with the change of times. Many think of hibernation with the winter season, but the summer brings vacations, lazy lake days, cookouts, picnics, and other experiences that draw us away from our comfortable computer chairs and the world of TWC as we know it. But don't you worry at all because we are only resting and preparing for some new and exciting things to help elevate the ES even higher. We want to thank all our readers and our great community as a whole. Because without you, we wouldn't be. So thank you from all of us here at the Eagle Standard. Any questions anyone has about our publication and ways you can become involved, please pm me and I will respond A.S.A.P. Please forgive me in advance if it takes longer than expected...I'm a busy guy, but I promise you, I got you. Until next time.

B. Ward
Eagle Standard Chief Editor

Table of Contents

Round Table

Community Competitions

An Interview with Seleucos of Olympia Immortal of The Greek War (TGW)

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Today, I bring you yet another interview. This time, a Rome Total War Mod for RTW 1.5.

The Greek Wars is a Mod that sets you in about 350 B.C. during the Greek Wars amazingly

But I have to say, I have learned a pretty good bit about this mod and from the Screenshots, it looks awesome.

1. So Seleucos, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m 29 years old, and I’m currently doing a PhD in astrophysics at the University of Athens. I’ve been playing Total War games ever since Shogun, but I only became interested in the fora in 2004, joining first the official forum and then TWC. Both have been an endless source of procrastination over the years.

2. Why did you decide to get into modding? Rome Total War modding specifically.

Back in 2005, I noticed a thread by a young modder named DimeBagHo, where he presented his idea for a “Minimal Greek Mod”, i.e. a very, very small mod which would make some very small changes to the vanilla Greek factions to make them more detailed. Back then I was afraid of major modifications. They seemed to me like huge, lumbering Frankenstein creations which changed the game dynamics in strange and uncomfortable ways. But the changes proposed in that mod seamed completely reasonable and it hardly altered the rest of the game, so I volunteered to help. I had some experience with 2D graphics and ancient history, so I found myself making unit cards and taking part in conversations about altering game dynamics. Afterwards, I started playing other mods, including total conversions, but after a few months I realised that I lacked the time to keep up my work as a modder, so I decided to take a break. That break ended with the development of The Greek Wars in 2008.

3. The title of the mod tells generally where its located. What is the specific aim of your mod regarding the Greeks?

The aim is to attain a balance of factions reminiscent of Shogun Total War – i.e. a game where you struggle to attain hegemony over a small geographical area against enemies similar to you, and yet because of that geographical restriction and faction similarity the subtle differences become important, and you never lose your immersion by finding yourself attaining unrealistic goals.

4. Is your mod accurate to real history, or is it alternate history?

It’s a little bit of both, actually. The mod is based on a group story of the same name written by me and several other people, some of whom have contributed to the mod’s development, but that only really affects two things: the loading screen quotes, which are all taken from the story, and the character names and faction descriptions for five of the eleven factions. Everything else is historical, and that includes unit types, faction borders and the general setting of the mod, which takes place between the end of the Theban Hegemony and the Battle of Chaeronia (360-338BC).

5. Had any difficulties with "The Greek Wars"?

Yes, several. When we started this project we were basically a bunch of writers, and I was the only one with some limited modding experience. I started out as just a mapper, but as time progressed I had to work on practically every aspect of the mod, and that ended up taking much more of my time than I had anticipated. It would be overwhelming at times, and after the mod was released I felt like taking a long break from modding…

6. Anything specific that attracts player to your mod?

I’d think the first thing that would attract players to TGW is the classical Greek setting. Over the years there have been several ambitious mods in development dealing with classical Greece, and some of them may well be nearing completion, but so far TGW is the only one to have been released. It’s released and it’s stable. If there was a “Greek mod curse”, as it is often jokingly said in the community, then the curse has been broken.

7. How hard was this mod to do? Did you encounter any difficulties with it? If so, what were they?

The greatest difficulty was the lack of a modeler in our team. We had to make do with models from vanilla RTW and XGM, which I re-skinned in Paint Shop Pro 6.0. Then, when it came time to make UI cards, I had to use an arduous process that involved taking screen shots and manually creating alpha layers, again because I didn’t have the programs or expertise to do it the easy way.

8. What was the latest update for the mod? What did it do?

The latest update was 0.95, which fixed some bugs encountered after the first release, and also rebalanced the unit stats and added a rich variety of geographically correct last names for all factions. Since that version, TGW has been stable, with no game-breaking bugs reported to date. It would have made sense to call that version 1.0 but, being a perfectionist and having a few new ideas in my mind, I decided to hold off on that until I could be perfectly happy with the end result. Work is progressing slowly towards that end.

9. Anyone specific that really helped with this mod?

Alexius 17, being one of the writers of the original TGW story, helped a lot by founding a forum which we used partially as a development forum for TGW. Without it, it is doubtful that we would have ever considered making this mod. He also actively contributed in its development. KingLarsofMars joined the project when we were all tired and frustrated, and he breathed new life into it with his enthusiasm. Volksie started the TGW story and he contributed some 2D art to the mod, as did Raja and Sipahi. The rest of the writers helped out in small ways, and the community has been helpful with suggestions and bug-spotting.

10. How did you have time for this mod?

That’s a good question! I sometimes wonder about that myself… After the fact, it seems strange that I could devote so many hours of my life into this. Whenever I entered an exciting phase in development, I would spend almost all my free time working on it. Needless to say, during these phases my social life suffered, but I wouldn’t notice until after I would realize that a week had passed and all I had to show for it were a bunch of pixels…

11. How long did you work on it?

It took a little less than a year, from the early stages of development to the release of the latest version (0.95). But for around half that time there was no work being done at all, especially during the summer. There was a flurry of enthusiasm in May 2008, when I made the map and we came up with the faction symbols, and then work picked up again in November, when I put everything together and presented version 0.10 to the team. Progress was rapid after that.

12. Any departing words for us?

I would like to thank the TWC community for being the community that it is – modders, writers, citizens and debaters – a creative crowd that has given me innumerable hours of entertainment. I hope that I have given something back, by this humble mod.

RPG Center

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RPG CENTER!!
by RVFVS AKA John Adams

It's been a while since I have written and article but I have decided to come back with a nice little overview of the current RPGs in the AAR and Community game sector of TWC.

God Save the King

GSTK is currently the most active RPG on TWC. It has many wonderful moderators such as Lord Flasheart, Carl von Dobeln and Knight of Sicily. At the moment the Kingdom of England stands in a crossroads as war is threatened with France and Scotland. The new King Aston must guide the great country to power....or destruction. With a civil war passed and multiple player deaths now is the best to join up. Check out GSTK for the drama, fun and overall good company of the chaps over at GSTK

You are the Senate

YATS is currently in an...interesting little state. Currently being basically run by a few key players such as Chaplain, LordRaglan and Tenth Legion, the game is currently in the aftermath of the first Civil War. The evil Julius Equestris failed at his taking of power and died in the process. The Rutuli and the other families of Rome now struggle to cope with this now set precedent and it will be interesting to see how the game turns out. Though activity has died down as of late I wish the YATS men luck and I hope they continue their story of Rome. Check out YATS for good Roman fun and humour.

The First Triumvirate

Founded by the mighty Pontifex, TFT has fallen on hard times. Run by Aenima and Tenth Legion, the game is currently in the midst of a Western Roman Empire campaign using the mod IBFD. Currently it seems the save is having some problems so the game is in a hiatus but I hope that it can resume and prosper accordingly!

You Are the Congress

After a short period of supposed starting the YATC never came to bear. The game failed due to lack of leadership and now sits, barren, awaiting to be archived.

Augustus!

Currently Aug is in the middle of a restart. aparently the game is going to use RTRPE. Augustus was originally founded by Valerius Tiberius but now is being run under Benz282. The game uses a special hotseat downloader. This game is unique and was once strong. I wish it luck and encourage people to check it out!

So as you can see it is not a great time for RPGs here at TWC. GSTK dominates all with YATS coming next in line. I encourage all readers to join up in these RPGs and help boost TWC role playing community. This is RVFVS AKA John Adams from Eagle Standard.

Can A Brotha Get a Purple Ocean... Please?

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Picture of the Week Roundup

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Tale of the Week Roundup

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Tale of the Week—July!!!!!!!!

Veterans return to the field of battle, and one seizes a long-sought-after trophy. . .

The month opened with Nazgul-Killer winning his second Tale of the Week with his lyrical TOTW 45 submission, The Blade. . .

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

And AARtist Don’t Tread on Me surged to victory in TOTW 46 with his masterful story, Our Time is Ending. . .

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Our Time is Ending

My beloved sons and daughters, a new beast has come from the West. From his horned head of steel his voice calls on you to kneel before a new god. In his right hand he holds the sword that demands your submission; in his left is the shield adorned with the cross where his peasant-god perished.

His god said the strong shall follow the weak, and so it has been. First came the priests of the peasant-god; they were foolish, haughty men who dared violate the sanctity of our oak groves and brought low the sacred trees that housed me and my brothers and sisters. I cried out for vengeance, and you rid our forests and glens of their foul presence. You brought back the old ways to your brothers and sisters who had fallen under the spell of the new god, and you sent to the underworld those who still clung to those delusions.

But you have called down the anger of the metal beast. Silently he smashes through our warriors, casting aside their axes and spears like playthings, gutting their bodies like pigs. He stops at nothing, his countenance revealing naught but the grim determination of his eyes, searching for his next sacrifice to the peasant-god.

I know little of the peasant-god, but to conjure such mighty armies and rule all of the West with commandments of mercy and forgiveness is the mark of a truly potent being. For many thousands of years, I – and my brothers and sisters – have protected you in the darkness of the piney woods, the turbulence of the cold seas, and the bitterness of the winter’s wind. But this new god brings a power we do not understand.

Yield to the metal beast and worship his god if you must. The promise of a divine mercy that will spare you from the fires of the underworld is a tempting one indeed. If you yield, then so shall we. For only through you do we live.

Pray to the peasant-god, but forget not the stories that were told to you as children. The oak groves still have much to teach you and your descendants, even as you accept the new god as your Lord. Forget not the household gods that protected the hearths of your families, or the witches and trolls and other fell beings that lurk in the woods, or the spirits and gnomes that see you safely on the path in the forest. Your hearts will be a dwelling-place for a new God, but that dwelling-place was built by the old ones.

Our time is ending, but forget us not.

In Tale of the Week 47, Juvenal finally seized his long-awaited gold MAARC medal with his Teutonic-inspired story Apotheosis, becoming only the second forum member to possess that honor. And TOTW 47 also marked the second time a MAARC medal has been clinched by a Tale of Week competition. . .

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Apotheosis

The ragged band, all that remained of the Order of St. Lazarus, had been walking

now for what seemed like an eternity across the Lithuanian scrub forest, hoping to

reach the safety of Christian holdings. Their infrequent meals were at the expense
of the locals, who ran off when they saw the horned helms, but there was little fodder
in this grassless wasteland, and the horses were dying.

Every Knight of the Order had fallen in the lost battle. These few survivors were squires

and retainers, clad in the spare armour of their masters, their righteous certainty given

way to despair. Perhaps they were not the chosen of God after all, for the Lithuanian
devils in human form had not been struck down by Divine Anger, and the Holy Knights
had been slaughtered like cattle. God had allowed the brave to die, preserving only the
cowards, who now huddled in their stolen armour, fearful of the future.

“We are unworthy, God has forsaken us!” wailed Heinrich, chief among the doubters.

Ignaz: monk, warrior and unofficial leader, saw things differently. “Wash out thy

foul mouth, God has chosen to test us. Only the pure will return to rebuild our

wayward Order.”

But Heinrich was unbowed. “The Empire is rotten, the Black Death creeps from

house to house, taking virtuous and sinner alike. Not even the Church can offer

sanctuary from its scourge!”

Ignaz struck him with the flat of his sword. “Silence! Do not presume to question the

judgement of God!”

Their conversation was interrupted by a cry from Giuseppe, youngest and weakest

of the squires. No explanation was needed, Lithuanian riders were clearly visible

bearing down upon them. Ignaz bawled at them all to mount up, but they knew
there was no escape.

Ignaz's eyes blazed: “This is a happy day, we are to be martyrs my brothers! Let us

sell our lives dearly!” and with that he spurred his horse into a charge, followed to

the best of their ability by the rest of the band.

But the charge was quickly spent and a confused fight with the Lithuanians ensued.

Heinrich saw Giuseppe, who had fallen behind, engulfed by a mass of pursuing

enemy horsemen.

In a burst of fury, Heinrich dispatched an overconfident opponent and turned to

help Giuseppe, but he was already dead. A burly Lithuanian was stripping his

corpse of its armour, revealing a pale thin boy streaked with filth, his emaciated
body covered with unhealed sores. As he pulled the hauberk over the boy's head,
Heinrich saw the unmistakable swellings in his armpit, and everything suddenly
became clear to him.

Ignaz had been right all along! They were indeed instruments of God. But it was

neither their swords nor their virtue which God required, merely their death. For by

that death, the Almighty would bring unimaginable suffering and destruction upon
the pagans.

Heinrich ceased fighting, removed his helm and sat, finally content, smiling at the

Lithuanian who would kill him.

TOTW 48 saw the competitors return for yet another fierce battle, but it was Sunbird Alkibijad who took home the crown, with his splendid Golden Scourge. . .

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Golden Scourge

My name is Taemojin, son of Dodejin. Of Ujur clan. Loyal servant of great Temur-Khan and his most trusted bodyguard.

So much trust he has in me, that he had me lead his advance force into Besarabian towns and let the Novgorod and Kiev overlords know what's coming from the far and wide east.

Screams of the youth, of the women and of the old fill the night, almost overwhelming the thundering sound of squadron's hooves.

"From each town leave but one alive, leave them with but one eye and point them to but one road, the one to their lord's keep. We need someone to spread the terror, and who is better for that but the weak and powerless? Numbed and maddened by the terrors of Horse Lords..."

Quote:

"Ride now Taemojin. Ride, and grant me the pride of having you lead my army!"

This town is unusual. Reminds me of desert towns near Baghdad...

Riding through the town, I finaly see one to serve as the messenger lord instructed me to make of each town. A boy with fiery yellow hair, not more than 12 seasons old, terror widening pupils of his westerner eyes to so much it seems he had no whites around them. One eye soon enough, soon enough...But there's something about him...about the town as well...I can't find the word...Gleam. Would that be the word? That Chinese tutor was so utterly useless! My father thought too highly of those pesky creatures...A man that don't carry a sword is not a man that should be listened to! How can you learn from such a man...

Quote:

"Tell them it's the Golden Horde...Golden Horde that's coming their way!"

Those thoughts finaly lit up the darkened corners of my mind, finding the word I was seeking. Golden...The town looks bathed in gold. Sublime feeling, almost unreal, as we glide on our steeds through the streets and among the buildings lit by thousands of torches...Yes, town does look covered with gold...As if gold was shed upon it by invisible hand from above...

As if it was whipped, whipped by a flaming Golden Scourge...

And that wraps it up for TOTW July, but the competitions continue. . .

Graphics Competition Roundup

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