Optional Files for Imperial Splendour 2.1

[The Vicar]

Currently OUTDATED, 2.1.2 level

Alright. We here at the IS team would like to present you, the players, with an opportunity to customize the game a little more to your liking. So we will now, and in the future, post optional files here in this thread for you to download.

Optional Startpos #1

• This Startpos.esf gives FULL AI to all minors. This particular change, while providing a better AI experience, is known to slow down the game turns, so use it only if you don't mind a little wait.

Download Optional Startpos #1

Optional Startpos #2

• This startpos is similar to #1, except that it also includes the option to play most minors, with the exceptions of Pirates, Emergents, and Protectorates.

Download Optional Startpos #2

Optional Scripting.Lua #1

• As opposed to the "regular" IS 2.1, which begins the game with the New World Protectorates already handed over to their parent faction, this file has the protectorate missions enabled for the player (just like in vanilla ETW).

Download Optional Scripting.lua #1

Optional Scripting.Lua #2

• As opposed to the "regular" IS 2.1, this file does not have the New World protectorate handovers at all. The consequences of this are that the "Big 3" - Spain, France, and Great Britain - are not quite so big. This is the version that Imperial Splendour 1.08 ran, and if you liked it then, you'll probably like it now.

Download Optional Scripting.lua #2

Optional Blue UI

• Now that Warpath has released, are you tired of the Warpath advertising on your User Interface? This file reinstates the original blue UI and music. Simply extract these 2 packs into your data folder. There is no need to activate them in your user script.

Download Optional Blue UI

You cannot install more than one startpos.esf or scripting.lua file at a time (but you can have one of each type), so you must choose which you want. We tried to cover all the possibilities for you, however.

These files (with the exception of the Blue UI) go in your /campaigns/Imperial_Splendour folder, whose location is detailed in the main download thread.

As always, while we try to support everything that we put out for release, some of these files have known issues (such as turn length) that we cannot do anything about.

Additionally, all of these files are Multiplayer compatible.

[heresimach]

Optional Blue UI,this file is really excellent!!! we the chinese players called the Warpath UI shxt-yellow,haha

[EgyptianNecrophiliac]

That was fast. Gonna try the full AI and protectorate missions.
And yeah, thanks for the good old blue menu. Noone else has made a simple fix for that fuglyness yet.

You and the rest of the IS team rock!

[Wingate]

Wealth of choices. The Minor AI sounds very good.

Question: Among the 3 options of protectorates already handed over, protectorate missions, and no handover, what do you recommend for (a) playing an affected country and (b) giving a better game if playing something else (other than playing the protectorates themselves, obviously)? I never played them in vanilla but have the fuzzy notion there are territorial goals to get handover - intelligent? fun? waste of time? I do like missions if they are sensible.

The design decision was to have everything handed over at the start, and I assume there was a rationale.

Thoughts appreciated.

[The Vicar]

Pretty much the rationale was that those 3 areas (Louisiana, the 13 Colonies, and New Spain) were never independent states, as portrayed in the game. It's pure fantasy, that CA introduced in order to try to get the player to not ignore the Americas entirely (as you have to conquer some arbitrary regions in order to get them handed over).

That said, if you don't mind pure fantasy, I'd actually go with the option that does not handover the protectorates at all. It seems that in the early game France, GB, and Spain really struggle to keep troops in both the Americas and Europe, and are weaker for it. 3 new states in the Americas does quite a bit to liven that area up.

The missions option is one that I personally entirely dislike, as it seems so random. While you as a player have a mission, the AI does not, and automatically receives the territories somewhere between turn 6 and turn 15. I just put it up in case there were some who did like it.

[EruIlluvatar12]

So for Optional Startpos #1, the AI one, does that make the minor nations behave as major ones do?

[The Vicar]

We believe so, yes.

[EruIlluvatar12]

Wow! Awesome!

[Dodanodo]

I really liked that. for the first time minor nations are of use to me. I was playing UP and allied with westphalia and Hannover. when I went to war with spain and france, westphalia conquered asec-loraine in like 3 turns and hannover biult a fleet and crushed the spanish with. so I'd say it works.

[Los San Patricios]

I downloaded the Minor AI file, but when I select GB, France or Spain in the GC menu they all show starting with the protectorates. Is it me, or have you uploaded the wrong file?

Edit:

when I look at the download files on the bottom of the page I see this:

Attached Files
scripting - No Handovers.rar (19.0 KB, 57 views)
scripting - Big 3 Missions.rar (19.4 KB, 29 views)
startpos - FULL AI & Minors Playable.rar (13.01 MB, 114 views)
startpos - FULL AI.rar (13.01 MB, 53 views)

But the 'Big 3 Mission', missions are Vanilla.

I'm confused now...

[The Vicar]

Yes. The changes to what nations are shown belonging to what nation cannot be modified via scripting. So even if you run the Big 3 Missions (which is the vanilla version) script, the game will show you starting with those territories. Just start the game like normal, and when you get into it you'll see that they (the protectorates) are there.

[Los San Patricios]

Well, I started with them when I made a new campaign. But I downloaded the 'Big 3 Mission scripting file' and they now start as protectorates (they indeed still show up on the GC menu but that's no problem

[The Vicar]

I guess I'm confused as to what you're asking.

Imperial Splendour by default gives the protectorates to their parent nations at game-start. If you don't like to play that way you can download one of these optional files.

[auth0ritarian]

are the installation instructions included in the files?

[The Vicar]

No. The installation instructions are in the first download post here.

And they're quite simple, really.

[EgyptianNecrophiliac]

The minor nation AI seems to be working. I'm playing as France and my allies Westphalia have helped me a lot against the Dutch, Hannover and Prussia. I've fought 3-4 battles with them as reinforcements during 10 years. They even placed a half-stack near Amsterdam while I was fighting rebels. Not sure what their intentions were but in any case, they helped me defeat a rebel army and stabilize the region.
And when Prussia declared war on me, the Westphalians raided Brandenburg right away and then captured Saxony from them!
Lousiana have been helping me by blockading GB's ports in the Americas.

[The Vicar]

I know what you mean by that stacking thing.

Once, as Russia, I pretty much took over the Ottomans in Europe. Well, the Poles seemed like they wanted to help, but they'd leave 3-4 full stacks of troops by my city in Moravia, which just wasn't cool. Every turn, I wondered whether they were about to stab me in the back.

So, I'm not sure what's going on with that sort of behavior. All I know is we can't change it.

[RuleBritannia]

Pretty much the rationale was that those 3 areas (Louisiana, the 13 Colonies, and New Spain) were never independent states, as portrayed in the game. It's pure fantasy, that CA introduced in order to try to get the player to not ignore the Americas entirely (as you have to conquer some arbitrary regions in order to get them handed over).

That said, if you don't mind pure fantasy, I'd actually go with the option that does not handover the protectorates at all. It seems that in the early game France, GB, and Spain really struggle to keep troops in both the Americas and Europe, and are weaker for it. 3 new states in the Americas does quite a bit to liven that area up.

The missions option is one that I personally entirely dislike, as it seems so random. While you as a player have a mission, the AI does not, and automatically receives the territories somewhere between turn 6 and turn 15. I just put it up in case there were some who did like it.

Well, the Thirteen Colonies at least were, in their own minds, independent, as historically, Britain generally let them handle their own political issues, etc.. In the game, they are protectorates, which does closely match their state historically.

[Notees]

If you're going to counter a claim, link sources supporting your claim. Otherwise you sound like "I'm right because I am."

[Hellskey]

wait pls where do we put the file?