Idea: Trench system instead of forts?

[Badnercalabrese]

I know the modteam is probably shaking their heads right now but hey, this is WWI...trenches are very important right!

I posted this on a youtube video and decided I better post it on the forum as well...I know I've never posted here once and have no authority but I've been following this mod and am really excited...Here is my two cents on a good trench system in the game (if you already have one please explain it to me! )

more realistic trench systems: would it be possible to have trenches as a regional defense system that you pay for (like a fortress encampment where you can garrison troops. This trench will be the main line of defense for a province and stretches across the entire provincial/regional area. the attacker has to overcome these before they can siege the city... smaller trenches should also be built by foot armies like forts in past TW games...If the attacking player takes the main defensive trench but fails in the city siege, they may still have possession of the main trench and the defender must successfully re-take their primary defensive line to fully re-take the province.

in the campaign map there should be many draws against the AI. If you engage and the battle goes not as planned, the attackers can retreat back to their lines while the defender decides whether or not to counter-attack...both options would have big consequences. It would make the campaign province conquering very difficult, costly and realistic to the time.

Please fill me in if I've missed the announcement on this,
thanks and keep up the great work! really looking forward to this one.

Title edited so its more clear for others. /Mitch

[Aanker]

Making forts into trench lines seems like an interesting idea (and is most probably plausible), but it might require mapping - and I am not sure how we would mod/map new fortress maps. I'd like the rest of the team to give their opinions too, though.

[Hakomar]

You mean having trenches as those town and village buildings in a province, that can be garrisoned?
Hmm, interesting to say the least.

[RO Citizen]

Well, can't you just replace the walls with the trench models, without mapping?

[Russ_Ace]

on the discution page i think some one already thought of this and thorgos put it down but i think its worth another try.

[garudamon11]

Its impossible, the map is not moddable

[King Sama]

I thought the fort was connected to a single battle model, as evidenced by the building_culture_variants. However, I could not find the model anywhere in the game, so Aanker's theory may well be right that it has to do with mapping. Even if it were a model, its placement onto the battlefield may require mapping as well. And if it does require mapping, I doubt its going to happen.

[Audacia]

Once again another brilliant idea proposed, and if doable, would definitely simulate the front line of WWI. So lets say it does require mapping, any amazing mappers on TWC that would be willing to help us and are familiar with NTW?

And someone needs to right down all these ideas, maybe I will. I mean some of these are great!

[SMIDSY]

Would it be at all possible to have different stages of trench development? Say, in an early war battle, it would be not much more than a ditch and some rifle pits. Later on linked trenches with firing steps, and so on.

[King Sama]

Once again another brilliant idea proposed, and if doable, would definitely simulate the front line of WWI. So lets say it does require mapping, any amazing mappers on TWC that would be willing to help us and are familiar with NTW?

And someone needs to right down all these ideas, maybe I will. I mean some of these are great!

Well I can tell you we're definitely not lacking in good ideas, but sadly a lot of these are either impossible in NTW or we don't have enough expertise atm to implement them. But we are taking them into consideration, and I am looking at the files often to see if there is any db file I missed that could be of help.

[Badnercalabrese]

thanks for the excellent responses!
I forgot that Empire and Napoleon were nearly impossible to mod which is incredibly disappointing from CA...One of the BEST features of total war was the excellent engine and simple editing which allowed for some fantastic mods to really increase the value of the game...

I trust that this team will make the best trench system possible. Hopefully it can do justice and more to a WWI setting!

[Mayan-Man]

i total agree, i think hving big big trench networks instead of forts would be amazing, and for the levels, instead of normal fort and star fort you could have single trench line or double trench line, or maybe trench line and 'bunkers/artillery housings' (artillery housings would just be sloped trenches long enough for artillery to fit it, thoughts and ideas???) unfrotunatly i'm no mapper, and i don't know anyone who is, but i'll take a look just to see if its plausible...

[Ediblemittens]

Possibly units who remain standing still for one turn and earn the ability to fortify if attacked and build trenches on the battle screen? Real time 3D deformation of the map seems possible (considering 3-D craters are used).

[Hakomar]

Nevermind

[a tw player]

Real time 3D deformation of the map seems possible (considering 3-D craters are used).

They aren't actually 3D, it's just an optical illusion from the angle you look at it. It's actually just 2D and flat to the ground

[Ediblemittens]

They aren't actually 3D, it's just an optical illusion from the angle you look at it. It's actually just 2D and flat to the ground

That royally sucks.

[Hakomar]

Aye, you can tell that if you mod in a massive explosion, and walk something over it, they hover . Also, craters like to dissapear.

[Shugo560]

that would be awesome if forts were actually trench systems

[antisocialmunky]

Don't replace all the forts. I wants my Verduns.

[King Sama]

Don't replace all the forts. I wants my Verduns.

I say we should get rid of the forts if there's no better use. Quite honestly, they are a waste of a building slot and offer nothing but complications in this mod (and arguably in vanilla)