- Please click on the grey banners to view the text and images inside! -
- A Presentation of the INVASIO BARBARORVM Mods -
Below You will find information and links to the forums of the released INVASIO BARBARORVM mods. The modifications are presented in chronological order:
This mod includes 3 campaigns: 355 AD - Julianus is Caesar in Gaul charged with defending it against the Franks and Germans, while Constantius II takes on the Quadi and then the Sassanids. There is suspicion and mistrust between them. There will be civil war. 361 AD - Julianus is now Emperor and getting ready to invade the Sassanid Empire. But all is not in the Empire. The Franks and Germans may have been defeated, but they are not subdued and religious division is growing, plus rebellion from those within the Empire. 365 AD - Julianus now lies dead in the sands of the East. Jovianus has come and gone and now the Empire sees it ruled by two brothers, Valentinian I in the West and Valens in the East. But there is a challenge to the throne from Procopius, a cousin of the dead Julianus.
This mod is starts in 410 AD, with the known world in turmoil. The Goths have entered Italy, ready to lay siege to the Eternal city. The Vandals have crossed into Spain, seeking new lands and to form a kingdom of their own. All of Gaul has fallen under the yoke of the usurper Constantine III, who is a capable general and a man of ambition. Roman Britain has been abandoned by the Emperor and its citizens left to fend for themselves as invading Celtic tribes from the North overruns Hadrian's wall, and Saxon pirates menace the British shores. As darkness and turmoil descends upon the West, the much dreaded Huns are sweeping the East like a storm, unstoppable and relentless, bringing the Eastern Empire to its knees.
From the Arabian desert the Lakhmids seeks to conquer new territories, and their masters, the old enemy, the great Sassanid Empire, waits for any sign of weakness to strike again. But even the Sassanids will have to fight for their survival as countless hordes of Hephthalites from Central Asia stands poised to invade their lands...
Also known as Rio's IB BRG, featuring two campaigns: 463AD on the decline and the eventual collapse of the Roman Empire in the West; and 434 AD with the Huns on the outskirts of the Empire and about to conquer the world.
After a crushing defeat at Adrianople in 378AD, the Roman Empire for the first time dealt within their borders with a barbarian people not on their own terms. Through the 5th century the West continued to bend and crack from wave after wave of new inhabitants and was helpless to stop it. The restless barbarians at times sensing weakness, felt it no longer necessary to act as Roman foederati and began to expand and claim new lands for themselves. Under their trampling feet lay all that was once Roman and all that was once great. From the ashes, could there still rise the ideals of Rome? Possibly a restoration of former glory? Or even Beyond Roman Glory?
- Modifications in Development -
The first campaign of this mod focuses on the so-called third century crisis, and the struggles of Aurelian to reunite the Empire by defeating the Palmyrene Empire under Queen Zenobia and the Gallic Empire under Postumus, as well as rid the land of invading barbarian tribes. The second campaign starts in 311 AD during the great civil wars which led to the breaking of the tetrarchy and the ascendancy of Constantine the Great and Roman Christianity.
- The History of the INVASIO BARBARORVM -
- The Beginning -
The modification now known as INVASIO BARBARORVM - FLAGELLVM DEI was originally created by the now retired Atilla Reloaded under the name of "Atilla's Real Late Roman Army Mod". At that time it consisted of a pack of more realistic new models and skins for the Roman factions. These models were originally created for the now cancelled mod Imperia Romana.
The third version of Atilla's mod should probably be regarded as the real start of the mod: by then it had gathered its first fanbase, and included new units for the other factions, such as the Sassanids, Franks, Saxons and Celts. Other features, such as new faction symbols, were also included. At this point, however, there was no modding team to speak of, since all of the work was conducted by Atilla Reloaed himself. Mylae then offered to help with the coding and tweaking of the mod. He also suggested that the mod would start in the year 410 AD, which Atilla accepted.
When the fourth version was released almost all factions had new units, and the modpack 4.0 got the new name INVASIO BARBARORVM - FLAGELLVM DEI 4. This is Latin for "Barbarian Invasion - The Scourge of God", and refers to it being based on the official expansion Barbarian Invasion, and the infamous "nickname" of Atilla the Hun. For a brief time the mod was actually known as IB-FG. This was in all likelyhood a typing error made by Atilla Reloaded, and for a while all of his downloadable packs used this name, but strangely enough no one noticed it until a few months later. A poll was then set up to decide whether to use IBFG or IBFD. The latter won with a great majority, and the name was changed.
Although the fourth version still featured the Sarmatians and Roxolani as playable factions, and started in the year of 363 AD, many things had changed. The map now featured more than twenty new provinces, the riot risk was increased, and there were over 30 new Roman units, a full remake of the Romano-British, Sassanids with large flags, new Franks, Saxons, and the conversion of the Celts to Picts. The West Roman Rebels were substituted by the armies of the usurper Constantine III. There was even new loading screens.
Enter the first submod! Riothamus started to transfer the IBFD units to the BI WarMap II V0.4, and to set as starting date the year of 450 AD. This was the start of Rio's submod, now known as INVASIO BARBARORVM: ( Rio's ) FLAGELLVM DEI, and Beyond Roman Glory ( link ).
The work to further develop IBFD continued, and a small building add-on made by Mylae appeared which incorporated a few new buildings and some unique one across the world. A 4-turns-per-year script was also added, and Ramon Gonzales y Garcia released a "Constantine the Usurper v0.1" pack which added the Vandal hordes in Spain ( they were previously placed around the Rhine area ).
- Atilla retires -
IBFD 5.0 was the first version released without Atilla Reloaded. His decision to leave the team, and modding altogether, was not caused by a rift or any sort of disputes, but rather - as Atilla himself pointed out - he had simply grown tired of modding.
The fifth version was a major release that saw a new leader emerge. Ramon Gonzales y Garcia, who had worked with skinning, texturing and coding, then took over the leadership after the retirement of Atilla Reloaded. The new version featured remodelled units for all factions, and several new buildings.
During this period, the team was variously composed with Ramon Gonzales y Garcia, Mylae, the celt, and Hans Kloss at the core of it all. For a full list of those who helped and contributed in the making of IBFD, please view the credits found in the Main Download thread ( link ).
After a brief period of no public releases, a seventh version was released. IBFD 7 used the -mod: switch command, which allows for multiple mod installations, and this version - the current one, with a 7.03 patch - features an intense gameplay campaign, optional scripts for the sack of Rome and to move the Visigoth from outside Rome to southern Gaul to settle there etc. The faction slot used by the East Roman Rebels have been turned into the Lakhmid Arabs, new traits and ancillaries have been added alongside many other features.
- The Community -
After the release of IBFD 7.03, the decision was taken to change the name of the mod from FLAGELLVM DEI to RVINA ROMAE. However, the setting of the mod remains exactly the same. The next version of IBRR has yet to be released. This was, however, not the only change that took place. At this point Ramon became increasingly more involved in the process of creating an IB mod for the new Medieval II: Total War. Work on the eight version of IBRR slowed down, and the leadership eventually came to pass into the hands of Gäiten and Joar.
The name change also signalled a new era for the IB community. There's no longer one single "mother mod" with one leader, but rather a community of independent modifications that share a common background and a high level of cooperation. The family of INVASIO BARBARORVM today consists of three released mods, and several ones in development. julianus heraclius, the leader of INVASIO BARBARORVM - SOMNIVM APOSTATAE IVLIANI ( link ), is also the senior "Gatekeeper" of the public IB forum.
In april of 2011, and after some dicussion within the IB team, the decision was taken to once again make some adjustments to the names of the IB mods. In order to avoid confusion, RVINA ROMAE reverted back to its original title - FLAGELLVM DEI. However, the next installment of this mod will still be called RVINA ROMAE.
Riothamus mod, originally known as Rio's IBFD and Beyond Roman Glory, also received its Latin title and became VLTRA GLORIAM ROMAE.
Below is a list of awards that the IB mods won in the 2011 Mods Awards:
* The text above have been edited, revised and rewritten by Joar. The original text, by char, can be found on his IB website ( link ).
Last edited by Joar; February 10, 2015 at 05:46 AM.
- An Introduction to the Forums -
