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Thread: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only) NEW 1.21 version released

  1. #1
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    Default [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only) NEW 1.21 version released

    So finally after merging Husserls last Generals fix into the customisation, everything is smoothly.

    I share this ACW customisation for the users who look for increased realism on the battlefield and for the campaign. Or in other words, for an alternative in this regard, as i watch ACW vanilla not as unrealism mod, it is just me who always views realism items differently. Some backgrounds can also befound here. Thanks again for the permission to publish it.

    Tons of thanks once more to the ACW team for their fantastic work!

    The readme text as following.

    Description ACW Custom Mod - ACW CM v.1.21

    Motto: Realism+

    Customised for American Civil War 3.2
    - Warpath only


    ***************************************

    Pre-Notes:
    - This custom mod offers majorily balancing alternatives with some increased realism.
    - The balancing is focused on the Union faction campaign.

    Development Base
    ---------------

    Faction: Union, Long Campaign, Difficulty: M/M, Unit Size: Medium
    Battle: No Target Zone, No Radar Map, Battle Time Limit off, Flags Mouse Over, Small UI.

    Difficulty Recommendation
    ---------------

    M/M or higher.

    ***************************************


    Some Features (base v1.0 - 1.1)
    ---------------

    Battle: Morale, fatigue, range and close combat parameters shaped in direction realism+ (ie. less hits, morale drops more intensive).
    Battle: Cavalry units are (skill-wise) elite units, infantry should be covered.
    Battle: Diverse changed parameters.
    Campaign: Kind of ZoR implemented; ZoR = Zone of Recruitment (check a l l of the buildings, ie. via building browser, when you miss a unit).
    Campaign: Many units need 2 turns or more to recruit (cavalry, artillery).
    Campaign: Costs/upkeep modified, more even per kind of unit, while volunteers cost less than regulars.
    Campaign: Start experience points modified, ie. more CSA units start with experience.
    Campaign: CSA units have slight better start-skills (as historically, they were more militaristic than the North).
    Campaign: Buildings have now different turns to construct.
    Campaign: Building costs and diverse effects modified and some effects added.
    Campaign: Improved roads and improved settlement fortification are only available in the faction capital.
    Campaign: Vanilla unit files (minor factions) modified to fit them better into ACW's provided balance and period.
    CAI: Diverse parameters modified to improve the AI behaviour.

    Campaign Hints/Recommendations:

    - CSA will ask for trade and/or alliance/military access and offers region-exchanges and/or demands them, refuse those trials even if CSA offers a lot of money.
    - From on turn 3, the Union should immediately prepare for war with CSA. CSA might not invade instantly but prepares.
    - For a quite fair and halfway historical play, Richmond/Virginia should be captured first in the last civil war year 1865.


    Update Changes (v1.2)
    ---------------

    Battle: Diverse adjusted parameters (ie. overall balance adjusted for Union/CSA units, participating vanilla units better shaped into the balance).
    Campaign: Diverse adjusted parameters (units, ie. some ZoR's changed, numbers, caps, recruitment, artillery quality).
    CAI: Diverse adjusted parameters.
    A temporary solution ...
    Union Campaign: Got rid of the vanilla generals spawn, instead CSA (and minor factions) get the utilised (enabled) CSA general spawned (unit name changed to 'Commander'
    to distinguish them from the historical generals).

    Update Changes (v1.21)

    Campaign: Infantry recruitment, number of available named (historical) regiments now along the unit descriptions.
    Campaign: Recruitment, availability of few units slightly changed, ie. to make the named regiments still more relevant.

    ***************************************


    Installation
    ---------------

    Preparation:

    - First of all, make sure to have ACW 3.2 properly installed and running, and this for the Warpath edition.
    - Install the latest Generals Fix by HusserlTW offered in the Technical Help ACW forum section (this is a must, not optional!).
    - Launch the ACW 3.2 mod as usually, choose Union faction, start the mod.
    - Exit the mod and quit the launcher by "ACW ready"!
    - Extract the ACW_CM.zip file, ie. onto your desktop or separate folder.
    - Open the according folders while proceeding as below.

    1. Open C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\empire total war\data.

    2. Move out the following files of the data folder, save them separately as current ACW 3.2 backup files:

    bg_us_wpath.pack
    bg_db.pack

    3. Copy and paste the files bg_us_wpath.pack and bg_db.pack from the ACW_CM folder.

    4. Close and start as usually the Union faction campaign.

    Update Installation (higher versions as 1.1)
    ---------------

    - As above 1.-3. (and 4.), or if formerly 1.1 installed, overwrite.
    - Plus the same for (file addition)

    bg_us_txt.pack.


    Further Hints
    ---------------

    Important:
    - When you quit this ACW_CM, then exit the ACW launcher by "Vanilla ready" after the first play or campaign-start! This step ensures, that the customised files will move to the right location,
    ie. for the next campaign start, also when the mod crashed, it is then save that the ACW_CM files will be reloaded.

    Deinstallation of ACW_CM:
    For the re-installation of ACW vanilla, open data folder and copy/paste the backup files of step 2, overwrite and close, and then you can verify ACW vanilla by launcher-exit "Vanilla ready".

    CSA faction play:
    If you want to play the CSA faction with this ACW_CM, then copy and paste only the extracted custom file bg_db.pack, don't touch the other files.



    ***************************************


    Credits
    ---------------

    - ACW team (ACW 3.2)
    - DaVinci (ACW customisation)

    ***************************************


    27th May 2012
    Enjoy, DaVinci



    To the ACW team: You are of course free to use any items of this custom mod as you like, also if you think the thread shall be moved or removed, do as you please. I just share my personal custom modification, which is not to consider as kind of official submod release, i don't have a perspective for merit-collection or something like that for the modding ( those times are over ), but still, i enjoy it, if others enjoy what i did.

    Download via this link from TWC server: ACW_CM (update 1.21, 31th May 2012)
    Last edited by DaVinci; May 30, 2012 at 11:16 PM.
    #Anthropocene #not just Global Warming but Global Disaster, NASA #Deforestation #Plastic Emission #The Blob #Uninhabitable Earth #Savest Place On Earth #AMOC #ICAN #MIT study "Falsehoods Win" #Engineers of Chaos
    #"there can be no doubt about it: the enemy stands on the Right!" 1922, by Joseph Wirth.
    Rightwingers, like in the past the epitome of incompetence, except for evilness where they own the mastership.
    Iirc., already 2013 i spoke of "Renaissance of Fascism", it was accurate.
    #"Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in universe." Buckminster Fuller
    Any chance for this exam? Very low, the established Anthropocentrism destroys the basis of existence.
    #My Modding #The Witcher 3: Lore Friendly Tweaks (LFT)
    #End, A diary of the Third World War (A.-A. Guha, 1983) - now, it started on 24th February 2022.

  2. #2
    Minas Moth's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    OK, great work DaVinci... will surely give it a spin once I gain access to my gaming machine

    I will sticky this, so that it is at hand and you can freely make any changes to it... etc... oh, I'll add (Warpath Only) to the thread name, to avoid unnecessary questions...



    EDIT:
    oh, and people, since this is a submod, all support will be provided by DaVinci and not the Team, also, do read the read-me before installation, follow the instructions and be sure you use Warpath when playing it...
    Last edited by Minas Moth; May 28, 2012 at 01:52 AM.

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    Default

    Thank you Minas, for heads up.

    Since there are a few downloaders, can you guys please give the following feedback:
    Do you get post-battle-end_turn ctd's with this custom mod?

    Background:
    I don't get them anymore, while ACW 3.2 (vanilla) seems to suffer from them still (see tech help threads).
    It is unclear though, if those who suffer from it have just pity (ie. game-engine/pc related, such as memory leak), or if some codes are responsible.

    EDIT: merged double post; MM
    Last edited by Minas Moth; May 31, 2012 at 12:54 AM. Reason: double post
    #Anthropocene #not just Global Warming but Global Disaster, NASA #Deforestation #Plastic Emission #The Blob #Uninhabitable Earth #Savest Place On Earth #AMOC #ICAN #MIT study "Falsehoods Win" #Engineers of Chaos
    #"there can be no doubt about it: the enemy stands on the Right!" 1922, by Joseph Wirth.
    Rightwingers, like in the past the epitome of incompetence, except for evilness where they own the mastership.
    Iirc., already 2013 i spoke of "Renaissance of Fascism", it was accurate.
    #"Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in universe." Buckminster Fuller
    Any chance for this exam? Very low, the established Anthropocentrism destroys the basis of existence.
    #My Modding #The Witcher 3: Lore Friendly Tweaks (LFT)
    #End, A diary of the Third World War (A.-A. Guha, 1983) - now, it started on 24th February 2022.

  4. #4
    Minas Moth's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    Quote Originally Posted by DaVinci View Post
    Since there are a few downloaders, can you guys please give the following feedback:
    Do you get post-battle-end_turn ctd's with this custom mod?

    Background:
    I don't get them anymore, while ACW 3.2 (vanilla) seems to suffer from them still (see tech help threads).
    It is unclear though, if those who suffer from it have just pity (ie. game-engine/pc related, such as memory leak), or if some codes are responsible.
    ok, I got ctd after battle with and without your submod DaVinci... curious thing is that I don't get the crash the same turn I fight the battle. CAI does his turn, I go to second turn and then during second end-turn game crashes... so, I don't know if this is related to anything, just wanted you to know...

  5. #5
    Decanus
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    Consider giving the Union better artillery. Throughout the war, the Union artillery dominated its southern counterpart.

  6. #6
    Minas Moth's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    Other than crash, here is my feedback...

    Union Campaign:
    1) I really don't get the recruitment system... by the time I have any units available to fend of CSA (regulars which are now 2 turns to build), CSA overrun kentucky, kansas and are spamming/building CSA regular units in one turn... soon Tennessee is full of their quarter to half stack armies, and I have only one half stack of units (mostly volunteers) in st.louis
    2) considering the above; actually I like that kind of challenge...
    3) I like how the artillery is balanced out... quite nicely...
    4) ranges are fine, at least to me... few casualties on max range with great increase as units draw near...
    5) I think canister is a little underpowered... it has great effect on morale but it could be a little more effective damage wise...
    6) I have noticed on few occasions enemy charging my units... not to mention, without bayonets and some micro-managment they got slaughtered by a single volley...
    7) generals became pain in the battlefield. enemy usually send his 6 men strong general, manages to slip by entire volley of infantry unit (not on full range, but on half range) and then wreaks havoc among them... so, either make general killable by the volley or give him weaker melee stats...

    other than that, I can report later on when I play some more... if I'll play some more...

    servus

  7. #7

    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerouin View Post
    Consider giving the Union better artillery. Throughout the war, the Union artillery dominated its southern counterpart.
    Union batteries are larger then confed ones in our mod to reflect this. Do you think that the difference is too small?

  8. #8
    DaVinci's Avatar TW Modder 2005-2016
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    Thanks guys for feedback.

    Minas and all, my trial is to provide a balance which disallows a blitzkrieg aka the whole campaign time is needed to reach the victory conditions, this might need still some adjustments, but i feel i'm on the right way. The recruitment difference in ACW_CM to ACW vanilla, that not all units are instantly available as Union player and everywhere, that it needs efforts and strategical thinking to secure borders and regions and to prepare for invasions. I also would like to encourage the ACW team to adopt this balance design.

    As for the end_turn crash in next end_turn post-battle, yes, recently i get this, too, from time to time, this is indeed equal if ACW vanilla or Custom Mod, however the save reload works, campaign goes on. Comicably it varies from campaign to campaign, after Husserls first successful Gen fix, i got only 1 normal end_turn crash in more than 1,5 years campaign play, and this with all battles played out (as reported in tech help section).

    Update ACW_CM 1.2 uploaded, 1st post.
    Last edited by DaVinci; May 30, 2012 at 05:55 PM.
    #Anthropocene #not just Global Warming but Global Disaster, NASA #Deforestation #Plastic Emission #The Blob #Uninhabitable Earth #Savest Place On Earth #AMOC #ICAN #MIT study "Falsehoods Win" #Engineers of Chaos
    #"there can be no doubt about it: the enemy stands on the Right!" 1922, by Joseph Wirth.
    Rightwingers, like in the past the epitome of incompetence, except for evilness where they own the mastership.
    Iirc., already 2013 i spoke of "Renaissance of Fascism", it was accurate.
    #"Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in universe." Buckminster Fuller
    Any chance for this exam? Very low, the established Anthropocentrism destroys the basis of existence.
    #My Modding #The Witcher 3: Lore Friendly Tweaks (LFT)
    #End, A diary of the Third World War (A.-A. Guha, 1983) - now, it started on 24th February 2022.

  9. #9

    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    To be honest the building level needed to recruit units now in our mod is not as planned by us.
    This happens because we coded this table twice (different team members) which was not supposed.

    These days my time was and will be a bit limited by rl issues. Thought about to correct the recruitment table but there are other things to do for me now. Would offer this again: If you want you can get the 3.3 intern db file to be prepared for the next patch with your costum mod. Or if you wanna spend some time here you can think about to reinforce the team.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    Quote Originally Posted by shokh View Post
    To be honest the building level needed to recruit units now in our mod is not as planned by us.
    This happens because we coded this table twice (different team members) which was not supposed.

    These days my time was and will be a bit limited by rl issues. Thought about to correct the recruitment table but there are other things to do for me now. Would offer this again: If you want you can get the 3.3 intern db file to be prepared for the next patch with your costum mod. Or if you wanna spend some time here you can think about to reinforce the team.
    Yes, i'm willing to reinforce the team, and help the official mod regarding balancing and whatever. Thing is as for you, too, it can happen that RL takes over, it is just atm. that i can spend time for modding, and i do it just for ACW, because i love your mod. However, i PM you now in the next minute, formerly i add you on my contact list (because only contacts can PM me ).
    #Anthropocene #not just Global Warming but Global Disaster, NASA #Deforestation #Plastic Emission #The Blob #Uninhabitable Earth #Savest Place On Earth #AMOC #ICAN #MIT study "Falsehoods Win" #Engineers of Chaos
    #"there can be no doubt about it: the enemy stands on the Right!" 1922, by Joseph Wirth.
    Rightwingers, like in the past the epitome of incompetence, except for evilness where they own the mastership.
    Iirc., already 2013 i spoke of "Renaissance of Fascism", it was accurate.
    #"Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in universe." Buckminster Fuller
    Any chance for this exam? Very low, the established Anthropocentrism destroys the basis of existence.
    #My Modding #The Witcher 3: Lore Friendly Tweaks (LFT)
    #End, A diary of the Third World War (A.-A. Guha, 1983) - now, it started on 24th February 2022.

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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only)

    ACW_CM 1.21 uploaded.
    Contains some once more reviewed recruitment items, especially for named regiments, see 1st post.
    #Anthropocene #not just Global Warming but Global Disaster, NASA #Deforestation #Plastic Emission #The Blob #Uninhabitable Earth #Savest Place On Earth #AMOC #ICAN #MIT study "Falsehoods Win" #Engineers of Chaos
    #"there can be no doubt about it: the enemy stands on the Right!" 1922, by Joseph Wirth.
    Rightwingers, like in the past the epitome of incompetence, except for evilness where they own the mastership.
    Iirc., already 2013 i spoke of "Renaissance of Fascism", it was accurate.
    #"Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in universe." Buckminster Fuller
    Any chance for this exam? Very low, the established Anthropocentrism destroys the basis of existence.
    #My Modding #The Witcher 3: Lore Friendly Tweaks (LFT)
    #End, A diary of the Third World War (A.-A. Guha, 1983) - now, it started on 24th February 2022.

  12. #12
    Minas Moth's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only) NEW 1.21 version released

    ok, been playing 1.2 version... I noticed that:
    a) Union can build only 3 Napoleon 12lber batteries
    b) those batteries have only sour guns in them

    also, I noticed AI is using cavalry extremely aggressively now. a single unit of mosby's raiders or any other cav unit is capable inflicting terrible casualties... 2 cav units routed my entire army made of infantry units... I also noticed that, even when full volley is fired on them from mid to point blank range, they loose only 10-15 men... rest, simple charges in and that's the day for infantry units. they can't stand against cav...

    so, it reminds me more on DMUC and 18th century warfare where you needed cavalry to inflict that final blow to the enemy... and that is something that doesn't fit with this time period...

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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only) NEW 1.21 version released

    Quote Originally Posted by Minas Moth View Post
    ok, been playing 1.2 version... I noticed that:
    a) Union can build only 3 Napoleon 12lber batteries
    b) those batteries have only sour guns in them

    also, I noticed AI is using cavalry extremely aggressively now. a single unit of mosby's raiders or any other cav unit is capable inflicting terrible casualties... 2 cav units routed my entire army made of infantry units... I also noticed that, even when full volley is fired on them from mid to point blank range, they loose only 10-15 men... rest, simple charges in and that's the day for infantry units. they can't stand against cav...

    so, it reminds me more on DMUC and 18th century warfare where you needed cavalry to inflict that final blow to the enemy... and that is something that doesn't fit with this time period...
    Yes, i know, it even isn't very realistic for 18th c. battles, as the cav role was to make flanking attacks which worked successful, but usually not frontal attacks vs. line (but it looks funny if your entire army is routed by a few cav units, isn't it ... i experienced myself nice lost battles due to cav AI frontal attacks

    Seriously ... my goal is successful AI. I did it here to its extreme in regard of cav:inf, to balance it down then step by step to a middleway of realism and gameplay with focus to AI consideration. It was formerly just my experience that cavalry steered by AI is useless in ACW vanilla (i at least was always able to destroy cavalry easily), so sometimes you must play out the scala to look through.
    As i'll join in short the official team, i'll (probably) anyway stop to work on this CM, as i won't have the time and energy to maintain it, because teamwork is consuming in every aspect (i didn't want to do it again, ACW is a very exception).
    Last edited by DaVinci; May 31, 2012 at 05:49 AM.
    #Anthropocene #not just Global Warming but Global Disaster, NASA #Deforestation #Plastic Emission #The Blob #Uninhabitable Earth #Savest Place On Earth #AMOC #ICAN #MIT study "Falsehoods Win" #Engineers of Chaos
    #"there can be no doubt about it: the enemy stands on the Right!" 1922, by Joseph Wirth.
    Rightwingers, like in the past the epitome of incompetence, except for evilness where they own the mastership.
    Iirc., already 2013 i spoke of "Renaissance of Fascism", it was accurate.
    #"Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in universe." Buckminster Fuller
    Any chance for this exam? Very low, the established Anthropocentrism destroys the basis of existence.
    #My Modding #The Witcher 3: Lore Friendly Tweaks (LFT)
    #End, A diary of the Third World War (A.-A. Guha, 1983) - now, it started on 24th February 2022.

  14. #14
    Minas Moth's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only) NEW 1.21 version released

    glad you made that exception... as soon as you want, give me a "buzz" and I'll remove this from the sticky and close it for you...

    and btw; welcome to the Team!

    Quote Originally Posted by DaVinci
    but it looks funny if your entire army is routed by a few cav units, isn't it
    yes you could say that; seeing one unit of Mosby's Raiders sprionting through canister from 12 howitzers, surviving a volley from three union regular regiments as if they are being shot by a candy and then smashing into my line and routing the unit in a matter of second... yeah, it was funny, for a second or two.. then I was like: what a heck is going on here? and then I lot...

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    DaVinci's Avatar TW Modder 2005-2016
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only) NEW 1.21 version released

    We will discuss this then internally, soon. The last goal (non-goal) should be at least to see useless cavalry in AI hands, it's a battle gamebreaker for me, as AI is supposed to loose then those (historically) precious units, always, without winning the least.
    We will have to investigate also groupformations file, ie. the one of Hedge Knight, if it can be used for ACW.
    Last edited by DaVinci; May 31, 2012 at 06:19 AM.
    #Anthropocene #not just Global Warming but Global Disaster, NASA #Deforestation #Plastic Emission #The Blob #Uninhabitable Earth #Savest Place On Earth #AMOC #ICAN #MIT study "Falsehoods Win" #Engineers of Chaos
    #"there can be no doubt about it: the enemy stands on the Right!" 1922, by Joseph Wirth.
    Rightwingers, like in the past the epitome of incompetence, except for evilness where they own the mastership.
    Iirc., already 2013 i spoke of "Renaissance of Fascism", it was accurate.
    #"Humanity is in ‘final exam’ as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in universe." Buckminster Fuller
    Any chance for this exam? Very low, the established Anthropocentrism destroys the basis of existence.
    #My Modding #The Witcher 3: Lore Friendly Tweaks (LFT)
    #End, A diary of the Third World War (A.-A. Guha, 1983) - now, it started on 24th February 2022.

  16. #16
    Minas Moth's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [ACW Custom Mod] " Realism+ " (Warpath Only) NEW 1.21 version released

    THREAD CLOSED ON THE REQUEST OF THE AUTHOR

    all work is continued by DaVinci as a member of ACW Team...

    Minas Moth


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