Suggestions for the next version of Battle for the Baltic

[Caesar Clivus]

As the title says, post here any suggestions you have for the next version of BftB. I'm not saying that it is in development at the moment (cos it ain't due to RL commitments) but I thought it'd be good to have a ready list of community feedback. So sound off BftB fans

[Dantman40]

I love the Format of BFTB. I would love to see it extended to other regional Campaigns. Battle for Britannia, and the Crusades, like the Kingdoms Campaigns. I liked the Italian City States and Hundred Years War mini Campaigns in the original RC/RR compilation, and would like to see those redone in the BFTB format. Also the Mongol Invasion, Spanish Reconquista and the Ottoman Invasion of Eastern Europe.

Many people, myself included, would love to see a Swiss Campaign. The problem has been that even at their height, the Swiss never covered more than 1 or at the very most 2 map territories. The BFTB format would solve that completely.

[Caesar Clivus]

Battle for the Baltic wont include campaigns in other regions. What you are suggesting is more a separate submod(s).

[MKeogh]

It's probably too much work, but any thought to breaking up the HRE by making it a number of different German factions who are allied with each other at game's beginning?

I really enjoyed this mod as the Teutonic Knights until the HRE became an unstoppable blob. I quit when my campaign was reduced to fighting multiple HRE stacks every single turn with no end in sight due to their massive empire which benefits greating from having no enemies to the west or south.

[Caesar Clivus]

It is something I've thought quite a bit about actually. That and possibly split up Poland too given that historically Poland was basically a bunch of separate sovereignties at that point in history.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

well, pretty much every faction in the middle was split up:

Holy Roman Empire was a unity of duchies and marks under the 'emperor' (which had their own respective allies and enemies)
Poland was not much diffrent (even did not have a real king before the war againt TO)
Teutonic order is actually a merging of the brothers of St.-Mary and the Livonian order
what is now the Lithuania faction should have been about 7 diffrent independant tribes.

I'm not asking you make all that though, perhaps a split up of the HRE would be nice, and some lithuanian settlements turned into rebels.

what would be very, very nice (but not sure if possible) would be the option to 'raid'. Especially on the pagan side, early combat usually involved raiding and shock attacks rather than claiming ground, they usually didn't care who lived there, they just went for the loot. This is of course also represented by the 'Reysen knights'
it would be nice to be able to attack a village, and if you win, instead of the standard options of 'occupy/loot/exterminate' turn loot into raid, leaving the village in the enemy's hands but taking, let's say, an amount of floring worth 3 times the production income of that region, killing 60% of it's population and lowering the building by one level.

I'm very well aware that this might be something too hard-coded to change or too hard to achieve on your own while making a completely new BftB.

Edit:
just though of something:
historically, the grand master was elected by a council of order nobles. You have applied something similar for the Novgorod and Kiev generals I recall. Now the faction heir is 'randomly' appointed, perhaps you can work with the people from the 'choose faction heir'-mod?

and as a final thingy: it's weird heretics can be so powerfull in an area where religious intolerance is as ordinary as going to the toilet. so perhaps you can consider using the 'weaker heretics' sub-mod?

[Caesar Clivus]

The Teutonic Order had absorbed the Livonian Order by 1253. Hence why I removed the Christ Knights units. And Lithuania was only divided into two main factions, having been largely united by Mindaugas.

I have wondered about trying to add in a raiding feature but I'm not sure it's possible. The original MTW Viking Invasion expansion had that feature but I'm not sure how to put it or something similar into this game.

I did weaken heretics myself but maybe they need dialing back even more.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

The Teutonic Order had absorbed the Livonian Order by 1253. Hence why I removed the Christ Knights units. And Lithuania was only divided into two main factions, having been largely united by Mindaugas.

I have wondered about trying to add in a raiding feature but I'm not sure it's possible. The original MTW Viking Invasion expansion had that feature but I'm not sure how to put it or something similar into this game.

I did weaken heretics myself but maybe they need dialing back even more.

You are correct as to the Livonian order had already been merged with the Teutonic order by about 1240, I thought the campaign started in 1225 for some daft reason although they had diffrent landmeisters till the very end, which would translate in 2 diffrent 'faction leaders', but this would needlesly complicate things, so I won't press on that matter.

This probably also explains why I'm going after so many tribes, most of which are already occupied by the Teutonics by 1250, but I'm still suggesting that tribes like the Sudovians, Scalovians and especially those wickid Samogithians () become 'independant' rebels. Which 2 main factions are the ones you are referring too?

[Caesar Clivus]

If memory serves, the Lithuanians under Mindaugas and the Samogitians

[Mojo582]

Would be great too see a few more of the popular mods available added too BotB to CC,love the komnenian roster produced by caudillo as an example (yes i know the skins for the roman empire were a pet project of yours and are pretty nice also ),perhaps take up a small poll and let us vote and/or comment as too what we could add?

[Mr Kriegtooth]

I like the splitting the HRE up into multiple factions things. Also, did any other Russian principality exist at the time besides Novgorod, and wasnt Mongol'd?

I'd say in a future version, make life easier for Sweden on the grand campaign. Add another city to the area, or increase the population of Nyokeping some?

Also, what happened to the Gotland Militia from the 6.1 version? I thought they were pretty neat!

Oh, and add Ireland somewhere

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

I like the splitting the HRE up into multiple factions things. Also, did any other Russian principality exist at the time besides Novgorod, and wasnt Mongol'd?

I think this gives a good idea of that question

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

if CC is still reading this:

I've doing some more reading, and I've actually noticed that the Teutonic Knights, and in this case I mean the actual knights (Ritterbrüder) were actually very few in number: they usually functioned as officers, guides and logistic supervisors for armies of foreign crusaders and mercenaries.
Although I do love the guys in game, perhaps there should be a severe limit on the production of these guys (capital only?) as it would seem rather weird to produce 60 a turn from all over the Baltic.
or remove them completely and replace their role to the bodyguards and in-battle officers?
Perhaps it can be dealt with like in the original campaign, where faith determined recruitment availability

[Scots blade]

What about including the sapmi of northern Sweden

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

What about including the sapmi of northern Sweden

North of Sweden isn't on the map, and I don't think you can get that part in, unless you make a completely new map (if that is even possible)

[Aragorn1963]

Perhaps more dismounted Ritterbrüder units, one with axes and one with swords. Don't know whether it is historical, but the number of heavy infantry units are now very limited.

[╬Ritterbruder╬]

Perhaps more dismounted Ritterbrüder units, one with axes and one with swords. Don't know whether it is historical, but the number of heavy infantry units are now very limited.

that would be VERY unhistorical. Heavy infantry was scarce in that timeframe and location, and mostly made up from mercenaries and crusader knights, which were absolutely not fond of fighting on foot. Axes would also probably be the last weapon of preference for a teutonic knight, and just to make an extra unit would be rather silly, there are way more creative methods for that

[Aragorn1963]

that would be VERY unhistorical. Heavy infantry was scarce in that timeframe and location, and mostly made up from mercenaries and crusader knights, which were absolutely not fond of fighting on foot. Axes would also probably be the last weapon of preference for a teutonic knight, and just to make an extra unit would be rather silly, there are way more creative methods for that

Such as? I do not doubt your judgement and knowledge on this subject, but it is pretty hard to win battles against Polish Nobles on foot and other heavy infantry at the moment. Dienende Brüder and German mercenary knights are very scarce and hardly turn up as an option to recrute. I'm not a newbie at this game and usually know how to win, but in this case it is too hard, to my opinion.

[Makrell]

i supprt plitting up HRE, hen you can make a hansa faction, which are very rich IF trade rghts are present

[Aragorn1963]

Double post.