DEVELOPERS DIARY [Sharing Our Work with IS Supporters]

[Swerg]

As much as I wish that was possible, there are a few factors which make this unrealistic (as a project). Firstly, it's impossible to make the AI use their stacks with coordination, except sometimes when they mass all of their troops around a city/their capital. Secondly, it would make things even easier for the player - the AI rely on having superior numbers of men and showing up randomly where you don't expect them.

The problem here is, correct me if I'm wrong, the AI's tendency to spam random stacks which, when defeated, retreat deeper into your territory is not only not fun, but extremely frustrating. Particularly in the case of cav-heavy armies which get absurd bonuses in the autoresolve.

Were limits on army size implemented, I would personally simply adopt 'house rules', that is, no attacking the enemy's regional capital until his field (if it's in the area) is defeated.

[Navneeth Jay]

Perhaps, but that's still only a factor in the "how" of conquest. This isn't so much a downside as it is a slight inhibitor.
If one replenishes his units, it doesn't hurt his economy; just his treasury (and it doesn't matter if his treasury is depleted, because there's no point having a surplus anyway). This limits militarism, but it doesn't discourage it.

Those who capture loads of territory will always benefit in every conceivable manner with almost no direct costs; they get more tax income, more schools for research, more military recruiting centers, more goods to trade, patriotic fervor at home, etc. Endless war is profitable for everyone; the conquering nation by the aforementioned, and the conquered territories by the superior growth provided by the conquering nation and it technologies.

It's just the antithesis of reality. War destroys prosperity. It produces nothing. It's only profitable for a select few at the expense of others (though you are trying to be one of those few). It can benefit some nations for a period of time (i.e. US after WWII), but trying to conquer everyone forever is never viable. Though the objective of the game is to do so, there should at least be realistic consequences to it.

I think that the fundamental reason behind eternal expansion in the game remains this: war relies on money, money relies on prosperity, and war causes prosperity.

[knicolas2]

a new suggestion:
can you maybe reduce the number of different artillery in your new version. i had a first look on the current version of this mod (2.1.4 ) and was a bit suprised of so many different artillery regiments. maybe you can reduce it to make it more comfortable for the player when he/she wants to recruit units?

[Y Brenin]

Concerning British infantry; I notice your (beautiful, I may add) skins for the standard British line unit uses blue facings. This was the preserve of a Royal Regiment and marked that unit out as a cut above the other regiments (nominally at least, as a monarch's favour is not always related to battlefield prowess), although not necessarily "elite" as such.

A such I propose that the British line be split into standard Regiments of Foot, with the common yellow or buff facings, and Royal Regiments with the current blue facings.

On another note, I have come across this valuable webiste about the War of the Spanish Succession. This webiste contains a wealth of information on the composition of the English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Prussian, and Hanoverian armies as well as the English, French and Dutch Navies circa 1700. This may be useful for deciding unit sizes and limits etc for the early era as well as perhaps which units should be already recruited at the game beginning.

[Inkie]

You know, I think The British Grenadiers would make for an excellent loading music when the player starts a campaign.

In particular this one (6:15) would be great, but it's too bad they never released a separate audio for the series...

+Rep for introducing me to the series, Sandels <Hat tip>.

[Sandels]

You know, I think The British Grenadiers would make for an excellent loading music when the player starts a campaign.

In particular this one (6:15) would be great, but it's too bad they never released a separate audio for the series...

+Rep for introducing me to the series, Sandels <Hat tip>.

Heh, Thank you very mutch friend. I love that series too. In fack i will list here some of the best movies/series of musket warfare (1700-1815) i know:

Hornblower series
Napoleon miniseries (Christian Clavier)
Sharpe series

Master and The commander movie
Last of the Mohicans movie
Barry Lyndon movie
The Patriot movie
Waterloo movie

There are many others...

[Inkie]

There are two others I can think of off the top of my head, although I've seen neither:

The Sovereign's Servant, about the Great Northern War.

Fanfan la Tulipe, although from what I've heard it doesn't pay much attention to accuracy, not like the former would either .

[Sandels]

Also here is a list of the best music/march tracks i have found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEnaZ...eature=related

Best versions of Hohenfriedberger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCKpVdZxPk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPNWr...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DygZzwWbs4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEQIFGs_LwY

British grenadiers and Lilliburlero:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SISjSXsb1xU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH3JE...eature=related

[Swerg]

I can't recall if I've asked this in here before or not, but do you fellows intend to fix the Russians line infantry using militia animations? It's bothered me since release.

[Quintus Hortensius Hortalus]

Hi,
as I said in the News Thread I'm working on a Hannover Submod.
Here are some pictures and infos:
At first i show you new unit icons I've created. Every new unit have its own icon. The icons were taken from thepaintings in the Gmundner Prachtwerk

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214157
the 1st is the Garde Regiment; the 2nd the Regiment von Hardenberg; the 3rd the Regiment von Wangenheim; the 4th the Freitag'sche Fußjäger and the 5th the Stockhausen'sche Fußjäger

Now, I show you the Garde Regiment. It was founded in 1648 and disbanded in 1803.The Regiment has taken part in the Seven Years War and earned most battle hounours in the battle of Minden. As part of the Division von Spröcken it crushed 3 enemy cavalery lines.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214146Attachment 214147

The hanoverian regiments weren't numbered until 1783. So I used the most commun name. Also every infantry regiment hab only one battalion. After the Seven Years War the regiment were merged to 2 batttalion regiments.

The next unit is the Regiment von Hardenberg (No. 7a). The Regiment was founded in 1686 as "neues Prinzen Regiment". The Unit were disbanded in 1803.
It had also taken part in the battle of Minden. Although not part of the Division von Spröcken it marched along the division and crushed the 3 lines of cavalery.
Later in 1764 it was merged with the Regiment von Plessen (No. 7b) but the new regiment had also the name von Hardenberg.
In 1775 it was send to Gibraltar. From 1780 to 1783 it helped to defend Gibraltar while Gibraltar was sieged.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214149

The Regiment von Wangenheim helped the Division von Spröken to chrush the cavalery 3 attack in the battle of Minden.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214151

The Freytag'sche Freikorps were formed in 1757 by the Graf von Schulenburg. Later von Freytag take command over the Freikorps and were appointed as "Inhaber" (chef). It take part in the Seven Years War and were a model for every other hanoverian Freikorps. The Freikorps were disbanded after the end of the war.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214152

The Freikorps Stockhausen was formed in 1759 and disbanded after the Seven Years War.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214153

I also added 2 new buildings to Hannover:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1st the Palace of Herrenhausen with the Great Garden
Attachment 214154
And 2nd the University of Göttingen
Attachment 214155

Also I renamed the King "Kurfürst"

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214156

[Don504]

Very nice, but too bad they are just re-skins of vanilla models, hope the team can help +rep

[Y Brenin]

Nice skins Quintus, +Rep. With some new models (i.e. by the talented Wrangrin) you could make some great units.

[Goutlard]

I have a somehow ahistorical idea but that would be great ingame.
I was damn dissapointed by the lack of real marchs in the battlefield like in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY5yP...eature=related after 1:18
It would be so great if you added some nation specific special "Drum & Fife" Regiments such as in http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=258091;
but with copyright-free musics.
Actually one such unit for :
-America
-France
-Austria
-Ottoman Empire (don't tell me you don't know the Mehters)
-...
I mean for all the nations that used battlefield musicians.
That would just be so cool.

[079rtfgkljt90rgio]

For France's technology, I would suggest if it's possible this for the rifles and bayonets.

-Platine plate (easier to produce, lead to the 1717 reglement)
-Règlement de 1717 (first regular rifles in the French army by 1728)
-Garnitures laiton (easier to produce and maintain, lead to the 1777 system)
-Le système 1777 (system Gribeauval, increasing of the rifle production)

-Baïonnette Surirey de St-Rémy (first type with "douille" unlike the "bouchon" model)
-Baïonnette modèle 1728 (made for the new regular rifles introduced in 1728 from the 1717 model)
-Baïonnette modèle 1777 (made for the new system, "douille" with "trois fentes et virole", easier to fix on the rifle)

I know we can't have so many "baïonnettes" technologies, but just to give you ideas if you need to change the technologies names.

[wangrin]

French army and artillery technology tree is nearly done on paper.

ETW Vanilla technology tree :


IS3 France technology tree :


Actually, we have to do the same for Great Britain.
So, if you have ideas about...

An other problem is that AI had problem to research new technologies.
I believe this is because we didn't edit the FACTION_TECHNOLOGY_MANAGER in starpos.esf for each faction that use new technology tree.

[Flikitos]

Hi,
as I said in the News Thread I'm working on a Hannover Submod.
Here are some pictures and infos:
At first i show you new unit icons I've created. Every new unit have its own icon. The icons were taken from thepaintings in the Gmundner Prachtwerk

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214157
the 1st is the Garde Regiment; the 2nd the Regiment von Hardenberg; the 3rd the Regiment von Wangenheim; the 4th the Freitag'sche Fußjäger and the 5th the Stockhausen'sche Fußjäger

Now, I show you the Garde Regiment. It was founded in 1648 and disbanded in 1803.The Regiment has taken part in the Seven Years War and earned most battle hounours in the battle of Minden. As part of the Division von Spröcken it crushed 3 enemy cavalery lines.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214146Attachment 214147

The hanoverian regiments weren't numbered until 1783. So I used the most commun name. Also every infantry regiment hab only one battalion. After the Seven Years War the regiment were merged to 2 batttalion regiments.

The next unit is the Regiment von Hardenberg (No. 7a). The Regiment was founded in 1686 as "neues Prinzen Regiment". The Unit were disbanded in 1803.
It had also taken part in the battle of Minden. Although not part of the Division von Spröcken it marched along the division and crushed the 3 lines of cavalery.
Later in 1764 it was merged with the Regiment von Plessen (No. 7b) but the new regiment had also the name von Hardenberg.
In 1775 it was send to Gibraltar. From 1780 to 1783 it helped to defend Gibraltar while Gibraltar was sieged.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214149

The Regiment von Wangenheim helped the Division von Spröken to chrush the cavalery 3 attack in the battle of Minden.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214151

The Freytag'sche Freikorps were formed in 1757 by the Graf von Schulenburg. Later von Freytag take command over the Freikorps and were appointed as "Inhaber" (chef). It take part in the Seven Years War and were a model for every other hanoverian Freikorps. The Freikorps were disbanded after the end of the war.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214152

The Freikorps Stockhausen was formed in 1759 and disbanded after the Seven Years War.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214153

I also added 2 new buildings to Hannover:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1st the Palace of Herrenhausen with the Great Garden
Attachment 214154
And 2nd the University of Göttingen
Attachment 214155

Also I renamed the King "Kurfürst"

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Attachment 214156

Really great job mate!

I will work on the textures so as to let you make a submod really easier with IS models.

[Swerg]

If we're talking soundtrack, the Preobrazhensky March is a must:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVuhxlgb28I

It's iconic. It even served as Russia's de facto national anthem until the 19th century.

I could probably come up with some suggestions for the tech tree as well

[ErikBerg]

I have an idea for the new gentleman look ingame, inspired by Flikitos' new rake!

I present you with statesman Axel von Fersen's clothing, tailored in Paris in the 1780s:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hopefully this helps and I'm not too late.

[Whaler99]

is there anything not being modded? Whats next, an overhaule of the trees shown on the battle maps. Modding the shade of grey of the smoke coming from chimeny stacks based on availability of wood supply for a certain timeline. Making sure every regiment from every country has its historical marching song, with its customized officer, drummer boy (of course the drum detail needs to be 100% accurate or forget about it), flag, flute guy not to mention accurate uniforms down to the color of button on his ammo pouch, "no.no. wait that shoulder strap was 3 7/8" wide not 4" wide are you crazy, look I have a book with a picture that proves so"

No dis-respect to the modders, but I find the attention to detail almost beginning to be silly

[Don504]

haha but we didn't pay that much attention to the straps....did we?