Eagle Standard, Volume X Issue VII

[The Dutch Devil]

The best Publication for Total War and Modding News!


Eagle Standard CONTENT INDEX
(Do not scroll until specific post appears)

Rome II
Shogun II
Empire and Napoleon
Medieval II
Eras

Letter from The Dutch Devil

Welcome, to the new Eagle Standard issue! A lot of blood sweat and tears have been invested by the writers and believe me, it was a good trade off. This issue is bristling with awesome articles, we even have a unique interview with uanime5 which is waiting for you in the Napoleon and Empire section. On top of that we have Legio and SonofOdin, who have written a superb article on Total War: Rome II which can be found in the brand new Rome II section!

The Dutch Devil
ES Editor

[The Dutch Devil]

Total War: Rome II

Preview: Total War: Rome II

Total War : Rome II - First Impressions

2008. I sat there with the chunky monstrosity on my lap. It was a Dell. An Inspiron 1100 laptop. It was blue. Twenty units of Spartan hoplites advanced menacingly with their spears held proudly erect. Not that I could see them, of course. I had no mouse and could not find a way to zoom in on the battlefield - I was playing with a touchpad. I knew their spears were erect, though, as the little red boxes on the screen were boxes and not little red hedgehogs. Brave little hedgehogs to be sure, for against them stood three armies of Parthian peasants clad in fluorescent pink (it added much to the intimidation factor) and a half stack of Gallic spear warbands. I could only dream of getting this close to the field. Yes. I was doing one of those 'twenty fully upgraded elite units against hordes of light cavalry and peasant units' experiments that most, if not all, RTW players have been guilty of trying at some point. I regret nothing. I still do it on occasion and I've even tried it in Napoleon: Total War. I'm sure all of us have stories like this; Rome: Total War is one of those timeless games that both the average and the hardcore (and perhaps even the somewhat inexperienced) gamer can return to time and time again. Let's not forget that I first got the game when it was already four years old and that some will have been playing for eight years at the writing of this article. Creative Assembly announced a sequel on July 2nd amidst the jubilation of the masses. I was , of course, one of them, and SonOfOdin, my fellow writer is another. Without further ado I'll stop reminiscing and allow him to tell you guys about the great new game! Ave, General! Remember the sleepless nights you spent, massing up armies on your borders to defend your homeland from Barbarian attacks? Remember contemplating suicide when your best and most beloved General was killed in battle? Remember the three Roman families staging coup d'etas in Rome to galvanise all Romans to join their cause? That my friends, was the magical game that was - Rome Total War. No mum, one more hour! Please, I swear, just one hour... 8 years have passed, and the Creative Assembly have announced Total War : Rome II! CA are looking to revisit the Ancient World of Rome Total War, bringing us war on an epic scale with today's graphics and as promised - a certain level of historical accuracy(so hopefully, no German screeching women or head hurlers, eh?) From what little has been released to public, the game holds A LOT of promise. A couple of new features will have fanboys biting their nails until a demo is released : A whole new battle engine. Battles take place on HUGE maps, which will also see the introduction of a new top-down "Tactical Map". The way I'm picturing it is a World in Conflict or a R.U.S.E style map. In-game cinematics. Solders having individual attributes, clones have been totally removed. That way, you actually feel as if you're sending an individual to glory...or to his death. They also have a lot of different facial animations, reacting differently to situations that develop in-battle. Improved diplomacy, with a lot of betrayals going on. Players will also be able to hold talks with the enemy before a battle. Many, many new campaign-altering events. Regions have been split, with provinces introduced to make management easier. Control of historical generals, with RPG-attributes a'la Shogun II. Naval and Land combat may be merged in some situations. Instead of a single point to capture in a settlement, now there will be multiple control areas to be captured. Huge variety of units. A LOT of factions. Much of the details we know, specifically battle details, were revealed in a 15-minute demo set in the Siege of Carthage, which has not been released to the public. (for more info : http://www.pcgamer.com/previews/tota...ayer-and-mods/) Here are two screenshots of the battle though. In-game screenshots From the little we have seen, and the little we know, we can all anticipate a huge game. Wives will be ignored, jobs will be abandoned, exams will be forgotten, and a new legacy will be created. As we have come to expect from all Total War games - we can be sure it will be epic. Total War : Rome II is set to be released in 2013, though no specific date has been announced yet. Aaaand if you haven't seen the trailer yet... (which is unlikely) Written by: SonOfOdin and Legio.

[The Dutch Devil]

Shogun II News

[Release] Total War Battle Map Editor

Total War Battle Map Editor

This insanely awesome map has been created by Anton III The announcement for Total War Battle Map Editor hit May 2nd, while originally meant to be announced during the second rally point episode, Creative Assembly decided to give us the joyful news as soon as possible! Despite being given a few details, fans went (understandably) wild. When the second rally point episode finally rolled around TEd's release date was revealed to be May 23rd. The Editor would allow fans of Shogun 2's extensive multiplayer game to create and share and share battle maps that they have lovingly crafted using the tool. Opening up a whole new field of possibilities for tournaments. TEd offers an easy way to make battle maps and its streamlined interface allows even a novice modder to grasp the basics of, and perhaps even learn the more complicated facets of, modding. How exactly? Instead of having to use Notepad++ or another text base editor to change abstract values in text files TEd gives you a real time overview of how your map is shaping up. Even offering you a set of handy brushes which you can use to paint the terrain with trees, groundtypes etc. After you are done with your latest creation you can easily save your map and place it in your Shogun II map folder. Grabbing TED is easy! Just start up Steam and click on the 'Tools' button in the 'View' menu. Find the 'Total War: Shogun 2 - TEd' double click to install and you'll be able to start creating your own battlefields! After opening TEd the first time you will be presented with a flat plane that is yours to modify at will! For more information on how to use TEd there is the official documentation that can be found here and a FAQ section on the official forums here. If you want to share your latest creation or just look at the awesome work already created with TEd there's a thread that has it all! It contains beautiful maps crafted with TEd by TWC members and can be found here. If there's anything that is still unclear there also is the TWC mapping workshop where you can ask all your mapping questions! Written by The Dutch Devil.

[DLC] Saints and Heroes pack

Saints and Heroes

Be prepared, The Creative Assembly just released the Saints and Heroes pack. A new elite unit pack for the base game featuring 9 hero units described by CraigTW as 'the masters of their combat disciplines'. These units will be the perfect addition to your armies in both single and multiplayer. The announcement can be found here! Written by The Dutch Devil.

[Release] NOIF's Modern Japan Army Uniform Mod

NOIF's Modern Japan Army Uniform Mod

NOIF's Modern Japan Army Uniform Mod is a modification that extensively modifies the uniforms of several units in Fall of the Samurai. Notably, units receive kepis in place of their old (what did they wear? hats/helmets?). On top of that, there are several more awesome uniform changes. For instance the Katana and Yari kachi units lost their clown trousers and the crews of the foreign naval units have been changed. The crews are now mixed, some crew members have the European faces and the others have the Japanese faces. The mod is very easy to install, all the changes come with their own pack files. So you can pick what units to change. If you want to see the goodness yourself don't hesitate to get them here! Written by The Dutch Devil.

[Release] NOIF's Boshin War Mod (NoBWN)

NOIF's Boshin War Mod

The Boshin War mod is a modification by ♔Noif♔ which aims to add historical flags, banners and uniforms for Fall of the Samurai. Over the course of a fair amount few updates this mod has grown from a modification that changes the uniform textures to a mod that offers an extensive overhaul for banners, uniforms and flags. In the latest update several recolors have been fixed, offering an even better looking and more historical Shogun II! Get the latest version here while it's hot! Written by The Dutch Devil.

[The Dutch Devil]

Empire and Napoleon News

[DLC] Imperial Eagle Pack and [DLC] Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars

Imperial Eagle Pack and Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars

Recently released, the Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars is a unit pack of 10 units which were previously available for the owners of the Napoleon Imperial Edition and the Imperial Eagle Pack contains units from the original boxed edition together with two brand new units never seen before! The units from both packs can be used in the campaign and multiplayer of Napoleon Total War. Written by The Dutch Devil.

[Release] Darth Mod Napoleon 2.5 Beta

Darthmod Napoleon 2.5 Beta

Darth Mod's version 2.5 Open Beta for Napoleon: Total War has been released! Building upon his already awesome mod, Darth Vader has expanded the content and added impressive effects. These changes, including improvements to both the Campaign and Battle AI mechanics, help to make the battle experience much more enjoyable. The 2.5 Beta also includes some bug fixes and improved features, making the gameplay at least 20% more awesome! The full list of changes: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Improved BAI Far more improved responses, unit speeds resulting to even more cinematic and violent melees and to better timed volleys. CAI should be generally more versatile in diplomacy and improved CAI should create more alliance packs CAI should relentlessly try to take back its conquered lands Autocalc improvements Several adjustments to CAI handicaps to make it more challenging CAI should help allies more Improved musket smoke (thicker, more realistic interaction with gravity and wind) Fixed a problem with musket smoke that made it too shiny for some Graphics Cards And now something for the eye candy! Epic effects in a sea battle: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Awesome effects in land battles makes you feel like you are participating in the battle yourself! Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Taken by VENNONETES Taken by Marines Taken by Marines While your army is engaged in a battle you can also enjoy a beautiful sunset! Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Taken by VENNONETES Also lets not forget to give props to husserlTW who made avaible 40 unit armies. Also props go to AlbTraum23 for making the UI mod which makes unit cards look smaller. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  For more info and to download this amazing mod visit the Napoleon: Total War subforum. Written by Public Enemy.

[Release] American Civil War 3.1

American Civil War 3.1

Version 3.1 of the American Civil War - The Blue and the Grey has been released! This amazing mod, like it already suggests by its title, brings you back to the American Civil War! Version 3.1 addes a lot of new features and bug fixes! Mostly focusing on unit performance and their stats in battles and campaign AI. See the full list of changes: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  * The CAI is now in all campaigns very active * Additional campaigns for users without warpath expension available * Fixed campaign conflicts * Base income increased * Campaign difficulty settings are more noticeable now * Several launcher fixes * All ships disabled for now (naval aspect will come later) * Slightly changed morale of units (A major overhaul for moral, fatigue and other battle values will come later) * Rifle accuracy lowered between 75 to 150 meters (~yards) * Ammunition for all soldiers increased * Artillery fire rate lowered slightly * Defensive rating of all cavalry units lowered slightly * Melee attack of all cavalry units improved slightly * Skirmish battle limits for regular infantry increased to 6 for both sides * Campaign recrutment limit for union regular infantry set to 20 * Campaign recrutment limit for csa regular infantry set to 12 * Added some long unit descriptions in the ingame unit info tab * CAI should no longer recruit vanilla generals * Fixed incorrect religion settings for some factions The mod itself includes many new features like a lot of new units related to this historical event! Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Taken by Aeneas2020 Taken by Aeneas2020 New details like loading screens and launcher which enrich the visual aspect of the game: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  New music is also featured! You can hear it in the trailer at the end of the review. You can experience the Civil War with the basic campaign or even better with the warpath expansion! The warpath campaign creates a more interesting and detailed gameplay with more regions and higher detailed map. It's one of the things which makes this mod so qualitative as a mod that supports the warpath map is very rare. Beside that fact you will see a full graphical and acoustic overhaul of all aspects in the game. This affects the game menus, battles and a lot more battlefields. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Here's the list of features this great mod offers: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  * A lot of Civil War Units * Civil War battlefields * Though CAI and BAI * Reworked main menu * New loading screens * Better campaign graphics * Many other 2D art * Civil war music * New unit sounds * Fantastic firing sounds * New animations * Trains and new army models * Extensive unit descriptions * Civil War era quotes * Powerful and easy to use Installer and Launcher * and much more Change the course of history by leading the Confederacy to victory or repeat it by reuniting the United States! It's all in your own hands! It's definitively recommended if you are a fan or just interested in the American Civil War! Still aren't sure if it's any good? If so then just watch it's amazing trailer! (Warning: You might not be able to withstand the awesomeness in it): Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Written by Public Enemy.

Interview

Interview with uanime5 on the recent breakthrough in ETW mapping

For this issue we've got a very special guest, namely uanime5, a renowned modder. Some of you might know him from his awesome mod Eras Total Conquest, today he's here with us to talk about the recent breakthrough in Empire Total War mapping. 1. Before we go to the breakthrough could you please tell us a little but more about yourself? Who's the person behind the avatar? My name is Thomas and I live in England. My hobbies are reading, watching anime, and playing games. 2. How did you start modding? Can you tell us a little bit more about your first mods? I was inspired to start modding by the mod The Long Road. While I liked this mod's era specific units the problem was that you always had to start in in 1080, so I was only able to use the basic units for most of the campaigns I played. So I decided to make a mod (Total Conquest Eras, which later became Eras Total Conquest) which started in different eras so the player wouldn't always be restricted to basic units. I also made a mod called 4 Seasons which was more fantasy based for fun. 3. Was there someone who inspired you to start modding? There wasn't a specific person who inspired me to mod. I started modding because it interested me. 4. What mod are you most proud of working on or releasing? The mod I'm most proud of is the M2TW mod Eras Total Conquest. I've worked on this mod for years adding units from several mods to nearly a dozen campaigns over 4 different maps. Though the most useful mod I made was another M2TW one that updated the menu so it could contain up to 30 faction shield and let the player search through all the start positions without M2TW crashing. 5. What are good sites or sources that helped you with 3D modelling? Most of the 3D modelling advice I got was from TWCenter. When I need new units I tend to combine units that have the items or clothing I want, rather than create a unit from nothing. 6. Onto the breakthrough in ETW mapping. Could you tell the readers some more about the breakthrough you and the other mappers made? Regarding ETW mapping fairly early on people figured out how to edit the regions.esf and startpos.esf to make new towns, ports, mines, and farms appear on the map. However since these new resources didn't have the correct pathfinding ETW didn't know where they were on the map. As a result if you sent a unit to them this unit would teleport to the new resources but wouldn't be able to leave it. The first breakthrough I made was when I was able to edit the pathfinding.esf so that units were able to walk to a new farm, enter it, and leave it. Unfortunately this would destroy all the pathfinding for the regions above this resource and ETW would crash as soon as you ended your turn. The second breakthrough I made was when I was able to put all the pathfinding information into a single grid_cell and edit the pathfinding.esf correctly so that the pathfinding wasn't destroyed and ETW didn't crash. As a result it's now possible to add new towns, mines, and farms. It's should also be possible to move existing ones using this method. I feel I should stress that at present it's not possible to add new regions or split existing regions (this will be very difficult), add new settlements to wilderness regions (more on this later), or add ports (as half has to be in the sea and half has to be on land I can't add all the information to one grid_cell). 7. In terms of time investment, how much effort is it to add a new resource to the campaign map of ETW? If you know what you're doing it's not difficult. You just need to calculate a new set of coordinates (I made a spreadsheet that can do this), ensure there's a suitable grid cell, then update some files. Thanks to Taw's converter it's easy to add a new resource to the regions.esf. Editing the startpos.esf is more difficult because you need to edit the World and CAI_world parts, with the latter being difficult to understand as everything is assigned an ID rather than a name. Next you need to edit the DB tables. As I've mainly been adding resources from the Warpath campaign I haven't needed to edit these files but they're also easy to edit. The pathfinding.esf isn't that difficult to edit because every grid_cell that isn't empty contains the coordinates for its traits (anything in the gird_cell), which makes it easier to find the right grid_cell. At present you just need to find a suitable grid_cell with a passable_area and transition_area and change it into a grid_cell with a slot and a different passable_area to add a resource to the map. It's also possible to turn a grid_cell with a 2 passable_areas and a road into a grid_cell with a slot, a road, and a different passable_area but this is more tricky. I believe that one of the files tells ETW how many traits each row had in the pathfinding.esf and if you increase or decrease the number of traits this destroys the pathfinding. This is why you have to edit existing grid_cells and at present can't add new ones. 8. What about converting wilderness regions to settlements, how far has that progressed? I've been trying to turn wilderness_mexico region into natives_chihuahua region from Warpath. Though I was able to add the settlement to this region the name of this settlement and region didn't display. However when I changed the name of this region from wilderness_mexico to natives_chihuahua the name appeared. So the problem was with the DB tables or the localisation tables. At present I'm trying to figure out how to add a settlement to this region without ETW crashing when I end the turn. I've tried adding the 2 unemerged towns, a silver mine, and a farm from Warpath but this hasn't helped. I'm also searching through the esf files to see if there's something I forgot to edit. 9. What is next thing you and the other mappers will focus their effort on now? What aspect of ETW mapping would you want 'discover' next? Well while most people want mappers to be able to split regions and add new regions I feel that this will be one of the last things we'll figure out due to the number of entries that will need to be changed. Personally I'm going to try to add as much of Warpath to the main campaign as I can but other mappers are examining the pathfinding.esf to try to figure out what every part of it does. Regarding discoveries what I would find helpful is knowing how to add settlements to the unplayable regions as this would allow modders to turn trade theatres into theatres with a small number of regions. A big thanks to uanime5 for participating in this interview and to everyone else who helped in to closer to cracking Empire Total War mapping!

[Preview] North and South

North & South Mod

The Blue and the Grey Team have once again marched into battle, this time to conquer Napoleon: TW! The North & South mod will allow players to play as actual Civil War Generals of the period. Will you uphold the Union and crush the Rebellion? Or will you lead the Confederates to victory, solidifying their independence? The choice is up to you! The North & South mod includes many new units, all with historically accurate uniforms, as well as impressively designed battlefields. Be sure to check out this new mod for a fantastic Civil War experience! Written by Nosjack.

[Release] No more replenishment in enemy lands V1.1

No more replenishment minimod for ETW

Sick of the ahistorical ability to refill your armies in enemy lands? Want a new challange for war in ETW? Then this is the mod your looking for. This little mod removes the ability to replenish troops in enemy lands, as shown in this screenshot: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Get it here! Written by crossjon.

[Release] V1650 1.5 Beta

V1650 1.5 beta

V1650 is a mod for ETW set in the year 1650 and focused on the young and turbulent United Provinces. This mod adds many new units to the United Provinces, rebalances the game, changes the tech tree and adds units of all nations to fit the setting of 1650. However, the main goal of this mod is to add on to the unit roster of the United Provinces and make it more historically accurate. To see some of these amazing new units in action, check out this video: Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  To download or discuss V1650, go here! Written by crossjon.

[The Dutch Devil]

　

Medieval II News

Stainless Steel 7.0

Stainless Steel 7.0 - Preview I: Gameplay Features I

Stainless Steel has traditionally been focused on units and battles together with the expanded campaign map and the new factions. Many new models and textures have been created and imported from other mods, along with thorough overhauls of battle ai and unit statistics. With the coming 7.0 version, it seems to be time to concentrate on something else – the hardcoded unit limit is reached since long, among other things. What is the preview about, then? Generally speaking; events, events and some more events. There are different kinds of events that can appear in Medieval II. Missions are given and (hopefully) rewards are as well, unless a particularly grumpy pope only sees fit to spare you from something even worse than having to carry out his orders. The Stainless Steel team promises a wide range of new, more advanced, missions. Featured examples include marching against hideous blasphemers as well as intruding infidels according to the orders of popes or the dear council of nobles. Old vanilla rewards of 500 florins or other things hardly worth mentioning will also pale in comparison. The “true” events – ranging from mere messages to the Mongol invasion – can involve some or no user interactivity. Stainless Steel 7.0 features new ones of both kinds. Winning battles will give your faction both gold and possibly other rewards. The more impressive the victory is with regard to odds and size of armies involved, the greater will be the rewards. Since the game engine almost always underestimate their strength, this sounds like especially good news for missile cavalry armies and factions. With the faction limit reached, there is only so much one can do to depict the ones that were left out. The new regional autonomy event is a nod in that direction. If you accept to grant some regions more autonomy, they will in return give rewards like sending troops to fight for you or some tribute. The drawbacks are described as mainly “lack of influence over specific recruitment and construction decisions”. At sea, you can as usual not do as much as on land but an active seafaring policy may result in discoveries of distant lands and the benefits that accompany them, possibly speeding up certain other game events. Additionally, a sneakier sovereign may contract privateers to bring in some extra revenue, potentially at the expense of reputation. Many more things than the ones mentioned will happen. Leaders will achieve and reap the rewards for it and factions will reach their golden ages (unless their jealous neighbours finish them before that), all in front of the new loading screens and art. - My dear loyal subject Vasco, as I was just thinking when looking at this map, what would you think about undertaking an expedition across the sea? - As you were thinking while looking at this map… I’m touched by your concern for our safety, sire… - Indeed, isn’t this just the kind of map that makes you feel positively thrilled to set sail? Just look at all the…interesting creatures you will see! -…　 The first preview for Stainless Steel 7.0 can be found in this location! Written by: Maltacus.

Preview: Europa Barbarorum II

Europa Barbarorum II - Preview of Sb' w-gwm and Malkûtâ Nabâta

The EB II preview of Arabia is as thorough as the others. The sunny peninsula will be home to two factions – the Sb’ w-gwm and Malkûtâ Nabâta, also known as the Sabaean Commonwealth and the Nabataean Kingdom. Since the mod deals with such old factions historical sources are of course scarce compared to most medieval kingdoms and so on, and any modder will eventually have to do a smaller or bigger bit of guessing. The EB II team is one of the leading ones when it comes to making an educated guess rather than a wild guess. Their previews are filled with background information worthy of any respectable historical magazine (and outclassing most) and well worth checking out for that reason alone even for those uninterested in playing the mod once it is released. Apart from pure historical interest, detailed background information can often prove very useful when discussing unit statistics and other modding. Focusing on the in-game parts of the preview, trade will apparently play a huge role for the economy of this area of the map. The incense and spice trade was an incredibly important part of the economy of the area in this time and the rise and fall of different trade routes and shifts of control of those were quite major events. Incense will be featured as a resource on the campaign map, likely to quickly be claimed by greedy players. The EB II team describes some of the differences between the two factions in the following manner: “The Sabaeans represent the southern Arabians, while the Nabataeans represent the northern Arabians. Significant differences include the use of horse archers by the Nabataeans, as well as the progressive Hellenisation they underwent in our time frame, developing Hellenistic establishments, equipment, ranks and tactics.” The Sabaeans seem to be a more settled faction. Their army is described as highly organised and incorporating feudal, professional, militia and tribal/mercenary elements. The preview does not go into details how this will look in the game but it seems a safe bet that recruitment, level of training and availability will be main tools to depict these differences. Spears and bows are mentioned as main weapons, along with swords among the elite and javelins among the Bedouins and possibly communal levies. Their defence seems light, consisting of wicker shields and not much armour. Sabaean citizen militia and noble townsfolk Their northern neighbours, the Nabateans, emphasize the other archetypical half of Arabian factions and civilisations – the mobile tribal raiding force. Famous for their digging and construction of underground rainwater cisterns which aided their travels and overall nomadic lifestyle, the Nabatean armies moved back and forth mounted on camels and horses and were quite hard to catch. Their most common equipment seems to have consisted of mainly bucklers or small square shield along with spears, javelins and smaller swords. Bows were not lacking however, and the Nabateans will field horse archers among other things. Later the Nabateans became more settled and their army changed to a more “regular” and organised one, more capable of fighting set-piece battles and very influenced by Hellenistic armies of other states. It is not clear how this will be shown in the game. Perhaps with new, heavier units becoming available and changes in the recruitment of old ones? North Arabian shortswordsmen and Nabataean horsearchers With the light armour and the Sabaean and later Nabatean variety of units there seems to be both room and need for careful planning and tactics to counter the heavier forces of other factions. Personally I come to think of the Moors in vanilla Medieval II and Europe-centred mods when looking at these factions. That is, the Moors with proper attention to research and unit details. In any case, I think neither will be the easiest one to play but quite possibly one of the most effective armies, if their mobility can be properly implemented in EB II and properly used by players once it is released. This thread for this latest preview can be found here! 　 Written by: Maltacus.

Release: Bulgaria Total War

Bulgaria Total War: Patch 2.1 released

Bulgaria Total War - as the name suggests - is a mod which aims to bring the glory of Bulgaria and its culture into the Total War games. When the mod was released many fans were just happy to see Bulgaria as a playable faction due to the important role they played during the Medieval Era. The mod has recieved several updates since its original release with each bringing more depth to the faction of Bulgaria and the new patch 2.1 is no different in this regard. Patch 2.1 essentially just adds one new feature to the mod, but it is certainly an addition worth having in your game. Thanks to the work of alien_t and with the aid of the IWTE tool the new custom settlement of Turnovo or as it is often referred to "The City of the Tsars" has been added to the game and as can be seen in the birds eye view below the city truly is an impressive sight to behold. Birds Eye View of Turnovo With its high walls, steep slopes and the protective barrier of the river this is a formidable stronghold, so if you want test your generalship attempting to capture it or simply want to view some of the beautiful new buildings all you need to do is to visit the release thread here! Written by: General Brittanicus.

Release: Call of Warhammer

Call of Warhammer - Version 1.5.1 Released!

The highly popular Call of Warhammer has recently released another new update for the mod now bringing it to version 1.5.1. This update makes many changes to the mod, but arguably the most important of these is the addition of a faction that has long been neglected even by the creators of the Warhammer universe - the Chaos Dwarfs. In addition to this extra faction the patch also includes dozens of new units, new strat map models, new scripts, expanded texts, many new videos and much more. The full list of new features and changes, as well as the download can be found here! Written by: General Brittanicus.

Preview: Broken Crescent 3.0

Broken Crescent 3.0 - Pacco's Unit Previews

It's always diffcult waiting for the new release of a mod - especially when that new release happens to be version 3.0 of Broken Crescent, but thanks to Pacco's new unit previews we can see that the wait will be well worth it. The previews so far include three units from the mighty Crusader Orders, as well as Seljuk Infantry and Latin Knights and if these beautiful models don't increase your anticipation for the new release then nothing will. The preview thread can be found here, so make sure you check it out for all of Pacco's latest work. Written by: General Brittanicus.

Preview: Stainless Steel 7.0

Stainless Steel 7.0 - Preview II : Gameplay Features II

You may be forgiven for thinking you had already finished with all of this Eagle Standards Stainless Steel articles, but this issue brings you news of not one, but two new previews for Stainless Steel version 7.0. The second preview brings more of the same that the first provided and hints at just a few of the new features that will be included in the new version of the mod. The first of these is the return of a feature that was last seen in the vanilla version of the first Medieval Total War - re-emergent factions. This feature will be similar to the one seen in M:TW, but also very different, as factions will only re-emerge in areas where there is support for a rebellion rather than randomly all over the place like they did in the first Medieval game. This means that you will have to be even more careful in future not to over extend your empire since you will be leaving yourself open to the return of enemies you thought you had crushed long ago. Another rather interesting feature that the preview mentions is the new difficulty the Stainless Steel team have created called "Godlike difficulty". This difficulty is essentially just very hard difficulty with huge changes made to it such as the permanent disablement of the console and limited saving being allowed. The new difficulty also recieved a certain amount of influence from the Shogun legendary difficulty and so you will also be subject to handicaps in battle such as only being able to issue orders when un-paused. You will also have access to controllable Inquistors in SS 7.0 and will be able to use them to try and eliminate any enemy generals or agents you suspect of heresy. Alternatively if you are distrustful of the populace in your own nation you can release these agents upon them and since nobody expects the Inquistion you can be sure that none of those evil heretics will escape. These are only a few of the new features discussed in the preview and whilst the images may currently be unavilable you can read about the rest of them here! Written by: General Brittanicus.

Release: The Sundering - Rise of the Witch King

The Sundering - Rise of the Witch King

The Sundering - Rise of the Witch King In April 2012, the anticipated modification The Sundering - Rise of the Witch King for Medieval II - Kingdoms has been released. The introduction picture from the mod team perfectly sums up the most important information about this total conversion: The Sundering - Rise of the Witch King features 13 playable factions, together with a lot of interesting features, such as: War Council (Up to 3 of your generals will now be your main generals. Your Faction Leader, his heir and the Leader of the Council of Nobles with a lot of boni like triats, improved stats and other strategical advantages.) Supply System (You have to plan your supplies in advance. An enemy region with a vast hinterland could become your toughest target.) Army Field Morale System (This set of traits indicates an army's condition. It runs through a series of levels increasing every 4 turns that an army is in action (i.e away from any town or a castle with at least 50% compatible religious population) In essence, your troops become more weary the longer they are away from home. Re-Skinned Settlements (The Team brings a new vision of the siege by new textures to the settlements.) Beasts from Ulthuan (Hydras, Lions of Chrace, Manticores and even Black Dragons.) Famous and infamous heroes (More than 50 characters extracted from Warhammer novels and army books and all of them have been customized through special traits and ancillaries.) and many more... You are interested to try out this promising mod ? Check their release thread for more details as well as the download link(s): http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=534457 by MasterBigAb

[Preview] East of Rome - The Sclaveni preview

East of Rome - The Sclaveni preview

Modding fans of TWC and Eastern Roman Empire fans and the like, and let everyone who has ears listen up! This is not a Mod you want to miss! This preview proves that there is plenty of only good things to come from East of Rome. Who would not like to be Belisarius in reforging the Roman Empire with an emperor who feels threatened by you? Or, a horde of Huns descending on the Romans like a plague from hell? You will be able to do that and much much more with East of Rome. Now to bring you up to speed if you have missed previous previews or forgot what is to be involved with this modding effort, then have a look at this video! Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  THE SCLAVENI This is the first 'unit preview' for the new EOR team, and it is beautifully done. Here is a taste of what to see at the EOR forums Slavic Unit Preview. Slavic Axemen Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  and Slavic Druzhina Infantry Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  One can see from the two unit images, that this mod team is paying attention to detail for an epic portrayal of accurate units. Along with that the team is gunning for epic gameplay, loads of unique features, and a unique game map. East of Rome is truly a great effort along with a great looking preview. Again, to read up more about this amazing looking mod follow the link here! Written by ♔Old Dragoon♔.

Gallery

Medieval II Tutorials

Tutorial: Taro_M's bag o' tricks

The bag o' tricks is a new tutorial brought to you by Taro_M who is probably best known for his work in bringing new units to the faction of Gondor in the Third Age mod. In the tutorial he aims to provide clear and precise hints, tips and guides to the world of modelling and texturing for Medieval 2 and even provides some free to use materials with which you can start building your own texture database. If your a newcomer who just wants to learn how to add some of your own units to Medieval 2 or if your already an experienced modder who just wants to pick up some useful tips then you just need to visit this thread! Written by: General Brittanicus.

Tutorial: IWTE for the Complete Utter Noob

"IWTE for the complete utter noob" is a tutorial that has been created by BURNY26 and if the title didn't give it away it is an absolute beginners guide to using the IWTE tool to create your own custom settlements. After using the tutorial myself in recent weeks I can safely say that this is a must read for anyone who wants to create a custom settlement and if you use it in combination with King Kong's guide you should face very few problems that you won't be able to find the answers for. Written by: General Brittanicus.

Resource: WotN releases unused units!

The team behind the Wrath of the Norsemen (WotN) mod have made a very generous gift to the TWC community by releasing more than a dozen of their old units to be used by anyone who wants them. If you do want to use them make sure to ask the team nicely and rememebr to always give credit for any of their great work that you do use. More details can be found at the links provided by Úlfhéðinn in the thread here! Written by: General Brittanicus.

[The Dutch Devil]

Eras News

Release: Rome Medieval - Kingdoms

Rome Medieval: Kingdoms (3.1)

Rome - Total War > RTW 1.5 vanilla Lord of the Knights and his team have released version 3.1 of their mod, bringing a fantastic medieval atmosphere to the RTW platform. A vast number of changes and interesting elements have been worked on and are included in this release. Here is a small overview of the new material for this 3.1 version release: Religions System. Three religions (Islam, Christianity, Pagan). Complete new animation set for RTW. New Flag Bearers & Banners (Preview). Complete new Traits & Ancillaries. A number of brand new units, models and textures. All models are also reworked. New sounds, musics, pre-battle speeches. Gun-powders (Cannons, Rifle units). Grand Campaign map. Major rebalance of units stats and costs. Medieval textures for battle map buildings. New AI Formations & Tactics. And many other excellent new features. I'm sure you will agree that this mod must be on your "to-play-asap" list if you are a fan of the RTW engine and Europe during the medieval period. An already excellent mod has been improved on even further so don't hesistate any longer and download this beauty to your computer. Look HERE for more information and download links. The main forum of the mod is HERE. Written by: Boustrophedon.

VLTRA GLORIAM ROMAE - Release

VLTRA GLORIAM ROMAE - Public release

Rome - Total War 1.6 (BI) > Invasio Barbarorum (IB) > Ultra Gloriam Romae April 5 of 2012 will be remembered as a glorious day for the RTW mod enthusiasts. It was on this most auspicious day that the VGR team released their mod to the public and what a mod it is! In the modleader's own words... "The Roman Empire in the 5th century AD for the first time within their borders dealt with barbarian peoples not on their own terms. Get a glimpse at the Roman Empire's epic struggle for survival and the Empire's attempt to restore Roman Glory, or Vltra Gloriam Romae." It's evident that this submod for IB features an epic campaign and while it may seem like only a submod, it boasts so much additional material and is developed with such a love for modding that one may consider a totally new mod altogether! -Added 2D art new buildings -added Saio Cav -Western Clibinarii available for Soissons faction only at Soisonns -Added several textures to early Germanic cav -Corrected Mods Info guides -Added new unit cards to any that were not made correctly -Checked for in game battle ctds(Non Fatal can reload) hoping drastically they are reduced for those who had been experiencing them -Corrected a province's name in the Danube region -Frank Schola Infantry a general unit and more difficult to recruit -Successfully added a money script Wre and ERE AI are formidable -Spawned armies -Bulgars Emerge 434AD -12 turn per year (optional for 463AD Campaign) A handful of factions starting armies will spawn These are just a handful of the new options and the additional material contained in this release. Any lover of the Late Roman Period should go and download this HERE or at least visit the subforum HERE and take a look around to see these great modders showcasing their work. Written by: Boustrophedon.

Narnia: Total War - Public release

Narnia: Total War - 0.8 Release

The world of Narnia and the magnificent lore created by C.S. Lewis finally comes to RTW with this mod. Jubal_Barca finally allows us to live (and fight) in this wonderful world. You will be astonished to see badgers become violent soldiers, destroying your force of "veterans". FEATURES * Many new units * Marauders, Harfang, Dwarfs, Narnians, Archenlanders, Terebinthians, Lone Islanders, Calormenes, Telmarine Narnians, Old Telmarines, and the new factions of Koraly, Munesh, Surval and Erina are all available to play * New Loading screens * New buildings available * Full campaign mode covering the entire Narnian world * New faction icons, banners, and game background Download the mod HERE and fight for Aslan. FOR ASLAAAAAN! Written by: Boustrophedon.

Preview: INVASIO BARBARORVM : RESTITVTOR ORBIS

The Warriors of the Dunes

From the fine Invasio Barbarorvm base this sub mod focuses on representing the late Third Century AD Roman Empire and the problems it had endured. For this preview we've been given a fine treat to take a look at the Tanukh Arab and the Berber Tribes. The Tanukh tribes made their home in Arabia and Southern Syria holding power over much of the concerned areas after their rise. The Tanukh tribes held a fairly on again off again relationship with Rome after their rise to prominence after the times of the Empire of Palmyra of which they fought against the rebels. They held several alliances and wars with the Romans over the years after that. They also make desert wear look good: The Desert Spearmen Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  The Kings Bodyguard Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  The Berber tribes are a people based out of North Africa that didn't necessarily form a single united people but more an area of culturally similar people. While they had managed to stay independent of the Romans they often consorted with them by forming alliances or even fighting inside Roman units which played an important role during the Third Century Crisis. Here are some fine examples of their in game appearances: The Berber Skirmishers Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  The Garamantes Warrior Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  You can learn much more and see even more here at the main preview here. Read about the rest of the mods and see some other previews here. Written by: Kamos.

Preview: Novus Ordo Mundi(EB)

Preview : Pahlava

From the Europa Barbarurom sub mod Norvis Ordo Mundi comes the mighty Pahlava, or Parthian Empire. The mod, starting in 80BC, leaves us with a Parthia going through some exceptionally tough times. The glory days of Mithradates the Great are past and Parthia in plagued by civil wars that would otherwise prevent it's glory and expansion much like the Roman Empire. Areas of the Empire range from loyal to autonomous to pretenders. In order to properly represent this the mod provides a Parthian specific rebel faction to provide an extra stability challenge for any Parthian hopefuls. The Parthians themselves focus largely on cavalry with the majority of infantry being light and using javelins such as: Thureophoroi tes Anatoles the basic infantry. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Or the Tabargân irregulars from the hills of Iran. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  With cavalry ranging from the light Shivatîr-î Pahlavânîg from the Central Asian migrant clans. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  And the mighty Cataphract horsemen that made Parthia a name to be feared. Shivatîr-î Zrêhbârân and Pahlavân-î Zrêhbârân Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  With the utterly gorgeous bodyguard unit made from the best of the best. Pushtîghbânê Shâhigân-î Pahlavânîg Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  You can read the whole preview here. Written by: Kamos.

Preview: Novus Ordo Mundi(EB)

Preview : Senatvs Popvlvsqve Romanvs

The Senate and the People of Rome, a name that has left an enduring legacy for all the behold and stand in awe of. But this is a dark time for the Republic of Rome. Cracks are starting to appear as enemies had discredited Roman strength along most borders and enemies from all over test their mettle. Made worse by the internal dissent and, at times, open rebellion this has become a dangerous and trying time for the Republic. However out of this came several famous Roman leaders such as Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, two men who would change the history of Rome forever. Gaius Marius had gone to great lengths to create a true professional army after suffering badly at the hands of foreign invaders. It had become apparent the typical levies of the Republic just weren't enough. Sulla was an astounding general in his own right leading in controversial actions and defeating several external threats before being made Dictator. He was the first Roman to march on Rome in it's history setting a dangerous precedent. But furthermore he was determined to bring Rome to it's former glory, and they thought he had. Unfortunately the opposition was preparing to strike again and more Roman rebels, a feature of the mod, were growing in number. At this point the Roman army was becoming more professional leading to what we know and love as the Roman military. The Roman military has often adapted to fighting in specific regions as well as using local soldiers giving an incredibly diverse number of units to chose from. Such as the quintessential Cohors Reformata (Post Marian Legionary Cohort) Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Or the Antesignani (Post Marian Elite Legionary Light Infantry) Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  And with cavalry units ranging from Hispania, Gaul, Thrace, and Germany to support the Roman Army. The mod also features the legions of Augustus which are even more professional and of famous appearance. Such as the Cohors Imperatoria (Imperial Legionary Cohort) Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  Or more adapted Cohors Imperatoria Levantinorum (Eastern Roman Imperial Cohorts) Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  And a great number of other beautifully crafted units to utilize. You can read the full preview here. Written by: Kamos.

Warhammer - Total War

Warhammer - Total War: Full Version Release

Rome - Total War > Warhammer TW > 1.0 Release The Warhammer universe has come to the RTW platform (finally!) with this release of a big mod featuring the Warhammer myths and realm, now accessible as a grand campaign. Jubal_Barca worked on this project with a small team it seems, but that doesn't take anything away from the playability or fun you will definitely have with this mod. Here are some details of the material included... FEATURES * Many new units * 18 factions, including almost all the tabletop races and more! * New Loading screens * New buildings available * Full campaign mode covering huge sections of the Warhammer world * New faction icons, banners, and game background Take a look at the release thread HERE and decide for yourselves if you can handle the challenge of the Warhammer campaigns. Written by: Boustrophedon.

Rome Total Realism VII patch 2a

RTR VII - patch 2a

Rome - Total War > RTR VII > Patch 2a + hotfix The RTR team under direction of Muizer and Maurits have been hard at work for several months and are now able to show you the fruits of their labour. This patch offers fixes for errors in the previous version as well as several new additions to the content of the mod. The new battlefield environments are the most noteworthy added features. If you have never heard of Rome Total Realism (RTR) before then you're in for a pleasant surprise and will find yourself gawking over the gorgeous units and whatnot. In their own words, the RTR team makes a compelling case to go forth and download this beauty: "Besides bug fixes, the patch adds an new amazing feature to the game: an improved battlemap environment! Muizer laboured long and hard in order to create a perfect mix of RS II's environment and RTR's own work. The result is splendid and gives a whole new look to the mod!" If I have sparked your interest then don't hesistate and go to the download/information thread HERE and I can guarantee you many hours of gaming fun! Written by: Boustrophedon.

European Wars (BETA)

European Wars - BETA release

Rome - Total War > Napoleonic II - Total War > European Wars (BETA) King Louise Assurbanipal (KLA), renowned modeller and member of TWC, has released his submod for the Napoleonic II mod for RTW. This submod focuses on the period before Napoleon, when everybody still went into battle with wigs and cups of tea! The mod features many fantastic models and skins, made by both third party individuals and KLA himself. Even if you are not particularly interested in this era of history, I still advise you to check this submod out and give it a chance. It's got awesome units and alot of other goodies. Here are some of KLA's own words on the scope of his mod: In this version you can choose from 6 European factions: - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, - Kingdom of Spain, - The Habsburg Monarchy, - Kingdom of Prussia, - The Russian Empire - Swedish Kingdom. A complete set of 16 factions I prepare the final version (including the military powers such as France, Great Britain, United Provinces). No more delaying! Grab a hold of this beauty HERE in the release thread. Written by: Boustrophedon.

Risk Version II release (standalone)

Risk II submod for Napoleonic TW II

Rome - Total War > Napoleonic Total War II > Risk II full release A seemingly small submod can contain alot more material than you'd normally think. This one adds full factions with family trees and everything a faction needs. Changes have been made to the scripts and traits as well, providing an even deeper immersive experience. This is a standalone version so you only need a vanilla RTW copy and you can install this mod immediately. The changes are substantial so well worth a minute of your time, if you don't mind me stealing the modder's words... This will add the rs2 map-textures to get a epic map-campaign scale...12tpy..slowed strat movement rate...money script...prometheus-strat.models Also the following factions are added, with complete new family trees, retextured units, strat generals, new icons-flags.... Denmark Batavian Rep.-Netherlands Ghz Hessen-Kassel Bavaria Württemberg Saxony Get your hands on this mod HERE and leave some feedback to the modders. Written by: Boustrophedon.

[The Dutch Devil]

The best Publication for Total War and Modding News!

List of Contributors

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The Dutch Devil

Chief Reporters
Rome II News - Legio
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[M D]

Excellent

[MorganH.]

Another smashing publication about the lifeblood of the TWC; TW Mods !

Great job everybody,well done !

[Boustrophedon]

Excellent work by all those involved and glad to see this publication so unwavering in its support of the modding community at TWC

[General Brittanicus]

Good work everyone!

[Maltacus]

Good job, everyone!

[SonOfOdin]

[General Brewster]

Very nice work !

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Fantastic issue guys, really well done.

[NovaForce1]

you gotta love these guys thanks for a great issue!

[CelticSlav]

What a great issue this is! Words can't speak for this...

[Celsius]

I had no idea the ES was still in business. Nice to see that it is though.

Good read

[Diglytron]

Nice! to bad tough so less people (find) this and comment.

[Maurits]

Excellent work guys, great to see that an old RTW mod like RTR isn't forgotten due to the turmoil around the TW:R2 announcement! We're well on our way with a next - and even larger - patch, which will hopefully be released soon and featured in the next issue!