DarthMod: Shogun II v4.45 Open Beta Update 10 [19/3/2013]

[hippacrocafish]

I'm using the latest steam version and having some serious trouble with keeping units in formation inside of castles. Even just ordering them to stand near a wall makes the whole unit suddenly lose their minds and be unable to move. Anyone else experiencing this?

Also, just as a personal preference, I think the diplomacy hit the Ikko-Ikki take due to their religion is a little high. I had a marriage alliance with Tsutsui and they still betrayed me. Can we see a small reduction to maybe -10 or -15 possibly? The Ikko-ikki historically aligned with other clans, especially against the Oda, AFAIK.

[Hawkeye74]

Having run the update5, the AI aggression against the player is too much, one faction after another declaring war on me, factions that I have no contact with, with dozens of ship at my only port.

I can barely get off the first wrung of the ladder before the AI is marching it fully loaded professional armies at me.

This still needs some re-balancing to make it credible for the player, I'm only playing on hard, but it is impossible, I spent all day on this update, not saying that I feel like I've wasted my time as I'm play testing but, if I were an average player having a go, I might feel like the effort was wasted.

At this point it's not a challenge because at some point it comes down to a last stand, always a last stand, I play well I don't lose important battles yet I'm steamrolled every time.

Balance please.


Peace.

[Mjarr]

I'm using the latest steam version and having some serious trouble with keeping units in formation inside of castles. Even just ordering them to stand near a wall makes the whole unit suddenly lose their minds and be unable to move. Anyone else experiencing this

I've seen the same even in vanilla Shogun 2 if I increase unit multiplier, so it's not DMS exclusive behaviour. Pretty much the only real workaround is to not to readjust the formation width, and just ram RMB and hope they move and try again eventually. Can be bit difficult in the heat of battle to micromanage that, but at least in my experience that's the only way to ease the issue. Playing with 1x multiplier max. also eases the problem, as it becomes far more pronounced with 1.5x and certain types of castle.


Here's some small feedback based on cavalry in FotS after plenty of testing and playing game as Sendai for a change:
1. Increase sabre cavalry melee defence a bit, because they are practically worthless if you play with bayonet boost. Unless the unit is severely understrenght or you're facing some katana kachi\dismounted hatamoto in the first place - and even then expect to take severe losses, and even with bayonet boost off it's kind of expected that they will get their arses handed - there is no point using it, especially when noting point #2:
2. Decrease yari ki, and possibly hatamoto melee defence a bit. I have no doubts cavalry that gets a clean charge can get pretty ugly, but xp7 line infantry w/ bayonet boost submod enabled is guaranteed to lose ½ of their manpower when yari ki frontally charges against a line under fire, loses ½ to 70% of it's horses, but once it gets in contact there's nothing you can do but to hope you can surround them and take the heavy casualties. I've even seen situation where yari ki has routed xp5 spear levy with frontal charge, and while arguably the lack of yari wall\square in FotS sort of makes the problem bit more noticeable, try do the same with sabre cavalry. They will get utterly raped, even if the charge does produce some casualties whereas yari ki or hatamoto will continue to steamroll unless they have less than 10 guys left, and expect them to fight to the death.

[AllianceDeath]

Do I have to reinstall this after getting a DLC? Or is it a perfect merge.

[Hawkeye74]

Update 6.

Same as above, but now no other faction will trade with me, within 20-30 turns I'm out every time.

Still needs to be rebalanced, running the same Mori camp several times, and the result is the same every time, rape train.

Request: If possible can the line of site block be switched off for the missile units, since the AI it seems quite happily fires full strength into melee, but player can't, I would call that an imbalance.

Peace

[Lichen]

I don't know why people seem to want to make this game easier. If hard is too hard for you, then maybe you should be playing on an easier difficulty. Personally, I find legendary to be very difficult, but manageable on update 5 and 6. I don't want to see DMS get any easier or I simply won't have a challenge on any difficulty.

[wargod2009]

I apologize if this is a stupid question. How do I know if I correctly installed the open beta update? Will it say so on the launcher? Thank you for any feedback and once again thank you Darth for making TW games what they should be. Now if only there is way to keep the AI to continue producing Ashigaru units instead of only "Elite" and/or Samurai units after about thirty turns.

[DARTH VADER]

New update!
I am pretty certain that the new update will have quite a better BAI and also CAI. You know what to do. Please test asap.

[eLLoCo1976]

I don't know why people seem to want to make this game easier. If hard is too hard for you, then maybe you should be playing on an easier difficulty. Personally, I find legendary to be very difficult, but manageable on update 5 and 6. I don't want to see DMS get any easier or I simply won't have a challenge on any difficulty.

Yup very true, I fully agree, I always play only on Legendary and thats also what I like, a real challenge against an AI in a strategy game, hard enough to find these days anyways and for me Darthmod creates the perfect environment to enjoy a challenging but still doable campaign. You just have to use ALL your resources, agents, diplomacy and try to think out of the box, like for example, in FotS I usually get a 2nd city quick, bypass the -x modernisation techs at start and get to max level in no time so to say(just build the big modernisation stuff first, you can always burn down buildings after again and so on). There is other stuff like working with revolts in enemy territories which can be very useful. In such ways I most times get what I want and when I dont and loose I know that its perfect gaming environment, thats what makes me start over again hehe

[Hawkeye74]

Update 8,

running the Mori camp on hard as usual.

Kikkawa alliance disappears every turn so I have re-request, and sequentially one faction after another declares war on me, still the same rape train, no fun.

I noticed that the standing is in the red from the beginning.
In the 4.2's and 4.3's it was beautiful I could get off the first wrung and establish myself then get going on some serious meat grinder action.

Balance in diplomacy is what is needed, it seems at this point the AI is on a minus spiral for the player, fix this and your golden.

Not saying I want easy, but don't want to waste my time either, challenge not rape.

Peace.

[Lichen]

There is no balance needed. The current difficulty level is fine. The AI (as well as human players) tend to declare war on weaker players. If you are experiencing a mass amount of AI declaring war then you are either 1) Making poor alliance choices 2) Showing weakness or 3) A mixture of both 1 and 2. Why can't you just play on a lower difficulty rather then asking for this mod to be easier and essentially ruining my hopes of a challenge?

[BuRnInICE]

It's possibly to do with Mori Motonari having -20 to diplomatic relations too and they're declaring on you because u're unfriendly. But yeah the challenge playing as Mori is good.

[wargod2009]

Hey Darth. The game breaking Naval bugs are still there (AI only makes bow kobayas and trade ships and flees to the borders battle map borders). I am looking forward to another update. Also I enjoyed hearing your voice on the podcast. It reminded me of a guy from Gibraltar I worked with in Scotland.

[DARTH VADER]

New update!
I think now it cannot get any better than this. Check the changelog and please give urgent feedback. If you are satisfied, I fully release asap.

[Hawkeye74]

Update 8 addendum.

I take back what I said, almost:

Firstly, I do believe the negative modifiers are a little to rapid.

Secondly, you may be right Burninice Mori is probably not the best faction to be testing with.

Thirdly, Lichen you catch more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.

Apologies Darth on the skewed results I will test update 9 although it may not be till after midweek, however, building on what you've done already I'm sure the other testers' feedback will be just as valuable.

Looking forward to the release.

Peace.

P.S how about that line of site block for the missile troops, is it malleable?

[Lichen]

Update 8 addendum.

Thirdly, Lichen you catch more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.

So what you are saying is that you dislike the challenge of catching bees vinegar and prefer an easy win by using honey?

[KERA_AK]

Hi Nick and everyone else in the testings, visters and lurkers.

I havent had the time at all to test it, expect at one point. The PC am using over here does crash in battles for me after 15-40min CTD I would only have the 100% fully testings if i came home back to Sweden.

But what i do know Nick is that, Land battles worked pretty good on HARD ( I only play on hard lvl with all DM ) There been a few mechanic pauses in the older beta versions, seen and reported by few, about with long range fire units, reload and fire again, Fire to slow when enemy are in range or, if u let a unit fire but need to move it to another location and tell it to fire again.. either it do a longer pause, not due to some are still reloading, not at all... it just do longer pause or it wont fire for a very long time.

My conclusions have been and seen in CA´s patchers before. That some units wont fire in there own friendly ranks or some how cannot targeting the enemy CODE!? Or that the lateast patch have changed a little bet to the worse ( as happend before with official patches that some mechanics or texture becomes broken due to new patches )

Or that with the lateast patch with the new codes / mechanics behavors... kind of maybe dislike each other with some modding changes!? <--- I dont know.

I´m just speaking out of the blue as i have no knowlegde of verything i wrote on above It´s just "Thinking" and exempels.. for my self also personly to always figure things out, why bugs or wicked wierd things does apper that shouldnt be in the game such as this or basicly find out how to avoid them and live with em in the classic style

Anyway.. I hope those changes are fixed today in the mod and lets hope that this are no new patch vanilla minor annoying bugs?!

Many have reported about Diplomaty how to become Allias or "why are they all attacking me even so i have a great state and nice honor etc etc" Some might think i´s the old TW horror of Rome 1 or Empire 1 vs all hehe Or why cant i get any good Trades!?

There are so many honest reports here and yes i do believe them, But what i cannot understand is why we all or some few of us are having a bet wierd or diff campaign experiances, even tho some says they have a clean copy of it, no other mods installed and only DM?

My point is that i dont have any Trade or Allias or Me vs all AI attacks me (declare war on me) I dont get this kind of experiances when i play DM mods with mine TW games? I honestly dont, i always try to figure out other problems that i read here and try to replicate em if i can

The only major visiul bugs i seen are the Ships, due to small sea maps as the curve turns and others state changes on the ship... And boat musket and Nanban musket units fire wrong or halve crew not... Cannons stucks not 100% functional etc etc. The fort gate´s as many of us reported before ( is now fixed ) The latest beta version i traid out before my travel was, I think Beta 4.

I get nice trades and allias, and never getting those 1 vs all on me war declare´s. I dont see DM mods are to hard or heavy hard... For me it´s pretty easy, even if the enemy is twice as larger then my Army, my point it with the word "easy" It´s due to the CA´s coded AI in the first place, What makes it harder and more fun, is the DM exchanges.. on the strategi map and in 3D battles Because they are heavly improvered on all grounds and unit ballance, massive heavy changes and scripts. It gives me long game play and hard decicions to make on all area´s of every situation campaign i play.

I would been depresst if Darth release a Easy version lol. Would ruin my life totaly I dont mean anything bad or to abuse anyone personal, my English arent so good, hard to find the correct word and to keep my TEXT short here.

We all are having all kind of diff experiance´s and i believe all needs to be reported in But i also urge dubble up to check our own files and drivers even our hardware, there can always always be something that we didnt knew about and missed it out, and think and assume it´s the Vanilla or the mod or both together? Seen it before read it before heard it before.. and yes, It happend to me to when i was to sure it still wasnt my side that was wrong ikkkkkk.. i was wrong!

Last thing i just wanted to tell here ( Sorry for a long and twisted text =/ everyone ) In FOTS Siege Battles, Is there anyone ever tested to attack an ENEMY Coustal Harbor defense.. when there are enemy boats docked in the harbor? To later then in 3D battle seeing the Cannon batteries coustal defense? Once your ship is in range and seeing your ship cannons fire there shells shoots 90 degree up fair up into the sky, instead of on the enemy cannon coustal harbor defense? Anyone seen that in a 3D sea coustal battles?

I have wrote this before here, but I really wish if some one in FOTS campaign could replicate this event and tell me if this bug is still there, and if this is a vanilla or mod change bug.

Thank you for your time and readings, humble sorry for a crazy post, and apoligize in advance incase anyone missunderstood me here I will ofc reform my words/text incase some one here gets me wrong =^.^=

Take care everyone and Cheers Nick for all the free hard work and time you are putting into this one, PS. I also hope u will include some other special mods into the START LUNCHER I loved those suprises, since the start of DMS version thumbs up! Cant wait till i come back home to my own PC. ciao ciao...

BR AN.

[KERA_AK]

Crap dubble post " DELETE PLEASE "

****** Internet here -.-

BR AN.

[MRinfidel]

playing as the Chosokabe bout 20 maybe 30 turns in on hard difficulty, can't report on trade as of yet have not built any trading ports yet, game mechanics seem to be working fine the AI seem very smart and coordinate well during battle, will post again when i build a fleet and battle the Otomo fleets, only major bug for me right now is that my bow samurai sound like they're firing muskets or cannons (bow ashigaru do not have this problem) ik there is a file to fix this sound bug so if someone could give me a link or if you darth could somehow work into the made it would be much appreciated. and as i said i will report again in another 20-30 turns.

[Lichen]

I feel like the game is easier on update 9. I am playing on legendary and literally everyone besides my enemy is accepting my trade agreements. I feel ridiculously rich. So far, I have been breezing through legendary with barely anyone declaring war on me or cancelling my trade agreements. I preferred the difficulty level of update 5/6 tbh. This feels easier than vanilla legendary.